HiccStrid School/Snoggletog Special

(Author's Note)

(Edit: 12/29/18. I fixed all of the Italics that FF removed. I also went through and fixed all of the mistakes that I could find. I want to give a major shoutout to 'jimmix' for taking the time and going through my entire story several times looking for mistakes. Hopefully we caught them all. Thanks again for the help!)

Hey everyone! Happy Snoggletog! This is my first HTTYD story so I hope you all like it. I've been wanting to do one for ever but I haven't had much time with my other stories going on. But if this story gets a good amount of support I'll be sure to move up the next full length HiccStrid story I have planned. You can find a short description for it on my profile under the Future Stories section.

I'll apologize beforehand if my accents/speech patterns for the characters are off, Scottish accents are hard for me to write as are Gobber and Stoick. I tried to stay as accurate as possible, watching Gerard Butler talk about Scottish slang/accents as well as other YT videos about Scottish words and language. Sorry if it's not completely accurate.

Today's question of the day is 'What is your favorite HTTYD ship? Movies and shows included.' HiccStrid is by far my favorite, I don't really have another favorite besides Stoick and Valka but since they're married I don't know if it counts.

Be sure to leave a Review, Follow/Favorite both me and this story as well as check out my Profile. Please answer the Poll while you're there to vote for my future stories!

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HiccStrid School/Snoggletog Special

If you were to tell fifteen year old Astrid Hofferson that in six years she would find herself on a small island off of the shore of Scotland on Christmas during the biggest blizzard she had ever seen in her life, with her boyfriend of four years as they spent the holiday with his family drinking spiked eggnog and throwing sheep at targets while singing off-tune, inappropriate versions of popular Christmas songs she would call you crazy and promptly turn around with her nose held high, heading off to go study. She may have also insulted you or punched you in the arm, twenty one year old Astrid had to admit that she was such a little pain in the butt back then. But despite the likelihood of it happening, Astrid found herself in this same exact situation when she was twenty one after she told her boyfriend that she wanted to meet his parents since he had met and gotten along great with her dad. He was reluctant at first, but after a few weeks of prodding him, he gave in and told her that they would go see his parents for Christmas. What he didn't tell her, is how strange the interaction would be.

To better explain her story, Astrid figured it was best to start at the beginning, when she first met the person who would eventually become the single most wonderful and annoying boyfriend in the world.

(Sophomore year)

Astrid met Hiccup Haddock at the beginning of their sophomore year of high school and they couldn't have had a worse relationship in the beginning. You see, until Henry(whom she knew him as at the time, before learning that his actual name was 'Hiccup' and that he went by 'Henry' to fit in. Though she solely refers to him as 'Hiccup' now) transferred to her school as a foreign exchange student from an unheard of island nation called Berk, her school was one of the most prestigious and private high schools in the state of California as well as the entire country, Archipelago Private Academy. And Astrid Hofferson was the top student in her grade when it came to academics. Her nearly perfect grades and stellar athletic career made her one of the top students in the schools prestigious and influential history. Truely, she was set to be the top graduating student in the history of the school, that is, until he came along.

Astrid remembers when 'Henry' was introduced as a foreign exchange student from Berk Academy, a no-name school from a no-name country she had never heard of before, by her homeroom teacher at the beginning of the second month of school. By this time Astrid had already ascended to her rightful place at the top of her class when it came to academics and her impressive track and field career from her previous year at State guaranteed her a top spot on the team again this year. Astrid studied Henry as he stood in front of the class, just like she did to every new potential rival to her academic throne, but immediately dismissed him after a few seconds. He was short and scrawny, almost sickly, for his age(which she later learned was fifteen, same as her), he wore unusual clothes, that were miles from being acceptable at a school like Archipelago Private Academy where the students were required to adhere to a strict dress code and uniform at all times, be it in the classroom or in the student dorms that they stayed at during the school year. If his interaction with the teacher when he was asked to introduce himself was anything to go by, he was extremely shy and timid. Moreover, he seemed very uncoordinated, his gait was uneven and he walked with a slight noticeable limp. Astrid at first believed he was just overly clumsy, but upon further investigation(and by investigation she means studying him throughout the next several days to try to figure him out) she decided that he must be suffering from some kind of injury to his left leg, most likely a childhood accident of the sort.

It was on the fifth day of him being at Archipelago, a Friday, that Astrid began to see Henry as more than just another throw away student that posed no threat to her position when they were in math class, honors Algebra II. Which irked her to begin with, since she did not expect such an unassuming student like him to be in the same advanced honors class as her. All seemed normal as the class sat in silence as they took their usual Friday pop quiz based off of the concepts they had learned that week, until only twenty minutes in when Henry clumsily got up from his seat at the back of the class and noisily hobbled his way past her desk at the front of the room, to where the teacher sat at a mahogany desk.

"Does there seem to be an issue, Mister Haddock?" Asked their teacher as she barely lifted her eyes in acknowledgment from the papers she was grading. "You are not permitted to ask any questions during a quiz. Now, I am unaware how matters were conducted at your previous school, whatever it was, but here at Archipelago-"

"No ma'am," He interrupted her, which nearly made Astrid gasp. Mrs. Moseby was very widely known as the strictest teacher in the school. Her temperament was short and most students either feared or hated her. The sole exception being Astrid herself of course. As her top student, Astrid was the only student that didn't irritate Mrs. Moseby by her very existence. The only student who even dared to approach her desk was Astrid herself, was this strange, scrawny boy insane? Astrid couldn't help herself as she watched their interaction even though she should have been focusing on her own quiz. "No issue." He replied, as he held out some papers to her. "I'm just done."

Mrs. Moseby's poorly tweezered eyebrow rose at his words as Astrid's eyes widened. Done? How could this oaf be done already? It's a three page quiz! I'm only on the bottom of the first page!

"...Uh, ahem," Mrs. Moseby cleared her throat, surprised. "Do you mean that you have completed all that you can? If you do not know the answer to any of the questions simply mark down your-"

"No ma'am," He replied, pushing his luck by interrupting her for the second time. "I've finished the quiz. I answered all of the questions."

The class was silent for several seconds as every student looked up from their papers and to the strange, clumsy, foreign, unassuming boy at the front of the room. It was very widely known that Mrs. Moseby's tests were unnaturally unfair, and that forty five minutes was the average time when the fastest students, ie Astrid, finished their tests. So to have a student like this, who didn't fit in at this school whatsoever finish in only twenty minutes astounded all of them.

"V-very well then, Mr. Haddock." Mrs. Moseby took the papers from his hand and looked at them as they greatly offended her. "But for future reference, please remain seated until the end of the exam, the papers shall be collected then. And please, sit back down, you have disrupted my class enough for the time being with your loud trek to my desk. Please be more courteous to the other students next time and silently make your way about my classroom."

Astrid expected him to come up with some lame excuse, saying that he was sorry and that he didn't know how things worked around here, but to her surprise he only nodded, saying "Ma'am" as he did and made his way back to seat just as noisily as he had left it, though his movements had been noticeably stiffer, as if he was putting more effort into his walking this time. Astrid was curious about that but assumed that he may just be trying to infuriate the teacher more. He seemed like the spiteful, rebellious type.

It was the next Monday when Astrid was delivered the worst news of her life: Henry had scored higher than her on the quiz. And not only that, he had correctly answered the three almost impossible Trigonometry extra credit questions that they hadn't even covered yet, earning him a score of 105% while Astrid only received a 98%. Suffice it to say, but Astrid wasn't the only person surprised by this outcome. Mrs. Moseby had revealed Henry's score to the entire class, telling them to follow his example and "Strive for excellence like this young man". The change to the classroom dynamic was instantaneous, the students who usually rudely refused to accept Astrid's help whenever she offered to politely assist them when they got their weekly quiz scores back flocked around Henry like vultures and asked him to help them study for the next quiz. Including Michelle(blergh, even just saying her name made Astrid sick), Astrid's mortal enemy and the captain of the junior cheer squad, as only upperclassmen could be in the senior squad and the coach wouldn't make an exception for her, which greatly pleased Astrid. But seeing Michelle, a girl who usually only surrounded herself with her own group of mindless followers try to bat her eyelashes at this random, unknowing new kid like she was actually interested in him to get test answers from him irritated Astrid more than she expected it to. Not because she felt like she needed to help Henry, god no, he wasn't worth her time, but because it was fun to put Michelle in her place.

"Hey~, new kid," Michelle smiled at Henry flirtatiously, as Astrid watched in mild disgust over her totally inappropriate behaviour. "How about you help me by giving me the answers for the quiz this week? I'll be sure to pay you back~..." Michelle practically purred. Purred! What was she, a cat?

If Astrid didn't know Henry was shy she would've found out right now, because as soon as he saw the girl that was practically the queen of the school leaning over his desk with her elbow propping her up, and her not at all regulation two instead of the required four buttons buttoned up on her blouse granting him a clear view of her breasts, his face instantaneously went bright crimson as he tried to stutter out a response.

"I-I-I-I uh- O-of course I-, I mean, if you need h-help, uh…" If his stutter wasn't an issue before, it was now. Astrid could barely understand him.

"Oh, is someone a little shy?" Michelle smirked. "How adorable."

Henry's face went even darker as he croaked out, "A-a-adorable?"

Michelle's smirk grew, she knew that she could have this boy wrapped around her finger easily. "Of course, hun. Now, what do you say about helping me on the next test? Hmmm?"

Henry opened his mouth to reply just as Astrid spoke. "How about you try putting more time into studying and less time into applying mascara and messing around with the minds of helpless, hormonal boys?" Astrid's sudden voice silenced the classroom. She was widely known as the type of girl who only talked around other people when she was answering a question in class, which was very often. So no one in the class expected her of all people to speak out, though, her hatred for Michelle was well know, and vice versa.

Michelle's perfectly drawn on eyebrows narrowed as she rose from her leaning position over Hiccup's desk and turned to glare at Astrid. "Was I talking to you, blondie?" She asked sarcastically. "I was just being friendly to the new kid. No need to get your panties in a twist."

"Pfft, as if." Astrid crossed her arms over her chest. "Why don't you try studying for once instead of proving your insecurities by trying to get people to fawn over you?"

Michelle's lip curled. "Why you little bi-"

"Everyone be quiet and sit down." Mrs. Moseby called out before Michelle could finish her insult. The old woman glared at Michelle. "If you finish that sentence you will be spending the rest of the day in the Dean's office, Miss Beauregard. Moreover, Miss Hofferson is correct, you should put more effort into boosting your own grades than relying on others to help you through my class." The older teacher narrowed her eyes as she glared at the rest of the class. "Now, if you were all done interrupting my class, perhaps we could get on with the lesson."

Astrid promptly sat back down, her nose held high as she ignored the glaring daggers that were being sent her way by Michelle while she focused on the lesson. But something felt off, like there were eyes on her, and not Michelle's, but someone else's. She waited until Mrs. Moseby's back was turned to look behind her to discover that it was Henry that was staring at her. As soon as he noticed that she saw him he blushed before turning to look out the window like she hadn't caught him staring at her like a creep. The rest of the class went like that, Astrid would occasionally face backwards to find him staring at her, she even risked whispering a hushed "What?" to him but he only blushed further and would turn the other way frantically, more than once knocking his pencil or papers to the floor.

This strange boy made absolutely no sense to Astrid and it infuriated her beyond belief.

oooOooo

After class Astrid stayed in her desk longer than normal, as she usually left right after the bell to make sure she arrived at her next class on time despite the ten minute passing periods. After the rest of the students had mostly cleared out she stood from her desk and made her way to intercept the strange, messy haired boy that somehow scored higher than her. It wasn't until he nearly bumped into her that he noticed she was there. The clumsy oaf.

"You need to learn to stand up for yourself." Her words were so sudden that his eyes nearly flew out of their sockets.

"O-oh, s-sorry, Astrid. I-I didn't see y-you there." He had a strange manner of speaking behind all the stutters. Almost like he was subconsciously trying to control his speech. Astrid suspected that he may have an accent and was trying to hide it. For what purpose, she did not know. Though it irritated her.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded instead of sticking to her plan and asking about his quiz score. The oaf just stared at her dumbly instead of replying. Astrid decided to use this time to study him more closely. He was dressed in the standard uniform that had been absent his first day. She secretly wished that he had a button unbuttoned or that his tie was messed up so that she could report him to the Dean just to spite him, but she inwardly grumbled when she saw that his uniform and tie were flawless. Clearly he had experience tying a tie and was used to wearing dress clothes. Though he did not look good in it, in a completely professional manner, of course. She was not checking him out, just evaluating him. He was just shorter than her, with a very scrawny build that made him seem more feminine than masculine, in her opinion at least. He had messy, clearly uncombed auburn hair that reached the base of his neck and over his ears. Which bordered on the line of being too long for the dress code. He had a large nose and ears for his small body, his teeth were too large as well, he also possessed light freckles on his cheeks that Astrid only noticed now because of the short distance between them. But what surprised her were his eyes. They were the brightest shade of green she had ever seen in her life. She would have lost concentration and kept staring into them if he hadn't spoken up and brought her back to reality.

