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It had been nearing the fourth day mark and Astrid hadn't seen so much as a glimpse of Hiccup, when she had said 'That's the last we're seeing of Hiccup this week' on the flight back after he'd come up with ideas for his new sword 'Inferno' he had called it. She was joking....mostly...but now that their 3 days short of a week and Hiccups has been awol she's decided to take matters into her own hands.
She ventures down to the platform where his hut is and leans into the doorway. He's standing with his back to her solely immersed in his project completely unaware of her presence. Toothless on the other hand perks up from his stone bed when seeing her and gives her a gummy smile.
She smiles back at the dragon before venturing over to Hiccup standing behind the unsuspecting Viking. He's got a chalice of Monstrous Nightmare gel and pours it over the side of the sword. The sticky, thick, green liquid coating the blade.
He tips the sword downward and the liquid streams to the point of the blade, he tilts his head to the side following the stream with his head rather than his eyes, a cute little quirk of his.
Astrid steps for a moment just staring at him, sure they had kissed and had a little unnamed thing when they were 16 but that was 3 years ago and there wasn’t necessarily a breakup or anything they just sorta…stopped as they got older. No more stolen chastise kisses which really was all it was.
Astrid knows that she was the one who started it, meaning she was also the one who ended it, ended it by no longer doing the acts of affections. They were rare in themselves sure but sometimes she lets herself wander what life would be had they actually talked about it back then rather than just goofing off.
Of course she had always had feelings for Hiccup but as he got older and grew into his looks it seemed a little harder to just walk up and kiss him, a coward. She was a coward but that’s the truth of the matter, doesn’t mean she has to like it.
In her moment of thinking Hiccup had gone back to drawing sketches of the sword he was currently working on. He was working on sketching the flames with the charcoal, putting the images in his mind onto paper, making them real, physical.
She doesn’t know how he does that. How he can make a picture in his mind and then just create it. Then again this is Hiccup and to her Hiccup can do anything he sets his mind to, she just wishes he saw himself in the same light. But a boy who grew up being told that he was a runt and useless is simply just going to grow up believing that no matter how much changes, no matter how old he gets.
Hiccup turns around to grab some bolts from his crate on the other side of the room when he turns right into Astrid and his chin bonks her forehead.
“Agh!” Astrid leans back and clutches her head where his chin had hit her.
“Astrid!? Wha-what are you doing in here-where- uh- oh gods! I’m so sorry!!” Hiccup stammers holding his hands up in either caution or as a way to placate her.
She looks up at him and sighs, “No it’s okay Hiccup it was my fault I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.” She lowers her hand from her forehead and realizes how close she is to him, flushing slightly she takes a step away and notices his very obvious avoid of eye contact with her. Cute.
“I just wanted to come check on you…You’ve been in here for days, are you even eating?”
Hiccup’s almost instantaneous tensing tells her everything she needs to know, “Hiccup.” She says almost exasperated.
“I forget sometimes….You-you know how I am.” She nods, because yes, yes she does know how he is, how he gets when he’s consumed over something he’s working on.
“I know, but you should take a break.” She quickly adds, "At least for a day.”
Hiccup opens his mouth to protest, then shuts it when he sees the look on her face, “Right. Yeah, yes, I’ll uh- I’ll do that.” She smirks, “Good.” He can never say no to her.
Toothless gets up and leans down stretching as he opens his mouth with a vast yawn before snorting at Hiccup as if to say ‘see, I’m not the only one’ Knowing Toothless he’s probably been trying to get Hiccup out of here for the past few days.
Hiccup gives the dragon a look, “Oh don’t you start too.” the dragon warbles a laugh and steers out, tail swishing to the right to smack Hiccup, ruffling his auburn hair, “Hey!”
Astrid lets herself laugh even though she gets a betrayed look from Hiccup.
Maybe one day she’ll tell him, maybe one day they’ll be more than just Hiccup and Astrid. They’ll be Hiccup and Astrid.
One day.