The Night Rider: Book Two

Chapter 18: A Flight to a Fight

Hiccup/Night Rider POV.
Three days later

Hiccup was pacing anxiously outside of the door to Astrid's hut. Toothless was by his side staring at him impatiently although Hiccup couldn't blame him, he'd made the dragon wait around what felt like twenty minutes for something that should have taken one.

He hadn't thought that asking Astrid to go on a flight with him would have been so difficult. Before he had flown over to her hut he had practiced it numerous times at his father's home.

'Astrid, would you like to go on a flight with me?' Simple, easy. Or so he had thought it would be.

Several Viking's had walked past him and after noticing his pacing had given him curious looks. A small child had even caused a small scene by imitating his anxious movements which had made several people laugh and of course, didn't make this any easier.

"Hello Astrid." Hiccup rehearsed silently, "Would you like to join me for a flight?" Yeah, that would work. Right? What if she said no? What if she turned his offer down? Although, why would she? They'd kissed several times surely a flight wouldn't be something she'd object to. It wasn't even romantic. Hiccup remembered when he and Astrid had been riding on Toothless when Astrid hadn't known he was the Night Rider. She had been pressed up so closely to his chest, he had felt the heat from her skin even with his armor on. Hiccup smiled at the memory and got a warm and cosy feeling in his chest from thinking about it.

Hiccup looked up towards the glistening blue sky above Berk. It was a surprisingly nice day. If Astrid did say yes, the view from the flight would be amazing.

Hiccup nervously raised one of his hands up to Astrid's door and prepared to knock. As he was moving his trembling fist towards the door to knock the worst possible thing happened. Astrid opened the door, and Hiccup lightly knocked once on her forehead.

"Hiccup!" She exclaimed in a surprised and shocked voice. Taking a step back into her house and rubbing her forehead where he had accidentally hit her.

"Astrid! I'm so sorry!" Hiccup rambled as Toothless laughed beside him. He shot his dragon a look, hoping his bud would stop, but it only seemed to make the dragon laugh harder.

"It's fine." Astrid said with a smile, quietly joining Toothless in his laughing. She slowly brushed a stray golden hair out of eyeline and revealed her face more. Hiccup felt his heart flutter in his chest. Almost like it had grown a pair of dragon wings and was trying its best to fly away.

Hiccup smiled awkwardly. If there was a worst case scenario for how this could have gone. This was it. Unless Snotlout had walked out and told him that he and Astrid were getting married. That would have been worse. "Astrid, would you like to go on a flight with me?" He blurted out so quick he couldn't be sure if she could understand him.

Astrid smiled sweetly and their eyes locked which made his heart flutter. "I'd love to." She said.

Astrid walked out of her house, partially brushing up against Hiccup making him shudder. He was glad she hadn't seen that. Sadly, Toothless had and it made the dragon laugh again.

Astrid whistled and Stormfly flew down from the sky and landed beside Astrid.

"It's amazing how closely bonded you two are." He said.

"We're so similar how could we not be." She replied stroking her dragons' scales. "So, where are we flying to?" She asked mounting Stormfly's saddle.

"Nowhere in particular." Hiccup replied mounting up on Toothless. "Just the sky." He said with a grin which made Astrid smile, which made him blush. He darted his face in a different direction.