How To Train Your Dragon: Possibilities

8. Engage: Forget the Red Death. Forget Bewilderbeasts and maniacal Dragon Gods. Forget being the chief of a Viking island. Doing this was going to be the hardest thing Hiccup had ever done.

Today had to be perfect. Anything less than that was simply unacceptable. That's what Hiccup kept telling himself with every second he was fussing. The usual duties of the day had been done as early as he could manage so that they wouldn't interfere with his thoughts and yet even that hadn't been enough to calm his frantic mind. With the evening slowly approaching now the sun was starting to set over Berk, he wouldn't stop pacing his room in a frenzy. His footsteps resonated through the wooden floor of his house, that fact making it a wonder that someone hadn't tried to investigate what he was doing up there from outside.

Hiccup ran his fingers through his hair, clutching at the messy locks before he tore his hands away with a shake of his head. He couldn't focus. The rest of his body felt like it was having nerve spasms. His heart was hammering away at the inside of his chest like a sword against Gronckle Iron and his stomach was wrapping itself in knots. This anxiety had been more intense than anything he had ever felt before. He hadn't even been this on edge when facing Drago. Or at least, he didn't think so. Either way, he shouldn't have had a reason to feel like this.

It was just what he and Astrid did every couple of weeks or so, mostly at her insistence to stop him running himself ragged being the chief. They'd just take an evening out of their schedules and duties, go somewhere private and just spend an evening together. Like a date night or something. Except with a lot more places to choose from and the fact the dragons usually came with them. He'd already prepared for the evening, ditching his flying leathers for much more comfortable and casual clothing. Red shirt, smart pants, even a fur cape that fastened around his neck to accompany a shiny new boot. Chiefly in appearance, all that was missing was a hat. Just like any other excursion with Astrid. So why was tonight making him feel this jittery?

Toothless watched from the opposite side of Hiccup's room, his large green eyes following his human's path back and forth so many times it was starting to make him feel dizzy. The Viking had been doing this for what felt like hours. It was a bad habit he'd observed Hiccup indulge in whenever he was in a deep thinking mood, something that happened with a rather alarming frequency now that the business of ascending to chief-hood had been taken care of. But this was getting ridiculous, even for him. The Night Fury grumbled and stood up, getting in Hiccup's way to stop his frantic walking around in circles. If he kept going like this, he'd be doing so all night and never leave the house! The dragon caught the Viking off guard by suddenly being in his path with a firm sit down, causing Hiccup to nearly stumble over Toothless' front leg when he spun around on what would be his 30th time turning in the opposite direction.
"H-Hey!" Hiccup exclaimed, clinging onto Toothless' head and then pushing himself upright again. "Careful, bud! Can't have me showing up with bruises because of dumb, big... dragon claws or something." Toothless wasn't impressed with Hiccup's attempt to pass his own clumsiness off as not being his fault, raising a brow with a growl to accompany it.

'You look silly with all your walking.'

"And don't give me that look either!" Hiccup continued, pointing a hand upwards as if to assert what little dominance he had with his tone taking a painfully obvious false bravado. "I don't need your accusations! I am the chief and there will be consequences! And I..."
Hiccup paused as the thought left him and Toothless didn't look the least bit impressed. Acting this way was just another distraction that was stopping him dealing with the task at hand. He sighed as he sat back down on the bed, laying his head in his hands.
"... and I'm being stupid, huh?"
Toothless cooed to his human, coming to sit in front of Hiccup and pressing his head forward to move those hands out of the way and see his rider's face. Hiccup himself sighed and scratched over his dragon's head with a smile as the Night Fury offered his usual gummy grin back at him to keep his spirits up.
"I know, bud. Can't put it off forever. It'll be just like our other nights out with her, right?" The Night Fury seemed to agree with a bob of his head.

'You'll be fine, I know it.'

Hiccup exhaled and stood, the dragon moving out of the way to hopefully let him walk.
"I sure hope it is..." He gathered up a satchel of things from near his writing desk and slung it over his shoulder, preparation for the evening's plans. He hadn't told Astrid what they were, especially since it was his turn to choose what they did. It would be nice. And certainly less dangerous than her previous suggestion of dragon racing through uncharted cave systems. Always an adrenaline junkie, that one.