"I-I uh, well we do have three classes together." He replied with a little more sass than Astrid expected and appreciated. "Wouldn't it be weird if I didn't know your name?" She nearly forgot that she also had science and homeroom with him, he never talked besides his excuse to their science teacher that he was late because his last class was far away, completely forgetting that they had ten minute passing periods and that their teacher wouldn't believe it for a second. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and he wore a slight smile. "T-thanks for that with Michelle, by the way."

"Well I-, nevermind." Astrid didn't know what to say, he had her there, so she decided to glare at him instead, sticking her nose into the air, looking down at him. "And I didn't do that for your sake." She clarified. "So don't think that I was trying to help you, I was just trying to irritate Michelle. And you shouldn't associate with her, trust me, she may seem all nice but she was only going to use you for her own gain. She wasn't interested in you at all. She's only into rich, attractive guys, and you're clearly not either."

His smile faltered slightly before returning. "Well, thanks anyway." He rubbed the back of his neck again, awkwardly. "I'll admit that I was taken off guard by her, I'm just not used to girls acting like that where I'm from. They're much more… reserved I guess, at least, most of them."

"Where are you from?" Astrid asked, slightly interested. "I remember Mr. Jones telling us when you were introduced but I don't recall where it was."

"O-oh, I'm from Berk." He answered with a nod.

"Berk?" She asked, testing out the foreign word on her lips. "Where's that? I've never heard of it before."

He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I wouldn't've expected you to, it's a tiny island off the shore of Scotland. No one outside of the area seems to know it exists."

"Hmm." Astrid raised her hand to her chin. "You said that you weren't used to girls acting like Michelle? That they're more reserved?" He nodded silently. "Is Berk more traditional or something?"

He gave a half shrug. "I guess you can say that. We've always held to the old beliefs and ways of doing things. Most girls don't wear makeup until they turn fifteen, and don't dress nearly as uh… scandalous as they seem to here. We passed by the mall when I was being driven to the school from the airport, and I was surprised when I saw that the girls around here dressed like that. Then I was told that it's perfectly fine for you to dress like that, so I guess that I'll just have to get used to it." He rubbed the back of his neck again, seemingly uncomfortable with the abrupt cultural change.

Astrid's brow raised slightly. "Girls don't wear makeup until they're fifteen? Why?"

He gave an 'I don't know' gesture. "Fifteen is the age when teenagers used to be considered adults back in the day on Berk. Girls would start wearing makeup and more… ladylike clothing instead of the ones young girls would wear to signify that they had become women. They would also stop wearing their hair down and loose, and start wearing their hair up off the neck and shoulders up in a knot, to reflect the older married women who always wore their hair up." He continuously shifted on his feet as they stood, like he couldn't keep his balance very well without thinking about it. It was slightly distracting but Astrid tried her best to focus on his answer. "And boys would normally get the crest of their clan tattooed somewhere on their body."

Astrid blinked, she hadn't expected a response like that. "Like a rite of passage? Do you still do that? I mean, is it still that traditionally strict?"

He shook his head. "No, not for a long time. But the girls still normally follow the tradition of keeping their hair down until fifteen or sixteen, but that's mostly just because that's what their mothers did and what their mothers did before them. It's more of a tradition than a rule, really. It's not like you'll be flogged or something if you show your ankles." He joked. "I have a close friend back home who still hears her hair down in a long braid over her shoulder, she says that it gives her 'freedom' or 'self expression' or something like that. It's not like we're stuck in another century or anything."

"Well from what you told me it sounded like you could be, but I now see that you're not."

"Obviously." He smiled.

She rolled her eyes and was just about to ask what it was like to live on Berk compared to here when the warning bell chimed above their heads, signalling that classes would begin soon. Astrid nearly swore when she realized that she spent almost the entire passing period talking to Henry. And she almost swore again when she realized that her next class was all the way on the other side of the school in the science wing, she'd have to hurry to make it in time.

"Oh sh-, I mean, whomps, science class! I nearly forgot." She turned to face the door, already rushing to leave, giving him a slight wave in goodbye. "I'll see you in science, I guess. If you don't hurry you'll be late too."

"I uh, wait-" He tried to call out to her but she was already at the door.

"I'll talk to you in science, goodbye."

She did not talk to him in science class, however. By the time she arrived to her next class she had nearly forgotten all about the strange, scrawny, goofy looking kid she just had a conversation with, despite their conversation being the longest one that she has had with another student all year. She simply apologized to her teacher for arriving so close to the bell and went straight to work. She didn't even pay any attention to when Henry arrived five minutes after the bell and gave his usual excuse to the teacher that his last class was far away before hobbling strangely to his desk as if he were in pain.

oooOooo

(Middle of Sophomore year)

It wasn't until the middle of the year that Astrid realized that she had become actual friends with Henry. Despite her frustration that Henry got higher marks than her in the beginning, Astrid soon learned to see him as a true academic rival and would aim to earn higher grades on tests than him, compared to the beginning of the year when she would grow physically angry when she heard that he got a higher grade than her. They were seated at their own table one day at lunch when a question popped into Astrid's head.

"Why are you a foreign exchange student?" She asked out of the blue, completely surprising the boy next to her who was shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth. "I mean, what made you want to do it?" Thankfully he finished swallowing his food before answering.

"...It was my parent's idea, actually." He answered after a few seconds.

"Really?" Astrid asked. "Did they want you to learn more about other countries or something?"

He shook his head slightly. "Kinda, my parents are…" He paused, seemingly searching for a word and thinking over his response. "Overprotective, especially since my-" He suddenly cut himself off, his eyes widening slightly.

"Since what?" She asked, confused.

"N-nothing." He replied quickly. Too quickly. Astrid caught his stutter, it had been getting much better recently, only popping up whenever he was nervous or worried about something. Like right now.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that, Haddock, I know you're lying. Since what?"

He was silent for the next several minutes and Astrid had assumed that he wouldn't answer until she barely heard him speak up, his voice just over a whisper. "...Since my accident."

Oh. Well now I feel like a jerk for pushing him about it. She thought, feeling genuinely bad for it. That did explain a lot, at least, that explained the limp that she noticed he tried to hide. Had he injured his leg in this accident?

She didn't know what to say, but she figured that he'd tell her more about it if he wanted to. She wasn't going to push anymore. He let out a long sigh. "I haven't told anyone in this entire country about this..., but I was in a car accident when I was fourteen. Just after my parents started talking about sending me here to America."

Astrid listened in silence as he began telling her his story, it was at this exact moment that she realized that they were actually friends. She never just sat down with another student and talked about serious matters with them, or any matters at all really. It was with the help of Henry that she came to realize that her attitude rubbed a lot of the students the wrong way and that's why they avoided her. It was a massive wake up call, but one she need nonetheless.

"It was an accident, my dad and I were driving into the hills to get away for the weekend, you know, typical father-son bonding time, get away from my mom, work for him and school for me. I-I didn't even want to go… and I made that perfectly clear to my dad. I was… such an ass about it. All my dad wanted to do was spend some time with me because he and my mom barely had the time to do so when I was a kid, but I argued and fought him about it the whole way." He mindlessly played with his spoon as he continued after a few seconds of silence.

"We got into an argument before we left about me skipping school-"

"Wait," Astrid spoke up, not meaning to but interrupting nonetheless. "You skipped school? You? The biggest nerd I know?" She had expected him to chuckle at her joking tone, but when his eyes dropped she realized she made a mistake. "Henry, I'm-"

"No, it's okay." He cut her off. "You didn't-"

"But it wasn't right of me," She continued. "I'm sorry."

He let out another long sigh, brushing his fingers through his messy auburn hair slowly. "I was… bullied… at school. The entire time as I grew up, actually. It was… hard growing up on Berk for me. I just, didn't fit in with the traditional people around me. Nor did I fit in with what my parents expected of me." He dropped his fingers from his hair and began to rub his left knee anxiously. "They weren't bad or anything, far from it, when they were around they were great. But they were always busy with their work. So I mostly grew up alone, I didn't have many friends, only two that I would call real ones. So as you'd guess I was picked on as a little kid and then bullied when I got older. School was the worst, so I skipped school from time to time and just hung out in the woods around the town until it was time to go home."

"And whenever I was at school and I didn't have to worry about Scott bullying me, I was bored. You see, Berk has never had the best education system, at least compared to the number of options that you have here. So my parents decided to let me travel to America as a foreign exchange student so that I would be able to have more "Educational freedom" so that I could "Realize my academic potential", or so my dad said. They also knew some of what I was going through at school, so they figured that it might be good for me to travel to study in another country as a bonus to get away from my problems. And they were all for me coming here, until my accident."

Astrid noticed that he was subconsciously gripping his left knee with a tight grip, she assumed that that's where his injury was. "Like I said, my parents and I had an argument about me skipping school before my dad and I drove out into the hills to spend the weekend camping, despite it being the start of winter. But on Berk it's basically winter nine months out of the year, so it was normal, you know? We drove in silence for most of the ride until my dad tried making conversation with me about something, I can't even remember what it was, but all I remember was that I got so angry, so we got in another argument, my dad yelling at me about "Running away from my responsibilities" as we drove. Then out of nowhere my dad hit a patch of ice and… we spun into the guardrail, going over it and into the river below."

Astrid couldn't help it when a small gasp of air escaped her lips, or when her eyes widened, or when she put her hand on his shoulder to help comfort him when she realized he had tears threatening to fall from his eyes. She didn't know what to do but she just held his shoulder, trying her best to comfort him.

"I don't remember anything but waking up in the hospital a few days later, but I was told by the doctors that my dad pulled me from the flaming wreck that was once our car and carried me to the road and flagged down a passing car, all on a broken ankle and with a bone sticking out of his arm. Right before they told me that I lost my entire left leg below the knee." It was finally now when he started to cry and Astrid had no idea what to do. He was the only friend she had ever had, she wasn't used to comforting people like this. The only person she was close to was her father, and she had never seen him cry before, or act in any sort of emotional way, really, he wasn't a very expressive man. So she did the only thing that she felt she could do.

She hugged him. Holding him tightly from the side as he wiped his eyes, trying to not be seen crying in the school cafeteria. After a minute he had composed himself, giving her a smile in thanks as she told him it was nothing, pulling her arms back from hugging him.

"Thanks, Astrid, I needed that." He thanked her, though his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were averted from her for some reason as he scooted away from her to replace the distance she cleared between them when she hugged him. Sometimes Astrid didn't understand this boy, he was so weird.

oooOooo

(End of Sophomore year)

It was at the end of their sophomore year that Astrid began to fear that her best friend would leave to go back to Berk and she would never see him again. Yes, best friend. Astrid wouldn't have thought it possible when they first met, but Hiccup had quickly become her best friend. Which reminded her, it was a few weeks after he told her about his accident that the jerk finally told her that his name was actually 'Hiccup' and not Henry. When he first told her she thought he was joking, but after a few minutes she realized he was telling the truth. She punched him in the arm for that one. Hard. Apparently, Hiccup had a slightly different meaning in Berk, or maybe just for his parents, he didn't know for sure. They told him he was named Hiccup because it signified that he would be special, unique and make a difference in the world. To cause a 'Hiccup' in the world as it were. But because of it's oddity, he went by Henry when he came to America.

Which he might be leaving for good, since the school year was pretty much over and Astrid had never gotten up the courage to ask him if he would be leaving or not. She just held on to the delusion that he would always be there with her, always full of sass and a witty remark on standby. Her time getting to know Hiccup over this year had been one of the best years of her life. He had helped her study for their final exams and helped her earn a perfect score on all of them. A perfect score! He of course had to earn perfect scores across the board as well, because he wouldn't let her have the number one spot without a fight. They celebrated by sneaking cupcakes, ice cream and enough candy to put them in a sugar coma for an entire week into his dorm and spent the night watching Netflix in the dark huddled together under blankets despite the hot, early summer Californian air, as they crammed more sugar into their mouths than what was medically recommended. Of course Hiccup tried to say that they shouldn't do it at first, since they would be breaking several school rules by bringing outside food into the dorms, staying up past curfew, as well as the big one, sneaking a girl into the boy's dorm, but Astrid just rolled her eyes, told him to man up and to let her in at ten.

