May the Fourth Be With You

A/N: A modern AU to celebrate Star Wars Day because we all know that Hiccup would be a huge Star Wars fan. *NOT a crossover fic.*

5555555555555

Astrid twisted her hair into a long braid down her back and secured it with a hair band. Then, she grabbed the tan sash and tied it around her waist and pulled on a dark brown robe over her white jujitsu uniform. She pulled on her black hiking boots and hooked the toy light saber to her sash before standing back to give herself a once over in the mirror.

"Jedi Knight Astrid Hofferson reporting for duty," she commented as she adjusted the tan sash, moving the knot to her hip. Stormfly, the Pacific Parrotlet that Astrid had received for her 13th birthday, squawked, flew over her head, and landed on a perch beside the bed. Astrid smiled at the bird through the mirror as she brushed her bangs to the side one last time. "Yeah, yeah. I know I need to leave, but honestly, Fishlegs's place is only a couple of blocks away, and everyone knows that Snotlout won't show until half an hour after the party starts."

The bird squawked again and began to preen her feathers. Astrid walked over and stroked the bird. "Keep watch over the place, Stormfly. I'll be back later." Stormfly lightly nipped her finger and went back to preening her wing.

Ten minutes later, Astrid rang the doorbell of Fishlegs's tiny two-bedroom house. Frederick Ingerman was the first of the group of friends to buy a house. He was a botanist, and he insisted that he needed a yard for his plants. He had even enlisted the help of his friends to construct his greenhouse from a kit. It sat in the back corner of the yard. In the eighteen months since he had bought the place, he had transformed the whole yard into a flower and herb garden. He had projects and seedlings in the greenhouse, and he had marked a path through the place with a variety of specially chosen rocks. As it turned out, Fishlegs also liked to dabble in geology and linguistics.

The door was answered by Heather, Fishlegs's girlfriend of three years. She was dressed in the classic Princess Leia costume, complete with cinnamon roll hair buns on either side of her head. "Astrid! I'm so glad you're here. I need your help." Heather tugged on Astrid's white sleeve.

"Whoa! What?" Astrid yelped as she was pulled into the living room and past a life-sized cut-out of Darth Vader that had been in Fishlegs and Hiccup's shared dorm room and later in this very living room – until Heather moved in, that is. She indulged his nerd side in most things, but she had drawn the line at Vader, who had been relegated to the attic.

"It's Fishlegs. He's gotten himself into a tizzy trying to make this party perfect. Anyway, he's trying to get Meatlug into that Chewbacca dog costume, which Meatlug is having no part of, and I've been left to set up the food. I know the twins will be here any minute, and nothing will get done once they arrive." They finally stopped in the kitchen/dining room. A couple of folding tables had been set up along one wall. Heather threw Astrid a packaged Star Wars themed table cloth. "Put that one on that table, would you?"

Astrid pulled open the package and tugged out the white plastic table cloth. "So, Fishlegs is stressed, huh?"

Heather sighed and straightened her table cloth onto the table beside her. "Yes. He wants it to be perfect – for Hiccup, you know?"

Astrid nodded as she tugged the corner of her cloth over the back of the table. "I know, and I'm all for helping him have a fun night to take his mind off things, but I don't know if he's going to be up for a big party."

"That's what I told 'Legs," Heather answered as she lined up the row of alternating BB-8s, C-3POs, and R2-D2s that edged the table cloths. "But he insists. Hiccup is his best friend, and Star Wars Day is Hiccup's favorite non-holiday, apart from National Pancake Day. Anyway, it won't be that big, just the seven of us and a Star Wars original trilogy marathon."

Astrid grabbed a bowl of dipper shaped tortilla chips labeled "Trooper Scoopers." She set it on the table and went back for a casserole dish of "Seven Leia Dip." "Heather, I'm dressed as a Jedi," she deadpanned as she placed the dip on the table.

"No one said you had to be a non-existent Jedi. You could have chosen to be Padmé, Rey, or Jyn Erso," Heather replied as she set a platter of grilled "Han-burgers" and "Roth Dogs" on the table.

