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As everyone was waiting for the ice to set in, the village gradually returned to normal. They were still on guard however, for any signs of the Outcasts or Drago's forces, but they were in pretty high spirits. It was almost like Hiccup never left as he started to integrate himself back into the village, in some ways. He would occasionally work with Gobber in the forge, offer to patrol the island, resuming his classes in the Dragon Academy, and even starting a new sport called Dragon Racing which replaced the annual Regatta.

Stoick was happy that Hiccup is warming up to everyone again. He would even sleep in his old room occasionally and they would often eat breakfast together, Hiccup sometimes even cooked for him. He felt like they were a family again.

Also, Hiccup and Astrid were getting closer to each other. While they weren't officially a thing yet, everyone in the village could see how much they were infatuated with each other. They would spend almost all of their free time with each other and everyone even noticed that Astrid was changing as Hiccup was bringing out a warm side of her.

But much to Astrid's annoyance, several tribes have heard of the return of the Chief of Berk's only son and many of them have sent over female suitors, in the hopes of marrying him. Of course, with Hiccup being an adult and using the right words, he wasn't forced into a marriage. If any of the females were persistent, Hiccup would politely, but firmly turn them down. That, or they were scared away by Astrid's menacing glare, while she held her axe.

At first, Astrid was nervous and she felt threatened by the numerous females flocking over to Hiccup, now, not so much. After addressing her concerns to him, Hiccup made it abundantly clear that he liked her alone. When they were alone, the two would sometimes talk, cuddle with each other, or even make out. Though Hiccup wanted to make their relationship official, he didn't want to try his luck. He was content with slowly building up their relationship.

Currently, Astrid and her friends were at their usual table in the Great Hall. She was eating her food and talking to her friends as she waited for Hiccup. Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened and she turned to see Hiccup entering. He was oddly carrying a basket with him and she was curious as to what was in it. Astrid half-expected him to make a beeline towards their table, but instead, he went over to the table where his father was seated.

As Hiccup walked up to his table, Stoick noticed him and smiled. Coming up to his side, he greeted him. "Well, hello son," Stoick said warmly.

"Hey, Dad." Hiccup smiled back at him. "I made something for you." He said before opening the basket and pulling out a covered plate of food. He set it down in front of him and removed the cloth to reveal several pastries that were shaped like a semi-circle. "This is a type of food from England called Apple tart." He explained. "I got some apples from Trader Johann awhile back."

Stoick looked down at the foreign food before shrugging and taking one of them in his hand. He lifted it to his mouth and took a bite. It was good, very good. "Mmmm. Why thank you, Hiccup. This is some good stuff." He told him with a smile before taking another bite.

"Thanks, Dad." Hiccup said in appreciation. With a smile, he headed to seat with Astrid and the other Riders. Stoick watched him go with a smile. Suddenly, he noticed a hand reaching out for his plate. Turning to his left, he saw Gobber reaching out to grab one. With a shove, he glared at Gobber. "Get yer own." He muttered before grabbing another tart and taking a bite.

When Hiccup reached his friends, he smiled at them and greeted them before taking a seat next to Astrid. They greeted him back and watched as he started to simply empty the contents of the basket. He pulled out a large covered ceramic bowl and a plate full of those strange pastries.

"What's that, Hiccup?" Astrid curiously asked.

He turned to him and smiled, holding up the plate for her. "They're apple tarts. Try one." He said, offering her one. She smiled and took one before taking a bite out of it.

She tasted it and liked it. "Hiccup... these are great." She told him with a smile. Hiccup smiled shyly at her.

"Care if I try one?" Eret asked.

Hiccup turned to the others and smiled. "Sure, here you go." He said sliding the plate towards them. They all took an apple tart and give it a bite. Their faces lit up, they all loved it. They praised Hiccup on his cooking skills and thanked him. Hiccup accepted their thanks and took one for himself. Enjoying one of his favorite foods, he couldn't help but think about England. He would often enjoy a tart with his English mentor or some of the higher-ups in the King's Court. He missed all of them, but Berk was beginning to feel like home. One where people wanted him around and it filled his heart with a sense of warmth and welcome.

Finishing his apple tarts, he reached for the ceramic bowl and removed the top. In it, was a steaming bowl of one of his other favorite foods. The others looked into the bowl and saw that it was some kind of sauce. The curiously watched as Hiccup reached into the basket and pulled out some silverware and a piece of cloth that he tucked around his neck. Then he dipped the silverware into the bowl. When he pulled the spoon out, there was some kind of meat covered in an orange-ish sauce. Hiccup blew on it before bringing it up to his mouth and taking a bite of it. His face formed into one of pure delight as he seemed to enjoy the dish. He then eagerly dug into the bowl again for some more.

"What's that Hiccup?" Astrid asked, pointing to the bowl.

Hiccup paused in his eating and turned to smile at her. "It's called Chicken tikka masala. It's a delicious dish that's made in India but adopted by the British. They use chunks of roasted chicken and used this spiced curry sauce." Hiccup explained. He paused to eat some more before continuing. "It's really good." He added.

