A/N: So I, um, might have jumped fandoms fic-wise yet again. Apologies. But this one has been rolling around in my head since I saw HTTYD 2. There are loads of ways that I think this scene could happen, but this is just one interpretation I think might be possible.

Also: There be spoilers ahead! You've been warned.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Believe me, I'd love a pet dragon.

Astrid's Choice

She found him in the Mead Hall, head in his hands as he gazed without actually seeing the table in front of him. A slump in his shoulders showed the weight of the meeting that had just let out, and the conversation in the room around him had dulled to a light murmur. Few Vikings were littered throughout the space; most had retired to their homes, eager for a night's rest after yet another week of setting Berk back on its metaphorical feet.

In the low light of the hall's lanterns, a shadow of a beard showed on the young man's chin. It made him look older. Or maybe that was just the result of everything that had happened in the past few days. Odin knew she felt older.

Toothless looked knackered; the night fury was curled up not far from the table, dozing next to one of the low-crackling fire pits. His ears perked up slightly at her approaching footsteps, but he must have recognized the footfalls, as he stayed nestled in his comfortable-looking state.

"Hi," she said when she reached her destination; she stood awkwardly next to the bench seat opposite the young Viking.

"Hey," he replied. His voice was a bit raspy, no doubt from trying to overpower the booming voices of the night's rowdy assembly.

"How you holding up?" The question, usually a casual greeting—now anything but, tumbled from her lips before she could stop it. She crossed her arms and looked down at the ground to hide the blooming blush on her cheeks. She knew how he was 'holding up.' The whole village knew at this point.

Hiccup's freckled hands came down to rest flat on the table as he finally looked away from the chipped mahogany in front of him. His vivid green eyes settled on her slowly, as if she were just coming into focus.

"I'm…holding, I guess," he said after a moment, a small ghost of his signature half-smile pulling at his lips. "It's—it's a lot to handle."

Astrid nodded. Of course it was a lot to handle. Mourning his father, rebuilding the village, and leading the community all in one week. She wasn't sure she could pick up her axe if she lost someone that close to her, let alone run an island.

"I figured," she said, rubbing some warmth into the space between the sheepskin wraps and the shoulder pads on her muscled arms. She hadn't noticed the draft until the heat in her cheeks had dissipated completely.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed at the movement and he immediately reached for her. "C'mere."

She heeded his words, moving around to his side of the table to join him on the bench. He immediately pulled her into his embrace, tucking her head under his pointed chin and running his fingers over the exposed skin of her upper arms.

"Y'know, just because you're Chief now does not mean that I'm going to respond to every command you give," she teased. "Even if you are really warm."

Hiccup breathed out a semi-laugh, the first sign of humor she'd heard from him in days, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Never thought you would."

"Well, good," she said, knowing it wasn't her best retort. If she were being honest, though, she didn't really care. She was too focused on the feel of the person holding her in his arms and by that overwhelming emotion she hadn't quite spoken aloud but knew to be true. She would tell him one of these days, but for now, she was content to let the minutes pass just like this, in the shadows of this large hall where they would be left alone at least for a little while.

When Hiccup broke the quiet, some time later, Astrid could hear the pronounced rasp in voice much more clearly.

"So…you know how you said that when I'd become Chief, you would have to fly Toothless once in a while because I wouldn't have time?"

The question seemed so out of place, here in this intimate moment. She pulled away slightly so that she could meet his green gaze head-on. His arms resettled instinctively down around her waist. "Yeah?"

Hiccup bit his bottom lip, almost as if he was unsure how to voice his next thought. Then he tried anyway: "Well, did you mean it?"

Now Astrid was confused. She brushed her blonde bangs out of the way to get a better look at him. "Mean what?" she said. "That I'd fly Toothless? Of course."

Clearing his throat, Hiccup's gaze traveled past Astrid and up toward the ceiling—as if he were praying to Thor for the right words to say next.

"See, uh, I don't just mean flying Toothless, actually. I kind of meant helping me plan the village occasions and working on integrating the new dragons on the island and creating some strategies for exit plans in the event of attack and dealing with the new equipment and choosing the design for the new town center and—"

Her head was spinning. This was a lot to think about. But wait. Did he say—choosing the carving for the town center? That was traditionally a decision made by the chief's—

Astrid gasped. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup's bumbling toward the high heavens trailed off and he risked a glance down at the light-haired woman in his arms. His gaze was open and honest—and utterly nervous if the pinch in between his dark eyebrows was any indication.

"Are you proposing?"

Hiccup chewed his poor swollen bottom lip some more before blurting, "You obviously don't have to answer now. If you want some time to think about it, I completely understand. I know it's a big decision and marrying me obviously means taking on a lot of—ow."

Once again, Astrid didn't let him finish. True to her nature, she delivered a hearty blow to his upper arm that cut him off mid-sentence before speaking herself: "That's for thinking I would ever say no. And for taking so long to ask me."

In the conversational space where Hiccup usually would have commented on the reasoning behind the punch, there was only silence. His bright green eyes sparkled with something that could only be labeled as hope.

He was leaning toward her before she could even reach up to catch his lips with her own. Hiccup caught her lower lip between his teeth this time and nibbled softly, bringing his hands up to cup her rapidly reheating cheeks. The kiss was warm and melted her insides in a way that was entirely more girlish than she would like to admit. But she loved every second of it. She loved him.

When they finally pulled away out of an unspoken necessity to breathe, she said the only thing she could think of in a voice now nearly as gravelly as his: "And that, in case you were wondering, was me saying yes."

A/N: Review?