As the chief and his dragon descended the stairs, Valka was only just coming in. Having spent most of the day aiding Gobber in smelting down the final pieces of Drago's armor fragments, her face was lightly blackened with soot. No one else had been available and Cloudjumper's fire was a welcome help since Grump still had a track record of being an unreliable forge furnace keeper. She stretched, hoping nothing would crack. She wasn't quite in the age range of being the old lady who had to retire early just yet and she didn't want to be. Or at least, that's what she'd say, much to her dragon's annoyance at her persistent attitude of acting younger than she was. But spending all day in front of a furnace was not her usual work. It wore you out quick. Cloudjumper managed to squeeze through the narrow door frame as well, entering the living and settling himself down with a grunt.

"Oh, hey, Mom!" Hiccup called, just reaching the ground floor with Toothless behind him as Valka set her staff and riding gear down against the far wall. She turned with a smile and bowed her head, almost looking a bit surprised that Hiccup had made himself look like the most important person in the Archipelago.
"Well, you're looking awfully fancy. You have plans tonight?"
"Yeah, just heading out with Astrid."
"I didn't realize it was that time again already."
"Well, time flies when you're busy solving everybody's problems as the chief," Hiccup said dryly. "Tonight's just a chance to do something normal for a change."
"I've seen your 'normal', Hiccup, it's anything but," Valka stated with a grin. "But I won't pry, as much as the embarrassing parent role still needs to be filled." Hiccup rolled his eyes with a gentle laugh, trying to disguise the nerves that still plagued his body. Valka noticed it in the light quake of his shoulders. And the fact his hands were in clenched fists.

"Are you alright, Hiccup?" she asked, her expression softening into one of concern as her son tried to pass it off.
"Alright? M-Me? Pfft, yeah, it's all good! I'm just heading out to probably do somethin' stupid, you know me! What's there to be terrified of?" Hiccup explained, his tone coming off as a little too jolly to match his body language. Valka's blank reaction at his choice of words made him hesitate. "Did I say terrified? I meant, uh... yeah."
Toothless looked at Valka with a raised brow of his own, as if to highlight the fact his rider was being strange.

'See what I have to put up with?'

Valka rolled his shoulders as she sat down in a chair, knowing the time and place not to pry into young men's personal bothers unless he wanted to say them.
"So where are you both going to be headed? I hope it won't be a repeat of the racing fiasco in those caves, far too dangerous..."
"S-Says the lady who walks on her dragon's back when she flies!" Hiccup protested in defense. "And that whole race? Wasn't even my idea, she did it!" Valka didn't seem phased by it.
"With age comes experience. I'm sure you'll figure it out some day."
Toothless didn't look very excited about that idea as he snorted. Having Hiccup stand on his back instead of ride on it was frankly alien to consider and he preferred the closeness they had with the saddle. Hiccup noticed his pouting dragon and pulled a face as he scratched around the Night Fury's neck.
"I think I'd have to convince the baby to let me try it first. Isn't that right widdle baby boo?"
Toothless' stare screamed bloody murder as he rumbled at his rider's near callous attitude towards changing their flying dynamic. Thankfully, Hiccup's hands knowing all the right spots to scratch was enough to force a smile to stretch across his jaws. Valka chuckled, waiting for a serious answer as Hiccup turned back to her.
"We're just gonna fly. Maybe out to the north, some secluded spot," Hiccup finally explained. "I got a bunch of food and the dragons could use the flying since they've been restricted to Berk for months. Maybe even stay out there for the night."
"I'm sure she'll enjoy it," Valka assured him with a loving smile. "Though you're looking mighty formal for just that."
"I know, I know, I just..." Hiccup started, letting out an exhale. "I just wanna make it special. Because I... I'm... nghh..."
He grunted as the sentence got away from him. Valka leaned her head in a little closer, silently pushing him to say what he wanted to. Hiccup's fists clenched again as his head lowered, his speech mumbled.
"Because I'm... I want to...ask about..."

