Another post-THW fic for ya'll! I'm currently working on an RTTE fic, which I'm really excited about because I've been rewatching it (for the millionth time? who knows at this point haha). soooo...as always, if ya'll have ideas, but specifically ideas for an RTTE-based fic, let me know lol

but for now, here's this lil doo-dad i wrote...i think back in november if I'm being honest lol I never posted it because I wasn't happy with it, but I completely revamped it and added a bunch to it, and now i love it haha

so...here you go!

Hiccup hasn't seen Astrid all day.

This was completely out of the ordinary. Even with the constant rush that came with basically restarting Berk (or New Berk, as they have now decided to call it, in order to make things less confusing when referring to Old Berk) and building a completely new village, they were still able to find time to be with each other at some point during the day, whether it be eating lunch together, going on patrol, or sitting with each other at the village-wide bonfires at nighttime.

But today, Astrid is nowhere to be seen.

And frankly, it concerns Hiccup a little bit.

He can barely pay attention as he deals with a dispute between Balder the Baldest and Halvar the Hardhead, who are debating who gets the plot of land closest to the pier for their house.

It's been a struggle trying to get plots for houses situated, especially with how…well, awkward the land was, now that they didn't have their dragons. They were high up on a cliff, which meant getting down to the water involved a long trek down some scaffolding to reach the pier. Hiccup's stump definitely ached a lot the first few weeks after they finished building that (which, that and the pier, had to be the first thing built for New Berk, since…you know…they needed to get fish somehow).

Well, his leg has been hurting constantly since the loss of the dragons. Hiccup didn't realize how much he used Toothless to get places until now. Even Gothi's teas and suggestion for added padding in his prosthetic weren't helping.

He'll get used to it…eventually.

"I was in line before you!" Balder shouts in Halvar's face. They're at the front of the line at the table where Hiccup is seated at, where he is meant to be approving where people are living and helping with house plans. Instead, however, he is staring off in the distance, his head in his hand as he twirls his writing stick, the line being held up by Halvar and Balder's banter.

Halvar jabs Balder's chest with his finger. "That's because you shoved me out of my spot!"

"That's because I was here before you!"

"I was first in line this morning!"

"I was busy fishing!" Balder turns to Hiccup and points to himself proudly. "That's why I should be closer to the pier, Chief! I provide food for the village!"

"I fish too, you nitwit!"

Thus began a fist fight between the two of them, which the group behind them didn't help out with, since they instead encouraged it with their cheering for them…as Vikings usually do.

Never a dull day in New Berk.

Hiccup rolls his eyes, huffs, and stands up from his chair. "Guys, fighting isn't going to sort this out," he says with an unamused tone, placing his hands flat on the table.

"We're Vikings! Fighting is how we solve all our problems!" someone yelled from the back of the crowd.

Hiccup sighs. "Of course," he mutters to himself. This definitely isn't something he wants to deal with today. "Why am I not surprised?"

He walks over to the two fighting men and steps between them, all while trying to dodge their blows and not get his head punched in. "Okay, for Thor's sake, none of you are going to get the plot by the pier if you keep acting like this!" he shouts, feeling like he is a parent scolding their children. Though, to be honest, that's what being Chief of the Hooligan Tribe felt like most days.

"Shut up, Chief Fishbone!" Halvar exclaims, trying to run at Balder.

Hiccup pretends he didn't hear the insult. "There are plenty of open plots by the pier!"

"But I want that one!" they both shout, pointing in the general direction of the empty plot they both were aiming for. They begin to bicker with one another yet again, choosing now to slap each other in the face after each sentence. It really did feel like being a parent trying to settle a fight between their two young kids.

Hiccup rolls his eyes. Right as he opens his mouth to say something, he halts when he notices movement from the corner of his eye. He looks past Halvar and Balder and turns his attention ahead of them. He notices a familiar person rushing off away from the village, headed into the tree-filled forest.

It's Astrid.

Hiccup steps away from the two men hastily, knowing he might miss her if he wastes too much time. He has to see her today. "Um…okay, Halvar, you get the plot on the western side of the ledge, and Balder, you get the one on the east. They're both equidistant from the pier, so you both can have easy access for your fishing spots," he says quickly.