Astrid scooted a bowl of candy dipped pretzel sticks labeled "Lightsabers" to the back of the table. "Yes, because all of them are blonde."

"You say that like there are women Jedi," Heather retorted, as she meticulously arranged two bowls of "Edible Ewoks," also known as gummy bears and teddy grahams.

"If I were in the Star Wars galaxy, there would be at least one – me. And seriously, 'Luke Sky-Water?'" Astrid answered as she hefted the jug onto the end of the table so the spout hung off the edge.

Heather smiled and rolled her eyes as she brought over un-labeled burger and hot dog fixings. "You know Fishlegs. He is nothing if not thorough."

Astrid opened her mouth to respond just as the front door burst open and the twins spilled in with their arms laden with bags from the liquor store across town.

"The party has arrived!" shouted Thomas "Tuffnut."

"Yeah, and we've brought ingredients for the Star Wars cocktails," added Rachel "Ruffnut."

The twins dumped their bags onto the recently cleared counter and began pulling out a variety of bottles of alcohol and fruit juices and the heavens only knew what else. Astrid eyed the alcohol warily. "There's only going to be seven of us, you know."

"Yeah, and your point is…" Ruffnut left the statement open as she pulled up a page of cocktail recipes on her phone.

Tuffnut peered over her shoulder. "Ooh! That one, sis! The Kylo Ren."

Ruffnut smirked at her brother and raised an eyebrow. "Starting with the dark side. I like that. Find the blender."

"Wait! What about my blender?" Fishlegs called as he rushed from the back of the house, a grumpy looking Meatlug in a Chewbacca costume at his heels.

"We're making cocktails for your party," Ruffnut answered as she started finding the needed ingredients.

"Yeah, so we need your blender," Tuffnut finished as he pulled his head from a bottom cabinet. "And are you seriously dressed as Han Solo?"

Fishlegs straightened his posture and tugged on the leather jacket he was wearing. "Of course. Heather is Princess Leia, Meatlug is Chewy, and Windshear is the Millennium Falcon-″

"You made your cat the Millennium Falcon?" Astrid asked incredulously.

"I stand by my theory that the Millennium Falcon is more than just a set; it is a character. It is not an insult to Heather's cat to be representing-″

"The Garbage," Ruffnut quoted.

"An iconic piece of American cinematic history and the fastest ship in the galaxy," Fishlegs corrected.

"Who cares about the cat's costume? Where's the blender, Frederick?" Tuffnut insisted, his voice muffled from having nearly entirely crawled into yet another lower cabinet.

"Thomas Thornston! Get out of my cabinet! You're going to mess up the system of organization I have set up in there.

Tuffnut crawled out of the cabinet. "And yet, I still have not been told where to locate your blender."

Heather opened the cabinet beside the refrigerator – an upper cabinet – and pulled out the blender. She passed it to Tuffnut. "Here, Tuff."

Tuffnut bowed, rolling his hand in exaggeration. "Thank you, Princess."

Heather rolled her eyes and went back to arrange the cutlery and napkins. "Who are you two dressed as anyway?" she asked, carefully layering white and black napkins in a fanned-out design at one end of the buffet.

"Jar Jar Binks," both twins answered simultaneously.

"Hey! I'm Jar Jar!" Tuffnut shouted, shoving his sister and knocking blackberries all over the counter in the process. "You're his ugly, forgotten twin sister Rar Rar."

"No, I'm Jar Jar, and you're the idiot brother Tar Tar," Ruffnut growled, twisting Tuff's hand back behind him and smashing a handful of berries on his face.

A knock sounded on the door as it was opened. "Hey, guys. I hope I'm not too late. I got here as fast as I could. I know the time was supposed to be six, but…What is happening here?" Hiccup finally looked up from where he had been making sure his faithful dog Toothless, who was wearing a black cape, had gotten in the door and closing it behind the three-legged black lab.

Astrid strode over to her boyfriend and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "They're trying to make a cocktail called a Kylo Ren while they're arguing about which one of them is Jar Jar Binks."

Hiccup pinched his nose and shook his head. "That's just what the world needs: two drunk Jar Jars."