Valka gasped in equal parts shock and joy, jumping from her chair with the speed of a dragon as it pegged in her head what her son was intending to. Even though she had just as much of a chance to be wrong, the prospect of it was too exciting to not think about.
"Hiccup...! You're going to...?"
"...either that or stammer out awkwardly what I want to say for ten minutes, yeah," the chief responded. He sounded almost a little glum, just as Valka rested her palms on his shoulders with a proud grin.
"Oh, babe," she hummed, brushing against his cheek like she had done the day they had first met properly. "You really have grown so much in so little a time."
"Is it really grown up to do something this stupid?" he replied, letting out a sigh. "I know that it's not tradition to do it this way, that's not how it's supposed to work with Vikings. You go over the other person's house with delegates and set out some weird contract like you're renting out a stable and..."
"There's nothing wrong with tradition breaking. You've done that enough times for all us and for the better."
"But I don't even know how I got brave enough to decide it's what I want!" Hiccup blurted out with a reddening face, suddenly hushing himself as if he were paranoid that Astrid might be listening. "H-How do I know that she...?"
"It's hardly stupid," Valka interrupted. "You two have been through thick and thin over years and years. And that's only from what I know of the fragments you've told me. She does feel the same way about you. You've just both not had a chance to do anything about it."

Valka squeezed Hiccup in a big hug, feeling his body tremble against her own as she relaxed her grip. The boy was shaken to the core at what he was wanting to do tonight. Toothless whirred and pressed his cheek into Hiccup's leg to remind him that he wasn't going to be alone when he managed to pull it off.

'I'll be there if you need me, OK?'

The chief shook his head, like he was trying to wake himself up from a nap. An exhale followed. And then another. His dragon nudged him, aware that he was just wasting time at this point.
"Right... uh... I guess I'll be back later."
"I look forward to the good news," Valka encouraged him with a nod. "Remember, you'll be fine. Break a leg out there."
"Hopefully it won't be literally. I don't have many good legs left."
With that trademark self-deprecating out of the way, Hiccup and Toothless left the house.

No turning back now.

Astrid heard the knocking on the door only moments after the thought of it occurring entered her head. Hiccup always called at the exact same time, almost to the very minute every time they made these arrangements. It was like that exact and detail obsessed brain of his wouldn't shut off, even during these nights where the whole idea was that it was supposed to so he could relax. She snickered to herself as she stood up from her bed and brushed herself down.

As per Hiccup's request, she'd done her best to dress up for the occasion, as much as she secretly loathed having to do so. Dark blue dress, fancy headband, a much smaller furred hood and less spiky boots, more styled hair than usual. It worked fine enough, sure, but she still felt much more at home in her usual battle-ready attire with an axe handy. Still, Hiccup liked seeing her this way and you always had to make sacrifices in a relationship.

"Well, girl, how do I look?"
Stormfly peered over her rider's body, the Nadder's eyes running up and down as if to inspect very detail of Astrid' choice of clothes and preening capabilities. The often vain dragon gave a crackle and a flutter of her wings in response, half lidding one of her eyes as if to imitate a shrug. Astrid's brow scowled into a joking pout before she smiled.
"Yeah, I don't think it suits me either. Come on, he's waiting for us."
Astrid descended the stairs at a rapid pace, Stormfly following behind her with another warbly crackle as they reached the entrance to her home. She reached forward with a hand and pulled at the latch, swinging open the equally heavy door and allowing it to slam against the wall.

"Good evening, milady!"
Hiccup and Toothless were both stood before them both, wearing their best smiles and dress sense. Well, as good as a dorky chief and his similarly dorky dragon could pull off. Her boyfriend was dressed up just she was, looking rather dashing with that cape around his shoulders, fastened with the insignia of a Night Fury around his neck. The real Night Fury had a similar attachment to the front of his harness equipment below his neck, making it obvious the pair of them had done it on purpose. Toothless wagged his tail like an excited dog, lolling out his tongue to emphasize how he adored the fact he matched his human. Astrid couldn't help but laugh at how sweet it looked. And silly.

"Hah! Well, hello there, gentleman!" she replied in a mock sense of sophistication that didn't suit her at all. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Stormfly seemed to comply and imitate her rider by raising her head and appearing to gaze down at the two males as it to size up their appearance. Even dragons could appear to be snooty. Hiccup looked back at Toothless for a moment before his teeth flashed in a sly grin. He chose to play along with it.
"I would inquire as to the fair lady's response to treat her to a night of whimsy and fantastical delights and... nope, can't do it..." he spluttered, unable to keep up the charade for much longer. Astrid nodded with a similar giggle, stepping out of the house with Stormfly in tow.
"It's alright, I prefer you doing the weird shoulder thing anyway" she said simply, shaking her arms in the flattering impersonation she had developed.
"W-What? Again, who is this character? I don't do that!" Hiccup protested, unknowingly portraying the very same mannerism she was imitating. Astrid raised one of her eyebrows and briefly flicked her vision down to his arms. Hiccup picked up on it and waved a hand as if to dismiss the idea. "OK, so maybe I do a little..."

