Summary: sometimes, pain shows up at the worst possible moment... On the other hand, maybe having the best kind of company really isn't that bad. Hiccstrid fluff with a tiny sprinkle of spice.

So it was my first time participating in the Secret Odin thing on Tumblr. That was fun. :D

I'm sure I need to reply to some messages but I've been swamped, like SWAMPED with work and it's killing me a little bit, slowly but surely. I do have my moments to unwind, but my brain doesn't seem to want to cooperate sometimes. XD huggles to ya'll anyway.*

For my Secret Odin's giftee, Keysamoguri - and also for the delight (or horror) or my readers - I present to you:

Cold Feet

Winter in Berk always had a bit of a tendency of catching the population off-guard. One moment it was cold and snowy, the next it was a full-blown horrible tempest of snow and hailstorms and everything that could possibly cause your internal organs to freeze within seconds.

It usually wouldn't last for long, but it was as deadly as it was swift and sudden. So unpredictably fun.

One would think of it as romantic – wind raging outside, fire burning warmly within the hearth of a household, the temperature of its embers matching that of the couple of young lovers as they cuddle for warmth…

But, no.

Not this couple.

At least not yet.

"Astrid, would you please stop hogging the blanket?" Hiccup complained, tugging at the much-needed furs while he tried to nudge his girlfriend with his shoulders.

"It's not my fault this thing isn't big enough," Astrid retorted, allowing Hiccup some more fabric but not too much, "which is really weird, considering how big your dad is."

Hiccup shot her a flat look.

"This blanket is from my bed, so it's usually enough for me," Hiccup said. He shivered; Vikings were used to the cold, but right now he was absolutely freezing all the way down to his bones – even the ones he didn't have anymore.

They had been flying outside together all morning. It had been snowing softly, nothing that would impede flight – until winter happened to decide it wasn't cold and miserable enough for everyone, so it turned Berk into a freezing death trap. Luckily, they'd been close enough to the town.

The couple flew straight into the first place available to hide from the swirling vortex of frost – Hiccup's house, through his bedroom's ceiling door. Their frozen fingers haphazardly dislodged the soaked clothes off their skins, the uselessly wet pieces of fabric set to dry around the fireplace.

Hiccup dearly hoped Astrid didn't notice how embarrassed he was about them changing clothes so close to each other; just the thought of her undressing in the same household was enough to make him a little jittery.

He lent Astrid some of his dry clothes – making a mental note to never wash these particular items ever again – and they both huddled close to the fire, their dragons dozing off beside them, both saddles removed.

Astrid rubbed her left leg vigorously; obviously Hiccup's pants were shortened on the left side, and even wearing a pair of woolly socks didn't quite cover up her exposed shin.

"What is it with you people," Astrid wondered out aloud, "That you only own small blankets and half pairs of pants?"

Hiccup caught the joking flex behind her words; the smile discretely beginning to pull at her mouth.

"I think you mean three-quarters pairs of pants," he corrected, smiling back at her. "But this is obviously a great excuse to have M'Lady as close to me as possible."

Her smile widened; her cheeks were now flushed and as rosy as her lips, and for a moment Hiccup lost himself in the contrast between pink and blue. His right hand found a way to rest upon hers and, giddily, he realized he was touching the exposed skin of her leg, the small hairs brushing his fingertips.

Astrid's eyes slowly flicked from Hiccup's hand to his face, the intention of her gaze perfectly clear. More than mere permission or tolerance; she welcomed the touch. Her lips curled farther up her cheeks, appearing all-too inviting to Hiccup.

"Oh, is that so? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through." There was a glint of orange-red fire in her still dank hair; Hiccup all but wished he could weave his fingers into her dampened tress.

"It's nothing," Hiccup said, shrugging lightly, "everything went as planned today."

Astrid eyed him amusedly, chuckling delicately as she tilted her head sideways. The soft sound mingled with the crackling of the fireplace and the howling of the tempest. The dissolving imprint of her voice left a bubbly sensation inside Hiccup's chest, and he sighed.