Astrid laughed and pulled him to the kitchen. "Come on, Luke. Fishlegs has been planning this for weeks and perfecting it all day, and trust me, you've not seen anything until you've seen Seven Leia Dip."

"Do I want to know?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. They reached the kitchen where the twins had settled back into mixing drinks, and Heather and Fishlegs had finished setting up the buffet table. Hiccup's eyes bugged out when he spotted the table. "Wow, 'Legs! You really pulled out all the stops this year. And here I was expecting costumes, cheap carry-out pizza, beer, Coke, and a bowl of M&Ms."

The blender roared for several seconds as Ruffnut started mixing the first part of the Kylo Ren cocktail. Hiccup, dressed in black slacks, black dress shoes, a black button-up, and an emerald green tie, grabbed a couple of chips and filled a paper cup with water.

"So, Mr. Hickory Harrison Haddock III, CEO of Berk Lumber and Paper Processing Company, did you miss the memo that you were supposed to be wearing a costume?" Ruffnut yelled over the blender.

Hiccup set his brief case on the far counter from the twins, pulled out his tablet, and began tapping on the screen while he chewed a chip. The blender stopped, and he swallowed. "I'm Luke from Return Of the Jedi. He wore all black when he faced off against Vader," he answered absently. His eyebrows pursed as he focused on the I-Pad and huffed, tapping more on the screen.

Astrid walked over to him. "Hiccup, it's Star Wars Day. You're at a Star Wars costume party. The work day is done." She spoke quietly as she braided two small tufts of hair behind his ear.

"Those braids are hardly professional, according to the VP of Harpers Printing, anyway. And, about the work day, I know," he answered, his eyes never leaving the tablet. "I just have to send this email to the board. It's stuff about tomorrow's meeting. I promise, I'll put it away and be done for the night after that. I would have done it earlier, but one thing happened, then another and another, and basically Cami wasn't able to get me everything I needed to send it before I had to leave to get here at least before Snotlout. Anyway, it's here now, and…" He pointedly pressed a button on the screen. "…now, it's done." He closed out of the email app and put the tablet to sleep before tucking it back inside his case and bringing out a lightsaber. He smiled at Astrid, removed his tie, and turned back to the rest of the room. "So tell me about these cocktails," he said as he strode over to the twins.

As the twins began to expound on the three recipes they had chosen for the party (the Kylo Ren, the Lightsaber, and the Chewbacca Cocktail), Shawn Leif "Snotlout" Jorgenson walked through the front door as if he owned the place wearing black pants, a blue shirt, black boots, a blue cape, and a blaster holstered at his hip.

Fishlegs frowned. "Ah, don't tell me you're-″

"Lando Calrissian, rich and powerful, debonair, ladies' man of the galaxy. Who else would I be?" Snotlout struck a pose, and Astrid mimed a gag.

"Um…Stormtrooper #53," suggested Tuffnut. Hiccup snorted into his water cup and took a drink to hide his smile. The women all burst into laughter, Fishlegs chuckled, and Snotlout scowled.

"Ha ha, Tuffnut. Very funny." He stopped and took in the twins matching outfits of faded black pants, black sleeveless shirts, brown vests, gray sweaters tied around their waists, and bare feet. "Even if I were a stormtrooper," he continued, "it would be better than whatever you and Ruffnut are."

"They're Gungans," Hiccup hastily supplied, hoping to avoid a repeat of the blackberry episode from earlier.

"Gungans?" Snotlout's blank face said it all.

"Yes, Snotlout, Gungans," Fishlegs answered. "The aquatic alien race that Jar Jar Binks is a part of. They live on Naboo."

Snotlout crowed with laughter. "You mean you both dressed up as that stupid, clumsy galoot with the tongue? Oh…That…That could not be more perfect!" He doubled over, slapping his knee and gasping for air between laughs.

The twins sneered at him. "At least Jar Jar is loyal," Ruffnut retorted.

"Yeah, unlike some money-grubbing gambling con-man we could mention," Tuffnut added in a hard tone.

