Hey everyone who decided to click on and read this story! This was kind of just a random idea that popped into my head. I jotted it down, and then jotting it down turned into a quick outline, and then the outline turned into this little fluffy oneshot! I'm not usually very good with romantic, fluffy stuff, but I just had to give this a shot cuz AstridxHiccup is just one of the cutest, if not the cutest, couple ever. They deserve fluff. *nods*

Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, any of its characters or locations.

One Night with the Stars

The Night Fury's wings beat against the air, pushing himself and his rider through the pink clouds of sunset. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III welcomed the wind combing through his brownish-red hair, rippling through his clothing… to him, it was the best feeling in the world when he was up flying with his dragon. And Toothless surely didn't ever have any objections when Hiccup came out to him with his riding gear on. And though it was a bit hard to find decent enough days to go out flying with the weather that Berk constantly received, they didn't stay out of the skies unless it was absolutely pouring rain or snow. They had learned to deal with fog – more or less – and actually enjoyed going out in the snow, as long as it wasn't coming down too hard. The skies were completely owned by them on any day that it was raining; sprinkling or pouring, none of the other Vikings were ever found in the skies on those days.

Toothless made a sudden dive, slicing through the clouds and shooting down towards the water. Hiccup held on tightly as he felt tears sting at the corners of his eyes, a smile slowly spreading across his lips. The dragon bounced off the soft waves, spraying them both with cold water. Hiccup let out a light chuckle as Toothless pushed off the water's surface and sent them rocketing back up towards the clouds. They seamlessly glided in and out of the mass of various shaded clouds, twisting and twirling in a way that must have looked like some sort of sky-dance to anyone watching from land. Hiccup couldn't stop the smile on his face from growing or the little yelps of laughter he let slip out of his lips. Toothless even made little sounds of enjoyment as they dived back down to skim the water's surface.

"Alright, bud, let's head back in now," Hiccup said as they soared over the bay where the Viking ships were docked. Toothless groaned in argument, but reluctantly began flying back to where Hiccup's house was located. As they were passing over the village, though, Hiccup pulled Toothless in a different direction, and had him fly them down towards one of the other houses. On the roof of this house, sitting alone and staring up at the darkening sky, was the teenage version of a true Viking, Astrid Hofferson. Toothless landed easily on the small amount of flat roof, and Hiccup unhooked the latches on his riding vest from the saddle before sliding onto the roof. Astrid hadn't stood up from where she was sitting, but in the dim light Hiccup could see a small smirk on her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked him quietly. He walked over to stand next to her, and then he pressed his back against the large chimney and slid down it until he was sitting on the roof by Astrid's side. "And… why are you soaking wet?" she added, slipping out a light chuckle. Hiccup just then noticed how his clothes were clinging to his skin and how his wet hair was hanging down into his eyes. He felt his cheeks warm up slightly, but he shrugged it off.

"You know Toothless… he loves to dive in and out of that water," he answered, wringing out his hair as best he could. Toothless merely gave a wide, toothless grin, which resulted in Astrid laughing out loud. Hiccup threw the Night Fury a scowl; Toothless just circled and curled up on the roof, facing away from the two teenagers.

"Don't worry about it; Reia likes to do the same thing every now and then," Astrid said, quieting her laughter. Hiccup smiled in the dark, imagining the Deadly Nadder taking itself and its rider underwater, above water, and then underwater again and again like Toothless liked to do.

The two Vikings looked up at the sky, falling into sudden silence, as the last rays of sun disappeared behind the horizon. Several stars began poking out of hiding, revealing themselves to the world below. Astrid sighed quietly, catching the attention of Hiccup, who hesitantly looked over at her.

"Sooo… what are you doing out here?" he asked her. She replied without turning to look at him, keeping her eyes locked on the sky. Hiccup wanted to know what she found so interesting, but he didn't want to seem nosy.

"Every now and then, I come out to look at the stars… if they're even out. With all the bad weather around here, the stars are hardly ever visible." Hiccup was almost in shock. The toughest Viking teenager in the entire village… was fond of the stars? They were just shiny specks hanging in the night sky; what did Astrid Hofferson find so interesting about something like that?

"Erm… how long have you been interested in the stars?" Hiccup questioned hesitantly, taking a very small move away from the girl. She took a moment to answer, feeling her cheeks begin to warm.

"Uh… well, ever since that first ride on Toothless with you…" Hiccup noticed her take a small scoot in the opposite direction, just as he had done, as his face heated up. He began nervously twiddling with his thumbs in his lap as Astrid continued to stare up at the sky, her own face reddening in the dark.