So they laid next to each other on his bed, a light blanket over them as the air conditioner ran, leveling out the two nicely. With pillows propped under their chins so they could see the TV as they binged Netflix and ate candy at three in the morning. It wasn't until nearly the end of the current movie they were watching, 'Boone: The Bounty Hunter'(AN: Sorry to cut in, but you guys should check it out, it's hilarious) that Astrid mustered up the courage to ask him.

"Hey, Hiccup?" She asked suddenly, looking at the boy who was so close to her that their entire sides were pressed together because of the lack of space on the single person bed. But she didn't mind it, yeah her side was getting hot and sweaty because of the constant contact but the air conditioner paired with her light tank top and shorts helped with the heat. A year ago Astrid would've never even been in the same room dressed like this with a boy, but Hiccup was different. She never had to worry that she was showing too much skin around him or that he'd ogle at her because he was a true gentleman. The only time she even noticed him looking at her was when her uniform tie was crooked or when they were alone like this and when she asked why he was looking at her he'd say that he like her shirt or something. So she knew she had nothing to worry about with him. So for what could be their last time together she said "screw it" with the strict dress code and rules she used to follow almost religiously and decided to dress like a regular teenager and stay up all night with her best friend eating candy and ice cream.

"Yeah, Ast?" He asked, using his new nickname for her. At first she thought it sounded too much like 'ass' to find endearing but after a few weeks, it just stuck. She pretended to hate it but she secretly loved it. He hadn't taken his eyes away from the screen, however, he was too distracted by the lead actor John Morrison, perform parkour flips and punch bad guys in the face, yelling cheesy one-liners.

"What's going to happen tomorrow when the school year ends?" She asked softly, both to keep her voice down so that the people in the other rooms didn't hear her and because she was more nervous than she had ever been in her life, but she had no idea why. Why was she so scared that he'd leave? Would she really miss him that much?

He gave a light shrug as to not bump into her too much. "I dunno, we'll probably crash by noon from sugar comas and have to be taken out of the dorms in wheelbarrows so that they can close the school for the summer." He joked, laughing and then snorting at himself. He had started going loopy from the sugar two hours ago and Astrid would've found it hilarious if this weren't such a serious conversation.

"Hiccup." From the simple act of stressing his name he caught on that she was being serious, facing her and pausing the movie.

"Sorry, Ast. Thought you were joking…" He gave her an apologetic smile before noticing the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

How this boy always seemed to know when something was bothering her, she had no idea, but she appreciated and loved how great of a friend he was. "What are we going to do once the morning finally gets here?" She had hoped to stretch out this last night as long as possible, but as the hours ticked by she knew it wouldn't last forever.

He gave her a puzzled look, which just made his bright green eyes look in a way that made her heart flutter for some reason. Perhaps she was having a negative reaction from all of the sugar she ate? Yeah, that must be it. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean what are you going to do now?" She whispered softly. "You're going back to Berk tomorrow, aren't you? This is the last time we'll see each other, isn't it?" Astrid didn't realize when she started, but she had started crying a little at the thought of her best friend leaving her. She wouldn't have even noticed it if Hiccup hadn't wiped her few rogue tears away from her cheek with his finger. She opened her eyes to find his face next to hers with a concerned look on his face.

"Don't cry, Ast." He whispered back, wiping the last tear away. "I'm not going anywhere."

Her eyes widened almost comically. "Y-you mean it?"

"Of course," He reassured her, a sad look forming on his face. "Did you really think that I'd leave without telling you?" She didn't answer, she couldn't. She could only stare into his bright green eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dim light and berate herself for thinking that he'd do something like that to her. "If it were really the last time we'd see each other I would've finally told you how-," He cut himself off for a second, then continued. Though Astrid didn't really notice his words at the moment. "I mean, I would've told you a long time ago if I had to leave. You know that, right Ast?"

She nodded. "Of course, Hiccup, I know." She let out a sigh. "I was just so worried…"

He was silent besides her for a few seconds before she felt his arm snake over her shoulder, giving her a firm hug. It surprised her, neither of the two of them had much experience with physical contact with other people, because of their less than normal childhoods. And Astrid was normally the one out of them to initiate any sort of contact between them, so it surprised her a little. But she relaxed after a half second and let herself lean into his hug as he spoke.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ast. I'd never leave you" He muttered softly into her hair. "You have my word on that." Astrid felt her cheeks heat up though she blamed it on the heat in the room. But the light feeling of butterflies in her stomach suggested to her otherwise. They stayed like that, his arm over her shoulder, leaning into each other as they watched movies until the sun came up. Neither of the two bothering to decrease the distance between them.

oooOooo

(Summer before Junior year)

Hiccup was able to spend the summer in southern California with her, which she was greatly excited about. Apparently, he was able to stay the summer with a cousin of a family friend from Berk that actually lived just outside the city their school was in, same as her. When she asked who this person he was staying with was, he put on a straight face and said 'Gruffnut'. She laughed at first, thinking it was a joke, but after he apparently found her laughter rude and said that she was making fun of a normal, traditional Berkian name she genuinely became sorry for exactly five seconds until he told her that his name was actually 'Greg'. She punched him in the shoulder for it.

The first few weeks of summer break were great, she and Hiccup spent almost all of their time together either at the mall, a quiet coffee shop or at her house. Hiccup had been a little nervous at first to meet her dad, which Astrid didn't really understand, but the introduction went well once her dad, Axel, dropped his 'overprotective dad' act and the two got along swimmingly after that. But there was one place that Astrid really wanted to go with Hiccup, the beach, but he refused each time. When she finally asked him why after the third or fourth refusal he said that he didn't like wearing clothes that showed off his prosthetic leg. And since swimming shorts would, he didn't want to. Which she understood, as he had told her all about his dislike for showing it off when he showed her his leg for the first time a month or so before. So she came up with a compromise, they would go to the beach but he didn't have to wear any swimming trunks or get in the water. It took a little prodding but eventually he agreed to go with her. They went to the beach the very next day(she celebrated by buying a new bikini for the occasion. And mostly because her old one didn't fit anymore. Had she gained weight? She didn't think she had, but it was too snug to fit anymore), Hiccup deciding to sit on the beach with a book as Astrid swam in the crystal clear water. She caught him looking at her in the water a few times, but she didn't say anything about it. She assumed that he was wishing he could be in the water too. Though, she also caught him looking at her as she applied her suntan lotion as she sat on the blanket next to him, which she didn't quite understand. Maybe he just wasn't used to seeing her like this, but her bikini wasn't too much more revealing than her tank tops she wore all the time, since she didn't like wearing skimpy outfits, so she didn't have any idea why he was looking at her, but she didn't mind it. It was kind of flattering to find out that she didn't look as horrid as she thought in a bikini.

After half a month of going to the beach nearly everyday, Hiccup decided that he wanted to try wearing swimming shorts with his prosthetic. Astrid could tell he was a little nervous, so she told him that he looked great in them. It was slight, but she thought she caught a flash of red stain on his cheeks for a few seconds. He probably just wasn't used to people complimenting him, she thought. After another week or so he was completely comfortable with showing off his prosthetic leg to the people at the beach. Astrid assumes that it mostly had to do with the little kid who ran up to him one day, said that his leg was 'cooltastic' then proceeded to roll up his own pant leg and show off his own prosthetic foot to Hiccup. Astrid was happy to see that Hiccup didn't have any problem being comfortable showing his leg after that.

It was during the middle of their break while they were at the beach that Astrid noticed something that she at first didn't think much of, but soon found was absolutely terrible. Hiccup was hitting a growth spurt. Now, this normally wouldn't be too bad, since it didn't really affect her at all whatsoever. But as she was watching him walking back from the snack shack with their food one day, she realised it; Hiccup was becoming attractive. Okay, here her out, Astrid had always seen her best friend as sorta goofy looking, though his large eyes and ears could be considered kinda cute, but now, with him apparently going through what must've been a second puberty, he had grown several inches in a relatively short amount of time. Now he was a few inches taller than her, just under six foot. His face had widened slightly and his chin had become more square, giving him a more masculine face than his previous dorky one. His small, scrawny and unmuscular body had also started to fill out as well. She knew that he used the weight machines whenever they went to the gym together so that she could stay in shape for track and field, but it was only now that all of his hours of hard work had started to visibly pay off.

He was becoming hot. There were no two ways about it. And it was terrible.

Why? Well, to be honest, it was because she kinda, maybe, sorta found him attractive. But don't tell him she said that! She was a sixteen year old girl, so she guesses that it was normal for her to find guys attractive, but since she had never found any guy attractive before she wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. But she was pretty sure that she shouldn't be feeling this way about her best friend. It just seemed… wrong to look at him like that. Like she was taking advantage of him or was being a pervert. What was going on with her? Why was everything going all weird now? Why couldn't she just look at him like she used too before she saw him with a six pack? He didn't seem to be having a problem looking at her like he always had. Excluding his occasional blushes when she wore a bikini around him he seemed fine. But she just chalked that up to him not being used to the cultural differences when it came to clothing here versus Berk, so she always just brushed that off and instantly forgot about it.

oooOooo

(Homecoming, Junior year)

It was three days before the Homecoming dance that Astrid realized she had a problem. She had been nominated Junior Homecoming Queen(much to Michelle's distaste, which made Astrid even happier) because Hiccup had somehow gotten most of their class to vote for her without telling her about it beforehand. So imagine her surprise when she heard her name being announced over the intercom one day during homeroom saying that she would be Homecoming Queen. She was completely ecstatic the next few days before the dance, trying her best to find the right dress in the short amount of time since she hadn't planned on going this year since dances weren't her thing. And Hiccup knew that, so Astrid found it weird that he had gone through all of the trouble of getting her named Queen. He wasn't even going himself, was he? She didn't think so. He hated school dances even more than her. She'd have to make a point to remember to ask him about it.

Her problem? She didn't have a date for the dance and there was no way in hell that she'd be doing the traditional first dance of the night with Jason(Michelle's womanizing, ass of a boyfriend), who earned the title of King for their year. So Astrid sat thinking about a solution to her problem as she sat on the floor leaning on Hiccup's bed as he was putting some popcorn in the microwave. Ever since the first time she had snuck into the boy's dorm to hang out with Hiccup she hadn't stopped. It was totally normal for her to text him at eleven on a Friday night telling him to let her in. Hiccup was standing next to the microwave waiting to take the popcorn out before it burned when Astrid was hit over the head with an idea.

"That's it!" She cried without warning, scaring Hiccup and causing him to drop the bowl he was holding on his foot. Thankfully the bowl didn't break and the foot it landed on was his prosthetic one. So he didn't feel anything.

"Aahh!" He shrieked in surprise, though Astrid for some reason that she did not understand nor appreciate, recognized that his voice had started to lower from where it was when they met. "W-what happened?" He looked over to where she once sat, finding that she had gotten to her feet and was walking towards him quickly. Closing the small distance between them in almost no time. She didn't stop until she was right in front of him, a massive pleading smile on her face.

"I need you to be my date for the dance!"

His reaction was instantaneous, his eyes widened comically and his face went a bright red, reaching his ears. ""W-w-w-what?" He stuttered out quickly. "I-I-I-I huh? Y-you mean like a-, I mean-"

She cut him off by taking his hand and holding it in a praying gesture, leaning her face so close that she could she the individual freckles on his cheeks. "Pleeease Hiccuuup?" She stretched out her words like a little kid begging their mom for candy. "It'll be fun! I don't have a date and I'd rather have you there with me! Pleeease?" She gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster, pleading with him.

His face was so red that he looked like a tomato. "B-but I don't even like school dances, or even know how to dance-"

She doesn't know what came over her, but she'll blame it on the excitement of being named Queen, or maybe the close proximity between them, her newfound sense of attraction for him, the dimmed lighting and late hour playing an affect, anything to explain her next actions in a way that didn't make her stomach flutter like it did.

Without ever realizing when, how or why, Astrid found herself closing the remaining distance between them and placing a light kiss on his lips. A chaste kiss, only lasting the briefest of seconds, not at all enough time for her to revel in the feeling of her first kiss, but enough for her to become intoxicated with the sensation of his lips on hers. "Please, Hiccup? For me?" Her voice was barely over a whisper, she didn't even know how she formed actual cohesive words with her mind in the state it was, but somehow she managed to.

His face went as stiff as a statue, staring down at her with unblinking eyes. When he didn't react after several seconds, Astrid feared that she had made a huge mistake, that is until he blinked once, nodded very stiffly and gave a mumbled; "What color tie should I wear?"