That shut Snotlout up. He straightened, clenched his fists, his features twisting in fury, and made to step to the twins. In an instant, Hiccup's lightsaber was flipped out and creating a line between the two sides. "Alright, it's nearly seven. The guacamole in the seven-Leia dip is turning brown, and I, for one, am ready to kick some Empire butt, so how about we fix our plates while Fishlegs gets the Blu-Ray going. It's time to start celebrating Star Wars Day."

Snotlout didn't look in the mood to back down, so Astrid pegged him with a raised eyebrow, daring him to mess up the party that the group had worked so hard to organize for Hiccup. They all knew why Fishlegs was making such a big deal of the day this year when normally, it would just be a simple pizza and movie night for any of the group to join while they watched a couple of the films in the franchise, but never was it organized, themed, costumed, decorated, and planned such as this year. Never was the whole group joining in until this year. This year was different, though. Hiccup was only a year and a half out from college graduation. He had spent a year traveling and working on personal projects, and when he was only a week from starting his new job with his father's company, an engineering job created especially for him, his father had been killed, murdered, by an old rival. The man was still at large. Hiccup had been immediately voted into the position of CEO by the company's board, since he was named as Stoick's successor for the company in his will. Everything had been a crash course for him ever since. He had taken over the Haddock estate, the Berk Lumber and Paper Processing Company, and was meeting himself coming and going. He rarely had time to just hang out with his friends, and while he and Astrid were still dating, their relationship had almost paused. She knew that he had been on the verge of proposing but had since been so busy grieving and taking over everything his father left him - which was everything – he hadn't taken that next step with her. When she had lamented about the situation with Heather, her friend had told her that Hiccup had come asking them for advice about proposing just two weeks before his father's untimely death. For the past six months, they had watched Hiccup become stressed, over-worked, depressed, and just plain tired. When he was able to get together with the group, he frequently fell asleep part of the way through the evening, was bombarded with texts, calls, and emails, or just simply had to cancel or leave early to deal with problems and questions.

This night was for him. It was to take his mind off things. It was to make him laugh and smile and stuff himself with junk food and act like the 24-year-old man that he was. The young man with the restored vintage motorcycle that he hadn't been able to properly ride in at least a month. The young man who was ten hours away from getting his piolet's license, who loved paragliding and parachuting. The young man who loved Star Wars and had spent his lonely childhood watching the movies and the animated series, reading the books, and investing most of his allowance in Star Wars paraphernalia. His interests in flying, space, and aircrafts stemmed from his love of the franchise. Once he had learned that Jedi were supposed to have crafted their own lightsabers, he started learning about designing, drafting, creating, and engineering. Having no friends as a kid, no mother, and a largely absent dad had given him copious amounts of alone time. He spent that time with Star Wars and his godfather Gobber, an excellent mechanic who picked up on Hiccup's interest in engineering and taught the boy about engines and machines. This night was about getting that Hiccup back, even if just for the night.

Snotlout, seeing Astrid's pointed stare, took a breath, unclenched his fists, and relaxed his stance. The twins shrugged and turned back to creating a pitcher of their last cocktail. Fishlegs bustled to the TV to get it going, and the others grabbed their plates. Within ten minutes, they were all gathered in the insanely tiny living room, sitting in every spare space, cups and plates scattered on the floor, coffee table, and even the one tiny lamp table stuffed in the corner was holding Tuffnut's three plastic cups filled to the brim with each of his and Ruffnut's alcoholic creations.

Hiccup had eased himself onto the floor, using the coffee table for his plate of food, which was piled surprisingly high. Astrid sat behind him on the couch and laughed at the plate. "Hungry there?"

He slipped off his shoes and socks, shoving them in the corner of the couch and wall. "You have no idea, Milady. I woke up late this morning, so I just grabbed a granola bar as I ran out of the house, and I've been in meetings with investors all day long. I intended to have Cami grab me a sandwich from the deli that she usually goes to lunch at, but she, uncharacteristically, decided to brown bag it today. Besides, my last morning meeting ran long, and I wouldn't have had time to eat a sandwich, even it had been there to be eaten. I did find one of those 100 calorie packs of cookies around two, so basically, I'm running on that thick as tar black coffee that George brews every morning in the break room, and about 200 calories of food."