After a few seconds of pure, awkward silence, an idea slithered into Hiccup's mind. He immediately tried to push it out again, as he knew that it was completely idiotic, but it refused to leave. He knew without a doubt that he would absolutely love it and enjoy it, and she had kissed him after the huge battle with the Queen Dragon a few weeks before, so maybe she'd enjoy it, too… He shook his head, pushing himself to his feet slowly. He began walking towards Toothless, but before he could stop himself, he twirled back around and faced Astrid again.

"Would you like to, maybe, go on a little ride with me?" he blurted out uncontrollably. He immediately slapped his hand over his own mouth as he saw her eyes widen in surprise.

She hated him, she hated him, she hated him; who wouldn't hate him after blurting out a random, stupid question like that? It was dark out, it was getting later and later, their parents would probably be looking for them soon… why, in Odin's name, would she say-

"…yes."

Hiccup's eyes widened as his face burned. Astrid put her hands on her knees and hoisted herself to her feet, walking over to the frozen Viking. Hiccup tried to say something to her, but found his throat stuck closed. So he merely raised his arms towards Toothless and tried to keep from dropping unconscious to the roof. He hobbled over to the dragon, which was already on his feet, and carefully swung himself onto the saddle before offering a hand to Astrid. She gently took it, to the complete and utter surprise of Hiccup, and slid onto the saddle behind the young chief-to-be. Hiccup latched the hooks onto the saddle as Astrid snaked her arms around his waist, resulting in chills creeping up his spine and butterflies swarming into his stomach. He reached out a trembling hand and patted the dragon's head; Toothless nodded, giving an excited yelp, before kicking off of the roof and soaring into the clear, starry night sky.

Hiccup hadn't gone flying during the night since Astrid's first flight, so he had forgotten how wonderful it was to be up in the cool night air. And although it was cold outside, as it always was around Berk, with Astrid there with him, her arms around his waist, he felt warmer than ever. And the fact that his face was redder than Toothless' prosthetic tail fin didn't help either.

"I don't think I've ever seen this many out before," Astrid commented from behind, making Hiccup turn his head up to look at the sky.

"Yeah… they make the sky look a lot brighter than it actually is…" Hiccup stated, steering them around one of the large towers of land growing out of the water. Astrid sighed quietly, resting her head against Hiccup's back. The young Viking stiffened slightly, and then smiled to himself. "You know… your eyes really shine like the stars-" He immediately felt like his face was going to burn to a crisp and fall off as he stiffened even more, his smile fading away. He instantly felt Astrid's head lift away from his back as he struggled with his words. "I mean… the stars are really bright, and your eyes are bright… not too bright, that people can't look at them, I mean… who wouldn't want to look at your eyes? They're amazing… I mean…" Astrid took one of her hands, balled it into a fist, and punched his arm lightly. "Ow!" Hiccup cried, grabbing his arm with the opposite hand. "What was that for?"

"That was one of the cheesiest things… no, that was the cheesiest thing you could have ever said to me… ever," she responded, wrapping her arm back around his waist again. She didn't let him see it, but she silently smiled to herself as she felt fire burn at her cheeks. Hiccup suddenly felt very lightheaded as he turned them back towards the island, but suddenly Toothless turned upwards, beating his wings roughly as he tried to climb in altitude.

"Toothless," Hiccup rasped, as he found it nearly impossible for himself to speak. He cleared his throat quietly before speaking again. "Toothless, come on, it's late; we need to get back home." Before he could go on, he heard a quiet noise of admiration come from behind him as a shooting star blasted through the sky. Was Astrid really this into stars?

Without another word, Hiccup turned them upwards and allowed Toothless to carry them higher up. The sky was clear enough that it actually felt like the three of them were soaring through a field of stars. Astrid stared at all of the sparkly dots, a small smile gracing her lips; even Hiccup couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was truly breathtaking, and probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them, which is why Hiccup wanted to make it especially fantastic for Astrid.

Forgetting about how late it was getting, Hiccup patted Toothless' head gently and pointed down towards the water when he was sure that Astrid's attention was completely on the stars and not on him. Toothless gave him a small nod before turning downwards and shooting back towards the water's surface. Hiccup pulled at the handles on the front of the saddle when they were a little ways above the water's surface, and Toothless slowed down, spread his wings out to his sides, and began soaring gracefully right along the surface of the water in the large bay area. Surprisingly, no waves were crashing in from the open ocean; the water was practically completely still for once. It looked as if there was a giant mirror there instead of a body of water, all of the stars being perfectly reflected.

"Wow…" Astrid breathed, taking in the incredible sight. Hiccup smiled to himself as he felt one of her arms retract again. He looked back at her as best he could, and saw her reach her arm out and begin tracing it along the water's surface, sending ripples throughout the many stars. He couldn't see her face, but he knew that she was smiling.