"Really? So the storm, did you plan that one too?"

"Yeah, well… Didn't you find it a little bit too convenient?" he replied, offering his palms up to the cool air as if gesturing at his obviously perfectly executed strategy.

"Wow, Hiccup. I guess you can really move mountains, can't you?" Astrid nudged his ribs with her elbow, feigning admiration and surprise.

"Sure! I mean," Hiccup paused, looking for the right words, his gaze floating about the dim room before becoming riveted on Astrid, "With the proper… motivation." He concluded with a smirk, eyebrows boldly arched as he nodded his head slightly.

Astrid tried not to laugh at his nearly-casual flirtation. It was something he'd steadily been working on lately, almost discretely. Whether it was purposeful or unintentional she couldn't quite know; but it had its effect on her, in the end. He almost seemed to be hiding a potential form of seduction behind his overstated sarcasm and silliness…

It was hard for her to ignore it anyway, since it somehow accompanied the physical changes Hiccup had been through.

His shoulders had broadened, his chest somewhat expanded. Arms, neck and legs grew out of their thin childish features, gaining more mature proportions. The soft lines of his jawline became angled, the hairs on his chin raked her skin when they kissed. The bobbing Adam's apple now stood out, as did his cheekbones.

Hiccup was now taller than her, something she'd never bothered with until she noticed how strangely different it made her feel.

He had gradually become more confident as the years went by, more contented and natural around her throughout this time. They got to a point where Astrid herself would gladly join in on his banters, revelling in how easily he brought out the fun-loving side in her…

And the loving side, too.

It had taken them a while to get a grip on things. They weren't in any rush, anyway; things were good and uncomplicated in their relationship and there was no need to be making any constant confirmations on whether they were together or not.

They were kids, riding dragons, living adventures. Friends, above all else, who had this uncanny way of understanding each other. A companionship neither of them had ever expected.

When the actual physical component had started to kick in, well…

Astrid tried not to laugh, but at the same time she tried not to sigh and throw her arms around him. Both options were equally compelling, but neither seemed entirely appropriate at the moment.

So she merely scooted over the slightest little bit until their hips bumped together – she pretended to be thumping into him with her shoulders – and bit her lips. Astrid had come to notice Hiccup would look at her differently whenever she did that; and this moment was no exception.

Not openly replying to his line, but instead playfully firing back. There was something so subtle about the game they played…

Sometimes she just felt like ripping off the subtlety, and throwing caution and propriety to the wind.

But she always got a hold of herself.

"Are you saying I'm a motivating person?" Astrid asked lightly, and for a moment Hiccup almost seemed to be lost in something.

His smile faded abruptly, as his childish demeanour gained a solemn edge. The way he positively flipped from casually playful to intensely focused nearly startled Astrid.

When Hiccup dipped his head in pursuit of her lips, she couldn't quite still the frantic fluttering that settled in her heart, nor the ember of heat pooling below her navel. Hiccup squeezed her hand gently, and Astrid's digits curled around his without further thought.

He didn't pull her to him; she just drew closer out of her own initiative, leaning into him like she'd gone out of balance. She felt the oppressive, sweltering heat grow stronger the closer she got to him. Their bodies met – hips and thighs and arms and chests.

They had hugged before on different occasions, but this time their proximity felt different; there was a new meaning behind it, something usually kept deep and hidden. This feeling slowly reared its head, tremulously unveiling its temptations; deftly winding them together…

Toothless snorted censoriously just at the right time, startling Hiccup and Astrid enough for them to break the kiss and scoot apart, the fur blanket nearly slipping off their shoulders in the process.

It was all for a good cause, anyway; who knows what form of strange spell would have been cast if they'd kept at it for much longer, and Toothless was not about to be a silent witness to whatever shenanigans the human couple was planning on ensuing.