"I forgive you," Astrid allowed, holding onto one of his hands with a squeeze of both her own as they began to walk a little. "As long as you have a good plan for tonight. It's going to take a lot to beat mine!"
"H-Hey, need I remind you that we almost got lost and crashed? I dunno about you, but the lack of open skies and breathtaking sunsets weren't exactly my idea of a romantic night flight!"
"You were fine! You're just mad 'cause I beat you in the race."
"Beat me? You never beat me and Toothless!"
"That's not what I remember!" she laughed, eventually choosing to find another topic to talk about. "OK, but seriously, what's the plan? I've actually been curious about what sort of thing you'd cook up."
"Well, I was thinking a flight somewhere. A particular spot for us to just spend a night. Away from all the workload and the hustle and... just us. With the dragons in the background, of course."

Contrary to what Hiccup expected, Astrid's reaction to his idea wasn't one of rolling her eyes or finding it boring in comparison to what they had done last time. She seemed almost pleased it wasn't anything too strenuous. She could see how their last little date was probably not the best example of trying to relax from the duties of being chief. She smiled sweetly at him as she came to Stormfly's side, jumping upwards towards her saddle and settling into place ready to take off.
"Well, do lead the way. Rude to keep a lady waiting, especially if you want to avoid a punch."
Hiccup snickered to himself as Toothless hunkered down to allow him to board. Always with the treats of violence with her. Fastening his prosthetic into the mechanism and activating the tail fin, the chief leaned down and spoke quietly into the dragon's ear.
"Keep it smooth and gentle, bud."
Toothless bobbed his head downwards as if to agree and then made a noise to Stormfly. The Deadly Nadder crackled at her Alpha and prepared herself for take off. A second later, both dragons used their powerful legs to jump into the air, wings beating down hard and pushing the grass beneath their feet out of the way. It wasn't long before Hiccup and Astrid were sailing off towards the sunset at a rather decent speed. Hiccup didn't want to miss the view. It would be perfect.

"Wow... I can't remember the last time I saw this."
Astrid's words did have a point. As the two Vikings and their dragons floated over a sea of orange and pink hued clouds close enough for them to touch, they had to admit it had been a long time since they'd witnessed this sort of sunset. To Hiccup, it was nearly nostalgic in how it reminded him of the first time they ever flew together, back when the Dragon War raged on. On the back of Toothless, the worries about the fighting and the differences between species seemed a world away. That feeling was just as strong now, the day to day struggles and duties and challenges far removed from Hiccup's mind.
"Well, it was either back during the days of the Edge. Or the time you were screaming and holding on for dear life."
Astrid scowled at Hiccup harshly and raised her arms as if to challenge his words.
"Uh, you kidnapped me, remember?"
"Yeah," Hiccup said simply, just smiling sweetly at her. "And I'm glad I did."
Astrid's angry face evaporated as a smile of her own appeared on her lips. She couldn't say otherwise, because she felt the same way. That was how they had first become friends and it was the starting point to a lot more.

It didn't take much longer for them to arrive at their destination, just as the sunset was starting to dip below the ocean of cloud. The two dragons angled their wings and slipped through the mist, chasing the sun as it suddenly brightened the horizon when it came into view once again. Astrid looked around once the thick condensation had rushed past her, squinting through the beams of sunlight and recognizing where she was. They were just on the outskirts of the furthest out sea stacks, nearly the strangely named Itchy Armpit. And in fact, they were descending right towards that very place if Toothless taking the lead was any indication. She decided to stay silent for now, curious to see what Hiccup would do.

The Night Fury and Deadly Nadder glided past the remaining mound of rock left behind from Hiccup's near crash with the flight suit all those years ago, making a wide turn before beating their wings rapidly to gain enough altitude to reach the cliff top. Toothless grabbed the edge and sprung over it like a cat before coming to a sliding stop. Hiccup looked over his shoulder to see Stormfly perform a much more graceful landing than his own dragon, allowing Astrid to dismount and brush herself down with a grateful pat to her ride's side.