He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back on the couch beside Astrid's legs. His prosthetic foot glowed dully in the light of the television. The way he tucked a discarded couch pillow under his calf told Astrid that his stump was aching, but she knew he wouldn't take off the leg until after he settled in permanently for the evening, if he took it off at all. She leaned forward just as the Star Wars theme began to come through the surround sound. "Then, you'd better eat up, babe. We can't have you wasting away," she whispered in his ear. He tilted his head up and smirked at her before turning back to read the scrolling words and taking a huge bite of a "Han-burger."

Toothless wandered into the room, followed by Meatlug and Windshear. The lab curled up beside his master, his head in Hiccup's lap, whimpering softly. Hiccup shook his head, but he since he pulled a second clean plate from under his full one and dropped two plain hot dogs on it, Astrid knew he had been expecting the dog to come begging for food. Toothless made short work of the food and then curled contentedly beside Hiccup's thigh and drifted off to sleep.

The crew quietly watched for about a half hour while their mouths were too busy with food, but soon afterwards, the drinking games began. Hiccup, having an important board meeting the next morning that was sure to last through lunch and into the afternoon, declined the drinking game but did indulge in one of the twin's Lightsaber cocktails and even took a sip from Astrid's Kylo Ren. Fishlegs, a rare drinker and therefore a lightweight in spite of his size, was drunk enough from two Chewbacca Cocktails to be reduced to blubbering tears when Obi-Wan was killed by Vader. Heather soothed him by reminding him that Obi-Wan's spirit would live on as a Jedi force-ghost. That calmed him down, and he cheered like he was watching a sporting event when the voice over of Obi-Wan guided Luke in shooting the missile into the weak point of the Death Star.

Between movies, while everyone took turns using the bathroom, Astrid challenged Hiccup to a lightsaber duel. He instinctively frowned at his aching leg for a moment but gamely pulled out his green lightsaber. Astrid, however, knowing his leg was in pain, winked and shook her finger at him. "Uh, ah, ah," she scolded him. "Not with those lightsabers. With these," and she handed him a green candy-dipped pretzel stick.

Hiccup laughed and took the proffered "lightsaber" from her. She sat on the floor across the coffee table from him and wielded her weapon in her right hand. Hiccup gripped his in his left. Heather made bets with the twins on who would win. Tuffnut, in a show of bro-code solidarity, put his money on Hiccup while Heather and Ruffnut put their money on Astrid. Snotlout, hearing the wagers, came barreling out of the bathroom still buttoning his pants and yelling, "I've got ten bucks that says she smashes his lightsaber in 30 seconds."

"Really feeling the support here, guys," Hiccup commented.

"Hey! I've got your back, H." Tuffnut indignantly crossed his arms.

Hiccup locked eyes with Astrid, knowing she would start the duel when he was most distracted. "Yeah, and you once bet that Chicken had the super ability to enlarger herself to being nearly six feet tall and around 250 pounds and that she could pin a grown man to the ground and smack him silly. If my memory serves correct, you lost $100 to Dagur over that wager."

"So, you're saying you're going to lose?" Tuffnut replied.

"I'm saying you are the worst gambler I've ever met, so your bet hardly counts as support," Hiccup corrected as Astrid struck out at his pretzel. He dodged and swiped back, chipping off the tip of her blue lightsaber, but not enough to end the duel.

Astrid was quick, rapping his knuckles and jabbing at his pretzel, nicking it enough to knock the salt off the handle. "Come on, Haddock! You aren't even trying!" she goaded.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah? Then, watch this Hofferson!" He feinted a swipe at the middle of her pretzel but finished with a bull's eye jab at the base, breaking the snack just below the candy dip line. "Ha ha! How's that for not trying? Never underestimate the power of the Force, Padawan."

Ruff, Heather, and Snotlout groaned in disappointment while Tuff puffed up and gloated his success. "Who's the worst gambler, now?" he demanded as he accepted his winnings from Fishlegs who had been entrusted with the cache.

