Author's Note: This is just a really long, pointless one-shot. I don't think I'll anything more with it. The idea just popped into my head one day after having a long conversation with one of Role-Playing buddies and couldn't get it to just go away no matter what I tried. So I spent a large chunk of my day writing this out for her to see.

Sora (Kingdom Hearts) is copied righted to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix, and Disney.

How To Train Your Dragon is copyrighted by Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.

I don't own anything, which is a good thing if you asked me. Aside from the idea of naming Astrid's Deadly Nadder "Birdbrain", but that's not really that big a deal since the dragon doesn't have an official name (to my knowledge). The reasoning for it was that Nadder's are supposedly bird-like and names are supposed to be misleading and scare trolls away. Then again, Astrid's name doesn't follow this code, but I figured I'd go along with the idea and thus "Birdbrain" has stuck for me ever since.

Just what had she done wrong? Just ask her and Astrid would probably tell you. Actually... scratch that. Astrid would be more likely to deck you for asking such a stupid question. She was bitter towards herself and guilty of crimes that she, at the time they were committed, hadn't realized were so terrible. She was guilty of adding onto Hiccup's problems growing up. Guilty of not at least attempting to make his pain easier to bear simply because she didn't want to be associated with him and upset her parents. Guilty of only adding to the problem by choosing to ignore her enemy-turned-friend when the others chose to pick on him. She was bitter toward herself for letting such emotions get the better of her. Bitter for giving away a hint of her despair to the one person who had enough on his shoulders without her dumping her problems on him. The concoction of mixed emotions didn't stop there. Astrid was worried and upset about what had transpired because of the defeat of the Green Death. Hiccup's lack of half a leg and the haunting memories of the boat ride home had done nothing to ease her troubled mind. Add onto the stress of having to adjust to dragons living alongside them, the unease all of Berk rightfully had toward their new scaly neighbors, and the added presence of one alien brunette and his space craft and the whole mixture of emotions was almost too much for one human being to bare.

A startled yelp, a protesting squawk, the smell of burnt hair, and the frantic footfalls of somebody running from Ragnarok itself would have been a funny and welcoming sound had it not been so late at night. Sleep had been fleeting after the entire events of the day began to weigh down on her, and Astrid had hoped a walk around Berk would ease any qualms she had. She'd been too lost in her train of thought to realize Birdbrain was following her at a safe and tolerable distance. Nor did she take notice in the beaten path she was subconsciously traversing. It wasn't until Birdbrain's squawk and the smell reached her clouded mind that Astrid came back out of her shell of memories and misfortunes.

Good thing too. The blond barely managed to side-step in time to avoid being run into.

Sora managed to swerve at the last second, landing roughly on his side next to Birdbrain's clawed left foot. Mere seconds later, a flock of six Terrible Terrors was on him. And less than a minute later, all of the little dragons were snapping, kicking, and hissing at one another like jealous siblings. One spat a stream of fire, barely missing its target of another Terror and setting one of Sora's hundreds of hair spikes on fire. Again. Sora licked his thumb and put it out before it became anything more than a smoldering tip. Three of the Terrors were rolling around, a mass of sharp hisses and flapping wings. Sora pushed himself up off of the ground in time to be greeted with one Terror on his head and two more in his lap, watching the others pummel each other in a similar fashion as Ruff 'n Tuff often did to each other. Birdbrain seemed to find the whole situation amusing and made a clicking sound similar to a chuckle. It wasn't until then that Sora realized just where he was and he blinked up at Astrid stupidly.

Astrid stared back at him before looking over the fussing dragons. They had somehow tangled themselves up in a ball of scales, horns, and sharp teeth. Begrudgingly, Astrid moved over and bent down, going to work to untangle the little monsters while receiving a few light nips of her own. Birdbrain had little tolerance for it and showed it by approaching her blond rider, reaching down, and nipping right back at the tiny reptiles. They seemed to get the message and calmed down enough for Astrid to finish the job without further incident.