Astrid looked into the bowl that Hiccup was enjoying and became curious. "Can I have some?" She asked.

Hiccup smiled and the bowl was brought between them and he moved closer to her. "Sure, we can share." He said.

Astrid smiled and grabbed his spoon. Dipping it, she managed to get some before bringing it up to her mouth. Blowing on it, she then ate it, it was tasty. She could taste the chicken covered in the unknown spices that are in the sauce. She smiled warmly at Hiccup before they both started to dig in. As they enjoyed the dish, the other Riders started to talk amongst themselves.

Fishlegs was going on about the upcoming dragon migration, remembering that Hiccup told them about that during one of their early lessons. Hiccup was always aware of the migrations, having traveled just barely into the Archipelago for a few weeks after what happened in Spain. They stumbled upon a massive flock and followed them to the island where they had their offsprings.

Snotlout piped in and talked about how some of the children were begging him to give them some of Hookfang's offspring when the dragons returned.

Eret was bringing up the fact that he was nervous about the upcoming dragon training. As Eret was one of the newest members in the Academy, since he trained a Rumblehorn he named Skullcrusher. Apparently, the day Hiccup returned from Outcast Island is when the Rumblehorn was found sleeping, inside of the Dragon Academy.

As the others spoke, Hiccup and Astrid listened as they continued their meal. Unbeknownst to them, both of them were slowly scooting closer to each other, not wanting to draw the attention of the other. They kept this up until they realized that their shoulders were pressed up against each other. With wide eyes, they stared at each other as their faces turned crimson. They instantly scooted away from each other and looked away shyly while mumbling apologies under their breaths.

The others chuckled and rolled their eyes. They didn't understand why they're not together yet. It's obvious, that they have a thing for each other.

Astrid looked at Hiccup out of the corner of her eyes and the corner of her mouth slowly formed into a small smile. She liked Hiccup a lot. As much as Astrid liked him, she wanted to wait until Hiccup had her heart, and he was getting there, it was only a matter of time. The thought both excited and terrified her. Feeling bold, Astrid quickly leaned over and planted a kiss on Hiccup's cheek.

Hiccup's head shot up and his eyes went wide as he felt Astrid's lips on his cheek. Astrid had never kissed him in public before, besides that one night they had dinner. She would usually lead Hiccup somewhere private beforehand. Hiccup looked over at Astrid and saw a smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile back.

Astrid giggled at his look of adoration. The others either gagged or groaned. They couldn't understand why they haven't told each other 'I love you' yet. Hiccup and Astrid were practically a couple.

Astrid continued to smile at him before she reached for his spoon to continue to eat the chicken tikka when Hiccup suddenly pulled the bowl away from her.

"Mine." He said playfully.

"Aw, come on Hiccup, don't be greedy." She chastised him, but Hiccup only stuck his tongue out at her. She tried to reach over and get into the bowl, but Hiccup blocked her with his arms.

"Mine." Hiccup said again before starting to dig in as fast as he could as Astrid tried to get some more.

All around the Great Hall, everyone laughed and shook their heads as they watched the Chief's son and Astrid. 'Practically a couple' they all thought to themselves.

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A few days later, the weather on Berk was relatively warm, especially since the ice was due to set in about a week before Snoggletog. Hiccup awake to the pleasant sunny day. Getting up, he got ready for the day. Toothless curiously watched him as he got ready and huffed at him.

"Sorry, Toothless, we'll fly later today." He told him. The Night Fury grumbled a little bit but settled down. He understood that sometimes, Hiccup wanted time to himself. After checking himself over, he nodded in satisfaction. With that, he turned and walked over to Toothless, hugging the dragon before exiting the room and going down the stairs. With the window open, Toothless would be able to go about his business when he's ready.

"Have fun with your mate." Toothless thought in a smug manner.

Exiting his house, Hiccup made his way through the village in search of Astrid. As he went about his business, some of the women and girls turned their heads as he passed by. Hiccup had grown into quite the man. Before, they only looked at him with annoyance and disdain. Now, he was quite appealing. But Hiccup was indifferent to their looks. The only person who mattered was Astrid's.

As he searched for Astrid, someone informed him that the Riders were down at one of the beaches on the west side of the island. After thanking the villager, he headed there himself.

When he arrived at the beach, Hiccup saw that his friends were swimming and their dragons were sunbathing themselves. As he drew closer, the dragons noticed him and turned to greet him. They rumbled, purred, and squawked in return and Hiccup smiled back in acknowledgment. He carelessly, took off his hat, letting drop on the soft sand and his coat followed suit.

"Today's going to be a good day." Was all Hiccup could think.

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At the same time, Astrid was rushing over to the beach where the Riders were at. She didn't understand why they were swimming, especially during the colder months, but if Hiccup was there, she wasn't about to complain.

As she got to the beach, she could already see the shapes of her friends and their dragons in the distance. As she walked over to them, all of the dragons were sitting on the shore, simply relaxing. Stormfly then squawked, bumping her stomach with his snout for some attention which she obliged by scratching her under the chin.