Halvar and Balder both open their mouths to protest, but Hiccup is quick to interrupt. "And no whining to me about it; just finish up your house plans by the end of the week."

Hiccup then turns to the crowd. "I'll be back in, like, ten or fifteen minutes, and we'll sort the rest of the plots out then." Without even waiting for a response, he turns around and rushes in the direction that he just saw Astrid walking to, not even bothered by the sounds of the villagers calling his name and wondering where he's going, as well as Halvar asking which way was west.

Despite how much his left leg (well, what's left of it, at least) hurts, he runs out of the village and into the forest. He hasn't explored it much yet, what with all the constant hustle and bustle of building an entirely new village, so he doesn't quite know where this leads yet.

He does, however, spot Astrid up ahead of him, holding onto her arm as she walks towards a nearby cliffside that looks out over the ocean.

Hiccup slows down his trek and instead chooses to follow her quietly for a little bit, not saying anything or doing anything to try to catch her attention, as to not scare her, since she looks lost in thought.

He just admires her; he watches as her long blonde hair shifts and moves as she walks, the way she looks around at the unfamiliar surroundings of their new home. Hiccup can't help but smile at the sight of her. Even though they've been together for three years, Astrid still has this way of making him grin like a lovesick idiot.

Astrid eventually stops, as though transfixed by the sunset up ahead. A cliff's edge is only a few yards ahead of them. Hiccup hadn't even noticed it; he had been too fascinated on Astrid.

He watches her in silence for a few moments, waiting for a moment to approach her without spooking her…until Astrid speaks up.

"I know you've been following me," she says. She turns and looks at Hiccup after. The shade of her normally bright blue eyes is dulled, and she looks exhausted. She probably is; she's been helping out so much around the village, and Hiccup knows she hasn't been sleeping that well.

He doesn't blame her; he definitely hasn't been resting, either.

Hiccup laughs softly and rubs the back of his neck. "I'm, uh…not that sneaky, am I?" he asks, walking closer.

Astrid gestures to his prosthetic. "You have your bad leg. The one that somehow squeaks more than your other one."

Hiccup looks down at his prosthetic leg, noticing how rusty and old it is. He never used it that much; he normally kept it in his study at the forge in case he ever broke or lost his other one, since he's had too many encounters in the past where he's left without his prosthetic. It's not as glamorous as his other one was, with the interchangeable legs, but it works for what it was built for – to allow Hiccup to walk.

He still has yet to make himself a better leg, after he lost his usual one during the battle with Grimmel. He's been so busy helping to begin repairs that he hasn't even thought about making a new leg…well, he's kind of thought about it – mostly when the pain becomes unbearable. He'll make a mental note to make a new one, but then he'll get distracted by a dispute or someone needing assistance, thus leading to him never actually going to the makeshift forge to build a new one.

So, he's been stuck with this old prosthetic that he originally used as a back-up.

Hiccup chuckles and nods his head, walking over to Astrid. "Even my good one squeaked?" he asks curiously.

Astrid nods. "Not as bad." She shrugs. "I always knew when you were coming, though."

"I'm just that predictable."

Astrid gives a small smile to him before she turns away and goes to sit on the ledge, Hiccup following closely behind her. "So…how has the chief been doing?"

Hiccup shrugs his shoulders before placing a hand on Astrid's shoulder to help keep him steady as he sits down next to her. "Busy," he says, even though she already knows that. It's been his answer to that question for the length of time since they've been at New Berk…well, it's been everybody's answer. "Dealing with where people are going to be living, making plans for the new Great Hall, helping out Gobber in the forge whenever I can." He shakes his head. "But once everything gets built, we should be back to normal."

He glances over at Astrid, who nods her head knowingly. It sounds hopeful when Hiccup says it, but they both know that not only is it going to take a long time to build everything, but it's going to be even longer until the village goes back to normal.

Neither of them say anything about it, though. They don't need to.

Hiccup clears his throat. "And how has Miss Hofferson been doing?" He leans over and tucks a strand of Astrid's blonde hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger there for a moment before pulling away his hand to rest in his lap.

Astrid looks out to the vast sea, wrapping her arms around herself. "I've been fine," she says quietly. She doesn't elaborate like she normally does. She remains silent.

