"Hiccup? Hiccup? Hey!"
Astrid's voice finally filtered through to him, and he blinked rapidly.
"Wh-what sorry?" He said, slightly embarrassed at being caught in a daydream.
She had asked him when he was planning on revealing himself to the rest of the village while still admiring the sunset, but upon his lack of an answer, she had turned to face him. Now she was leaning against the wall facing into the cave, and was looking at him with her eyebrows raised.
'Oh Thor', Hiccup started blushing.
"Welcome back from imagination land" she chuckled, lightly punching him on his shoulder. She appreciatively noted how he barely moved from her playful punch when before he would have staggered back a bit.
"Umm, yeah, Hi" he said sheepishly, looking around at everything but at her face. He finally settled for her feet, while she laughed at his squirming and general embarrassment.
"Anyway, I asked when you're going to show the rest of the village that you're, well, you", she gestured vaguely at all of him.
"Oh yeah, right" he muttered, gaze shifting out to the retreating storm. "I guess I need to tell my Dad next. But to be honest," he turns to face her again, "I wasn't intending on ever telling anyone. Not the village, not you or even Gobber or my Dad. I was happy to let the old Hiccup have died, remembered for being taken by the dragons, not for being a useless clutz."
Astrid opened her mouth to deny his statements, but stops herself. Hiccup had been known as useless and he'd always get in the way or was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I didn't want that memory to be tarnished with everyone knowing i was a traitor." He continues "Because that's what i was, i befriended a dragon while we were still at war with them. And i doubt my father will take kindly to that" he finishes sourly.
"But we have peace with the dragons now thanks to you! You're a hero!" Astrid insists "But wait" she stops, thinking over what he said, "You befriended a dragon? I thought you were kidnapped! I saw you dangling from a dragons claws on the night you were taken!"
"You saw that?" He chuckles, "But yes, i had already befriended Toothless by the night i left. I had packed some things on his back and he heard someone approachin-"
"That was me trying to save you", Astrid butts in.
"I appreciate the thought" he laughs before continuing, "yeah, so he heard you approaching and just grabbed me and took off." He looks back out to sea again, "We really should get going before nightfall, we need to find a place for Stormfly to stay. I don't think she will fit in your house", he laughs.
"Could she stay in your house?" Astrid asks.
Hiccup turns around to look thoughtfully at the two playful beasts. "Yeah, I'm sure Stormfly would be welcome to stay the night" he chuckles, "Toothless! Come on bud, yeah, we're going now. Don't give me sad eyes bud! Yes Stormfly is staying with us tonight ok?"
Toothless bounds over and nuzzles him, sending him reeling awfully close to the edge.
"Careful there bud" he chuckles, swinging round on his harness into his saddle.
"Ready to go?" He asks Astrid smiling.
"Yep", she returns his smile and vaults up onto Stormfly's back.
The two dragons and their riders set off towards the sunset, back towards berk.
They aren't talking much on the flight back which suits Astrid just fine. She's too busy with her own thoughts to keep up conversation.
She was trying to distract her thoughts away from Hiccup, but they kept coming back. Part of her is still in shock that he is alive and back again. Her crush on him had come back even stronger than before he left, now he is back. All of Hiccup's now more dazzling, handsome self is back.
She shook her head vigorously, trying to rid her head of her thoughts. 'Look at the sunset, look at the sunset, not Hiccup. Look over there at that pod of Scauldrons, an emerald green that glints beautifully in the sunset just like Hiccup's eyes... Uuuuuhhhggg' Astrid groans internally and gives up trying to distract herself as her thoughts always circle back to him. Instead just deciding to turn her gaze to him, after all he had been staring at her back at the cave, why shouldn't she get to look at him a bit too?
Stormfly and herself were trailing slightly behind Toothless, with them knowing the way back. But this gave Astrid a clear view of the left side and back of Hiccup. He still hadn't put his helmet back on yet, planning on doing so when Berk was in sight.
So she could see his auburn hair being buffeted by the wind, see some of the peacefulness on his face. It struck her, 'This is where Hiccup is at home. He belongs up here, riding dragons, not down on the ground with us Vikings' she tells herself sadly. Her heart throbs in pain at that idea, that he belongs away from her. But she pushes those feelings to the side, wiping the beginnings of a tear from an eye, there are more important things right now.
So she encourages Stormfly closer and alongside to Toothless, so they're within hearing distance.