It was at this exact moment that the realization of what she had done struck Astrid. Her eyes widened so far that they threatened to exceed his, her cheeks and face became so red and hot that she thought that she had caught fire and her mind started going crazy. Without warning she spun around with the force of a hurricane, yelled something about texting him later and burst out of his dorm room like a crazy person, running at full speed and not stopping until she reached her own room and pushed her face into a pillow, screaming into it.

What had she just done? Why did she kiss him? And why on the lips?! His cheek would have sufficed- no, bad Astrid, she shouldn't be thinking like that! Hiccup was her best friend, the person whom she had grown closer to than anyone else in her life. Why did she do that? She had stolen his first kiss, at least, she assumed and secretly hoped that she was his first kiss. Unless he had kissed his friend Heather that he had told her about back on Berk- no, she shouldn't be thinking about who may or may not have kissed Hiccup. She should be trying to figure out why on Odin's green earth she kissed him! Ugh! What was wrong with her? Why did she have to start feeling this way about her best friend? Why did he have to be so gods damned attractive? Why did he have to be so nice, funny, caring, and sweet? Why did her heart have to flutter without her permission whenever their skin touched, or when she saw him without a shirt on at the beach, or when he gave her that damned crooked smile of his? Why did she have to fall for him?

"...Aww shit…" She mumbled into the pillow, the realization of her thoughts coming to her. She had fallen for her best friend, hard.

oooOooo

(Homecoming Night, Junior year)

Homecoming Night their Junior year was the night that everything changed for Astrid. Why? Because it was during the stereotypical 'slow dance' towards the end of the night that Hiccup did something when they were slowing swaying back and forth in each others' arms that Astrid never expected. He kissed her. But not the fleeting, chaste kiss that she gave him three days before, but a real, true, lengthy full force kiss. Everything became muddled after that but she would always remember what he said that night, word for word, his adorable stutters included. "I-I've had the biggest c-crush on you since we met. Y-You were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. But it wasn't until we became friends that I realized that I actually c-cared for you, like, for real. And I uh, sorry, I didn't really think through what I was gonna- I mean, I didn't plan on k-kissing you, Ast. I-I'm sorry if I did something wrong-" At that moment she kissed him back, then told him that he didn't do anything wrong and that she had been feeling the same way about him for awhile, but thought it was just her. He laughed at that, saying that he thought he was being so obvious about his crush, but apparently both of them were just really oblivious.

They danced together for the rest of the night, considerably closer than they had before. Sneaking kisses whenever people weren't looking, causing both of them to blush furiously every time, but it was by far the best night of her life.

oooOooo

(Later)

The remaining months of Junior year were a dream come true for Astrid. She and Hiccup started dating soon after their shared confessions at the Homecoming dance. Hiccup took her out on their first date the next weekend, a traditional Berkian home cooked dinner in his dorm room and then finished the night with movies as they snuggled under fuzzy blankets on his bed in the dark. Astrid still couldn't help but smile when she thought about that night. After a while their Junior year was over and they entered their final summer before their Senior year. Hiccup ended up moving in with Astrid and her dad about a month into their break when Greg, aka 'Gruffnut', a cousin of some family friends that Hiccup knew from Berk, was arrested. Something about money laundering and illegal gambling. Astrid didn't know for sure. And because Hiccup didn't have anywhere to stay because the bank took their house, Astrid invited him to move in with her during the summer until he could move back into the dorms once the school year started. Planning on attending the same college so that they could stay together after they graduated.

Senior year was even better than their Junior year. She and Hiccup dated for the entire summer and through the end of the year, going to Homecoming and Prom together, and even being named 'Cutest Couple' in the yearbook, she almost cried when she saw their picture with a caption below it that read 'HiccStrid' in the yearbook. With only a few hiccups(excuse her lame joke) along the way. They never had any real fights, but their strong personalities caused them to have a few arguments from time to time, like any couple, especially after they graduated(with Hiccup earning the top spot by the smallest margin) when they moved back in with each other, this time in their own small apartment. They spent almost all of their time with each other, even picking as many of the same classes in college when their summer was over.

It was in her third year of college(as Hiccup had graduated early, because of course he had) and their fifth year as a couple that Astrid found herself in their shared kitchen, a truly tiny room, making some hot chocolate, thinking about the upcoming holiday break. Christmas was only a few weeks away and, like always, seemed to have somehow snuck up on her like it had every year. Astrid wasn't much for decorating the apartment for the holidays, but she did like filling the small area with the smell of gingerbread cookies(the only thing she could bake without causing a fire) while she hummed Christmas songs to herself. It was their tradition for her to greet Hiccup at the door with gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate on the first day of December and keep the smell going in the apartment until Christmas, and this year was no different. Her last five years dating Hiccup had been the best five years of her life by far, his loving nature and sarcastic quips always made her smile. They had talked about getting married one day after college and when Astrid had a job, but nothing concrete or set in stone just yet. She was in no hurry either, of course she would say 'yes' as soon as he got down on one knee, but she didn't need a ring to know that he loved her. Her dad, Axel, was also happy about their decision to wait to get married, despite what he said to Astrid when she asked him. Her father had taken it well when she told him she and Hiccup were dating, and even when they moved in with each other. Her father may not've been the most expressive man on earth, but he loved his little girl like nothing else. So when he told her that he approved of Hiccup one day asking him for her hand she was ecstatic.

And it was thinking about their last Christmas at her dad's when a thought popped into her head. They should spend this Christmas on Berk with Hiccup's family. After smiling to herself about her amazing idea, Astrid realized that she didn't really know his parents very much, or more accurately, not at all. Yes he had told her about them when they first met, and he would occasionally mention something his dad said or something his mom did, but he never really talked openly about them without prompting, which generally ended in him saying that he didn't want to talk about it. She had learned over the years that Hiccup had a… strained relationship with his parents, despite loving his mother to death. Most of his problems seemed to lie with his father, Stoick, who, as Hiccup described him, was an impossible man to compare to, whatever that meant. But she knew that he didn't have any real hatred for his parents, they just had a difficulty understanding each other. So when she asked to spend the holiday with his parents she expected him to be shocked, but not this much.

(December 1st, Astrid and Hiccup Twenty One years old)

Hearing Hiccup's keys jiggling behind the door alerted Astrid of his presence. She quickly grabbed a plate full of gingerbread cookies and a steaming hot chocolate before rushing to meet her boyfriend at the door.

As soon as Hiccup's head appeared through the door he was greeted with his beautiful girlfriend holding a plate of delicious smelling cookies. "Hey, milady. I'm home-"

"Hey, babe." She greeted back, shoving a cookie into one hand and his hot chocolate into the other before stealing a quick kiss and asking her question without any tact whatsoever. "Can we spend Christmas with your family this year?"

But instead of receiving an answer, Hiccup, completely taken off guard by her question, ended up spewing his hot chocolate all over her. Needless to say but her new adorable Christmas sweater was ruined and she had to spend the next ten minutes running cool water over the hot chocolate burn. After he apologized for the twenty fifth time and helped her apply the wet washcloth to her chest and stomach(which made her blush despite him seeing her without a shirt once before, they got drunk and went skinny dipping one night, don't ask), he finally returned to her question.

"Why would you want to spend Christmas with my parents?" He asked, his tone of voice indicating that he was completely confused, as they sat next to each other on the couch, snacking on gingerbread cookies. "I mean, you know how they are-"

"Actually, I don't." Astrid interrupted him, giving him a pointed look. "I've never met them. I've never talked to them on the phone, or Skype or anything. And I'm pretty sure that you haven't talked to them in a long time." She softened her facial expression and lowered her voice. "I love you, babe, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I know you do too, but you've met my dad, you even lived with us for a summer, so he already sees you as family, but… before we can go any further with our relationship I want to meet your parents."

Astrid watched him from her position leaning against him, laying her head on his shoulder. She could see the gears turning in his head, weighing everything in his head. Astrid knew him so well that she could read his thinking face like a book, so when she saw it she sighed, dejected. "You're going to say no."

He seemed surprised by her words for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of his own. He squeezed her shoulder, pressing her into him. "...I won't lie, I want to say no." He was silent for a little longer, absent mindlessly rubbing her thigh with his hand. "But if you really want to meet them, I promise I'll think about it."

Her brow peaked a little. "You'll think about it?" She asked.

He nodded, his chin rubbing against her head. "You know how my relationship with my parents is… I just don't think they'll be happy if I just randomly call them after not talking to them for almost five years. They probably hate me now."

"But shouldn't that make you want to patch things up with them?" She asked softly, looking up at him. "You'll never know if you don't talk to them, will you? Besides, it's almost Christmas, a time for family and love and all that, if I'm going to be a part of your family one day shouldn't I be able to meet them?"

He let out another long sigh. "You're right…" He gave her a little smirk. "I hate it when you make so much sense, milady."

"Oh shut up, you." She joked, hitting him in the arm, though not as hard as she usually did. She then looked back up at him, her face turning softer, pleading. "But promise me you'll think about it, babe, okay?"

Hiccup smiled as he rolled his eyes. "I can never say no to that face, you know that. It's not fair." She chuckled as he grumbled. "I promise, I'll think about it."

oooOooo

(December Twenty Third) (AN: I apologize for my bad attempts at Scottish/Viking/typical HTTYD accents and speech patterns, it's my first time trying to do this type of accent)

Two and a half weeks later found Astrid flying on an airplane, during the biggest(and only) blizzard she had seen in her entire life, heading to a small island nation named Berk that sat off the coast of Scotland with her boyfriend to meet his parents for the first time. She knew she'd get her way in the end.

It was the scariest thing she had ever experienced. Not meeting his parents, although Astrid had to admit that Hiccup's dad did sound a little scary and his mom a little overbearing, but she was excited to meet them both. No, what was so scary was flying in a somewhat small airplane that had to somehow find and then land on the tiny island nation of Berk during this blizzard. You see, Astrid was a true southern Californian girl. Born and raised a few miles from the beach, she never experienced this kind of weather before. Now she wishes that she didn't wave off all of Hiccup's warnings about the difference of climate on Berk compared to where they lived. Now she wishes that she took his warnings more seriously and packed even warmer clothes.

Thankfully they landed soon after that. After descending from the plane, heading through the almost non existent security and grabbing their bags, they headed outside into the blizzard to find their ride. And were immediately greeted by a large, stocky man dressed in nothing but a fur vest over his clothes, standing out in the howling blizzard like he was standing on a beach in the Bahamas instead of out in weather that was making his skin turn blue, holding a drenched cardboard sign over his head that read, in a very bad chicken scratch, 'Wee Fishbone'.

"And that would be Gobber." Astrid heard Hiccup sigh next to her. He gave a concerned look to her, noticing how bad she was shivering. "You okay, milady?" Be began to slowly direct them over to 'Gobber', Astrid cautious of walking on the slippery ice and snow.

"J-j-just freezing t-t-to death," She answered him, her teeth chattering as she tried her best to warm herself by rubbing her arms. "O-other than t-that I'm f-fine."

Hiccup had the nerve to let out a mild chuckle. "Sorry, milady, but I did warn you it would be cold here."

"Quit your laughing and help warm me up," She grabbed onto his side and latched onto him like a koala bear, trying to use his body heat to help keep her warm. Somehow Hiccup was just in a pair of jeans, a long sleeved winter shirt and a coat and just fine, while she was dressed from head to toe like an eskimo and felt like she was freezing to death. "I'm from southern California, I'm not built for this type of climate."

He wrapped his arm over her shoulder, still chuckling to himself. "You'll get used to it." They were about a dozen feet or so from the man he called 'Gobber'(Astrid didn't know if it was his real name or not, since weird names vs nicknames were about fifty-fifty on Berk apparently), when Hiccup gave a small wave to the man, calling out to him. "Over here, Gobber."

"Ah dinnae believe it…" Gobber's eyes widened, looking at the two young adults walking to him in disbelief. At first Astrid was taken back by the man's thick accent, was it Scottish? Or maybe a Berkian variation? Either way, understanding this man was going to be difficult at first. "Is tha' ye, Hiccup?"

"It me, Gobber." Hiccup answered. It was slight, but Astrid could feel Hiccup's shoulders drop from their tensed state. She didn't know much about Gobber, besides that he was the person that Hiccup talked most about, but she was able to tell that Hiccup was really glad to see this strange looking man. As they stepped up to him Astrid was able to see him more clearly. He was very large, in both height and width, had crooked teeth, and a large, bushy, dirty blond unibrow that matched his mustache that almost reached his waist. Upon closer inspection Astrid could see that Gobber had a prosthetic left leg, kind of like Hiccup but Gobber's seemed to resemble a peg leg more than anything. And if his ungloved, unmoving right had were anything to go off of, a prosthetic right hand as well.