"So taking your date to a place named after a dragon body part. Nice."
"He named it, not me..." Hiccup objected, pointing at Toothless. The Night Fury looked up from rubbing over his face with one of his paws, seeming a bit surprised they were talking about him. "And besides, it was the only place I could think that was private enough away from everything else." Astrid just laughed and strolled over to Hiccup, giving Toothless a bit of a scratch under the chin, much to the dragon's enjoyment.
"I like it. That view out there is really something."

Hiccup spun on the spot, the very same one he had been scrawling on with his map a year or so ago now. Indeed, the sight that greeted him was spectacular. Piercing through the hazy mist that hung around the pillars of stone beneath them like islands on a cloudy sea, the fading sunlight was cutting through in beams, setting the sky a blazing orange on fire. At this altitude, it was still a little cold. But the way that the sun was perfectly nestled between the mountain ranges in the distance warmed Hiccup's skin. It relaxed him. Astrid seemed to agree as she took one of his hands in her own and squeezed it tightly. This was the kind of thing she'd been hoping for ever since she'd seen the signs of fatigue on her boyfriend's face. The dark circles under his eyes, the crease in his brow from his concentrated expressions. This would give them a perfect chance to relax.
"So, here we are," Hiccup said after some moments silence staring over their private little sanctuary. "And now we eat."

Hiccup slid his satchel off his shoulder and set it down on the ground, gesturing Astrid to sit beside him as he unfurled it carefully. He produced what could've been a miniature feast from the depths of that bag. Pouches of fish, meat, mead and bread, with plenty spare for the dragons. Both reptiles walked over as they smelled the aromas in the air, both the Nadder and Night Fury sticking their noses in with curious sniffs. Hiccup raised up both of his hands, twitching his outer fingers and then rolling them outwards in a way that forced both Toothless and Stormfly to watch the path of his digits. A little trick he'd learned from Mom about trying to distract dragons away from something that could distract them in turn. He only needed them out of the way for a little while, giving him just enough time to unroll one of the blankets from his home. Much more comfortable to sit on than rock and grass, right?

Astrid had stood back and watched him with quite a broad grin. Even just seeing Hiccup be such a natural with the dragons was cute to see and the fact he'd gone to all this trouble just for tonight only kept her smiling. Once he had properly set out their 'dining area', she sat down beside him as he rewarded Toothless and Stormfly for their patience with a mound of fish. Instantly, they snatched up their share with eager bites, causing Hiccup to flinch and whip his hands back in surprise.
"Geez, it's not been that long since lunch..."

"Alright, I admit it. This is pretty cool," Astrid murmured, staring out over the horizon with that gorgeous setting sun to accompany their intimate little moment. "It's amazing..." The familiarity of her choice of words was not lost on Hiccup as he flashed his teeth in a smile at her.
"Did I pass?" he asked, leaning towards her somewhat as if to make sure that this was something she would enjoy. Her response came with a quick kiss to his cheek, a surge of heat flushing to the area and making his face seem red. Astrid had to laugh again. He was so easy to fluster.

The night was merry and plenty long, the sky taking hours to finally start lapsing into darkness. As the pinpoint lights of the stars above began to replace the illumination of the sun, the dragons had made a fire for them just as the cliff's edge. Astrid and Hiccup reminisced about their past memories and adventures, bickering over who did what and who was the most impressive, all in good fun. The food didn't last as long as had been initially planned, no thanks to dragon appetites and the ability of a certain Night Fury to pull off big eyes all too well... but it still went down a treat.

Once their supplies had been exhausted, Toothless and Stormfly settled behind their riders and listened intently as the mead went to their heads for a brief moment. It caused both their riders to belt out the silly songs that they had conjured up for the baby Deathsong all that time ago at the Edge. Or at least, Hiccup did that. The chief was a bit of a lightweight when it came to anything related to drinking, especially since the general Viking temperament for it was much stronger than his. It was a good thing Astrid was there to make sure he didn't overdo it, having to stop him stumbling over the edge of the cliff.

More time passed and both dragons had soon fallen asleep when the fire had gone out, sated with full bellies and feelings of contentment being close to their humans. Astrid and Hiccup had also both calmed down, finishing off their tankards with a final 'cheers' and leaning against each other with held hands. The pair of them stared up at the moon, the circular shape in the sky looking so bright and full that they could touch it if they tried.