Once they were all clear and removed from one another, Astrid stood back up and looked over toward Berk's latest resident. Sora hadn't moved an inch, seeming quite content to just sit where he was despite the three dragons roosting on him. Astrid's unspoken question seemed to hit one side of Sora's head and go around, completely missing his train of thought. Or at least that was the impression she got by his blank expression until he let out a few sheepish chuckles. "I had to go to the bathroom, and they ambushed me," he explained calmly before gently scratching one of the Terrors in his lap near the base of one of its horns.

Sora had woken up from his sleep after being seized by the strong desire of nature to relieve himself of waste products. It took him several minutes of wondering around the inside of the massive house, peeking around every door, tripping around in the dark, nearly bashing his head against the stairs, and almost waking up Toothless to notice the outhouse through a window. So Sora had made a break for the outdoors, nearly tripping over his own two feet at the steps that lead the front door and forgot to put on his shoes. By the time his happy butt had yanked open the door to the outhouse, Sora received a face full of screeching scales and fluttering wings. The shock scared him so much he had forgotten his earlier needs and ran in the opposite direction, knowing the dragons were hot on his heels.

They really should have warned him about that. Terrible Terrors had always been known to roost in odd, small places, but with them recently becoming actual members of Berk, the random locations had gotten worse and even stranger. If they could fit their body into it, they were going to be there at some point or another. And, needless to say, it was still more than awkward to go to the nearest outhouse only to get a face full of fire for waking one of the little devils up prematurely from a nap.

Sora obviously hadn't changed since they had brought him into town. He was still garbed in his strange black attire, but he was missing his short-sleeve jacket, gloves, and sneakers. Now you could tell his feet weren't actually as big as his shoes implied. Astrid was still within her battle outfit, having not seen fit to bother changing since she knew she wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight, but her usual axe was missing. Her braid was a little loose with a few stray hairs set free from tossing and turning all night, but she was still the same Astrid other than that. Well, that, and she obviously hadn't gotten any sleep.

The Great Hall was alive with excitement in the distance, but over what, Astrid didn't know. All she did know was that if that was going on and Sora was still here, then Stoick the Vast hadn't been home yet to know his son was housing a foreigner. Honestly, she wasn't even sure how the Viking chief would take knowing that Sora was the so called "Keyblade Master" from the old stories rarely told anymore. The guy was still trying to get used to having a Night Fury in his house for crying out loud! Add one goofy looking kid who looked about as strong as Hiccup and Odin only knows what sort of things would take place.

More of the realization hit Astrid once she noticed where she had ended up during her mindless walk. The blond looked away from Sora, seeing the tall and almost impenetrable lodge that everyone in Berk knew belonged to the village chief. She knew she shouldn't have been shocked that she found herself there, but she was none the less. Between her unease at the presence of a new comer and her steadily growing guilt, it would have been nothing short of shocking if she found herself anywhere else. The three Terrors at her feet skirted away from her, each curling up with their sides shoved up against some part of Sora's body. The brunette didn't seem uncomfortable with their presence. He quietly laughed under his breath and reached over to gently massage one of the previously squabbling Terrors between the shoulder blades. It purred and shoved itself further against him in response.

"So, what's up?" Sora popped the question smoothly, but he wasn't suspicious or teasing in his words. Astrid blinked several times, as if her being there should be considered normal and nothing was weird about it. Sora looked up at her, tilting his head to the right with a curious look in his eyes. Astrid ignored his staring and looked back toward the house at the top of the hill, letting her actions speak for her. Sora followed her gaze, seeming to realize what she meant easily enough. "He's fine. Took him a little bit to figure out what to do with me, but he passed out not too long ago." Having said this, Sora looked back to Astrid, wondering just what was up. Maybe his presence really was bothering her and she didn't trust him. Sora felt no anger toward the idea. She was just looking out for a friend. But she looked upset. Even with him sitting on the ground next to her, Astrid seemed like something was on her mind, eating her alive from the inside out. "What's wrong?" He didn't want to intrude, but Sora liked Astrid despite her earlier attitude toward him. He was patient and more than willing to help anybody in need. Sora noticed how Astrid's shoulders stiffened at the question, as if she was sure he couldn't tell something was bothering her.

