Let's Give it a Year

Chapter 21

"Are you sure you're okay to go back to work?"

Hiccup watched Astrid walk into the kitchen, her bag over her shoulder and her hair pinned up lazily as she wandered in. She was wearing her normal work attire: a white button-up shirt, a black pencil skirt, a black jacket and black shoes. Sometimes, when she would have to walk for a long time, Hiccup noticed that she wore All-Stars for her feet because they were comfier than high heels.

"Hiccup, I'm fine," Astrid replied with an insistent tone, her eyes glancing over to Hiccup as she retrieved a bowl from the cupboards and a box of cereal, and began making her breakfast.

"Coffee?" Hiccup asked as he gestured to the machine he was stood next to, his back leaned against the counter. Astrid looked up and smiled as their eyes met.

"Please," Astrid smiled happily as she continued to pour her cereal whilst Hiccup poured out a mug of coffee for Astrid.

Walking over to her, Hiccup gave Astrid her hot mug of coffee, with his own in his other hand, and wandered over to the kitchen island and made himself comfy on one of the stools.

"Thanks..." Astrid muttered as she took a sip from the hot mug of coffee cradled in her hands.

Turning his head slightly, Hiccup watched as Astrid smiled behind her coffee cup as a light blush dusted her cheeks and she took another small sip of coffee. The taste was slightly bitter, but the warm liquid was welcome in the early morning as Astrid grabbed her breakfast and sat beside Hiccup on the kitchen island.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Astrid asked jokingly, reaching a hand up to her face in curiosity as she met Hiccup's eye. He chuckled lightly and shook his head in reply.

"No, it's nothing..." Hiccup looked away for a moment, before quickly returning his gaze back to her.

As she sat down beside him, Hiccup was able to admire her features more closely as she tried to focus on her breakfast whilst feeling Hiccup's admiring gaze upon her face. Hiccup wanted to reach out and push back a small strand of hair that had fallen in Astrid's face, but he held himself back knowing that it wasn't his place.

"Okay, seriously if you keep looking at me like that you are going to burn a hole through my skull. What's up?" Astrid asked, slightly aggravated by Hiccup's silence and piercing gaze.

"Are you sure that you're feeling alright to go?" Hiccup asked again, intentionally changing the subject and distracting Astrid from his previous stares, and also knowing that it was going to eat away at him from the inside if he didn't. Astrid sighed and rolled her eyes exasperatedly before giving Hiccup a pointed look.

"I told you, I'm fine. Besides, it was only a fever." Astrid announced confidently with a slight shrug of her shoulders as she continued to eat her cereal. "You can stop worry about me now."

"Well, I'll never stop worrying about you, Astrid. That's just how it is between us." Astrid felt her heart leap at his words. "But I wasn't just talking about your fever." Hiccup sighed as Astrid furrowed her brow and slowed her chewing as she looked over to Hiccup in confusion. "I meant your father. Are you okay still working for him when you know what he's trying to do to my father?"

Astrid froze, her spoon dropping into her bowl and causing a small splash as the milk jumped out of the way of its impact zone. Staring into Hiccup's eyes, she could only see worry and concern as he looked back at her.

"How do you know about that?"

"Astrid, you told me about it. When you were sick, after you came home from work soaking wet from the rain, don't you remember?"