Epilogue

Ash POV- Six Months Later…

He stepped into the forge, looking for a certain auburn haired girl. After a two week long trip with Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut and some of the other male vikings, all he wanted was Hiccup. Ash wanted her to smile at him when she saw him, kiss him sweetly and offer to have a relaxing afternoon like she normally did, sometimes cooking him some food if she was in a good state of mind. That would be nice.

But even if she didn't he'd still love her to bits. Because she was Hiccup. And he loved her from her sarcasm to her bursts of anger to her cheek.

Looking around, he heard her round the back, hammering away at something. With a tiny smile, Ash walked around a wall separating her from his sight, breath getting caught in his throat.

She stood there legs braced, a red hot piece of metal being pounded into a straight flat shape, sweat dripping down her neck. Her shortsleeved shirt clung to her frame, the back soaked, her "shorts" sticking to the curve of her thighs. Hiccup's hair? It had grown since they'd started dating and fell just past her shoulders. But right now? It was in an adorable crown-high ponytail, the longest lock barely reaching the nape of her neck.

The starstruck viking swore that he was the luckiest guy in the world.

Hiccup finally seemed to notice his presence looking up at him. But when an expression settled on her face it wasn't a happy one. She set the hammer down and used tongs to dump the sword in a bucket of water. To be honest he was terrified. That look wasn't one that translated to anyhing good in any langauge. She stormed over to him, her semi-athletic frame standing strong and steady.

Definitely not what he'd expected to happen.

The moment that she grabbed him by the collar of the shirt to pull him down to eye level, Ash decided that this could easily go down in a good way or a bad way.

"You," she seethed, "left for two weeks and told me with only a day's notice, even telling me that it was for only three days. I woke up every day excited thinking that you were still here and then you weren't. After the four day mark I got scared. I kept thinking that something b-bad happened," her voice was starting to break and he felt it stabbing him in the chest, "and then I thought about how I wouldn't get to hear you call me 'sweetheart' anymore, how you wouldn't give me piggybacks when I'm exhausted, how you wouldn't tackle me in a hug, how you wouldn't sneak in a kiss when you could, how you wouldn't be there to fall asleep next to in the cove."

Hiccup looked at him with the most broken look he had ever seen her wear.

"I thought that you were gone!" she started beating at his chest with her little fists in hysteria and he wouldn't stop her for the world.

He'd made her break like this. Ash had never meant to hurt Hiccup even though he always had emotionally. When she was still an outcast, he sometimes saw the heartbroken look on her face. But he'd ignored those looks. At the time status was more important than anything.

When she stopped hitting him, she fell into his chest with a sob, clutching his shirt. Ash's arms wound around her and he pressed gentle kisses into her hair.

"I'm so sorry. I swear to the gods that I thought it was only three days. And I promise I won't leave you ever."

She nodded still crying, trying to stop her sobs. He knelt slightly so that he could gently kiss away the tears on her cheeks, the taste of salt trickling onto his tongue.

"Twenty eight kisses," he whispered.

A little crease appeared between her eyebrows as he used his thumb to wipe away any stray tears at the corners of her eyes. "What?"

"I kiss you at least two times a day," Ash murmured, "and we missed fourteen days."

She managed a smile at him. "You still haven't said it yet."

"Said what?"

"That you like me a lot more than just liking me."

He chuckled. "Well… I normally would but I've just been a wuss saying that I only like you that much."

"Oh? Then how much is it?"

Arms winding around her more comfortably, he let their foreheads touch each others, the light layer of sweat on her's a familiar feeling. She was waiting intently for his answer, looking into his eyes with her own forest green orbs.

"I love you more than anything," her eyes widened, "and I think I have since I was ten and before that I'd had a crush on you since I was five."

He watched the happiest look on her face that he'd ever seen appear, her arms winding around his neck and burying into his hair.

"Gods…" she breathed, "I love you too."

"Thank gods otherwise that would've been awkward."

Hiccup laughed. "Just kiss me already doofus."

"'Course, sweetheart."

Hiccup tugged her down, pressing her lips against his. He sighed contently, tugging her closer with an arm around her waist. She was smiling into the kiss, her hands pulling his mouth closer to her. The smell of sweat eminated from her, but he didn't mind at all (he probably smelt like sweat all the time; that in itself spoke volumes) simply continuing. Slightly chapped lips that he knew was from the heat of the forge and her forgetfulness. He grinned; such a Hiccup thing to do.

She was frowning at him and he noticed that her face was a lot further away than it had been before.

"Sorry, I was just noticing another little thing that I love about you."

Hiccup grinned. "And what was that?"

He tapped her lips with the tip of his finger and her hands flew to touch her mouth. Ash laughed as she looked at him in disbelief.

"But… they're chapped..."

"Yes, but it's also a very Hiccup thing about you."

She laughed. "That I forget to drink?"

He nodded and the auburn haired girl's lips tugged at the edges.

"You're a weirdo," arms wound around his neck and a nose found the hollow area near his collarbone.

"But I'm your weirdo remember?"

She giggled, before she stiffened and pushed him away, crossing her arms. His brow creased in confusion, lines printing onto his forehead. Sharp green eyes. Even though he heard that her eyes were more like Valka's than Stoic's, he saw the chief-like sharpness of hers at that moment.

"I'm mad at you."