In truth, she didn't. Astrid was confident that she was masking her emotions enough to stop anybody from being suspicious of her. She took a deep breath, calming herself down from her tense muscles and aching chest. Just how long had she been wondering around anyway? It felt like only a few minutes, but it could have just as easily been a few hours. The moon looked higher up than when she had first left home, but that could also be because she was standing on higher elevation now.

Caught red-handed and rooted to the spot, Astrid wasn't sure if she should answer the question or just turn and run away from this place. Or if she even could for that matter. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Sora start to move again, standing up now with a Terror on each shoulder and another on his head. The other three were yawning and getting up on unsteady feet. It would seem the dragons were tolerant of Sora's presence. The Terrors seemed to really like him anyway.

What wasn't surprising at all was just how many Terrors were taking up residence near the Haddock household. The dragons in general seemed to like Hiccup a lot more than anybody else. Astrid wasn't sure if it was because Hiccup was the first to accept them with open arms or because he slayed their previous master, making Hiccup the rightful leader of the dragons.

Boy, Astrid sure was the talkative type. Sora wasn't sure just how to act around her. Everyone he knew was somewhat willing to say something to him. Astrid's silence was uncomfortable. If she wouldn't talk, than how was Sora supposed to help her when he didn't even know what was wrong in the first place? He shifted slightly from one foot to the other, eventually opting to remain as still as possible so Astrid wouldn't think Sora didn't like being around her. Sora really didn't mind her. He just wished Astrid would talk more.

When his question went unanswered, Sora looked away from her and back toward the house at the top of the hill. He may have been oblivious, but he had seen enough to know that Astrid really cared and worried about Hiccup. But she seemed bothered by something and it clearly wasn't him at the moment. Else she would have been making the same threats she had earlier during their first meeting or, at the very least, be looking at him. But she wasn't doing any of these things.

Astrid was silent with her hands at her sides, her light blue eyes locked on the front door. Sora took it as her wanting to go inside, but barging into someone's house, especially while they were asleep, was a little rude. "Can I ask you something?" Sora hadn't realized he'd asked that out loud, but he saw Astrid blink once at the sound of another person. The blond didn't seem like one who day dreamed a lot or let her guard down very often, but Sora didn't know her very well in the first place. She kept forgetting where she was or who she was with. All that Astrid cared about at the moment was going on inside of her head. So Sora had to ask what was on her mind in the hopes that he could figure out what was wrong and help ease her troubles.

Astrid glanced over at Sora, wary of just what it was he wanted to know. She had not been given a reason to trust Sora. And after that rough meeting and less than friendly punch to his shoulder, she was honestly surprised he looked so calm standing next to her with only a few feet to spare between them. If she wanted to, she could turn to face him and tackle him without any warning. But she didn't. She merely questioned what he could possibly want to know other than why she was present. Well, hopefully it would provide a decent distraction from her guilty and unhealthy train of thought. Slowly, she nodded her head in mute answer. Somehow, Sora must have seen it because he shifted uncomfortably on the spot again and lifted one of the Terrors off the ground to hold in his arms against his chest. The dragon curled up a little and purred quietly in gratitude.

"What . . . what happened to Hiccup's . . . his foot . . . ?"

She should have known. Shortly after getting the brunette on dry land, Astrid had caught him staring at the metal and wood prosthetic. She clocked Sora hard on the shoulder, not caring who saw or asked why she did it. But Sora hadn't yelped like she had been expecting him to. He stiffened up and rubbed his sore shoulder, offering up an apologetic smile for his previous actions. He knew what he had done and wasn't angry with her for reprimanding him. The subject had been dropped at that and, as far as either of them knew, Hiccup wasn't suspicious of them. Even if he had asked, Astrid would have just said she felt like hitting him for no real reason. Sora wasn't comfortable with lying, but he felt stupid for staring. He would have done his best not to say anything and hope Astrid didn't rat him out.