Toothless shoved off the water and journeyed back up towards the sky a few moments later, coming around in a circle to come back in to land again. Astrid nuzzled up against Hiccup's back as they glided seamlessly through the air, a smile on her face as she closed her eyes. Hiccup's lips also curled into a smile as he pulled on the saddle again and began to lead them to a different spot on the island than the village.

"So, tell me… what about our first ride together made you so interested in the stars?"

"I don't really know, actually. Maybe because whenever I look at the stars, I think of that first ride we took… I, um… I think of you…"

She blushed profusely as she admitted it. Hiccup felt his own face begin to warm. He wasn't expecting an answer like that… He wasn't expecting an answer anything like that. He decided to try to change the subject.

"What are your thoughts on the dragons?" he asked randomly, it being the first thing that popped into his head. He heard Toothless' ears perk up, as if the dragon was interested in her answer, too.

"I love the dragons… especially this big guy right here." She reached behind her and scratched Toothless behind his ears before taking her hand back. Toothless seemed satisfied with this answer and rested his head on his front feet and closed his eyes. Astrid let out a low chuckle as she moved closer to Hiccup, leaning her head softly on his shoulder.

"I've always kind of wondered… why did you name your Nadder 'Reia'?" Hiccup asked her quietly, resting his head on her head. Her bright blue eyes widened slightly, caught a bit off guard with the question. She sat up straight, to the disappointment of Hiccup, and stared up at the full moon shining down on them.

"Oh… um… it was just… it was the name that, uh… that my mother and father were going to name, um… my, uh… my baby sister… you know, before… what happened…" Hiccup felt his cheeks warm; he felt slightly embarrassed for asking her that question.

"Oh… I'm, uh… I'm really sorry, Astrid…" he stuttered, looking at one of the tall trees that surrounded the clearing that they were in. She let out a small, quiet chuckle, looking over at him.

"You've got nothing to apologize for, Hiccup," she told him gently. He let out a shy laugh.

"…I think it's just a natural thing for humans to do," he replied. Astrid laughed quietly, resting her head on his shoulder once again.

They had avoided the village and gone up to the top of one of the mountains on Berk, where there was a clear meadow area. They had decided to land there, and had sat down with Toothless curled around them, still taking in the sight of the stars. Hiccup hadn't been ready to end this perfect night, and to his surprise and excitement, neither had Astrid. And to his profound luck, neither of them had felt too tired to have to go back home and go to sleep.

"…Were you scared when we went off to fight the big dragon a few weeks ago?" Hiccup asked randomly after a few moments of silence. He felt Astrid stiffen beside him when he asked her this and he wondered whether this was going too far, digging too deep. "I don't mean to be nosy or anything; I'm really just curious…"

"I was more scared when you flew off with Toothless to fight the thing completely alone," she answered quietly. "I knew you'd be able to do it, but I couldn't help but feel a little sick to my stomach. I had no idea whether you would be coming back or not…" Hiccup's eyes softened, and he tentatively took her hand in his, hoping she wouldn't punch him again.

"I would never leave you, Astrid," he told her in a whisper. Before she could respond, he continued to say, "And why'd you kiss me when I woke up?" He instantly wished he hadn't asked her that; he knew that he sounded rude and nosy with that question. He opened his mouth to tell her not to answer, but she beat him to it.

"Maybe it was because… well, I don't know. Maybe I might have, could have, maybe… developed some feelings for you, I don't know…" She felt her cheeks burn up, and she kept her eyes locked on the stars to avoid his own, which were staring at her face. The blush was brought out by the pale moonlight, but he couldn't ever call her more beautiful than how she looked at that very second.

"Astrid… I've always had feelings for you, so you've got nothing to blush about…" he whispered, looking at the grass. Astrid tore her gaze away from the sky and turned it to look at Hiccup's face. The brunette began picking at the grass, tearing it out of the ground and throwing it aside over and over again, his face hotter than it had ever been before. Astrid's lips turned up in a small smile as she grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her.

"How about we blush together," she told him. Before he could ask her what she meant, she leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to his. Hiccup's bright green eyes were wide as she kissed him, and they remained wide even as she broke away. Their lips were merely an inch apart, and Hiccup smiled. "…are you blushing?" Astrid whispered, smiling.

"…yes," Hiccup answered in the same volume, and then he leaned forward and continued the kiss, this time closing his eyes as she closed hers.

The sudden cry of a bird caused Astrid to open her eyes, but she immediately closed them again when they were met with a bright light. She snuggled up closer to whatever was wrapped around her as she tightly kept her eyes closed, trying to keep out the brightness. Only a second later, her eyes shot open again and she looked around. They were still in the clearing on top of the mountain. Toothless was on his side, snoring lightly, and the thing that was wrapped around her were Hiccup's arms. She immediately began shaking him.