Without warning, the large blond mustachioed man tackled Hiccup and enveloped him in a bear hug, his feet being completely taken off of the ground. "Oh look a' ye, Hiccup. Ye were nothin' bu' a wee bairn when I last saw ye!" The large man cried.

"I c-can't b-breathe, Gobber!" Hiccup gasped out, desperately patting the arm of the man who was holding him in the air.

"Oh, sorry 'bout tha', lad. It's jus' so good ta see ye, Hiccup. It's been too long." Gobber put Hiccup down, looking him over from head to toe, noticing the severe differences about his godson. "Would ye look' a' yersel', boyo. Yer gone an' finally grown up! Ye finally resemble a true viking an' no' a wee walkin' fishbone!"

"It's good to see you too, Gobber. I'm sorry, I should've kept in touch." Hiccup then gestured to Astrid who was just standing there(still freezing her rear off, mind you) staring at the two men like they had gone mad. She wasn't used to Hiccup being this lively. "Gobber, this is Astrid Hofferson, my girlfriend. Astrid, this is Gobber, my godfather."

The large blond mustachioed man stepped up to Astrid, his eyes wide in shock before looking back to Hiccup. "Ye mean to tell me tha' this bonnie wee lass is yer girlfriend? How on Odin's earth did ye manage tha'?" He turned back to face Astrid, a large toothy smile on his face, holding out his left hand to her. "It's good to meet ye, lass. Name's Gobber."

She shook his left hand, turns out she was right about his right hand. She gave him the best smile she could manage in her present condition. "L-likewise. I'm Astrid Hofferson."

"Hofferson did ye say?" Gobber cried, letting go of her hand, a smile on his face. "You've got some viking blood in ye? Brilliant!" It looked like he was going to say something else, but when Gobber noticed how much Astrid was shivering he changed his mind. "Ye alright there, lass? Ye look like yer gonna fall over any second."

"It's f-freezing out here," Astrid muttered out, trying her best to be cordial but was finding it nearly impossible in her state. "Can p-please go inside to talk?"

"Freezin'?" Gobber blinked, apparently confused. He then looked around himself at the blizzard like it was the first time he saw it, nodding. "It's only a wee snow storm, nothin' too bad."

Hiccup stepped up next to Astrid, putting his arm around her to help warm her up. He looked at Gobber. "Astrid's not used to the cold, Gobber. Can we get going? I don't want her getting sick."

Gobber nodded, understanding. He gestured for the two to follow him. "Where are ye from, lass, if ye dinnae mind me askin'? Dinnae it get cold there?"

She shook her head. "No. I was born and raised in Long Beach." Astrid answered, thankful to be finally getting out of the storm. "I'm used to it being high sixties or seventies in December. It's pretty much warm all year."

Gobber looked at her like she had grown a second head. "No wonder ye left. Tha' sounds terrible… Ah, 'ere we are." They reached an old beat up pickup truck, Gobber sitting in the front seat while Hiccup and Astrid climbed into the back. As soon as Gobber closed the door Astrid asked him to turn the heat on.

oooOooo

(With Valka, on Berk)

When Valka got the call one day from her son asking if he could come home for Snoggletog, she couldn't help but let out a teary cry. It had been almost five years since she had any contact from her son. At first Valka just assumed that her son needed some time alone to adjust to his new school after his accident. But once the calls went from daily to weekly, then weekly to monthly, and then monthly to almost nonexistent, Valka knew there was a problem. She tried her best to call her son to see how he was faring in America, of course, but after a while he stopped returning her calls. She worried about her son like you wouldn't believe, her little Hiccup, who was so small and premature when he was born that they feared that he might not make it. Her son, who always had a hard time growing up, who was constantly picked on by his cousin. Her little boy, who she feared would never find the confidence to find a nice girl. She worried about that most of all, Valka knew that her son needed someone in his life to be happy. Someone besides his parents and godfather to love him. She assumed that he would have found someone like that on Berk, and he had for a some time with his childhood friend Heather, but once the truth about her came out it crushed Hiccup. So imagine Valka's surprise when Hiccup told her that he would be bringing his girlfriend with him! She let out a screeching cry so loud that it nearly made her son deaf and caused her husband to hobble down the stairs in a panic, thinking something was wrong.

Valka of course tried to get as much information about her son's girlfriend as she could, but her son seemed to be hesitant to reveal much about her over the phone. Almost like he was trying to get his mom not to fawn over the girl, like he could even do that. It's a mother's prerogative to find out all she can about her son's girlfriend, and she told him as much when he asked her not to freak out that much when they met her. Like he had any say in the matter.

After Hiccup ended the call after only a few minutes, promising to be there for the holiday, Valka excitedly told her husband about the news and ordered that the house be cleaned, the finest decorations, dishes and silverware be taken out, and for Gobber and Stoick to prepare for their holiday festivities. She was going to make this the best Snoggletog ever. Her son was finally coming home after six long years! And he would be bringing a girlfriend with him, oh Valka was so excited that she could barely contain herself!

oooOooo

(Astrid and Hiccup)

After nearly an hour of driving in the blizzard, they reached a tall, sturdy metal gate that went in each direction so far that it seemed to meld into the whiteness of the air around them. Astrid couldn't help but look out the window of the truck in awe, the driveway from the gate was so long that you couldn't see one end from the other. They were difficult to see in the snow, but Astrid was able to make out the large figures of gigantic stone-carved statues spaced out by about a dozen feet or so along the driveway. From what she could tell, each stone statue was different. Most were stone statues of what were very obviously viking warriors, others were some sort of mythical creatures like trolls or other beings Astrid didn't recognize. Statues of what she assumed were viking gods or goddesses followed the creatures, Astrid couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship of them as they drove. Behind the statues and the snow covered grounds, a forest of trees could be seen surrounding the property on each side. If Astrid focused her eyes she could see the shapes of gardens and gazebos under the snow. Astrid couldn't help but wonder how much she didn't know about her boyfriend. He told her that he had been well off growing up but she never once expected this. How rich were his parents? What did they do? He never told her when he told her about them, only that they had money. Astrid was in no way rich, despite going to one of the top private schools in the country, her single father worked two jobs to get her through school, so while they could live mostly comfortably, they were neither rich nor poor. The truck started to slow down, making its way around a large circular drive before the house. It wasn't until they parked that Astrid saw something that took her breath away; a gigantic stone statue of a dragon and the massive house behind it.

At the center of the circular drive stood an enormous stone dragon, sat on a tall pedestal in the middle of a frozen pond. The dragon was posed low in a crouch, as if it were about to strike, it's four legs posed to leap. It's short, wide head was held low to the base of the pedestal, it's mouth open and teeth barred. It had large, upturned wings on it's back that made Astrid think of a large bat, but upon a closer look they resembled a pair of demonic wings, giving the dragon a truly sinister appearance. A long, finned tail followed the lithe body of the dragon, that was curved upwards, almost like a cat. Astrid could only stare at the statue in awe as she stood in front of it, oblivious to the snow and windchill. It took Hiccup to grab her hand to knock her out of her state.

"Milady?" Hiccup asked softly, getting kind of worried that his girlfriend was just standing still in the same spot for over a minute. "Are you okay?"

Astrid blinked, looking at him. "Y-yeah, just amazed by the statue."

Hiccup looked up to the statue and smiled. "That's the Nightfury. It's said that a member of our clan tamed it over a thousand years ago and used it to defend the island from invaders." He wrapped his arm around her, trying his best to help keep her warm. "It's been the symbol of our clan for generations. Now, let's get you inside, while I know blue is your favorite color and it looks great on you, your skin shouldn't be blue. Let's go inside and warm up."

She nodded. "And meet your parents."

He let out a sigh, his breath visible in the cold. "Yup, and that."

They headed to the front door of the house, or should she say manor that Gobber told them to go up to as he drove his truck around to the back. The manor was truly massive, with four floors visible from the ground up, there could be more below the ground that she couldn't see. The entire manor was built out of solid stone and mortar, with tall circular towers at the corners, giving it the appearance of a castle more than a house with all of the crenellations and stone balconies. It had several tall, slanted roofs at different heights. If the dragon statue made her pause, the manor took her breath away. It looked like a(and probably was) real Scottish castle that seemed as if it was taken out of a movie or history book. The sparkling, pure-white snow that surrounded and stood on the castle only made it seem that much more magical. It looked like something out of a fairytale.

As they made their way up the stone steps and up to the large, solid oak and iron framed door, Astrid paused, suddenly as nervous as Hiccup. "I know I asked this before," She started, turning to him as they stopped a little ways from the door. "But what should I know about your parents before we go in?"

He gave her a grin. "Finally realizing how bad of an idea this is, milady?" He asked. She lightly punched him in the arm. "Fine fine, you don't have to beat me, jeez… If I had to describe them in one word it would be 'Overbearing'."

"Aren't all parents overbearing though?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Not like mine. They… are very set in their ways and beliefs. With a strong sense of what a Haddock should be. Valedictorian-"

"Which you were." She interrupted.

"-Top athlete in the school, captain of every sports team, student body President, member of just about every school activity as well as financially successful with a well paying job and a million dollar house." He looked pointedly at Astrid. "That is what my parents expected from me. And I've failed on everything except one."

Astrid could only blink as he continued. "My parents were already married with well paying jobs when they were my age. While I'm still stuck as an intern in a tiny apartment that could fit in their dining room."

"...So you think that they'll be disappointed with you?" She asked. "Just because you're doing things a little different than them?"

"I know they will." He said with a little more sharpness than he meant. Astrid didn't think that he meant to, but he reverted to a thick, deep Scottish accent when he started to quote his father, which he had been known to do before a few times. "All my life I was told by my dad that 'Haddock men are strong and successful', that 'You were meant for greater things, son, so go out there and do them', that eventually turned into 'You are wasting all your potential on frivolous things, son. You will never become anything more than you are now if you don't stop all of this.'."

"All of what?" She asked, though fearing the answer.

"Me. He gestured to all of me." He answered, a hard look on his face. "My father was always disappointed in me because I was different. Because I didn't want to play sports or wasn't interested in the family legacy… Nothing was ever good enough for my father… I was never good enough for him."

"...Oh." Astrid didn't know what to say, so she just gave her boyfriend a supportive smile, rising up on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Well I don't give a damn what anyone says, babe. To me, you're perfect. And I wouldn't want you any other way."

He returned the smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks milady… Well just be prepared to have your entire personality, lifestyle, appearance and career scrutinized to the nth degree by my perfect parents. They'll probably get on us for living with each other despite not being married or engaged. It's kind of taboo on Berk, or at least it was when they were our age."

"I don't care what they think about me," Astrid said firmly. "Yours is the only opinion I ever need. I'm only here because I feel that as your parents that I should at least get to know them. If they don't like me, fine by me." She nudged him playfully with her elbow. "I'm a big girl, babe, I don't care how scary your dad is. I'll kick his ass if I have to."

"As eloquent as ever." He joked though it only lasted for a second. "But once you see him you'll think otherwise. My father is an intimidating man, you'll see."

She shrugged. "I guess I will. But we have to go in eventually…" She shivered, pausing for a second. "And while I'd love to stand around and talk about your parents all night I'd rather do it inside."

He let out a long sigh. "You're right. Let's get it over with." He led them up the rest of the stone steps and to the large door. "They've most likely been hiding behind the curtains trying to get a good look at us. They must be wondering what's taking us so long." They were a few paces from the door when it started to open, just as Hiccup told her one last detail. "Oh yeah, they don't celebrate Christmas. Here on Berk we celebrate Snoggletog."

But before Astrid was able to ask him what the fudge 'Snoggletog' was, the door opened fully, revealing a very tall, beautiful auburn haired woman with bright blue eyes. As soon as the door was fully open the older woman let out a girly shriek and rushed to Hiccup, wrapping him in a tight hug and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Oh Hiccup, my boy!" The woman cried, crushing her son in a hug. "Would you look at yourself, you've grown so handsome like your father. We have been waiting for ages. Gobber has been inside for a few minutes. Come come, let's get you inside."

She escorted them inside, closing the large wooden door behind them, about to open her mouth to say something. Astrid felt Hiccup's slightly shaking hand wrap around her waist gently. "Mom," He interrupted her before she could start. "This is my girlfriend, Astrid Hofferson. Astrid, this is my mom, Valka."