"Hey! So umm, what're we going to do about Stormfly here after today? Where's she gonna stay?" She calls across.
"Well Stormfly can stay with me tonight, but not sure about the future. Though it probably wouldn't be best the village saw you riding her. Like at all."
"Why not?" Astrid asks confused, Stormfly even gave a sad squawk.
Hiccup turns to her, "Well Berk isn't taking too kindly to having one dragon riding monster walking amidst them, and they don't even know it's me yet. If they knew you, one of their own, had befriended your sworn enemy, they wouldn't be 'best pleased'", the last bit imitating Gobber. "And that's why i haven't yet revealed myself to everyone. I know I said it earlier, but that's why. How would Berk feel that the chief's son, had taken their enemies' side of the war they were fighting, and had been fighting for decades? How would my father feel? Uhg" He slumps his head down onto his chest despairingly.
"Hey, umm, it's ok" Astrid says, "You'll work something out I'm sure."
"Will I though?" He mutters, before sighting Berk ahead again, and tugging on his helmet.
Astrid urges Stormfly to follow as they skim lower over the water, approaching the dark silhouette of Berk's docks.
They fly up, and carefully land out of sight behind the Dragon Master's abode.
Astrid watched as both dragons were ushered inside, and Hiccup turns to bid her good night.
"Today was, umm, well it was pretty great" Astrid admits, "Thanks Hiccup".
"Sssshhhh, keep it down" he chuckles "But other than the you getting kidnapped by a dragon bit, I thought it went rather well".
"That 'dragon' has a name" she teases, punching him on the shoulder, though he barely recoils.
"Sorry, besides you getting acquainted with Stormfly. Well, good night i guess. See you tomorrow maybe to talk about what we're going to do with your dragon?" He says.
'He sounds.. nervous. Interesting' Astrid spots, "Yep, well, see you tomorrow then" and with a little wave, disappears into her home.
Hiccup watched as she walked away, definitely ignoring her hips swaying and one hundred percent not drooling even a tiny bit.
He slaps his own helmeted face to wake him from his daze, and goes into his own house.
Hiccup walks in to see Stormfly on Toothless' small rock sleeping area, her tail raised as it whips towards toothless, releasing a spine that sticks inches in front of the Night Fury. Toothless releases a menacing growl as he stops his advance towards his own bed.
"Hey hey hey!" Hiccup launches himself between them. "Calm it you two".
He berates himself internally as he calms the two dragons.
'How could i have let slip from my mind how aggressive Nadder's are?' But the answer is right there, floating in the forefront of his mind, 'Astrid'.
Again, he pushes Astrid to the back of his mind as he confronts his upset dragon.
"It's ok bud, it's just for tonight" he soothes him as Stormfly makes herself comfortable on Toothless' bed.
The disgruntled Night Fury harumphs and stalks off to find somewhere else to sleep.
Turning to Stormfly, Hiccup informs her "You'll only be there tonight Miss, you'll go to the stables if you misbehave again", to which she just grumbles.
Worn out, and now wondering where his dragon had disappeared to, Hiccup traiks all over the house. Once he gives up and stumbles to his own sparsely furnished room, he goes to throw himself onto his bed, but instead finds his renegade dragon.
Said dragon gets up, twirls around and much to Hiccup's horror, lets out a small breath of fire as he would on his stone bed to keep his cold blood warmer at night. But being on Hiccup's mattress, it burnt right through; essentially cutting out a circular hole in the centre of his bed.
Fussing around the smouldering mattress, smothering any embers and making sure the house isn't going to burn down during the night. He then gives Toothless a long, pointed look to which he looks away, almost shamefully.
After the frantic few minutes, he's even more exhausted than before. Not fancying a scaly black pillow, he simply lays down on the wool rug beside his bed, resigning to sleep there for the night.
Astrid lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of her room. Her getting captured by the Deadly Nadder had been startling, especially as she had been on edge from riding an actual *Night Fury*.
But strangely enough, she hadn't been that scared. And the fear she had felt was of losing Hiccup again...
And while yes, of course, the fearless Astrid Hofferson didn't get scared, she reflects how she mostly felt freedom.
'After a few moments, it actually felt natural to be up there. Almost like a home away from home...' she ponders, 'should i ask Hiccup if i could join him if he has to leave again? I wonder where he's been the past year? But would he want me with him? What if i've missed my chance, what if he doesn't like me anymore?...', dangerous thoughts swirled around her head as she was falling asleep.
'What If...?'