Astrid eyed Hiccup. "A Padawan, am I?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "I have been learning the ways of the Force since I was a youngling, and you have only been practicing for a couple of years. You've a long way to go yet before you are a Master, such as myself."

Astrid stood, walked around the table, leaned over, kissed his cheek and bit the end off of Hiccup's pretzel before helping him stand. He leaned on her as he limped to the hallway to stand and wait for his turn in the bathroom. The others were behind the wall in the living room arguing over cups, changing movie discs, dancing with cut-out Darth Vader, and just being their oblivious selves. Astrid, instead of going to the restroom, however, wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. "I think we both know that my master skills lie in areas apart from pretzel lightsaber fights," she whispered.

Hiccup's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him in the shadowy hall. "Mmm…There's no arguing that, Milady," he responded. Then, conversation ceased as their mouths were otherwise occupied. Astrid tasted like blackberries, cherries, and a bitter hint of tequila. The kiss was not nearly long enough, but it was thorough, slow, sweet, and promising.

Astrid rested her head on his shoulder, her fingers twirling in his hair. "Two more movies to go, Master Jedi," she whispered, followed by a kiss on his jaw.

Hiccup closed his eyes and sighed regretfully, ghosting a kiss to the corner of her mouth as he rubbed the bit of skin at her waist he had managed to excavate under the thick jujitsu jacket and thin t-shirt she wore under that. "Then, we should hurry to finish this break. They aren't the most patient people," he whispered.

Astrid breathed a laugh but pulled away from him and headed into the bathroom, her fingers skimming across his chest, causing his breath to hitch, as she walked through the door. Hiccup heard the opening music begin as the door latched shut.

The couple returned to the movie just in time to see Han shove a half-frozen Luke in a tauntaun and to discover that during the intermission, the twins had pulled out an intense drinking game list for The Empire Strikes Back, and suffice it to say, they and Snotlout were all plastered by the time Luke jettisoned away from Dagobah. In fact, Snotlout was drunk so fast, he deemed it wise to compare Leia kissing Luke to Hiccup and Astrid kissing, asking, "Have you eve'a wondered if Astrid is yur long-lost sister while kissin' her, Hiccup? Woodn't tha' be weird?"

Astrid groaned and snuggled closer to Hiccup. Hiccup, still able to taste Astrid on his lips from earlier, rolled his eyes and made a face at the thought. "Uh…No, I can't say that that disturbing thought has ever crossed my mind, Snotlout. Thanks for planting it."

"No pro'lem, muh man! I help. Iss what I do," he slurred, his tone suggesting that Snotlout thought he was making some grand proclamation as opposed to a mostly bald-faced lie.

Tuffnut, never one known for his smarts and currently in possession of a blood alcohol content that was possibly combustible, swayed to look at his sister. "Hey, Butt-elf! Did'ja ever wanna lock lips with me?"

Ruffnut, slightly less inebriated than Tuffnut, cut her eyes to her brother and glared at him. "I wouldn't give you CPR, let alone kiss you, yak-brain! Now, shut-up and watch the giant robot yaks get beat up by a trip wire!"

"Harsh, sis. Harsh," was Tuff's only response as he turned back to cheer on the Rebel Forces as they fought off the Empire in the snow.

Hiccup gave up the fight with his leg when Luke gave up the fight against the cave. He removed the prosthetic, stretched out completely on the floor, tucked two couch pillows under his stump to elevate it, and put his hands behind his head. Astrid followed him, cuddling up to him, resting her head on his shoulder and throwing a leg over right one. Luke's cry of "NO!" upon learning that Vader was his father startled the animals out of their sleep and sent Snotlout into tears of sympathy for the young Jedi. In contrast, both dogs barked, and Windshear hissed at the screen until Hiccup and Heather were able to shush them. Toothless, however, did not trust the movie to not disturb his rest, again, and laid awake eyeing the offending screen for the duration of the film. Astrid, giggly with her light buzz, laughed and patted the dog's head on her way to the bathroom after the movie. Fishlegs was drooping when Han was frozen in carbonite and completely out when the credits started to roll.