"Hey, Astrid." She heard Hiccup calling out. Astrid turned to look at him, she froze on the spot and her breath was caught in her throat.

Hiccup was only wearing knee-length trousers, with no shirt on. The world around her seemed to slow down as he rose out of the water. She stared at his bare, scarred tattooed chest as he came towards her. His hair was thrown back and out of his face and the sun was hitting it, making it sparkle as if it was gold. The muscles in his arms tensed and relaxed as he looked like a god.

"Oh, my Thor and everything in between." Was the main thought running through Astrid's head.

When he finally reached her, Astrid released a dreamy sigh and a goofy grin was plastered on her face. She didn't register his question as he asked her something. She only continued to stare at him in utter womanly adoration.

"Astrid?" He said again to get her attention.

Finally, snapping herself out of her stupor, she cleared her throat and stood up straight. Looking at him in the eyes, she smiled back. "Hey, Hiccup. Nice day, isn't it?" She said trying to sound casual.

"Yep." Hiccup answered.

"I still don't understand why you guys are swimming. Isn't it cold?" She asked.

"Clearly, you've never been to England then." Hiccup stated with a chuckle. "The winters there are so cold that even the frostbites get frostbitten. But it'll be even colder once the ice sets in, then it will be impossible to go swimming." He explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh right." She said in embarrassment. Personally, Astrid didn't swim as much as everyone else, even during the warmer months. Still, it confused her as to why they would swim when the ice is about to set in as she never swam during the colder months.

"Coming in?" Hiccup gestured to the water.

Again, the thoughts popped into Astrid's mind. It's not the fact that she can't swim or that she's a weak swimmer, as she can swim decently well, it's simply the fact that she has never really swum during the colder months. This seemingly drastic change from the usually warmer waters to the cold felt almost foreign to her.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at Astrid's hesitation. "If you want to stay with the dragons, that's fine." He said with a shrug. His face then broke into a mischievous grin.

But before Astrid could object, she raised her head just in time to see Hiccup reaching out to grab her and throwing her over his shoulder. Astrid was too surprised to even react. Then he started walking towards the water.

"Hiccup put me down!" She yelled as she flailed her legs in an attempt to break free.

"Oh, you're going down alright. Down to the drink!" Hiccup said with a laugh.

"Hiccup Haddock, I swear if you put me in that water, you're going to get it," Astrid warned him as she pounded her fists against his back. She couldn't do much and Hiccup wasn't bothered by it. She shrieked as Hiccup charged into the water before throwing Astrid off her shoulder and down into the water. Astrid screamed at the temperature of the water. It was freezing! Breaking the surface, the water was up to her waist and she was soaked. The others laughed and Astrid gave them all her signature death glare. Then she turned her gaze to Hiccup who was still smiling to himself.

Astrid instantly charged at him and jumped on him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down into the water. Hiccup broke the surface a moment later and laughed at her. "Are you trying to drown me, Astrid?"

"You're getting now, Hiccup. I'm going to kill you, die!" She angrily told him. Hiccup just continued to laugh. Shaking himself free, he got away from her and started to swim away. Astrid immediately jumped and went after him. "Get back here Hiccup!" She shouted as she swam after Hiccup with murder in her eyes.

After nearly an hour of attempting to drown him, Astrid had given up her pursuit. As she started to make her way towards the village Hiccup was following her in an attempt to appease her.

"Oh, come on Astrid, it wasn't all that bad, now was it?" Hiccup chuckled as he followed her.

Truthfully, Astrid didn't know if she should be shocked beyond belief or try to chase Hiccup with her axe all around the island.

Even Hiccup was slightly starting to feel the sense of dread upon him, as he didn't want to be chased by Astrid's axe. Although, the thought did bring a slight smile out of him. She was more than welcomed to try. Still, wanting to avoid unnecessary conflict, Hiccup suddenly grabbed Astrid by the wrist. When she didn't try to punch him off, Hiccup took that as a good sign.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay." Hiccup said honestly. "Maybe what I did was a tad rash. If anything else, think of this as an opportunity to get even with me."

Unknown to Hiccup, a smug grin was slowly forming on Astrid's face, a chance to even the score then, better, Hiccup even offered. Oh, she was going to have fun with this. There's no way in Hel she's letting this opportunity slip away.

Astrid turned to face Hiccup; she then tapped her chin in thought. "You wanna make out?" She asked.

Hiccup's eyes widened in surprise at Astrid's bluntness. He thought she was joking. "Ha, good one Astrid." Hiccup said with a laugh, but when he searched Astrid's face, he saw that she wasn't lying.

"Okay, suit yourself then," Astrid said with a playful smile and a shrug. Then she turned around and started to walk back to the village.

As Hiccup watched her go, it then suddenly clicked in his mind. "Wait... she meant it, didn't she? The clever deviant." He then started to run after her. "Wait, Astrid! Astrid!"

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Original date published: October 23, 2019

Date revised: ?????