"Is…is everything okay?" Hiccup asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

Astrid sighs, her shoulders slumping. "It's just…it's just all different," she answers. "I mean…a new village, a new house, no dragons…it's all…different now."

Hiccup nods his head, leaning back on his arms. "Yeah," he replies. "It's…it's definitely different. Hard."

"Yeah," Astrid breathes. She shakes her head and pulls her legs up to her chest. She sniffles, which instantly worries Hiccup.

"What's up?" Hiccup asks, looking over Astrid up and down. He notices her eyes looking down and glossing over with tears. "Ast? Are you okay?"

Astrid wraps her arms securely around her legs, burying her head in knees. "I just…I've been having a hard time adjusting…" Her sentence trails off, and Hiccup thinks he knows exactly what Astrid is referring to.

She misses Stormfly.

A lot.

Hiccup can relate with missing Toothless, obviously. Stormfly and Astrid were always together, just like Hiccup and Toothless. Stormfly was Astrid's companion in everything, and they were truly best friends. Astrid cared so deeply for her Deadly Nadder, and Hiccup knew Stormfly felt the same way about Astrid. They had such a strong connection, and it…it really hurt to watch Astrid say goodbye to her.

The dragons were the Berkians' best friends in the entire world for six years, and in a split-second decision, they had to give them up.

It was all for their own good, and it was what was inevitably going to happen, with how often Berk was being attacked for their dragons. But that didn't make giving them up any harder. It hurt everyone so much to give up their companions so quickly, without too much time for a proper goodbye, and without much time to process everything. They just had to watch their best friends leave before their very eyes, and then go straight into the process of rebuilding their village, all while grieving.

Luckily, Hiccup's had his chiefly duties to distract him, but Astrid hasn't had the same privilege.

Yes, Astrid is Hiccup's second-in-command and has her own heavy workload herself, but Hiccup always has to be thinking about the village and looking at building plans and solving disputes and yaddah-yaddah-yaddah. The list goes on and on for Hiccup.

Astrid…unfortunately has a bit more time to dwell on everything that happened.

So, it's definitely been affecting Astrid very differently than it has been for Hiccup.

Hiccup nods his head. "Yeah," he breathes. "It has been hard."

"It's weird," Astrid says, shaking her head. "Like, it's all for the better, and we needed to do it, and I understand that, but…" her sentence trails off.

"It doesn't make it any better," Hiccup finishes.

Astrid nods. She sniffles yet again, but her tears haven't fallen yet. "I just…wonder if she's okay." She shrugs and looks down at the grass, and she begins picking at it with one of her hands.

"I'm sure she is," Hiccup replies, placing a hand on the small of her back. "And I'm sure she misses you just as much as you miss her."

"I know," she says. "But it's just weird not having her here with us. She's never there to wake me up in the morning. Or go on a flight with. Gods, I almost cried this morning because I looked at her saddle, Hic." She scoffs. "Her saddle."

Hiccup doesn't say anything; he just rubs her back, his thumb moving in small circles.

"Gods…I thought I was doing okay, but…I don't know," Astrid continues, looking out at the ocean. "I mean, I was sad, yeah, but…I think it just all caught up to me today, and…I…I don't know…I feel so weird about it all. It was the right thing to do, and I know she's happy there, and I'm happy that she'll finally be where she's meant to be, but…I still…want her back."

Hiccup nods his head, understanding exactly how she feels. In his dreams, all he was able to think about was Toothless, and how he wished he had gotten one more flight in before they had to say goodbye. How he wished they could rewind time to before all this Grimmel nonsense happened – when dragons and Berkians were together, in harmony.

Gods, he misses the dragons like crazy. He'll find himself looking out at the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of a Terrible Terror or a Hiddeous Zippleback.

He never does, of course. All the dragons in the nearby vicinity left to the Hidden World with the Light Fury and Toothless.

But he still looks. It might be unhealthy, but he can't help it.

One day, they'll all fully accept what happened. One day, they won't cry about the loss of their dragons. One day, it'll be easier to talk about the memories of Old Berk or the Edge.

But for now, they're still grieving. And that's okay.

Astrid huffs, breaking the silence. "Everything is different, and..."

