I loved reading the Hiccup X Astrid fics on here so I decided to write my own.

I don't own any characters from How to Train your Dragon, I'm just a fan! :)

Next chapter will be up soon.

Hand on my Heart

Chapter 1

(Directly continued from the film after being out riding with dragons)

Hiccup jumped off Toothless, forgetting for a second that he only had one good leg, so he immediately fell face first into a puddle. He had always been somewhat clumsy and this was not the first time he had fallen face first into a puddle, Berk was always covered in them, and he figured it would not be the last time either. But this time, half the watching town members ran over to his rescue, arguing over who was going to pick him up first. He rolled over onto his back, wincing at the searing pain in his leg.

"Just stop." He yelled. "I can get up by myself." He raged, grabbing on to his dragon's arm for support. "Come on, bud. Let's go home." He mumbled, ignoring the sideways glances the crowd was giving him.

"Hiccup, wait up!" Astrid shouted jumping off the Deadly Nadder she claimed after the fight with the Red Death. He ignored her and kept walking, but his limp was no match for her stealthy run and in seconds she caught up with him. Standing right in front of him, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "I told you to wait up!" She offered, annoyed.

"Sorry..." Hiccup mumbled while limping round her to continue the way to his house.

"But..." Astrid protested, dumbstruck at Hiccup's sudden foul mood. She was so sure he had been having fun riding with Toothless and the other Viking teens. He paused, slowly turning his body half way to look at her.

"I'm just tired, Astrid. Riding with this leg was a lot for my first day on it." He tried to smile at her, but she could tell the smile didn't meet his eyes. Something was very wrong with Hiccup. But how could she find out if he refused to talk to her?

"You want some help walking?" She asked soothingly. He just ignored her, holding on to toothless, limping up the steps. He didn't even turn round to look at her when he got to his front door; he just swung it open and limped in. He closed the door behind him, hanging up his brown fur vest. He then stumbled over to the bed that Stoick had dragged from his bedroom and put in the living room, in the hope to ease his hardship until he was used to the new leg, and heaved himself in, covering himself to keep warm.

Hiccup lay there for nearly an hour, just thinking, then when he got to the point where he was almost asleep, the door to the house nearly splintered open.

"Hi, Dad." He said without looking.

"Get up!" His father shouted joyously.

"I'm tired, Dad. My leg really hurts." Hiccup snapped back.

"Now, Hiccup. You don't speak to your father or your Chief like that." Stoick tried to warn, knowing all too well that it would have no effect on his strong willed son.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm going to sleep now." Hiccup rolled over, managing to hit his new leg off his bed post causing a shooting pain. "OWWW!" He shrieked.

"Vikings don't shriek son." Stoick tried to say seriously, without much success.

"Well, why don't we cut off your leg and see how you like it?" Hiccup grumbled.

"Stop your whining son, you need to get up."

"I'm not getting up." He said flatly.

"But, why?" Stoick whined like a child. "You have to!" He tried to say with more vigour. Hiccup sat up.

"Why do you want me to get up?" Hiccup fumed.

"Fine, I'll tell you. But act surprised or Astrid will make me eat worms." Stoick mumbled.

"How is Astrid going to make you do anything?" Hiccup asked, confused.

"We had a bet that I couldn't keep my mouth shut about the party but I said that I could and she asked if I wanted a bet so I agreed. You know Vikings always stick to their bets." Stoick nodded.

"So you are going to be eating worms then I see?" Hiccup crossed his arms.

"And HOW IN THOR'S NAME did you come to that conclusion?" Stoick roared.

"Since you just blurted that there is a party."

"I did not!" Stoick yelled.

"Yes you did." Then Hiccup repeated exactly what Stoick had said back to him, in the mock accent and everything.

"Well you don't have to tell her, do you?" Stoick looked at his son pleadingly.

"It's not going to be a problem, Dad."

"I knew I could count on you, Son!" Stoick laughed.

"It's only because I'm not going." Hiccup said stubbornly.

"What in Odin's name do you mean, you aren't coming?"

"I'm not going to some party, Dad. I'm going to sleep."

"But it was Astrid's idea to throw you a Hero's party. Don't disappoint the village son."

"I've been disappointing the village since I was a baby, so I don't think skipping a party will be a big deal." He replies mumbling and rolling his eyes.