Heather tossed back the last of her glass of straight whiskey before looking around the room. "Well, do we go for the third movie or wait for another night?"

Hiccup looked around the room. Astrid was using the facilities. Fishlegs was drooling on the couch cushions. Snotlout and Tuffnut were huddled together mumbling back and forth as if trying to console each other over the rather bleak ending of the movie, and Ruffnut was stroking Windshear, her bloodshot eyes gazing blankly at the demolished buffet. It was around 11:30, and Hiccup had a board meeting at ten in the morning. Not to mention, Astrid, girls' head basketball coach and health teacher, had to be at Berk High School at seven-thirty. "I think we should take a raincheck on the last one, Heather," he finally answered.

Heather glanced around the room, too. "Yeah, you're probably right." She stood and stretched then started gathering trash from around the room.

Hiccup pulled his leg, socks, and shoes from the corner as Astrid came back into the room, her face freshly scrubbed. "Feeling better?" he asked as he latched his leg to his stump.

She smiled. "Yeah, but I should not have had that last cocktail. That first period freshman health class is going to be a killer."

Hiccup tugged on his shoes and worked around to lever himself to his feet. Astrid raised up faster than he did and steadied him as he put pressure on his stiff leg. "Thanks," he offered quietly.

"Always, Hiccup," she answered.

The movement in the room brought Ruffnut out of her daze and the other two boys looked blearily around at the others. Heather stumbled past Hiccup and tapped Fishlegs on the cheek as she reached over him to grab more plates, and he raised his head off the back of the couch, his cheeks still red from the alcohol. He looked cross-eyed at Hiccup and asked, "Did'ja beat up the empererer?" Astrid and Ruff started putting away the bit of food that was still out and packing away the remaining alcohol and cocktail ingredients. Astrid giggled as she popped a couple of stray blackberries in her mouth, and Ruffnut chugged the last bit of the Lightsaber cocktail. She unknowingly drug one of her braids across the empty but still dirty seven Leia dip casserole dish. Tuff staggered to his feet, and attempted to pull Snotlout up with him. He failed, crashing instead back into Snotlout's bulk who whined a protest. Hiccup, still standing in the middle of the room, watched his inebriated friends with mounting amusement. When Tuffnut fell onto Snotlout, however, Hiccup burst into gales of laughter, and everyone turned to look at him.

He lost all control in seconds and started laughing so hard that he had to sit down on the coffee table and was shaking his head, fanning his face, and trying to breathe. Fishlegs, despite the drunken haze around his brain, caught Astrid's eye across the room and smiled brightly. Snotlout nudged Tuffnut who blinked at the sight of Hiccup overcome with laughter at his drunken friends. Ruffnut and Heather leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, eyes sparkling, and knowing that all the work they had put into the party was worth it. For one night, Hiccup hadn't had to deal with a barrage of work communications. He had eaten a hearty meal, literally taken a load off, relaxed, watched movies, drunk a little, played a stupid game, made out with his girlfriend in a dark hallway, and for the first time in over six months had laughed until he cried and couldn't breathe. It was the first real sight of the old Hiccup the group had spotted in half a year, and it was…beautiful.

Astrid had tears in her eyes. He was still there, buried in new duties, stressed, grief-stricken, and over-worked, but her Hiccup was still there. They just had to work a little to bring him back out.

Hiccup gasped. "You…You guys…Oh my…'Legs, man, you…you can't hold your liquor…'Snot, Tuff…dudes…For the love of…Just crash here…honestly…You two can't even stand…Ruff, what did…What did you put in those cocktails, woman? I can't breath…but I don't even care…Can't remember when I last laughed like this…or at all…" His laughter died down, and he panted for breath and stood up, again, still smiling from ear to ear. "Seriously, guys, this has been the best night I've had in…Well, in a while. Thanks. Really, I mean it. I know things have been crazy, and I've just not…Just not been around much, but all of you…You're my family. You're all I've got left. Thank you – all of you."

Instantly, he was rushed and crushed in a massive, drunken group hug that was way too sweaty and smelled enough of alcohol to make his head swim, but he smiled and embraced it, in a manner of speaking since his arms were pinned to his sides by Tuffnut and Snotlout.

