Possibly my favorite movie couple of all time. :) Enjoy.

-Darthbubbles.

"Ah, crap!"

Ruffnut's cry of frustration only panicked the dragon more than it already had been, forcing Hiccup to intervene and calm the beast down before things got too dangerous. Astrid admired his talent as he calmed the dragon down, speaking in soothing tones and relaxing it with gentle hands. Astrid knew best out of anyone just how gentle those hands could be. She couldn't deny it: she had feelings for Gobber's apprentice, and she'd had them long before he had become the hero of Berk. And she'd been sure he'd returned the sentiments.

So why was he all alone with Ruffnut all the time while Astrid watched from afar? While he had still been getting used to his prosthetic leg, Hiccup and Astrid had been nearly inseparable. But now that he was feeling normal again, she'd been replaced by Ruffnut.

Anger began to build as Astrid watched Hiccup touch Ruffnut comfortingly on the shoulder. "Don't be too hard on yourself," he said with a smile. "You did better that time, just try to make less sudden movements." He eyed Ruffnut for a moment before murmuring "A-ha," and reaching for the knife strapped to her waist. Astrid fumed at the sight.

"Here, try again," he said softly, whistling for the dragon to come back over to the pair. Ruffnut held a shaky arm out to the dragon, who flinched slightly bud did not back down its approach. "Steady your hand." Astrid could barely make out Hiccup's whisper of instruction before staring, wide-eyed, as he lifted his own arm and interlocked his and Ruffnut's fingers. Together, they calmed the dragon enough for it to have a minor trust in the tough Viking girl. She grinned, high-fiving Hiccup. "I think that was our best yet! See you tomorrow?" He nodded eagerly.

Astrid watched her go angrily, fists clenching and unclenching around the handle of her axe.

She was furious. At Hiccup. At Ruffnut. At herself.

She hated herself for giving a crap about what was going on between Hiccup and Ruffnut. She hated herself for ever developing feelings for Stoick's awkward son. She hated herself for being unable to let Hiccup go. And she especially hated herself for the tears slipping slowly down her cheeks.

Astrid sat alone at dinner that night, refusing to sit with Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins no matter how many times they had asked, or in Snotlout's case, begged. Hiccup hadn't joined them yet, and she figured his work in the smithy was causing him to run a little late. Not that it mattered. She knew he'd just walk right past her and plop down next to Ruffnut.

She pushed her food around her plate with a fork glumly, pausing every once in a while to pop a noodle into her mouth. Just over six weeks before, she'd been the toughest Viking trainee in all of Berk. She'd learned young that she was required to be the best, if only to gain the approval of others, her parents included. Astrid closed her eyes, remembering a time when her father had been so angry because of a mistake she'd made that she was forced to sleep on the front porch of the Hofferson home one night. All her mother had done was watch as her husband turned their only daughter into an emotionless fighting machine.

Then Hiccup had come into her life and the emotions she'd suppressed for years came tumbling out. First, she was angry as she watched him become the best of the trainees. But then he took her on that first magical flight, and the rest of her emotions poured out. She, Astrid Hofferson, cared for someone. The village outcast, of all people. But his status hadn't mattered to Astrid then, and it still didn't . She was young and, dare she say it, in love.

And, no matter how often she denied it to herself, she was jealous.

Astrid was torn from her thoughts by the hideous sound of the dining hall door's hinges creaking as it opened. He stepped in, demeanor as timid as always, and made his way through the rows of tables to sit next to Ruffnut. Astrid watched them talk through strands of golden hair, with which she tactfully covered her eyes to hide the rage of emotions that were reflected in the sapphire irises.

She could hear Ruffnut's voice, loud as always, from several tables down, praising Hiccup for his work with the dragon earlier. "...and it was going insane!" she was saying. "If Hiccup hadn't calmed it down, I would have had to kill it! In self defense, of course."

"More like it would have killed you," Tuffnut corrected his sister. "In self defense, of course."

Ruffnut raised a fist. "Maybe we should test your self defense!"

"Whoa, hey!" Hiccup interjected. "Don't-"

He was cut off by a brutish yell as Tuffnut dove across the table. Ruffnut met her brother halfway, and they crashed on the hard wood of the table, wrestling among the food. Astrid found herself silently rooting for Tuffnut, for reasons she tried to deny were obvious.

"Ruff! Tuff!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Cut it out!" Astrid heard something in his voice- annoyance. And she knew, of all people, that Hiccup very rarely became annoyed. Annoyance stemmed for frustration, and frustration stemmed from stress. She had no idea, however, what was causing him stress. The fact that he hadn't told her cut deep.

"Hey." Astrid jumped at the sound of his voice in front of her. She lifted her head to meet caring green eyes. It had been too long since she had last lost herself in his eyes, and memories of a time when things weren't so tense flooded her mind.