He rubbed between his brows. It was a one of her mood-swing days.

Hiccup was staring daggers at him, before she stormed out of the forge. In a frantic haste, he ran after her, his hand combing through his hair in aggravation. When he tried to grab her wrist, she yanked it away from him. Gods, he was buried six feet under.

Then Toothless bound out of nowhere, grinning dopily before his gummy smile disappeared at his retreating rider. Ash thanked the gods and gestured to his girlfriend mouthing, "grab her". Toothless grinned and ran over to his rider, grabbing her by the back of her shirt and dragged her back over to Ash.

He ignored the fact that some of her shirt had ridden up as she scowled at him. "You're using my dragon against me now too?"

"He chose to do it; I just asked. Now are you going to listen to me or not?"

She gestured to how she was being suspended in midair by dragon teeth. "Do I have much choice?"

"Nope," Ash grinned.

"Put me down, Bud."

The dragon set her down carefully, nuzzling her cheek as he wrapped his tail around her middle to prevent her from escaping.

"Speak."

He sighed. "Okay, I know you hate me for not telling you the length of the trip, but I thought it was a short one. And you hate me for putting you through so much stress and worry… and for acting like I could get away with it. I'm so sorry though. I swear on my grandmother's grave that I didn't mean to hurt you. I'd rather stab myself than deliberately hurt you," he breathed deeply, "and I can promise you that I wasn't lying when I said I love you."

Toothless' ears perked up and looked down at his rider who was silent and looking at the ground.

It was another long minute before she spoke again, looking up with softened eyes. "I hate you."

He grinned jumping forward, picking her up by her waist and spinning her around, before bringing her down to mumble against her lips, "Love you too."

Hiccup giggled and turned to give her dragon an appreciative kiss, but he would've have that. She laughed as Ash growled at Toothless possessively, his arms tightening around her, his head resting on her shoulder. Her laugh; gorgeous, but not his current issue. No he is the alpha male, not Toothless and she is his alpha female.

"Back off, reptile," he snarled.

She punched his arm with a little frown. "Stop being all possessive! I'm not a thing!"

"But you're my girlfriend and my is a possessive word, sweetheart."

Hiccup scowled. "If you weren't cute when you're being logical, I'd hit you again."

"Nice to know you think my logic is sexy."

"I did not say sexy," she said indignantly.

Ash frowned. "But the others guys said that girls normally say cute instead of hot, because they're too shy to say it."

"That's true, but it doesn't mean that I specifically meant that word in particular!"

A pout made a way onto his face (Toothless wandered off with a huff, clearly not interested in watching a couple fight). "Don't you think I'm sexy?"

"You are, but that's not the point!"

After a moment her cheeks went pink and she started to walk away awkwardly.

He grinned widely and ran after her.

"Did you just say-"

"Yes I did! Shut up!" her cheeks should've caused a fire, her freckles barely visible beneath the red flush.

Ash wrapped his arms around her waist happily and lifted her up, to sit on his right shoulder. She squealed in protest, but held onto the hand that she was offered, resting her other on his head.

"ASH!"

He chuckled. "I'm sorry, but you looked like you were about to fall over in embarrassment."

"I probably was, but that's not the point!"

"Think of something new to say, sweetheart," Ash teased.

A gentle kiss was clumsily placed on his head. "Love you."

"Much better."

Ash stood there for another long moment staring at the light dustings of clouds that masked the sun. He squinted to look with a smile, Hiccup's hand warm in his, his other arm wrapped above her knees to keep her anchored. Her hand fiddled with his hair for a moment and he relished in the feeling.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?" he asked softly.

"Can you take me home?"

"Sure," he started walking in that direction, "why?"

"I need a bath."

He grinned at the opportunity to tease her. Perfect.

"Can I join-"

"NO! You cannot join me, Ash!" he got slapped upside the head.

Cringing, he retaliated. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No damaging the transport!"

"Well I wouldn't have to if my transport wasn't a cheeky troll."

"Pretty sexy troll, though."

"ASH!" she shrieked.

To anyone else who was watching them, they would've seen a couple in a lover's quarrel, but if Ash could see them, he'd see a bright future. One that might grant Stoic's wish of grandchildren and the rise of a brilliant new chief.

And that gold proposal pendant in his pocket, pressed against the side of his leg gently reminding him that he still had a task to do.

The End

A fortnight of work has finally come to an end and I loved writing this! This was a really short chapter for me to right, but I thought short and sweet is best for an epilogue and to have that unexpected twist of Hiccup getting angry and Ash being possessive would be nice.

Those last two scenes with the "sexy" thing and Ash being a cheeky troll were so great to write and I was grinning the entire time while I wrote it.

And no I'm not doing a proposal scene or a wedding scene, because I think it would be nice to be left implied that they do get married (Hiccup isn't going to say no, because come on she's liked him since she was a toddler) and there's also the fact that if anyone has read about viking marriage they would know what happens after the wedding traditionally and I'm not writing that scene or the wedding because I won't want to think about what happens afterwards

Good news if I'm planning on writing a couple of one shots about Hiccup on here period (thanks for the idea marine1324) and a couple of other ones about Ash freaking out because he doesn't understand the girl side of puberty, so if you're up for some awkward Ash moments and like that sort of stuff, wait to read it! It'll be out soonish (Tuesday maybe). Enjoy! Bye!

-Blue