"Reminds me of when we were first out exploring. Remember? On that beach searching for an outpost island?" Astrid commented, gesturing to the moon. "How long ago was that?"
"I dunno..." Hiccup admitted with a shrug. "A couple of years?"
"Feels like it was much sooner than that."
"Time flies and all that. Though, technically it doesn't, but you know..."
Astrid smirked and jabbed at his arm playfully, making him since a little bit with a rub. Such a dork.
"Thanks, Hiccup," she hummed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Tonight was amazing! I can't believe you went to all that effort just for us."
"Well, I do try to please..."

Hiccup wasn't looking at her when he responded. Instead, his head was returning to it's frantic state from this morning. He'd left it so late that the nerves were starting to come back. And even worse, Toothless was now sleeping comfortable behind him. He couldn't wake up his dragon just to keep him steady through what he wanted to do. He'd have to go it alone. And that terrified him. Astrid had briefly closed her eyes to savor the warmth, but had quickly picked up on a shiver. It was subtle and she only just barely felt it. But she knew it was there.
"Hiccup? You alright?"

Hiccup was broken out of his stupor at the question, clearing his throat and trying to reassert his sitting position. Great, now she knew something was up. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. He simply nodded his head and tucked his legs a little bit closer to himself as his hands started to fidget among themselves. His breathing quickened for a second, only increasing Astrid's sense of concern about him.
"Hey, what's wrong? You feeling sick?"
"N-No, no, not sick, I... I uh..."

Hiccup suddenly stood up, breaking free from Astrid's hold as he stood before her. With the moon being the only source of light, it outlined Hiccup's silhouette to her like he was a ghostly figure, unable to make out the details of his face as he turned his head over his shoulder. He exhaled once, his hands clenching into fists.
"Astrid... I... uh... you know I-I love you, right?"
"Of course I do, Hiccup, just like I do you," she assured him, getting to her feet and taking a few paces towards him.
"Good! G-Good... 'cause, you know... i-it'd be pretty weird if you didn't, huh?"
Astrid frowned. Hiccup was looking down at the floor again. A telltale sign that something was bothering him and he was trying to distract them from what was causing it. She turned him with a noticeable pull at his shoulder, lowering her body to look at his face from below to try and make his head go level again. It was a bad habit he had, a life time of trying to avoid accusing stares having ingrained it in his mannerisms.
"Hiccup, you can tell me if something's wrong. It's the least I can do after what you did for me tonight."
"Nothing's wrong! Honest! A-All peachy and... whatever other words go with peachy!" he stammered. "I'm just... just overwhelmed with terror. Y-You know that feeiling, right? Everyone loves terror...!"
"Terror...?" Astrid asked. Now that didn't make sense at all. She took his clenched hands into her own and held them against hers to cease his babbling, the pair of them highlighted by the pale glow of the moon. "Alright, now you have to tell me."
"Well... um... uh..."

Hiccup's hands started to fidget again as he refused to raise his head. Astrid kept her frown going until she managed to catch a glimpse of him from under the shadows his messy hair cast across is face. Hiccup's face was bright red. The reddest she'd ever seen it, red enough to make Toothless' prosthetic fin look dull in comparison. Her expression softened as she gave him another squeeze with her palms to encourage him to talk. Hiccup trembled as she did so. He knew he had to say something. It really was a now or never moment.

"A-Astrid... you're... I mean, I... Gods, what am I doing...?"
The last part was mumbled more than said. Astrid shuffled forward and touched foreheads with him for a moment, trying to let him know that she was there for him silently. No matter what was on his mind, she wouldn't want him to turmoil over it inside. At his own pace. Another reason she didn't say anything. Hiccup took a minute to compose himself as best he could. He held onto her hands with the strongest grip he'd ever had. He started to speak, his face burning as hot as Toothless' fire.

"...Astrid. Y-You're... you were the f-first person to really believe in me. Back then, when everyone shunned me, you let me explain everything with Toothless. You gave me a chance. A-And then you were my first proper friend. And a-as time went on, I really started to like you. Love you... a-and I do, I really do! I... never thought I-I'd ever get to where I am now without you. And I c-can't show that gratitude and love enough... not after 6 years... so... uh..."
Astrid listened with held breath, her heart starting to slow escalate in pumping speed the more Hiccup opened his own to her. It was romantic and a touch exhilarating. Now she knew what his nerves must've felt like. They didn't speak like this often, so it had to be important.
"Hiccup..." she breathed, allowing him to keep talking.
"So, I... I-I wanted to... I wanted to make sure that we had... l-lots and lots of years together. And before you say it, I-I know this isn't how you're supposed to do it! I know that th-there's the boring thing with the heimanfylgja to arrange, but I d-don't have a male head of the house except f-for me and I'm probably breaking a hundred different r-rules doing it like this, but.."
Astrid gasped at the mention of that word. Arranging a dowry? You only ever did that if you were organizing a...