It was a strange question to ask. Everyone in Berk knew how, when, and why Hiccup carried the mother of all battle scars. So there was never a need to ask or answer such a question in the first place. Even if there was, nobody would have the balls to ask Hiccup or his father what had happened. Honestly, Astrid was grateful Sora had asked her rather than catch him staring again or start to pester Hiccup about it. The blond let out a long breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been hanging onto since Sora had popped the question. As calmly as she could muster, Astrid reached up and pushed her bangs out of her eye. "Fire," was all she said in response. Sora looked over at her, innocent curiosity written across his face. He either didn't understand or wanted to know more. Probably a little of both. Astrid dropped her hand from her bangs, letting it fall limply back to her side. Her blue eyes became half lidded as she tore her gaze away from the wooden house before her to face the stars overhead. Beside her, Sora blinked several times before following her lead and watching the stars twinkle against the endless black sky.

Sora didn't have to wait long before Astrid chose to break their silence. "He defeated the queen of the dragons, but was knocked off of Toothless at the last minute." Letting that hang in the cold night air for a few moments, Astrid looked down again to look at Sora, a serious look on her previously forlorn face. "He fell into the Hellfire, but was saved from further damage thanks to Toothless." Saying it out loud made the realization seem less like a dream and more like a nightmare. Astrid had been numb during the experience, having thought Hiccup had perished in the fire and free-fall. Then to find out he was alive, only to discover he was missing a limb? That had been killer. The whole experience sky-rocketed out of control on the way back to Berk when Toothless lost his mind in a fit of protective instincts, harsh growls, and snapping jaws. Being forced into being the only one taking care of the unconscious brunette had done little to nothing to ease her mood.

The silence between the pair was long and stifling on the senses. So when Sora was the first to speak up between the two, it sounded more like a dragon was roaring at her rather than the uneasy whisper the brunette's voice was being snared by. "Oh..." That was is. Sora couldn't say or do anything more. His grip on the Terror against his chest was tightened, but the dragon was quick to remind him it was still there by giving him a quick nip to his forearm. Sora readjusted his grip, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"I'm s - - "

"Don't!"

Sora was startled by the sudden verbal command. He nearly jumped out of his shorts and came dangerously close to falling down. The brunette jerked his head around to look over at Astrid, seeing her fists tightly clinched at her sides and her metal shoulder pads shaking. Sora bit his lip. He hadn't realized she would react like that. Astrid bowed her head forward before furiously shaking it several times. "Don't you dare say you're sorry! Not to me, not to Toothless, and especially not to Hiccup!" The more she talked, the louder she became. By the time she'd said Hiccup's name, Astrid had all but been yelling. Birdbrain clicked and squawked quietly behind her, swerving her head around in all directions, seeming just as startled as Sora was by her sudden rise in volume. The Terrors at his feet became alert and the one on his right shoulder hissed in protest. He felt the tips of tiny claws against the back of his scalp before the one on his head relaxed again.

A few minutes passed as Astrid slowly calmed herself down. Her breathing gradually become less erratic and Birdbrain became less spastic in her movements. She was stiff and sleep deprived, but very much alert, sore, and angry. Sora didn't have the right to say he was sorry! He hadn't done anything! He wasn't even with them at the time of the turn of events! Without warning, Astrid turned and swung wide and hard, her fist hitting square between Sora's shoulder blades. The brunette stumbled, yelping in pure surprise, dropping the Terror he was hanging onto and the one of his left shoulder fell off as well, landing on the ground limply due to it previously having been asleep. The one on his head sank its claws into his matted brown hair, the one on his other shoulder somehow hooking its claws into the back of his shirt rather than facing the same fate as its comrade. Sora's spine screamed in pain, but he wasn't going down.