"Hey," Astrid's voice was soft. "What do you want?"

"We, uh... we need to talk, don't we?" He sounded nervous.

"It'd be nice," she replied. With a harsh tone, she added, "For the first time in two weeks."

He glanced down in shame for a moment, before they both noticed the silence at the same time and glanced over at the other teens. All four averted their eyes, embarrassed.

"Sure, she'll talk to Hiccup, but not any of us!" Astrid heard Snotlout whisper angrily.

"Just shut up and let them talk," Tuff whispered back. "We've all seen how much both of them have been hurt by this!"

Hiccup sighed. "Let's... can we get away from here?"

Astrid nodded. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."

He attempted to take her hand as they walked out the door together, but Astrid merely pulled away and headed for her Nadder. She heard Hiccup sigh as Toothless bounded toward him. "Not in the mood today, bud," he whispered. "Sorry."

She almost felt bad for Toothless as she watched the night Fury sober almost instantly, crouching down to allow his master to climb aboard. Astrid guided her Nadder up into the air, pulling back to let Toothless take the lead. She closed her eyes as the rocketed into the sky, letting the exhilaration of flight take over. Gods, how she loved flying! Even as emotionally stressed as she was, she could still feel the pure bliss overcome her mind as her Nadder soared through a sea of clouds. But even flying put Hiccup on her mind. Ever time she took to the sky, Astrid went back to the night Hiccup had shown her a world where she didn't need to be tough; a world where she could let her walls down and open herself to love for the first time.

It was too much for her. Astrid needed to figure this out now. She banked to the right, landing on top of a rock formation and sliding off her Nadder. Hiccup joined her almost a second later, sending Toothless away. The dragon whined, but reluctantly obeyed. "We need to talk alone," he said to Astrid quietly. She nodded and waved her dragon off before sitting cross-legged and facing the sunset. The view was too romantic for her, and she found herself wishing she had picked a different spot.

Hiccup struggled to sit for a moment, unable to figure out what to do with his leg. Astrid reached a hand up to help him, her anger subsiding for a moment as he grasped it, easing himself to sit next to her. "So..." he started uneasily.

"Why didn't you tell me about you and Ruff?"

"What?" he asked incredulously. "There's nothing between me and Ruff."

Astrid's anger found a release as she punched Hiccup's shoulder with as much strength as she could muster while simultaneously going through an emotional breakdown. This time, there was no follow-up kiss. "Don't lie to me! I've seen how much time the two for you spend together!"

"Astrid, I'm just helping her with her dragon! There's nothing more than that!"

"That's not what she thinks, obviously."

"And why do you care what she thinks, Astrid? You've never cared what others thought!"

"Because you..." she trailed off, looking down. "You do that to me. You create all these feelings that I don't even understand. When we're apart, all I can think about is the next time I'll see you. Even when I'm all alone and I know you're out with Ruffnut, I can still feel your hand in mine. Every little thing puts you on my mind, and when I see you, my heart beats a little faster, my eyes shine a little brighter... my spirits lift a little higher." She sighed, placing her chin on her knees. "I don't know Hiccup. I... I think I love you."

The words slipped out before Astrid could stop them, but she clamped a hand over her own mouth anyways. She began to look about frantically for ran escape route, but she was surrounded by nothing but water. She'd chosen this area to talk to Hiccup so he couldn't run from her (though she doubted he ever would), but now it was stopping her from running from him. Afraid to face his reaction, Astrid turned her head away from Hiccup.

She was surprised, however, when his calloused fingers gently touched her chin, turning her head back around to look into shining emerald eyes "Astrid," he said, his voice firm. "When we're apart, I can't bear to think about how long I'll have to wait until I see you again. When I'm with Ruff, all I'm thinking about is how much better it would be if it were you You never have to be put on my mind because you're always on my mind. My heart beats for you, my eyes shine for you, my spirit soars for you." He paused to take her hand in his and to wipe away the single tear slipping down her cheek. "And I know I love you. Always have, always will. Nothing's gonna change that, Astrid."

She could feel the tears clouding her sapphire blue eyes. "Not even Ruff?" She smiled, already knowing the answer.

Hiccup laughed softly. "Not in a million years," he whispered.

He pressed his lips to hers, for the first time initiating the kiss himself. Astrid closed her eyes, relishing the weight lifted off her shoulders as she threaded her fingers through his silky auburn hair. They pulled apart for the sole reason of regaining their breath, and in that moment Astrid took advantage of the opportunity to swing her fist and make contact with his shoulder.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the now-sore area while giving her a glare.

"That's for making me cry," she said pointedly.

"I'd better get something for everything else," he laughed as he massaged his shoulder.

Astrid smiled before grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him in close to bring their lips together once again.