"Oh Hiccup my boy, she's even more beautiful than you led me to believe on the phone!" The taller woman cried, making Astrid blush slightly, though keeping a smile on her face. She held her hand out to the older woman.

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Mrs. Haddock." She put on her best smile and tried to be as polite as possible. Thankful for all of the proper etiquette and manners training that she received at her prestigious boarding school. "Your son has spoken of you a lot over the years."

The older woman smiled, ignoring the outstretched hand and instead wrapping Astrid in a firm hug. "It's wonderful to meet you as well, dear." Valka stepped back, looking over Astrid with a wide smile. "You truly are a sight, my dear. And please, call me Val, dear, I don't want to hear any of this 'Mrs. Haddock' nonsense. You are our special guest for the holiday, think of us as your own family."

Astrid smiled, Valka was just about what she expected her to be. Hiccup had always talked more openly about his mother, and always with at least a small smile on his face. But Valka was more beautiful than Astrid expected, from what Astrid could remember Hiccup telling her, his mother was forty nine years old, but she sure didn't look it. Her skin was flawless and only the grey streaks in her hair suggested at her true age. She was very tall, around 6'3"(not including her modestly tall heels), though not abnormally so, her body was proportioned as it should be. Her frame not being too skinny or frail. She was adorned in a long sleeved, flowing evening gown that hung to her figure enough to show off her form but at the same time being modest about it, only a tiny amount of skin was visible, showing off her collar bones. On her shoulders sat an almost shining brown fur shawl that hung down to her elbows. Around her neck sat several shining pearls the size of gumballs, and on her fingers she wore a beautiful sapphire ring on one hand and her wedding ring(which was big enough to probably be more than Astrid and Hiccup's entire apartment complex) on the other. Valka's height, natural beauty and clothing made her seem almost royal, like a queen.

"I'll be sure to, Val." Astrid nodded. The older woman smiled warmly at her, looking over her son and his girlfriend with so much happiness on her face that it was contagious. They walked out of the foyer and into what Astrid assumed was the sitting room. Valka gestured to a plush, pure white couch. "Take a seat, my dears, while I go fetch my husband. Stoick is in the kitchen with the chefs." She then turned her voice to a stage whisper, putting her hand up like she was shielding her voice from someone, a grin on her lips. "I haven't been allowed in the kitchen for nearly a decade, so don't tell anyone that I sneak in there from time to time when they're not looking to take some sweets. The head chef always blames it on my husband. Arvid will be around soon to collect your bags." With that Valka left the room to retrieve her husband, leaving the young couple alone in the room. Astrid spoke up immediately.

"Are the floors made of marble?" She asked, completely catching Hiccup off guard and causing him to laugh.

"Yes, they are." He chuckled.

Astrid looked around the large room in awe. Mahogany furniture filled the room, as well did marble and stone busts. Astonishing pastel paintings the size of small billboards lined the walls. Glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each looking like a swirling mass of crystal clear icicles dangling down from the tall ceiling. She was about to speak up again when a figure appeared in the doorway, clearing its throat.

"Oh, Arvid, it's good to see you." Hiccup stood up, reaching his hand out to the older man, who took it and shook it firmly. Hiccup turned to Astrid, giving her his hand to help her up. "Milady, this is Arvid, the head butler." Arvid was tall and broad shouldered, though his face was soft and kind. He was dressed in a full suit and tie, which must have been almost impossible to find in his size.

Astrid was about to open her mouth to greet the man when Hiccup put his hand on her shoulder. "Arvid doesn't speak a lot of English, or really speak that much in general." He then faced Arvid, saying something to him in Scottish, gesturing to her as he did. Arvid smiled to her, saying something in Scottish that she didn't understand. "Arvid says hello." Hiccup translated. "He'll also take our bags up for us."

"Okay." Astrid smiled to the man, handing him her two bags as Hiccup handed him his singular one. Arvid left after soon after that without another word, in either language. Not too long after he passed through the doorway did Astrid hear Val's voice coming back to them.

"Come on, Stoick, this year would be nice." Valka's voice came from the hall, most likely nagging her husband to hurry up from the sound of it. "I would like to have a blether with Astrid before the end of the year."

From further down the hallway came a voice that could have only come Hiccup's father, Stoick. He had a deep, loud voice and a thick Scottish accent. "I'm comin' I'm comin'! I c'n only hobble so fast, hon. Ye know me leg acts up 'n the winter." Val entered through the doorway first, giving Hiccup and Astrid a warm smile. Stoick arrived a few seconds later and Astrid could not have underestimated him any more than she had. Not that she was wrong with how she expected him to look, Hiccup often mentioned how large his father was, but she didn't expect this. He was ginormous. It was obvious to see where he got his nickname 'Stoick the Vast' from. He was 6'9", a combination of solid muscle and fat, though Astrid wouldn't call Stoick fat, he was just really large. He was the single tallest and widest shouldered man she had ever seen in her entire life. He had a long, wide greying red beard that was knotted into several elaborate braids reaching his belt. Stoick walked up to her, with a presence that made Astrid think that required some sort of fanfare or a cry of trumpets. He walked as if he were a king commanding a court, which, considering where he was living, he may actually be.

That thought made Astrid pause when Stoick stood in front of her, a big smile on his face. He wasn't like… royalty or something, was he? Hiccup would've told her about that, right? What did she call him? Best to let him introduce himself first, she thought.

"Ah, ye must be Astrid," He held out a hand that was the size of her head to shake. "I am Stoick Haddock, Chief o' Berk. Welcome ta Guðmundr Castle, home of the Haddock clan." He shook her hand with enough force to crush a cinder block before letting go and stepping back, giving her a warm smile just visible behind his large mustache and beard combo. "Yer a bonnie lass, aren't ya?" He turned to his wife briefly. "Ye were right, m'dear. She is a beautiful lass."

Astrid turned her head to Hiccup, whispering. "Bonnie?" She asked, confused. "Why do people keep calling me that?"

"It means lovely or beautiful," He whispered back. "It's Scottish slang. The people around here mix Scottish words in their conversations a lot, I'll translate for you."

"Thanks babe." She whispered back before turning back to face Stoick, who got done laughing at something his wife said. "It's wonderful to meet you, uh Mr-, Chief…?" She broke off, not knowing what to call him. Stoick seemed to understand this, giving a hearty chuckle, his hand on his round belly.

"Call me Stoick, lass." He smiled. "No need fer formal titles, I am only Chief outside o' these walls." He gave a subtle look to his wife without her knowing, winking to Astrid. "M'wife makes sure I know tha'."

"Why don't we make ourselves comfortable as we wait for dinner to be prepared?" Valka spoke up, taking her husband's large hand and directing him to sit next to her on the couch perpendicular to the one Astrid and Hiccup were sitting on. "We could spend the time and blether, I would like to hear how my son has been during the past six years."

"True true," Stoick sat down heavily, the couch groaning at his weight. "An' I would like to 'ear how ye two met an' how long you've been together." Astrid and Hiccup sat down as well, taking the other's hand.

"In due time, Stoick," Valka chided her husband. "Let the kids adjust first." She faced her son. "How have you been, Hiccup? We haven't heard from you in awhile."

"Almost five years-." Stoick cut in before his wife swatted his arm.

"Stoick, please don't start anything." She gave Astrid and Hiccup an apologetic smile, prompting Hiccup to answer with a nod.

"I've been good, mom. And I know that I shouldn't've stopped calling you back, I'm sorry about that." He wore an apologetic smile. "Astrid and I met my first week of school. We didn't have the best relationship at first, because Astrid was very upset that I got higher marks than her-."

"I did not." Astrid cut in. "I was very polite."

"You were downright horrid." Hiccup smiled, blocking a slap to his arm by Astrid.

"So how did you two start dating, then," Valka interrupted their slap fight. "If you two didn't get along at first?"

Astrid shrugged, taking the lead to answer the question. "I guess we just gravitated towards each other at first because we were the smartest kids in the school. We had a healthy competition going after a while."

Valka looked intrigued, eyeing her son. "So I trust that you did well in America, Hiccup?" She asked. "Did you earn good grades?"

Hiccup looked like he was about to answer but his girlfriend did for him. "Did well? He got the top grades in our class all three years he was there."

"Oh really?" Valka asked, excited.

"Mhmm," Astrid continued. "He was Valedictorian our senior year, earning a perfect grade."

"That's wonderful!" Valka cheered. "I knew you would do great, dear."

"I wouldn't 'ave expected anything less," Stoick spoke up, catching Hiccup off guard. Not expecting the compliment. "Ye spent all tha' time with yer nose buried in those books, it was bound ta happen."

"So, I have to ask," Valka started, giving her son and his girlfriend a look. "How did you two get together?"

"Who said 'I love ye' first?" Stoick asked, earning him a glare from his wife and a whining 'Dad!' from Hiccup. Astrid could only smile at her boyfriend.

"Hiccup did." She answered, surprising the older couple. Making Valka's eyes widen, while covering her mouth with her hand and Stoick gasp with surprise, leaning in towards Astrid with a big shocked expression.

"He dinnae," Astrid only nodded her reply. A big smile washed over Stoick's bearded face. "Oh tha's m'boy!" He turned to his son, the first time he had fully addressed him since they arrived, and even then the two didn't even greet the other. "Did ye sweep the lass off 'er feet with tha' ol' Haddock charm like I told ye?"

Hiccup blushed a little despite himself, starting to stutter out a response. "W-well I w-wouldn't say that-."

"He surprised me with a kiss a Homecoming and then confessed when we were slow dancing." Astrid interrupted him, earning her a delighted squeal from Valka. "I then told him I felt the same way. We started dating soon after that and have been together since."

"Oh how romantic," Valka cried, patting her son on the arm. "I knew you had that confidence in you, dear."

"It runs in the family," Stoick smiled, facing Hiccup. "But ta think tha' ye would catch the eye of a lass like Astrid." He chuckled, now facing Astrid. "Ye must 'ave been swatting away lads like flies."

Astrid blushed a little, remembering several interactions with guys trying to hit on her. "I had a few, but to be honest I was never interested in any of them."

"Because ye liked Hiccup?" Stoick asked, causing Hiccup to groan from his seat.

Astrid chuckled. "Not at first, since we were just good friends but after a while… yeah. That was the reason." She playfully nudged her boyfriend with her elbow. "Not that many guys were ever able to ask me out, since someone here would always scare them off once he grew in height and packed on some muscle. I remember once that Hiccup scared off a freshman when he tried to ask me out. The poor kid almost peed his pants."

Hiccup looked embarrassed at the retelling of the story while Valka looked a little upset, but Stoick was laughing so hard at the story that it was easy how he felt about it.

"Good fer ye, son," He bellowed with laughter, his cheeks red. "Ye used ta be a real fishbone but now look at ye, ye look like a Haddock. Tha' wee lad must'a ran fer the hills with ye towering over 'im!"

The two couples talked for some time until dinner was ready, heading into the single largest dining hall that Astrid had ever seen inside of a house, continuing their conversations throughout the meal. Valka apologized to Astrid that she may not like their traditional Berkian meal(roasted lamb, baked potatoes, grilled fish and wild vegetables all smothered in a yak gravy), only for Astrid to wave her fears off, saying that Hiccup would usually make a home cooked Berkian meal on special occasions like holidays or anniversaries. Which, of course, made Valka squeal in delight, again, telling her son that he was such a charmer.

After dinner Astrid was given a small tour of the manor by Hiccup, telling his parents that it would be good to show her the grounds as they would be staying there for the next few days, but the real reason was to have some time to themselves before bed.

"I don't see what you've been complaining about with your parents, babe." Astrid said, leaning her head into his shoulder as they walked the silent and empty halls. "They seemed nice to me. Val was so sweet all night and your dad didn't make any comments like you thought he would."

Hiccup let out a slow breath. "I guess you're right…" He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close. "Maybe I wasn't right expecting some big argument when I came home. My dad actually seems happy that I'm here."

"That's because he loves you, Hiccup." Astrid smiled. "He is your dad. He looked so proud of you when you told him that you graduated early with top honors. He wouldn't stop beaming."

"Yeah, I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. He eyed a grandfather clock as the walked. "It's getting pretty late, do you want to get ready for bed? I have no doubt we'll be woken up bright and early to help prepare for the party."

Astrid yawned, giving her answer. The two of them headed back to the main sitting room where Stoick and Valka sat talking in low whispers. The older couple smiled when the two entered.

"Ready for bed, dears?" Valka asked. Hiccup nodded for them. "I thought as much, nothing makes you tired like a Berkian meal. Hiccup, we had Arvid set up your old room for you two, you should find everything you need as well as your luggage in there as well. You two should have plenty of space in there." She smiled to the two, getting up. "Good-."