Not now.

Not anytime soon.

He didn't scream at her or raise his voice. Sora looked over at Astrid, a mix of surprise, hurt, and unease written across his face. Part of him wanted to yell at her. Most people probably would have. But being as patient as he was, Sora said nothing, merely letting his expression speak for him rather than potentially waking Hiccup up to their squabbling.

Astrid, on the other hand, had been hoping for a retort. She needed as distraction right now! So much for Sora's question being one to ease her upset mood.

But nothing came. Nothing but the sounds of angry, sleepy Terrors, Birdbrain's soft tittering behind her, and her own rapid heartbeat in her ears. Eventually, Sora straightened his back up, ignoring the waves of pain coming from his spine. "I didn't mean to upset you, but I can't ask Hiccup." Astrid clenched her teeth, spreading her feet apart out of habit. She was itching for a fight and she wanted Sora to start it. That way, if they did somehow wake anybody up, she could blame Sora. "Why did you want to know!" she shot back bitterly with venom practically dripping from her words.

Sora stiffened, but didn't back away or prepare himself for a fight. At least not physically that Astrid could see. "To make sure that I didn't bring whatever caused it up on accident," he answered calmly. If he was aware that she wanted a fight, he gave no heed. Sora was not in the mood to get in a fight simply because both of them were concerned about Hiccup.

Astrid relented, but even she knew Sora wasn't going to fight back. Eventually, she forced herself to relax, albeit she was still bitter. She turned away from Sora, once again facing the large house on the hill. "Then now you know."

The silence that passed between them wasn't awkward. It was actually relaxing. Astrid took the time to calm herself down as her mind went back to its previous tortured thoughts. Sora managed to get the Terrors to stop bickering at the sudden argument and held another one against his chest. Two of them moved over toward Birdbrain, who was tolerant of them making roosts out of her back. After what seemed like fifteen minutes of silence, Astrid shook her head and reached back toward Birdbrain, tracing light circles around the dragons flared nostrils. "So... You didn't choose against fighting me because I'm a girl?"

Sora stiffened when Astrid started talking, but soon relaxed once he realized they were no longer arguing with each other. "Nah. I know plenty of girls who can kick butt." Which was true. Tifa was easily one of the strongest people he knew when it came to brute strength. Yuffie was quick a light on her feet, which was to be expected of a ninja. Mulan was a seasoned soldier and Belle, while not physically powerful, was more than willing to help out in a fight. The same went for Meg and Aerith. Heck, even Kairi had proven she knew a thing or two about swinging a sword around.

Again, the silence between the pair returned. The only sounds were Birdbrain's loud exhalations, the crickets, and the occasional call from a dragon or night owl. The two Terrors perched on the Deadly Nadder had already left in search of a new victim. The Terror that had fallen off of Sora's shoulder along with the one left on the ground had also departed, taking up roost under the front steps of the chief's house. All that left was Sora, Astrid, Birdbrain, and the two remaining Terrors, one on Sora's head and the other on his right shoulder. Astrid had taken notice just how calm Sora was in the presence of the dragons, but put off asking any questions after how harshly she had treated him. Not that she felt guilty or anything. She just didn't want to take the chance of Sora finally snapping at her. With her earlier mood hovering over her like a storm cloud, Astrid was in no mood for a fist fight.

Once again, it was Sora to break their silence. "You feeling okay?" he gently prodded. She hadn't answered his earlier question. And whatever it was obviously was too severe to leave her alone with for too long. And for once, Astrid didn't blink like she was coming out of a trance. The blond merely shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on the front door of the house the two found themselves facing. "I've been better." Well, at least she was talking to him. Sora hadn't been expecting an answer at all judging by his past two attempts.