"But everyone thinks you are a hero now son! You aren't that puny useless Viking anymore!" Stoick said with an encouraging smile.

"See, that right there, Dad. I am still the same boy I always was. Being different from all of you is exactly why I befriended a dragon instead of killing it and now all of a sudden just because Toothless and I killed the Red Death, I'm a hero?" Hiccup yelled.

"Yes..." Stoick replied; confused at what the problem was.

"I don't want to be treated any differently, Dad. I got used to being alone and I like it that way." He pleaded. All he really wanted to do was sleep and rest his aching leg.

"I am the chief of Berk. I order you to attend the party."

"Well, maybe I should just leave Berk then. I was planning on doing it anyway." Hiccup countered, earning a jaw dropping from his father.

"What?" Stoick screamed. "When were you planning on that?"

"The day I was named the winner of dragon training, actually. That is until Astrid followed me and went flying with Toothless and I." Hiccup smiled at the memory. He received his first ever kiss that day, even if it was only on the cheek.

"Astrid knew about the dragon?" He yelled, shocked. Astrid had always been the good Viking and he would have expected her to inform him of Hiccup's antics.

"That's all you took away from what I just said?" Hiccup asked flatly but unsurprisingly.

"It doesn't matter anyway, son. The point is, you are going to the party and you are NOT leaving Berk. My word is final. NOW GET READY." Stoick yelled, before stomping out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

"No, I'm really not Dad." Hiccup yelled back, but it was too late, Stoick was out of earshot. He decided to try to get some sleep, no doubt his father would be back to yell at him some more in about an hour when he finally realised Hiccup hadn't shown up. So he lay back down, wrapping himself up in his blanket and closing his eyes. He was so comfortable, like the bed had been moulded to fit his shape perfectly.

Knock knock.

Hiccup ignored it.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Go away!" Hiccup said.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

"NOBODY'S HOME!" He yelled louder.

"It's me." A familiar voice replied. 'CRAP!' Thought Hiccup. He swung his legs over the bed and sat on the edge.

"Come in." He conceded, a little frustrated, but it's not like he would send Astrid away, is it? The door opened and there she stood in a beautiful navy dress. He almost didn't recognise her without shoulder armour and her heavy protective skirt.

"Wow." He gasped, wide-eyed before he could stop himself. "I mean... Erm... You look... Different?" He stuttered. She blushed ever so slightly and laughed at him.

"It's my Mom's, but she made a few adjustments so it would fit me. You like?" She teased, cocking an eyebrow. Hiccup just nodded.

"So aren't you coming to the banquet?" Astrid asked, obviously unaware that she totally had the power to force her chief to eat worms.

"Honestly, Astrid, I'm so tired from using this leg and my Dad yelling at me and the village being weird with me. I think I'm just going to sit this one out, like I usually do." He said apologetically, knowing that it had been her idea. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, not too far from him. She looked at him like she was trying to see answers on his face, but without much success. "I just want things to go back to the way they were, before everyone knew about Toothless. Except the killing dragons part."

"Why? Nobody thought you were a Hero then." She asked, confused.

"And that's how I like it. I just want to fade into the background, Astrid. I'm just an ordinary boy that probably wasn't meant to be a Viking. I'm thinking about leaving actually." He said without making eye contact. His only reason to stay was hidden behind those big blue eyes of hers and he was going to find it difficult to give up as it is, without having to second guess himself because of his teenage hormones.

"One, you aren't ordinary. You are one of a kind, Hiccup. Two, if you hadn't been a Viking, you would never have met Toothless and the Hooligans would still be killing dragons. And three, if you leave, you are taking me with you." She smiled. She got up and went to the door, opened it and looked over her shoulder, Hiccup watched her go in disbelief, convinced his hearing had been affected by losing his leg. She looked at him for a moment then ran back to the bed. She planted a kiss right on his lips and closed her eyes. She held on to the back of his neck while she kissed him. Then the crouched down in front of him, took his hand and stared into his eyes. With a smile she said, "I'd follow you to the ends of the Earth, Hiccup." Then she blushed, smacked his arm and ran out the house.

"Yup, I must be sleeping." Hiccup said before drifting off to sleep.

...

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