Especially due to his acute hearing. The Night Fury squinted at his rider, gracing the now-bashful young man with a look of mild disapproval which, he hoped, would convey the desired warning, before plopping his head back on his front paws with a low, annoyed purr.

Astrid scoffed, her hands returning to the rubbing motion of her leg even though she really wasn't feeling cold anymore. She fixed her eyes on her dripping clothes, hung the opposite side of the fireplace, listening to the fastened thrumming of her heart. Its beat seemed to echo inside her ribcage, as if nothing else was there inside.

Maybe it was the reason she felt so light.

She avoided both Hiccup's and Toothless' stares for the time being; although, in all honesty, she really didn't know what she was being so withdrawn about.

Maybe because she hadn't had time to brace herself for the kiss. Hiccup had been sudden enough to catch her off-guard… and she had loved not being in control of it.

One day… One day, Hiccup was going to make her lose it.

Hiccup cleared his throat, coyly toying with a loose thread on his tunic.

"Yes," he said after a pause. Astrid curved her head toward him, confusion knitting her eyebrows together.

Hiccup sighed, overly rolling his eyes and letting out an exaggerated groan.

"I meant, yes, you're a motivating person."

"Oh," Astrid hummed, unwillingly allowing a giggle to escape her lips before she could grab hold of it. "Maybe I could motivate you into finding me another blanket…"

They smiled at each other again, and this time actually broke into easy laughter – carefree and light.

"So how about I make us something hot to drink? I need to shake off this cold too," Hiccup said, suppressing a shudder from the sudden chill on his spine. His missing foot was getting at him again… what bad timing.

"I'd love some tea, thanks."

Hiccup got up, leaving the fur blanket all to his girlfriend – who pulled it to her dramatically and completely wrapped herself up in it, only her face and the tips of her hands visible underneath the chocolate-coloured pelt.

Astrid sighed contentedly, humming tunelessly as she watched the fire crackle, until her attention was drawn by Hiccup's groan. A strangled sound, muted and quiet, but she caught it.

She watched him, the smile fading from her eyes as she noticed his gait had a limp to it. He tried keeping his face straight, but the lines of a grimace stubbornly kept making their way back.

Astrid said nothing, for the time being; she just let the mountain of fur come undone around her as he took his place beside her again and draped himself back into the warmth.

"You're really cold," Astrid murmured as she took his fingers with both her hands. She drew them up to her mouth, breathing hot air into his stiff digits, scouting his face for a sign as to what was wrong.

Hiccup sighed, warily, shaken by another chill. Astrid noticed it then – the darker lines under his eyes, the lack of colour in his cheeks, the way his expression seemed to close in on itself in distress.

"You're in pain," she stated flatly. It wasn't a question.

With a slow nod Hiccup outstretched his left leg, the one he had lost in the battle with the Dragon Queen some four years ago. Both stared wordlessly at the contraption that now stood in place of his foot.

He had tried to keep it under control, but the pain was just too much now; he could feel it throbbing, stinging rhythmically. Hiccup clutched at the point just above his prosthetic, grimacing at the wood-and-metal replacement as if his discomfort were the device's fault.

He knew there was no more flesh left down there. But that didn't stop the empty space from aching… or itching, for that matter. Right now, Hiccup felt very cold; his feet – both of them – were absolutely freezing.

His girlfriend spared him a sympathetic look. Her thumbs rubbed the back of his hands in a soothing circular motion, almost reflexively. She understood, because she had been told about it before; a missing limb, no longer attached to the person's body, but still sensitive.

It was relatively common in their world. After all, many a Viking had lost their limbs during battles. Those who lived on would sometimes carry more than just the physical scar or mutilation.

She knew Hiccup had also needed to deal with a debilitating psychological toll. He had seemed to bounce out of it pretty well, though. Didn't take him too long to become steady on his toes and he didn't sulk about it for long…

He'd had other things on his mind, anyway. He'd been so excited about all the changes that had been brought into their lives with the start of the Integration. Astrid had always made it her point of honour not to mention his lost leg unless it was in appraisal – that his sacrifice had brought forth so many good things.