Astrid took a few steps forward, seeming determined to approach the house. But she stopped short once she had closed at least half of the gap between where she'd left Sora and the front door. Slowly, deliberately, Astrid turned her back to the house and sat down with her legs crossed on the grass. She leaned back on her hands, her gaze going toward the night sky and the secrets it held within its dark grasp. For a moment, she felt alone. She'd almost forgotten the feeling between worrying herself sick about Hiccup and trying her best to help the people of Berk to learn to get along with the dragons. The familiar feeling seemed alien to her now. About as alien as Sora actually.

Speaking of which... Astrid brought her gaze down, taking notice of her current company. Birdbrain had strayed away from the beaten path much like her blond rider had and taken up a spot behind the girl. Somehow, Astrid found herself leaning back against the massive blue beast. Her back was to the Nadder's stomach. It was comforting somehow. The next thing Astrid noticed was they weren't the only two sitting back and watching the stars. Sora was standing a few feet away, one green Terror on his head and the other red one standing between his feet. All three of them were looking to the sky. Astrid didn't know about stars representing other worlds, so there was no way for her to know that Sora was star gazing, somehow hoping to spot Destiny Islands amongst the clusters of bright yellows and whites against the dark background.

For once, Astrid chose to be the one to break the silence.

"What's your home like?"

Sora barely suppressed a jerk in surprise. It would seem the tables had turned. Sora had been the one asking questions and Astrid had been the one lost in thought. The brunette looked back at Astrid, the remnants of a sad smile on his face before he shook his head and looked skyward once more. "A lot like Berk. Destiny Islands is a lot warmer though. It rarely ever gets below 70 degrees." Astrid couldn't fathom living in such a hot environment. Then again, Sora wasn't used to the cold by the sounds of things. It was oddly humid tonight now that she thought about it. She wasn't given long to contemplate this before Sora started talking again. "We don't have dragons and it's not surrounded by towers of rocks. School's a pain, but I've always got Riku and Kairi to save me from death by boredom." No dragons? Before the incident at the dragon's nest, such a thought would've been heavenly bliss. Whoever or whatever school was, Astrid hoped it was something she could hit with her axe if she was ever to face it. She didn't know who Riku and Kairi were, but the way Sora said their names made her think they meant a lot to him.

"Why are you looking at the sky?"

Now that was a harder one to answer. Sora said nothing for a while, thinking of an answer that made sense without him breaking the unwritten rules of other worldly travel. Eventually, he settled with a small shrug as the red Terror at his feet took flight back toward the house. "Dunno. But everywhere I've ever been, the sky always looks the same to me. I guess it's just a familiar sight now." Astrid was confused by his answer, but it made sense. If Sora really traveled as much as he said he did, having the open sky over his head look the same no matter where he was had to be a comforting thought. Her gaze returned to the sky, but it didn't last for very long. It would seem Sora liked silence about as much as Astrid like pouring her emotions out for others to see.

"What's bothering you?"

"What do you mean?" she countered with far less venom than before.

"You seem like something's weighing heavily on your mind."

Just like that. Astrid was starting to wonder if it was a guy thing to be able to peg her so suddenly and without any hint of a warning. Hiccup had proven to be a master of the art, but he knew when to back off and wait for her to talk. Sora either didn't know when to quit or was being persistent on purpose. Whether out of sheer curiosity or pure concern was beyond Astrid's understanding since she knew so little about the foreign brunette. Sighing heavily, Astrid leaned further back against her Deadly Nadder, her head tilted back to face the clear night sky. Sora said nothing, having expected her to either say something in retort or ignore him entirely. It looked like it was going to be another round of the latter. Thinking that was the end of it, Sora looked away again and felt the Terror on his head adjust its position.

The silence lasted for far longer than any of the previous ones. Long enough for Sora to think he wasn't going to get an answer but still short enough for him to doubt she had fallen asleep. His azure gaze had long since left her alone, instead choosing to venture toward the night sky again and the green snout he could see peeking over the top of his head. The Terror's tail hung loosely around his neck and a content chatter of light chirps was the only noise Sora heard for the longest time. But that was okay. He was too mesmerized by the beauty of the sky to feel the need for sleep or answer his earlier call of nature.