"Oh, Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "I'm so glad it worked! We were trying to help you. You've been so sad, and now you're so happy! I knew Star Wars Day would make you happy. May the Fourth be with you, Hiccup!"

The group began to peel away. Hiccup managed to wiggle free of Tuff and Snotlout, who fell into a hug with each other, which Ruffnut took upon herself to separate. Hiccup clapped Fishlegs on the shoulder. "May the Fourth be with you, too, 'Legs."

A slug to the shoulder had Hiccup whipping his head around to his girlfriend. "Why would you do that?" he whined with a smile still plastered to his face.

She sniffed but smiled at him. "I was afraid that you – this happy, relaxed you – were gone forever, so that was for scaring me, and this-″

"And this," Hiccup swiftly interrupted as he grabbed her hand and eased himself onto one knee before her. "This is because I love you, Astrid. I planned to ask…months ago, but then everything…everything happened, and I got busy and overwhelmed, and some days, I've struggled to even recognize myself. My emotions, my plans, my thoughts have all been scattered to the wind, and I've been grasping at anything and everything ever since. But you, Astrid, you've been there. You've been my rock, my anchor. You are the love of my life, Milady, and I would be honored and oh so humbled, if you would do me the pleasure in becoming my wife." He locked gazes with her and opened his other hand to reveal an intricately carved white gold diamond and sapphire ring. "Astrid Lexi Hofferson, will you marry me?"

Astrid's breath caught in her throat. The room was silent, even the drunken Shawn Leif and Thomas knew to shut up. Hiccup had thrown them, again. Despite all their careful planning to make the night perfect for him, he had managed to find a way to make it even better. She vaguely wondered if he had planned it or if the moment had just felt right to him; she suspected the latter. She felt her lips curving into a smile, her free hand flew up to her chest, and oddly, her eyes caught sight of Hiccup's bad leg tremor against the floor. She immediately reached down and pulled him up and into a fierce kiss. "Yes! Skies above, yes, Hiccup! I would love to marry you."

He pulled back with a laugh. Their friends cheered and laughed and closed them into another group hug as Hiccup slipped the ring onto her finger and pressed a passionate kiss to her mouth, pulling her tight to him in the middle of the cacophony and crushing celebration of the others. When they parted for air, she gazed at the ring for a moment before shifting her eyes to him. "It's gorgeous."

"I designed it especially for a gorgeous lady," he replied.

"You designed it?" Astrid was stunned.

Hiccup smiled even broader and nodded. "Uh-hmm…It's one of a kind and made just for you."

Astrid was felt like she would never be able to wipe the smile off her face. "You're something else, Hickory Haddock."

His eyes twinkled with mischief. "So I've been told."

"Now, I guess we're going to have to set a date and get to planning," she stated, looking back at the ring.

The others had finally pulled away from the group hug, but they were still loudly celebrating around the room. From the sound of things, they had brought the drinks back out and were toasting the newly engaged couple, but Astrid only had attention for Hiccup who had started leading her in a swaying sort-of dance. "I have a date in mind," he spoke in her ear.

"Oh, do you, sir? And what date would you have us marry?"

"May fourth, one year from today."

She stopped swaying and pulled back to look at him. She laughed and shook her head at the hopeful look on his face. Then, she leaned back into his embrace and began to sway, again. "Well, my Jedi Master, it would seem that the 'Fourth' is with you. I'll meet you at the altar, one year from today."

He lightly kissed her just behind her earlobe. "It's a date, Milady."

55555555555555

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or HTTYD. I wouldn't have a mortgage or credit card payment if I did.

A/N: I'm a bit late on finishing and posting this, but oh well. I didn't expect this to turn into a proposal fic when I started it. Actually, I thought it would take a much more angst-y turn, but I'm good with some fluff, too.

This is my first modern AU in any of fandoms I've written in. I hope I did it justice. I am a bit of a Star Wars buff, so May 4th is a fun day for me, and I like to think that if Hiccup were a part of the modern world, he would be a big fan, too.

May the Fourth be with you.