Besides, Viking men were supposed to be tough and strong, and to not complain even about these sorts of injuries… so Hiccup had the tendency to close his distress in on himself, and barely ever let it show. Astrid, though, had always kept a keen eye open for any sign of problems.

Nevertheless, throughout the years he'd actually become somewhat at ease about it – with her. At least enough to admit that he was going through something, albeit begrudgingly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Astrid asked out of concern, yet trying not to sound like she was feeling too sorry for him. She didn't think him a weakling at all, but was afraid she might mistakenly convey that impression.

Hiccup just shook his head heavily; in spite of everything, he didn't want to seem vulnerable. Not that he had any particular problem down his walls around Astrid – she had always been great at supporting him whenever he'd needed, and seemed to read into him anyway – but this was different.

This was something illogical, beyond his reach and comprehension. Even though he had long-since accepted his loss, he simply could not come to terms with the invisible pain that would return sporadically every few months.

Whenever it happened, it made Hiccup feel bitter. He had managed to learn how to live with the leg's absence. But this stinging reminder that he was, basically, broken, always soured his mood.

Astrid didn't want to just sit it out in silence. She stood up, grabbed the pot filled with hot water, and proceeded to quest in search for a clean cloth she could use. She poured some water and herbs into a mug and stirred.

When she returned, she kneeled in front of Hiccup and thrust the overly hot mug into Hiccup's hands; he had to use the blanket to protect them from the heat of the cup.

"What..?" Hiccup tried jerking his leg away, but Astrid placed both her hands on what was left of his calf and, gently, pulled it to her.

"I'm going to help. You're freezing, and you're hurting. I don't want to just sit around and do nothing," she said, adamantly.

He knew, by the tone in her voice and her concerned expression, that she was completely resolute about it. She wanted to help... as she always did.

Hiccup beheld her, blinking through the thin veil of steam from his mug. Astrid was dressed in his unflattering clothes, kneeling on the floor and with her damp hair sticking to her forehead, bathed in the dancing light of the fire as she held his incomplete leg between her hands…

She had never seemed so wonderful before.

"You're beautiful," he blurted out without a second thought. The words hung in the air for a while, as if they were unsure what to do about themselves. They wound up deciding to settle on the couple's cheeks, lightly tinting them with the faintest of rose-coloured awkwardness.

Astrid critically looked down at herself and then back at Hiccup. She clearly didn't believe him, at all.

"You don't have a fever or anything, do you?"

"I… no. I meant it," he replied flatly.

"Okay then," Astrid replied in the same tone. "Thanks," she added in sheepishly, in a whisper. She was still holding on to his leg.

"So," she said as she scratched her nails over the wooden surface of the prosthetic, "you'll let me try and help you?"

There it was again, that look in her face. Astrid could be deliciously obstinate when she wanted to.

"Okay," Hiccup said, letting out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging in defeat. There was no point in struggling against her much more.

Still, when she placed the prosthetic on the floor and began folding his pants backwards, he recoiled brusquely. He couldn't know why, but he just did.

Astrid kept her hands firmly on the fabric of his pants, gracing Hiccup with a reassuring smile and an encouraging tug.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. I've seen it before, remember? And this time, it's not bleeding all over my clothes."

Hiccup relaxed, then, as memories of a conversation held so long ago began to play in the back of his mind. Gobber had told him how, after the incident when he almost died, Astrid had helped bandage his seeping wound after their healer performed a quick on-the-field surgery.

She had overseen that Toothless was well taken care of, before departing with the rest of the teenagers back to Berk, securely carrying Hiccup all the way on Stormfly's back.

And after leaving him to the care of the healers, she then returned to the Dragon's Nest with the remainder of Berk's fleet to help evacuate the rest of the Vikings, as the Red Death had spared too few vessels from her fiery wrath.