Astrid, on the other hand, was contemplating whether she should vent to Sora and get it over with. Her chest and shoulders felt heavy by an unseen force. Normally, Astrid would channel all of these negative emotions into her axe and beat the snot out of a few trees or practice her aim in the dragon training arena. But neither of these things did anything to help lighten the weight she felt now. It seemed to only get worse as her attempts to escape it became more and more futile and desperate. But who could she vent to? Ruffnut was the only girl in Berk her age, but she doubted she could hold a serious conversation with her, especially with her twin brother around. Fishlegs was a bumbling moron and Snotlout would turn it around and hit on her. On top of that, if Snotlout learned that she was upset because of Hiccup, he might try and twist it around to have an excuse to deck his scrawny cousin. There was the option of Hiccup, but if he was the source of her problems, then why in Valhalla would she vent to him? It would only add to her guilt. Granted, Astrid did not, nor would she ever, blame Hiccup for these feelings. They were her own doing after all. And if he knew, he might become upset and do something stupid. Maybe one day she could find the courage to tell Hiccup of her problems from the beginning. But for now, she would keep them heavily guarded and away from him.

So then, who could she tell? If she held onto this for much longer, Astrid might explode and take it out on somebody who didn't deserve it. Like Sora. And while she didn't like the guy that much, he had yet to give her a reason to distrust him. She could vent to him and not have to worry about him telling since Sora probably didn't know about her ability to show mercy. And he was either generally curious or just wanted to get to know her better. The second option disgusted her somehow, but the first one sounded more logical. If he wanted to know about Hiccup's foot to avoid upsetting him, maybe he did genuinely give a crap about her troubled train of thought? Or maybe he had similar feelings and knew of a way to lighten the burden?

"Why do you care so much?" Astrid asked without warning and looked over to Sora for the first time in over half a hour. The chilly night air blew a gust in her face, making her wonder if he'd heard or not. Sora hadn't moved an inch the entire time, making Astrid wonder if it was possible to sleep while standing up. But Sora visibly flinched and shivered all over. If he was so cold, then why was he standing around outside in shorts and no sleeves!

Honestly, Sora was freezing! How Astrid was content was beyond him! Pushing his desires to head back into the house, wrap himself up in some blankets, and get some more sleep, Sora stared back at Astrid. It took him a total of ten seconds to remember the last thing he'd asked of her so long ago. The brunette reached up and gently removed the slumbering Terror from his head and hugged it toward his chest in a meager attempt to warm himself up by sharing body heat with the tiny dragon. "Because you look hurt, and I can't stand to watch other people in pain when I can do something to help," he answered honestly and fidgeted on the spot, clearly freezing in the night air even from the distance Astrid was sitting away from him.

If Astrid was stricken by Sora's concern, she said nor did anything to show it. The blond closed her eyes, putting all of weight against Birdbrain's stomach now. "You should head inside. It's cold and you're freezing." Whatever answer Sora was hoping to get out of her, that clearly wasn't it judging by the look on his face. It unnerved Astrid just how outwardly expressive Sora was and the ease at which he conveyed his emotions. Clearly, Sora was not raised to be a Viking.

"I've been through worse." Even as he said this, Sora felt a violent shiver travel up his spine. He moved closer toward her, but was warded off from getting within ten feet of her by low growls courtesy of Birdbrain. Something that let Astrid know the dragon was catching onto her mood. Eventually, Sora settled for sitting on the ground some feet away from her, but still closer than he had been before. He brought his knees up to his chest, having already placed the Terror back on his noggin and wrapped his now empty arms around his legs in a failed attempt at gaining some warmth. The Terrible Terror may have somehow grown attached to Sora, but the little guy was worth little to nothing in the heating department without using fire.