"Hiccup! Hiccup, wake up!" she shouted, pushing out of his arms. She took a hold of his own arm and slapped him across his face with his own hand, in which he woke up with a loud scream.

"What, in the name of Thor, was that for?" he screeched, rubbing his cheek with his opposite hand.

"Hiccup, we fell asleep!" Astrid told him, getting to her feet. Hiccup rubbed his eyes, and then took a good look at their surroundings, gasping when he realized where they still were.

"Oh gods, we fell asleep," he muttered. "Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, this is not good at all…" Astrid walked up to Toothless' face and scratched his nose, at which he almost immediately woke up. Hiccup got to his feet and raised his eyebrows. "…how did you know to do that?" he asked.

"That's how I wake Reia up… I was just seeing if it'd work on Toothless as well," she answered, rushing over to the dragon's side when he stood up sleepily. "Come on! We've got to get back to the village! Maybe our parents never realized that we stayed out all night!" Hiccup hurried over to climb onto Toothless' back, helping Astrid on behind him, and latched onto the saddle quickly. Astrid wrapped her arms around Hiccup's waist as Toothless shoved off into the brisk morning air.

"I can not believe that we fell asleep," Hiccup muttered as they flew back towards the village. "My father is going to kill me."

"Hopefully he didn't notice you never came home last night," Astrid said, trying to brighten his spirits.

"Stoick the Vast, chief of the tribe, the Viking who's responsible for noticing anything and everything out of order, is not going to notice his one and only son never coming home for the night?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but you never do know…"

"Actually, I pretty much do."

They came in to an abrupt landing in front of Astrid's house, and the young Viking quickly slid off the dragon. Before rushing into the house, she turned to look back up at Hiccup.

"For what it's worth… I had a great time last night…" she told him, giving him a light smile before turning and running into the house. Hiccup felt his cheeks burn as he and Toothless took off towards his house.

Inside the house, Astrid pressed her back against the hard, wooden door and felt her blood race to her face as she thought about the previous night. She had known that she had developed feelings for the chief's son, but she never would have expected them to grow. She never expected anything like the previous night to happen… or at least not until they were a bit older.

With her cheeks burning, she bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud as she hurried through the house to her bedroom, keeping as quiet as she possibly could so as not to wake her parents.

Hiccup quietly opened the front door of his home, pushing it completely open to let Toothless in, and then closed it as quietly as possible. He froze when it squeaked lightly, but continued to close it completely before sneaking quietly to his room with Toothless. When they were in his room, he closed the door and then flopped down on his bed, not bothering to pull the blankets over himself. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about Astrid and everything that had happened the night before. He could feel that his eyelids were still heavy, but he didn't feel like he was tired. He felt excited, exhilarated, happy… in love.

"I love you, Astrid Hofferson," he whispered to himself as he allowed his eyes to close. Why hadn't he ever admitted it aloud before? The feeling had always been there, it had always existed… nothing was better than being in love. He smiled to himself, eventually falling asleep.

And there ya have it! I was up from about 7:30 PM to 3:30 AM working on this… so I'm pretty tired right now. XD But I had the inspiration and the urge to write just kept me going. Very cheesy ending, I know, I know, but I'm none too good at endings. Other than that, I'm actually pretty proud of this little work of fluff. I really hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Another thing… just to make this clear to everyone… Astrid and Hiccup did NOT have sex. They just fell asleep in each other's arms. That's it, nothing more. Just thought I'd let ya'll know.

Also, the name "Reia" ((Ray-uh... just to make it clear)) for Astrid's dragon was inspired by a story I wrote a long time ago as a little kid. One of the characters had a baby sister named Reia, and I've always liked the name, and I thought it'd work for Astrid's Nadder's name. And if anyone is curious about "what happened", you can PM me, or let me know in a review, cuz I'm suddenly getting an idea for a little oneshot fic that explains "what happened". *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

One more thing! I know, I know, this is a freakin' long author's note. But I just wanted to let all of you know that I've been working on another, multi-chaptered HTTYD story, and should be getting ready to post it up on FanFiction soon. It shall be called "Power Hungry", so if you're interested, that should be up here sometime soon. Hopefully sooner than later, but I'm still working on it. It shouldn't take too much longer… just watch out for it if you're interested. XD

Please review, peoples. I love it when people favorite my stories, but everyone on FanFiction can relate when I say that reviews are what keep authors writing. Reviews give me inspiration to write other stories and continue with stories that I've already started, so please… take a few minutes to give me some feedback. Liked it? Hated it? Whatever… let me know! Thanks guys!

~Taylor