Hiccup broke her train of thought as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an object clasped in his hand. She stared down at his palms, lost for words when he opened his fingers. Laid in the center was a gold fabrication. A ring of metal that had been fashioned into the shape of a Deadly Nadder's tail, curled in a spiral like it would trap your finger with the spikes. Astrid had never felt this sort of emotion in her before, usually buried beneath Viking roughness and toughness. But this was something she had never expected and it was almost enough to make her eyes water.
"Is... is that...?"
"A mundr... I-I made it myself..."
Astrid's fingers touched the gift, the surface cold in direct contrast to the burning of Hiccup's skin. She stared at him with an agape mouth, the capacity to speak having floated away like a feather on the night breeze. Such a wind ruffled Hiccup's hair as he stared at her. Just like hers, his own eyes were on the verge of tearing up, a little like he was afraid of what her answer was going to be when he said the next part. She saw him swallow the lump in his throat to be the bravest he'd ever been with another person.
"A-Astrid... I love you. W...W-Would you... would you join me in... brudlaup...?"

The word made Hiccup flinch as he said it, the true impact of what he had just asked hitting him like a plasma blast. He'd just asked her to marry him. It didn't really sink in at first, the true weight of that question slowly clawing at his heart. Her answer would determine whether or not that grasp around his chest would relax or crush it. The trembles made him look like he'd come down with something, patiently awaiting her response as he squeezed his eyes shut. He waited agonizing seconds. Tick. Tock. Still nothing. He started to chastise himself before she had even said anything.
'Nope, you screwed it up, Hiccup, left it too late, she's gonna say no, why'd you work yourself up so much, you useless fishbo-!'

"...yes."
Hiccup's eyes flew open with a gasp of shock. It took him a second or two to raise his head up and look back at Astrid. She was smiling wider than he'd ever seen her, her own face flushed red and with a single tear rolling down one side of her face. He'd never seen Astrid properly cry before. She'd come close, she'd had bad days. But if this was going to be the only time that he ever saw her cry, he was relieved that it was because of something joyful. She nodded her head rapidly once before she suddenly leaped at him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and burying her face into the crook of his neck.
"Y-Yes! Yes, I do!"
Hiccup couldn't hold back his own well of emotion as he snickered first and then started to laugh, the excitement around his chest losing that horrible feeling of weighted dread.
'Oh my Gods... she said yes. She said yes!'

Hiccup pressed his body against Astrid's, angling his head down to kiss her properly on her lips. Just as ever, she felt warm and tender to the touch. But it was exaggerated because of how flustered they both had become at the prospect. Actually getting married. They held contact for what felt like hours to them, the passage of time and where they were having lost all meaning as they kissed. She made a soft muffled sound against him before they parted, her hands resting on his shoulders. She sniffed once to calm herself down as she tried to play it coy and collected. It didn't work well, but she gave it a good go.

"S-So, uh... that's what you were scared of?" Astrid asked, giving him a half punch half nudge on his chest. "You dolt. It was just a question..."
"Well, excuse me for not being the most well versed in how to propose to your girlfriend!" Hiccup stumbled an answer back. He didn't feel like his face could burn any hotter with his blush, something that Astrid adored seeing.
"Engaged girlfriend now," she corrected him. Hiccup's lips curled up one side of his face in a smile.
"Yeah... engaged. Isn't that something?"

Astrid didn't give a worded answer and instead squeezed around Hiccup's middle with her arms before she leaned in for another kiss. She wanted to take the lead this time. Hiccup obliged with another shiver running up his back. The slowly fading moonlight added the perfect accompaniment to the moment, the soft howl of the wind on the rocky cliffs below creating an almost ethereal quality about it. It still felt unreal. Something that he had once never thought he'd be lucky or fortunate enough to experience had come true. And with someone who meant as much to him as Astrid did. He was partially glad Toothless wasn't awake. He'd keep the dragon up all night with his excited yammering.

"So was this a better plan than your last one...?" Hiccup asked, at least wanting to know if he'd gotten that right. Astrid didn't need to say anything to answer as her hands wandered over his spine.

Much better.