Groaning loudly, knowing Sora was going to be stubborn and not let her have a night's worth of peace, Astrid rolled her eyes. She rotated her shoulders absentmindedly, clearly trying to buy herself some time in the hopes that Sora would give into the cold and go inside. But it would seem even non-Vikings had a stubborn streak in them. Not exactly comforting news, but at least Astrid knew how to deal with the stubborn ones. Unfortunately, she was not within arm's length of Sora to bash his skull into the dirt. "You really wanna know?"

And, of course, she received her answer in the form of an eager nod.

Blowing air up into her bangs, Astrid closed her eyes again and turned her face toward the sky. "A guilty conscience does that to people." Leaving it at that, Astrid eased herself up off of the ground, using Birdbrain for support since fatigue was starting to kick in. Once on her own two feet again, Astrid turned to face Sora and crossed her arms. If Sora was hoping to ask her further, he was out of luck. Just letting that much slip was too much.

Thankfully, Sora seemed to get the message as he too got to his feet. Somehow, he just knew her guilt had something to do with Hiccup, but he wasn't going to pry. If Hiccup was involved, then it was between the two of them and Sora had no right to pester. He offered up an apologetic smile, one not much different from the one he had shown her when she caught him staring at Hiccup's foot. "I hope you find a way to overcome it, Astrid." That was it. He would no longer bring up the subject of the pained expression she held deep within the back of her eyes. Still, it was none of his business. "But if there is anything I can do to help, just say the word!"

Leaving it at that, Sora lifted the Terror from his head and set it down on the ground. If he was going back inside, he couldn't take the dragon with him. But the Terror had plans of its own. It scrambled up the side of Sora's leg and shirt, curling itself loosely around his neck and shoulders. Sora froze up at the sudden movement, unsure what to do. He looked to Astrid for answers and she just shrugged. "Seems the Terror has grown attached to ya," she stated matter-of-factly. Sora blinked several times before reaching over to gently scratching the beast's chin. Was it okay for the dragon to like him in such a way? Sora couldn't help but like the little dragon back. "Would I get in trouble if I brought it inside with me?" he asked tentatively. Astrid shrugged her shoulders again. "You'll be in less trouble than Hiccup for not asking to let you bunk with him."

Shivering but unwilling to admit it, Sora said his goodbyes before heading up the steps toward the front door, the Terrible Terror still clinging to his shoulders. Birdbrain was up and back on her feet, ready to start the trek back to Astrid's home. Sora cracked the door open, looked back to offer a small wave, before slipping back inside without uttering a sound. His earlier needs to relieve himself were long forgotten.

The interior was much warmer than the outside simply because there were walls protecting him from the cold night air. Sora once again ventured around in the dark, finding his mass of blankets near the fireplace and wiggling himself down and into his cocoon of fabrics. The Terrible Terror shot a thin stream of fire to the dying flames, bringing them back to life to fill the room with warmth and light. Soon after, Sora felt the little dragon worm his way into the covers before finally settling and curling up against the brunette's stomach, hidden from prying eyes. The last thought that crossed Sora's mind before he drifted off into sleep was hoping that he had somehow eased whatever pain Astrid was going through.

As soon as the door was closed, Astrid turned and headed back down the beaten path she'd previously tread absentmindedly, Birdbrain following closer behind her than usual. But Astrid took comfort in the dragon's presence. She headed down the wider streets of town to accommodate to the dragon's larger stature, passing by the Great Hall only to realize the jovial sounds from earlier had quieted down by a large sum. Whatever was going on, the excitement was leaving the topic at hand. Astrid shook her head and kept on going, knowing she felt a fraction more at ease. Hopefully, she'd be able to get some sleep tonight.

Foot Notes: They say that Terrible Terrors like to roost in small places. Such as under your house, inside the lower decks of Viking ships, and the occasional outhouse. I think this is what originally sparked this idea and the rest is history.

The reference to the boat ride home being killer on Astrid was based on a previous story I had read. It's called Dream Chasers and it was written by Enchantable. If you want to read it, it's saved in my favorites.

As for the school thing? I don't think they have school on Berk. Everything is either self-taught or through apprenticeship if you asked me.