"Wait," Hiccup interrupted her, a look of shock on his face. "You're having us share a room?"

Valka's smile faltered. "Yes, Is-is that an issue, son?" She asked with genuine confusion. "Did you two not say that you lived together at dinner? Do you require separate rooms? Because we only had Arvid set up your room-"

"No no, mom, it's fine." Hiccup cut in, a slight blush on his cheeks that Astrid found adorable even after all of these years. "I just wasn't expecting you two to… be okay with us sharing a room when we're not married."

Valka's look of confusion stayed on her face for several seconds until Stoick gave a hearty laugh, rising from the couch, stepping behind his wife and putting a hand on her lower back. "Hahaha!" The large man laughed. "Why would we 'ave any problems with it, son? Why, when yer mother and I were yer age, ye couldn't keep us from-."

"Stoick!" Valka swatted her husband's arm. "No need to scare the kids any more than you did when you asked when they were planning on having kids."

"What?" Stoick didn't even look apologetic. "I wan' grandbabies before I die o' old age!"

After the… embarrassing words from Stoick, Hiccup led Astrid to his old room, where they would spend the next few days. Thankfully for them they were already used to sharing the same room in their apartment, so the idea of them sharing the same bed wasn't anything unusual. After spending a little time arranging their clothes in the empty dresser and quick(separate, mind you) showers, the young couple climbed into bed, happy to finally be away from Hiccup's parents for awhile. His parents weren't bad, but they were extremely taxing to be around, Astrid learned quickly. But she had quickly grown fond of them. Val was so sweet and caring while Stoick, while abrasive most of the time, showed his kind nature in his own way. Astrid couldn't have thought of a better way to start their Christmas holiday with his parents, now all she had to figure out what this 'Snoggletog' was that everyone kept talking about. The way they spoke about it made it sound like a form of holiday, but Astrid wasn't sure if they celebrated it in conjunction with Christmas or instead of Christmas. Hiccup hadn't really explained that beforehand. Like how he didn't explain that his dad was the Chief of Berk. Which was, in Hiccup's words; "More like a governor than a king, since we have a Parliament. He governs the island we live on with the title of Chief. It's mostly honorary, like how other countries have royalty but also a formal government. But he does handle the day to day stuff." It took Astrid a little time to get adjusted to the idea that she was staying in a literal castle for the holiday that had been in the Haddock family since before modern times, but as she was shown around the castle the night before bed it started to feel more like it was just Hiccup's parents house and not an actual castle.

oooOooo

(December Twenty Fourth)

Astrid and Hiccup had been let to sleep in by Valka(who said that she didn't want to risk 'interrupting' them) until they groggily climbed out of bed at ten. Still jet lagged from the flight the day before. But once they had gotten up and had eaten a small breakfast, the two were sent to the Grand Ballroom to help the others who arrived set up for the party the next day. Astrid recognized Gobber when they reached the ballroom, but not the two blond, similarly looking people who were tying up the other in streamers. After learning that these two were twins and that their nicknames were 'Ruffnut' and 'Tuffnut' respectively, though their real names were Rachel and TJ. It was after another minute that Astrid learned that the person who Hiccup stayed with in California, before he got arrested for illegal gambling, was their cousin, Greg. Who went by Gruffnut. Apparently the twins were not very fond of Gruffnut. Though she did not know why.

After once or twice having to tell Ruffnut to keep her hands off of Hiccup(whom she attempted to flirt with upon learning that he became hot since she last saw him), Astrid learned that Ruffnut was more or less harmless because she was dating the next arrival, Hiccup's oldest friend, Fischer. Fischer was a gentleman, shaking Astrid's hand firmly, asking her about herself in between her asking him the same. She recognized Fischer from the few times that he and Hiccup Skyped each other over the years, which had drastically decreased since after high school. Astrid had fun getting to know Fischer in person as they set up the Grand Ballroom for the party. Streamers were placed on the walls, balloons were let to rise to the ceiling, decorated chairs and tables were set up around the dancefloor. Astrid was having fun meeting and getting to know the people Hiccup knew as a kid, that is, until she showed up.

Astrid didn't think anything of it at first when Val came to them, saying that Hiccup's old friend Heather would be by in a few minutes to help set up for the party. Astrid had already met Fischer and the twins, having gotten along with Ruffnut once she understood that neither Hiccup, Astrid nor Fischer appreciated her trying to flirt with Hiccup. So when a raven haired, attractive looking girl entered the room after a few minutes, greeting the others with a kind smile, Astrid didn't think anything about this girl, despite remembering Hiccup mentioning that they were good friends as kids. But when Heather noticed Hiccup for the first time, that huge smile on her face as she ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, Astrid began to wonder for not the first time how close they were. And when Heather placed a light kiss on Hiccup's cheek as he lifted her feet off the ground in a hug, Astrid saw red.

"Hiccup," Heather laughed, just after placing a kiss on his cheek. "It's so good to see you! You look amazing."

"It's good to see you too, Heather." He put her down lightly, wearing the biggest smile Astrid had seem on him in a long time. "You're not looking too bad yourself, you look even better than I last remember you."

Heather smiled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Since when have you been a charmer?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Since after I hit a growth spurt and I gained some confidence, I guess."

"I can see that," She laughed, lightly poking at his bicep with a finger. "I remember when I was stronger than you."

He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing. "Oh, I'm sure that you're still stronger than me, Heather." He said with a chuckle. "You could take on a bear if you wanted to."

"True that." She chuckled as well. "So where's this 'girlfriend' that I heard so much about from your mom who apparently told the entire island?"

It was finally now that Hiccup seemed to realize that he had been ignoring Astrid for Heather, he gave her a smile as he took her waist. "Heather, I'd like you to meet Astrid, my-."

"His girlfriend." Astrid cut in, with a tone that clearly spelled off a simple message; 'He's mine, keep off!' She gave Heather a fake smile. Putting her arm possessively around Hiccup's arm and leaning into him more than she usually would. "Who are you?"

If Heather noticed Astrid's hostility she didn't say anything. She just kept the conversation going like nothing happened. "I'm Heather," She put out her hand to shake. "I've known Hiccup since we were in diapers. It was Astrid, right?"

Astrid grudgingly took Heather's hand and shook it, if only to remain civil. "That's right."

They released hands and Heather smiled. "I like your hair, your braid is really cute."

Astrid blinked, taken back by what she assumed was an actual compliment. "Uh, thanks…" She said, looking to heather's hair and seeing her own hair in an elaborate braid. "I like yours too, how do you get it like that?"

After a few minutes of talking, the tension Astrid felt between her and Heather mostly dissipated, since the other girl, despite her initial interaction with Hiccup when she kissed him on the cheek and when she would get closer to him than Astrid appreciated, Heather didn't give her any reason to dislike her. Which annoyed Astrid. She would laugh and joke with Hiccup and the others, participate in the conversations freely and have fun lightly making fun of things Hiccup did as a kid with Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Astrid couldn't help but notice how close Hiccup and Heather were, though, but it was mostly her 'jealous girlfriend brain' that had a problem with Heather. In her heart, Astrid knew that there wasn't anything going on between Hiccup and Heather, regardless of if there was something between them at an earlier time. She trusted Hiccup to not do anything stupid when they were alone when Val asked Astrid to help her with something in the other room. It was just Heather that had her slightly worried.

Astrid followed Val into one of the many sitting rooms, gesturing for the young girl to take a seat. Once she did, Val held out a cup of coffee for her which Astrid took with thanks, tired from setting up for the party for the last several hours. After she took her first sip Val spoke up. "Thank you for agreeing to sit with me, dear. I hoped that we could take a few minutes during the break in setting up to blether."

"Blether?" Astrid asked, not knowing what it meant. "What does that mean? You've said it a few times."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Valka apologized, taking a sip of her own coffee. "It means to talk. We are too used to combining English and Scottish around here, sometimes I don't even know which language I'm speaking. It must have been a shock for you when we all started to speak in Scottish at dinner last night. I apologize for that again, my dear."

Astrid waved it off. "Don't worry about it, Val. I thought it was pretty cool, to be honest. And I had Hiccup to translate everything for me."

"Speaking of my son," The older woman started. "Can you tell me how he's been since he moved to America? I have the feeling that he's hiding a few things from me because he doesn't want me to worry."

Astrid opened her mouth but quickly closed it again, not knowing what to say. She knew that Hiccup didn't want his mom to know how depressed he was when he moved to California, but she also felt that if it were okay to tell anyone, it would be his mother. "He's been good for a long time, about five years. He was a little… you know, depressed when he first moved because of his leg and everything that happened before that-."

"He told you about that?" Val interrupted her. "Hiccup told you about it?"

Astrid nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, it wasn't until we were best friends, but he told me how he lost his leg. As well as his problems growing up."

Val wore a sad look on her face as she leaned a little closer to Astrid. "But I trust that it got better after a while?"

"It did," Astrid assured her. "He had his rough days, but I could see that he was getting better by the day. He almost became a different person after a while."

Val smiled. "I can see that, dear. I have never seen my boy smile or joke around so much as he has for the past day. And I think I have you to thank."

Astrid blinked, taken back. "Oh, I don't think I've had much to do with-."

"Don't sell yourself short, my dear." Valka smiled. "I see the way my son looks at you and hear how he talks about you, he cares for you more than he has for anyone else."

"...I know." Astrid sighed. Val gave her a calculating look, her brow raised.

"You seem… unsure. Is something bothering you, dear?" Val's sudden words took Astrid by surprise, so she couldn't help but snap her head up to the older woman, her eyes wide.

"W-what do you mean?" She tried to feign confusion. "I'm fine."

The auburn haired woman only smiled, giving her a 'I don't believe you' look. Astrid let out a breath. "Fine, you're right. Something's bothering me."

"Is it Heather?" She asked, hitting it right on the nose.

Astrid nearly dropped her cup. "How did you know?"

Valka laughed. "My dear, I can see the jealousy on your face as plain as day." She said it with a warm smile, letting Astrid know that she didn't think bad of her for it. "But you need not worry about Heather. She may be close to Hiccup's heart, and vice versa, but she will not interfere in your relationship with my son. You have my word on that."

"Why not?" Astrid asked. "And how can you be so sure?"

Valka hesitated for a second, measuring her words carefully. "It is not my place to speak of her private matters, but I have no doubt that the only feelings she has for Hiccup are as friends, nothing more." She took a sip of her coffee. "I would suggest that you try to get to know her while you are here, as well as talk to my son about their… complicated relationship."

She thought about it for a few seconds, nodding to herself. "I think you're right." She admitted, more to herself than to Val. Astrid knew that there was nothing to worry about with Hiccup and Heather. And the raven haired girl did seem to be very likeable and interesting, so it couldn't hurt trying to get to know her more. She would talk to Hiccup about her once they settled into their room for the night. "Thanks, Val, for the advice. It was nice talking to you."

"Anytime." She rose from her seat as Astrid did, hugging the girl. "And make sure that you give Hiccup a little credit, he cares for you. He won't betray your trust with another girl."

"I know, Val." Astrid hugged her back. "I trust him."

oooOooo

(Later that night)

An hour or so later found Astrid setting the main table in the Grand Ballroom, accompanied by Heather. Astrid knew it was no coincidence when Valka paired them up together, she wanted them to talk out the tension between them. But actually starting a conversation with the girl when they were the only ones in the massive room was harder than she initially thought. They had been working in silence for the past fifteen minutes, not a single word spoken between them. Astrid was turning around to put another place mat at another chair when she found Heather right behind her, a contemplative look on her face.

"Holy crap!" Astrid cried, not expecting Heather to be right behind her. She held her hand to her heart. "You scared me to death."

"Oh, sorry, Astrid." Heather apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you…" Astrid was about to say it wasn't a problem when she noticed the look on Heather's face, wearily, she spoke up.

"Is there something wrong, Heather?" Astrid asked.

"That's what I was actually going to ask you, Astrid." Heather said slowly, pausing, a questioning look on her face. "Ok, this is gonna sound totally random… but do you… have a problem with me?" The way she said it wasn't like she was accusing Astrid of anything, or like she was upset. But like she was genuinely worried and confused.

"Yes." Astrid answered before she could stop herself. Heather's brow shot up, a look of hurt spreading across her face. She instantly felt bad for saying it. "I mean no, no I don't. Well… it's hard to explain…"

Heather took a small step forward, an apologetic look on her face. "Look, if I did something to offend you, I didn't mean it. I don't even have any clue-."