Hiccup reaches over and wraps an arm around Astrid's shoulders. "I know," he whispers before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Astrid leans closer to him, resting her head on Hiccup's shoulder. "It's hard, and it's a lot of adjustment we have to make, but this is what's best for them. We're all better off with this. They're where they're meant to be, in the Hidden World. And this is where we're meant to be, even if it doesn't feel like it yet."

Astrid nods. "I know," she whispers.

"And it's okay to not feel great about it right now. It's okay to miss them. I mean…they were our best friends. But…my dad told me when I was little that with love comes loss. Yes, it would've been great to keep them with us, but…that would've been selfish. They would've been unhappy if we kept them here, because the attacks on them and us would've only gotten worse. So…even though it hurt…I still stand by that this was what we were meant to do."

Astrid reaches over and grabs Hiccup's free hand in hers, intertwining their fingers.

"And it's not like we're never going to see them again. I'm sure we will one day," Hiccup continues, his own eyes glossing over with tears. "I hope we'll see them one day again. But for now, we're protecting them by sending them there. It's all for their own good. And maybe ours." He shrugs. "We relied on them for everything. Now we can grow on our own."

He shrugs. "I've…I've realized that recently, thanks to you." Astrid glances up at him, looking at him with love in her eyes. "Took me long enough, I guess." He chuckles. "I mean…I relied on Toothless for everything for six years of my life. Six years. Yeah, those six years were the best years of my life, but…I…I felt I was nothing without him and that I couldn't do anything without him. I'm…I'm still trying to work on that, of course. That I'm someone without him, and that he didn't make me who I am, but…that he helped me, you know? That all of the dragons helped us…that…they helped us become better people. But now…we can do that on our own. Even if it hurts sometimes."

Astrid pauses for a few moments, taking in everything he just said to her. It was almost like he had read her mind, read her heart…knowing exactly what she needed to hear.

She misses Stormfly. A lot. And that's okay. They were together for so long – six whole years of their lives. They became such a part of their lives that they relied on them for everything. And now, they can grow on their own, in their own respective places where they're meant to be.

It's going to hurt. It's going to be painful to talk about them for a while. Astrid is still going to have moments like these for a long time. But it's okay. It's all a part of the process of accepting what happened and knowing that this is how it is meant to be.

"Yeah," Astrid says evenutally. She lets out a deep breath. "You always know what to say, somehow."

Hiccup laughs and shrugs. "I try." He leans down and kisses her forehead softly. "And hey, if you're ever feeling like this again, don't be afraid to talk to me. I'm here to help you. I'll ramble to you all day long if that helps."

Astrid laughs and shakes her head. "I know," she responds. "I just didn't want to get in the way of all your work and everything."

"Astrid, you're my first priority!" Hiccup exclaims, pulling her closer to him. "I want to help you feel better; I can't stand it when you're feeling down. Don't be afraid to come to me. I'm always here for you."

Astrid smiles and punches his shoulder lightly. "You're so cheesy."

Hiccup laughs, happy that Astrid doesn't seem to be as upset anymore. "You love it."

Astrid rolls her eyes and leans in to give a short kiss to Hiccup's lips, barely giving him a chance to kiss her back. "Whatever."

"That kiss tells me otherwise," Hiccup responds, sticking his tongue out at her.

He earns another hit to the shoulder before Astrid leans her head back on Hiccup's chest. "Shut up."

Hiccup laughs, which feels good. He hasn't been doing that much recently. None of the Berkians really have been.

It feels nice to laugh. To smile. To remind himself that everything is going to be okay. They just have to get through this period of mourning.

And sitting here with Astrid is exactly what he needed, too. To take a break from the craziness of building a village and the sorrow of grieving the loss of the dragons. Being with Astrid rejuvenates Hiccup and always makes him feel better.

Hiccup smiles. "I love you, Ast."

Astrid looks up at Hiccup and grins. She places a hand on his chest, and Hiccup lifts his hand to hold onto her wrist to keep it there.

"I love you, too, Hic."

as always, please let me know what you think!

and come talk to me on tumblr! I'm thisisberkk :) i'd love to chat with all ya'll about dragons and stuff lol

stay safe!