Astrid had stood by his side, often visiting his house to check on him and to keep Toothless company. She had volunteered to test out the equipment Gobber rebuilt for Toothless' new saddle, and only after making sure it worked properly did Gobber alter the pedal to fit Hiccup's new foot.

She'd always kept close, for days on end, while he was unconscious. She had already seen him in the frailest condition possible, and yet still confessed she thought him to be one of the strongest people she knew…

They had never actually talked about it; he never really got to thank her properly for all of it.

Hiccup's heart cartwheeled in his chest. He was assaulted by an assortment of feelings then, and he would have positively levitated out of gratitude if he could. A small knot formed on his throat; he tried washing it down with hot tea, but it only proved helpful to warm up his stomach.

Astrid finished unravelling the bindings around his leg. She dipped the clean cloth in the hot water and fished it back out; it was steaming as she twisted it to remove the excess water. Her hands were red and raw as she used the hot cloth to clean around his stump, but not once did she flinch or hiss.

Occasionally she would dip the cloth back into the hot water, twist it dry again, continuously dabbing it softly over the scarred skin.

"Let me know if it gets uncomfortable," she hummed soothingly, massaging the area with a tenderness Hiccup had never seen.

But it never felt uncomfortable, not once. It only kept getting better and better, until he felt a wave of sheer relief as the pain below finally toned down, eventually fading away as if it had never even been there in the first place.

She looked up to him, noticing his much more tranquil countenance.

"Feeling better?" she asked. Hiccup nodded, and she beamed heartily at him in the most endearing of smiles.

Yet she calmly continued her ministrations for a while longer, reassuringly glancing at Hiccup every now and then. One final time she dipped the fabric into the warm water, twisted it, and then wrapped it around the stump. It felt warm, and cosy.

Astrid might not have a knack for cooking, but she was great at this. At helping, aiding and calming.

"There you go," she said, giving his knee a small squeeze. She looked at the wrapping and exhaled, absent-mindedly rubbing his knee.

"It's a part of you, you know? This is, like… the coolest battle scar ever," they both let out a small chuckle, faint but earnest. "And you should be proud of it. It's the mark of a hero."

The way she put the emphasis in that last word left no room for doubt. There was a spark of honest admiration in her, and it lit Hiccup's soul on fire.

He shook his head weakly in ever-lingering incredulity, but couldn't really find a way to contradict her.

"Thank you. For this," he said, gesturing at his leg, "and for… everything else."

Astrid's face lit up fondly at the reference; she pushed herself up on her knees and dove under the covers into a tight embrace. He rubbed her back gently as she dug her face into his chest; and when she pressed her ear against it, she could hear the rapid thumping within.

"Come here," Hiccup whispered, his hand tucking lost strands of hair behind her ear. Astrid looked up at his half-lidded eyes and, noticing his chapped lips, licked her own in anticipation.

Hiccup panted in surprised, not because of the wet kiss or the way her tongue flicked across his lower lip – but because Astrid now sat on his lap, each thigh to the side of his hips.

Straddling him.

Maybe her intentions had been innocent enough, but Hiccup needed a whole lot of concentration not to let his excitement show. He tried focusing on the kiss alone, unsteadily capturing her bottom lip between his own as his hands rested gawkily on her elbows.

That was not where Astrid wanted his hands.

She breathed in deeply, hotly, into his mouth; purposefully, she dragged her nails up and down his back in slow aimless motions, feeling his muscles tense and relax under his tunic.

She wanted to coax him into unwinding enough to give in completely; otherwise Hiccup's kisses would lack a certain… intensity. Like he was afraid to cross an invisible line.

Astrid badly wanted to get back to the proximity of that kiss before Toothless interrupted them…

She slightly tilted her head sideways, bumping their noses together. She giggled into his mouth, feeling it stretch as he smiled.

Her lips grazed across his soft stubble as she moved her hot kisses over to his jawline, then behind his ear. Hiccup shuddered very suddenly, not entirely used to having his neck and throat kissed this way.