"It's not you, Heather. Well, kinda but not really. I mean, it's… hard to explain."

"Well, now I'm even more confused." Heather muttered. "Mind telling me how it is but is also not me that's the problem?"

Astrid let out a long breath, sitting down at the table and gesturing for Heather to follow suit. She spoke up once she did. "I guess that I am- was, a little overprotective of how you were acting with Hiccup earlier today." She gave the other girl an apologetic look. "And I'm totally sorry if I was acting like a pain in the butt when we met, it just rubbed me the wrong way when you were with Hiccup. I guess that I was worried that you had feelings for him, and that he maybe had them for you too."

Heather was completely silent for about ten seconds until she burst out into a loud laughter, her thin frame shaking from her laughter. "Hahaha! W-wait, you think that Hiccup and I-, that me and Hiccup-, you think that we what, have feelings for each other?" She sounded as if she were astounded by the mere suggestion and not even upset that she was accused of trying to make a move on another girls boyfriend.

"Well, I did," Astrid admitted. "Until you had that reaction."

Heather stopped laughing, wiping a tear from her eye. She gave Astrid an incredulous look. "You mean to tell me that Hiccup never told you about me? About how we didn't start dating each other when he finally mustered up the courage to ask me out when we were fourteen?"

Astrid's brow raised. "He asked you out when you were fourteen?"

"Yeah, but not what you're thinking, don't worry." She gave Astrid a reassuring look, leaning back into the chair as she told her story. "I was Hiccup's first crush and he was mine. We grew up together, knowing each other since we were born. We were best friends growing up, despite our personality differences at the time. He was so shy and nervous while I was loud and outgoing. So imagine my surprise when one day after school when Hiccup asked me out."

"What did you say?" Astrid asked, more curious than anything now.

Heather wore a goofy smile. "I told him that while I was flattered, having a feeling that he had a crush on me for a while, but I told him that I'd have to politely refuse."

"Why?" Astrid asked. "Didn't you say that you had a crush on him too?"

Heather nodded. "That's true, I did. I had a crush on him as a kid, you know, nothing more than a childhood crush, one of the ones that changed as quickly as the weather." Astrid barely caught it, but Heather was nervously putting her hair behind her ear. "You want to know why I declined? It declined because it was just after I realized that I didn't like guys anymore…"

Astrid's eyes widened. "Oh, Heather, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to tell me-."

"No no," She cut in, a reassuring smile on her face. "It's okay, I'm open about it. Pretty much everyone on Berk knows. It took them awhile, since they're old fashioned, but they eventually warmed up to the idea. Slowly but surely they've learned to enter this century. Hiccup was the first person I told."

"What did he say?"

Heather chuckled, leaning forward to put her elbows on the table, relaxing. "He turned so red I thought he'd pass out. You should have heard him apologize, he said 'sorry' for an hour straight."

Astrid gave a chuckle. "That sounds like him."

Heather nodded. "He didn't take it very well at first, to be honest. He never admitted it to me, but I could see that it hurt him. I was his first crush as well as his best friend, so he saw us together as a couple in the future. But we've talked about it since then, cleared everything up, y'know?" She gave a sigh. "It wasn't long after that when he had his accident- I'm guessing he told you about that?"

"He did." Astrid nodded. "Before we even started dating."

"I see, he must trust you a lot." Heather smiled before her eyes widened as if she had just realized something. "Oh my gods, now I see what the problem was!"

"What?" Astrid asked, completely confused.

"I kissed him on the cheek when I hugged him," The raven haired girl answered. "I completely didn't even think about that. No wonder why you were so upset! I'm so sorry, Astrid, I would never-.'

"I know," Astrid reassured her. "I see know that I was just being paranoid. I've learned to trust Hiccup years ago." She gave Heather a smile. "And I now trust you too. Sorry about before. I was just being stupid."

"Nah, it's fine." Heather waved it off. Holding her hand out to her. "How about we just start over? I'm Heather."

Astrid couldn't help but smile, shaking her hand. "I'm Astrid."

oooOooo

(December Twenty Fifth, Snoggletog)

The next morning was Snoggletog. Which, after asking Hiccup what on earth it was, Astrid learned that it was the traditional Berkian winter holiday that resembled Christmas in many ways. It was celebrated on the same day, for one, and featured a Christmas tree as well, but instead of plastic ornaments and bobbles, replica shields were placed on the tree, for some reason. It was also a very important Berkian holiday for family and friends, as Gobber, Fischer, the twins and Heather were invited as they were family friends. It was also very apparent, by how often the twins would try to teach her inappropriate versions of well known Christmas songs whenever Valka was out of earshot, that it was a tradition as well.

The feast of a dinner was divine. Roasted yak, boar, sheep and chicken sat on the tables like towering mountains. There was enough gravy to swim in, something that the twins tried to do until Stoick caught them, and more desserts in one place than Astrid had ever seen in her entire life. The Snoggletog dinner was the best meal she had ever had. After dinner the dance floor was opened up, with Stoick and Valka not surprising anyone when they took the first dance. If the stumbling forms of Tuffnut and Ruffnut were anything to go by, their threat from the previous day to spike the eggnog was followed through with. But they were the only people who seemed to be drinking the spiked bowl, which was fine by them. After talking at the table for a bit, Hiccup rose from his seat, holding out his hand to Astrid. "Milady, would you care to dance?"

"Of course, good sir." She smiled, taking his arm as he led her to the dance floor, stopping a good ways from his parents who were smiling and laughing like teenagers as Stoick swung Valka around like a ballerina.

"I may have already mentioned this," Hiccup started, placing his hands on her hips, slowly starting to lead them around in a small circle. "But you look beautiful tonight."

Astrid found herself blushing despite him saying it a dozen times already. "Thanks, babe. I figured I'd pull out all the stops tonight. Your mom helped me with my makeup and Heather helped with my hair." She gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. "You look pretty great yourself, what's the special occasion?"

She didn't miss how Hiccup's face went a little red. "N-no real reason." He said quickly. "Just figured I'd dress up for the holiday."

"Ah, ok." She said, believing him. "Well you should do it more often, you look good in a suit."

He gave her a big smile. "I'll be sure to remember that, milady."

They danced into the night. Ignoring the not so subtle jokes sent their way by the tipsy twins. Nothing could have ruined this moment for Astrid, everything was perfect. Her stomach was filled with the best food she had ever eaten, she was slowly dancing with the love of her life on the most beautiful ballroom floor she had ever seen. The streamers, crystal chandeliers, ice sculptures, balloons and slow romantic music being played by the live band made the entire night feel like something out of a movie or novel. Everything was perfect and she was lost in the peaceful rhythm of swaying back and forth, so much so, that when she felt Hiccup stop their movement, she found herself coming to her senses. Opening her eyes to find Hiccup's bright green eyes looking into her own.

"Babe?" She asked, wondering why he stopped dancing. "Everything-."

He cut her off, his voice so low that she could barely hear him despite the small distance between them. "You look so beautiful." His soft voice made her skin tingle and her body unconsciously shiver. She was surprised by her body's reaction, she hadn't felt like this since the night when he confessed to her.

He slowly reached his hand up to her face, lightly cupping her cheek. "You have no idea how lucky I am to have you, milady."

She found herself smiling at the compliment, but raised her brow. "What's with you, babe?" She asked, letting out a quick chuckle. "You sneak some of the spiked eggnog when I wasn't looking?"

He lightly shook his head. "No, milady. I-I have just been thinking recently-."

"Dangerous." She cut in with a smile, before nuzzling his nose with her own. "Sorry, continue."

A slight redness started to cover his ears. "I've been thinking recently…, about us." He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "About how wonderful you are… and about how much I can't live without you." He quickly ghosted his lips over hers before stepping back from her. His hands sliding down her arms to find her own.

Astrid's eyes widened slightly and her breathing hitched, was he going to do what she thought he was?

Once he was holding her hands he looked up to her face, a now deep red blush on his face. "I-I should have p-planned out what I was g-going to say, since this happened b-before at Homecoming. But yeah, I g-guess I didn't learn my lesson. But I can't form a p-proper sentence w-when I look at y-you anyway." At that last word he dropped down on one knee, looking up at her like he was seeing her for the first time.

"My gods…" Astrid breathed out, the realization hitting her, the air leaving her lungs. She put her hand to her mouth, trying to stop the air from escaping.

"Astrid Valkyrie Hofferson," He started, reaching into his pocket and presenting her with a small, black velvet covered box. "You are are most amazing, wonderful, beautiful, caring woman I have ever met… So, will you please do me the honor…" He paused briefly, opening the small box and displaying the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

"Will you marry me?"

The entire world stopped around her as Astrid looked from the ring to the face of the man she loved. Tears erupted from her eyes and she's pretty sure that she ugly sobbing, but she cried "Yes yes yes" so much that she thinks that she didn't stop until she felt Hiccup's lips crash into her own.

"I love you, milady." He breathed out after forcing their lips to part to come up for air. "I love you so much!" He placed his forehead on hers, having not let go of her hands yet.

"I love you too, babe." She whispered. "I didn't-, you caught me by surprise, I didn't expect it."

He pulled his head back slightly, giving her a big smile. "Well I've been trying to find a good time to ask for awhile… and I figured that this was the perfect time."

She closed the distance again, kissing him. "You've got that right, babe. I love you, Haddock."

"I love you too, future Mrs. Haddock." He said with a smile, causing Astrid to blush despite herself. She grinned at him.

"I could get used to hearing that."

He returned her grin. "Then I'll be sure to say it everyday until you are."

She couldn't help the smile that shot across her face. "Oh, Hiccup, what did I ever do to deserve you?"

"I ask myself that same question about you everyday." He whispered before finding her lips again. Everything was perfect. The night, the atmosphere, the kiss, the man she was in love with, everything was perfect. So of course that means someone had to ruin the moment.

"I get your all engaged now, but please, get a room."Ruffnut's voice cut through the romantic atmosphere, causing the young couple realize that they were being watched by a small group of their family and friends.

The two found themselves blushing furiously, slightly embarrassed that they were nearly devouring the other in front of a crowd. Hiccup's parents were the first to move, rushing to the young, newly engaged couple. "Oh my gods!" Valka cried as she enveloped Astrid and Hiccup in a hug. "I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks, mom-." Hiccup was cut off when Stoick joined the hug, wrapping his massive arms around the three and giving them a bone crunching hug.

"Oh my boy, I'm so happy fer ye!" Stoick let out a happy bellow of laughter, letting them go. "Congratulations, son, ye couldn't have found a better woman."

Hiccup wrapped his hand around Astrid's waist, pulling her close. "I know, dad. She's perfect."

"I know it's a little early, dear," Valka said to Astrid, giving her the brightest smile she had ever seen in her life. "But welcome to the family."

Astrid couldn't help smile back, as her smile hadn't left her face once. "Thanks, Val."

After more congratulations from the others, in which Tuffnut, who was more or less drunkenly passed out, asked "wait, what happened? What did I miss?", Valka took her husband's hand and told the group to let the young couple have their privacy for the rest of the night. Congratulations could be saved for the morning. After a little prodding to get Tuffnut on his feet, the rest of the group let the ballroom, leaving Astrid and Hiccup alone, dancing again.

Astrid and Hiccup danced until their feet were sore and the live band couldn't play anymore, and they kept dancing after the band excused themselves for the night. The pair sneaking kisses as they danced in silence. It wasn't until Astrid and Hiccup could barely dance anymore when they stopped, Hiccup placing his forehead to hers, a smile on his face.

"I love you, Astrid. Forever and always." He closed out the night with a smile on his lips as he kissed her. "There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid."

Fin

(Author's Note)

Hey everyone, thanks for reading! That was much longer than I meant for it to be. When I was planning this out I only meant for it to be at most 5-7k long, now it's way over that mark, but I hope that all of the extra time I put into it was worth it. Please, leave a Review, Follow and Favorite me and this story to get notified when I put out other stories. I will be putting out more Christmas One-Shots so please give them a read if you can.

In case you were wondering, the Haddock Manor was inspired by the real life Kincardine Castle in Royal Deeside, Scotland. Look it up if you want to see what I was going for. The name for this castle, Guðmundr Castle, was named after Guðmundr, a Norse King that I honestly just found on Wikipedia and used because it sounds really Norse and no other reason.

Thanks again for reading my first ever HTTYD story if you made it this far. This is the end of this story, so I don't have any conclusions planned. But don't worry, I'll be doing another HTTYD HiccStrid story in the future that you can find the info for on my Profile.

I hope you all enjoyed the story. I wish you a very happy Snoggletog.

Hephaestus