His eyes shot open in surprise when her hands took hold of his, and guided them elsewhere – to the small of her back, no less. And even a little bit lower…

Oh, Gods. What was she doing?

"It's okay," she whispered into his ear as he seemed to be offering a bit of resistance. She gave his warm hands one last squeeze before cradling his cheeks, pulling their faces together just enough so their lower lips would graze…

Now it was he who took her by surprise. She all but yelped when his hands – now actually resting on her buttocks – crushed their hips together, pulling her into a newfound kind of pressure.

The pelt cover toppled to the floor, its presence no longer necessary.

Astrid's eyes shut tight, but her lips remained open in a wordless whimper, shaky and breathless. She thoughtlessly rolled her hips into him as he kissed her throat, the heat of his breath travelling under the cleavage of the tunic and tickling her chest.

Astrid absent-mindedly noticed something begin to prod near her left thigh, but didn't even give it a second though… until Hiccup quite suddenly – if a little too briskly – shoved her off his lap.

"What?" she demanded hotly, her tone perhaps a bit too sharp but, frankly, she couldn't care less. She had been enjoying it thoroughly, until he'd pushed her away.

A flustered Hiccup stammered something incoherently as he tried to pull the discarded pelt to cover his lap… and that's when Astrid understood why she'd been pushed off.

"Oh," she said out aloud, her eyes a little wide and her cheeks a little rosy, a strange sense of thrilling satisfaction settling in the pit of her stomach. A pregnant pause followed as Hiccup shuffled about with the covers, until he finally stopped fidgeting a let out a forlorn sigh.

"I'm sorry," he groaned, now slumped forward in an awkward position and scratching the nape of his neck rather nervously.

"That's okay," Astrid replied, shrugging in a hopefully nonchalant manner, "it's not like you can tell it what to do, right?"

"Y-yeah… I guess…"

Hiccup seemed to sink even lower in embarrassment; she actually found it all sorts of loveable. He might be unsure about bringing some spice into their relationship, but Astrid certainly wasn't. She wanted more breathlessly hot kisses, more closeness, more contact… And she wasn't afraid to seek it.

"I promise it won't happen again," Hiccup said, gesturing with his open hands to further emphasize his point.

"Good," Astrid agreed, nodding; a playful smile on her lips. "You better not do it again."

"I'm sorry."

"So it's a promise, then?" She edged on toward him, biting her lips.

"Yes. I promise," he repeated, but now uncertainly. He eyed her with curiosity as she leaned even closer. She seemed as if she were about to kiss him…

But she merely stood up, collected her clothes and pulled on her boots.

"That storm seems to be over…" Astrid took a moment, her eyes closed, to listen to the wind outside. Hiccup remained equally still; in the silence that settled in, all they could hear were the soft snoring of their dragons, the fireplace singing in crackles. The sound of the powerful blizzard blowing around the village had ceased.

"So… I should head back," Astrid motioned her head towards the door, "I'll return your clothes later."

She quietly woke up Stormfly and walked over to the entrance door, watched by a somewhat befuddled Hiccup.

"And don't forget your promise… Next time you get cold feet, don't push me off. Let me warm you up."

The suggestive smirk she gave him and the way she said it echoed in Hiccup's mind throughout the rest of the night, haunting his dreams in the most delightful way possible.

And the wretched pain in his lost limb remained completely dormant for many, many years.

END

Dang, this was long for a drabble...

For some reason I remembered about the aftermath of the Red Dragon battle. I wonder what happened, so, that's one possible idea of how Hiccup got home.

And in modern society know about the phantom limb pain, but back then I suppose their comprehension on the matter was more limited. We don't see it in the TV or movie but I'm sure Hiccup was affected by the loss of his limb, and possibly the psychological effects of it still sometimes manifest, even when he's apparently okay.

Ramble off. If you read the whole thing you deserve a cookie. xD