Symphony of Shadows

31. Hazy

A/N: Plot adjustment and edits

Sweet Freya. Astrid didn't know what had made her kiss Hiccup out in the beautiful meadow. That was a lie; she definitely knew. When he came dashing to save her, a raw rage in his eyes, she had never seen someone as desirable as him. Astrid knew Hiccup wanted to remain hidden from Berk; it was why she hadn't mentioned him to the tribe. Yet, he was willing to risk his anonymity to save her.

Willing to risk his life.

No one had ever been so brave, so selfless for her.

She was always the one who fought and protected others, not the other way around. On the battlefield, she had long made her peace that no one would be coming to save her. No one would be there to shield her from death. That was why she fought with every bone and muscle in her body, because there would never be anyone to fight for her.

Until now.

Hiccup was far from the scrawny klutz she'd come to care for when they were young. He didn't come rushing into the fight foolishly; no, he'd found a weapon and devised a brilliant strategy in mere seconds. That shrill sound must've been from him calling those blasted dragons that seemed to disappear. It was genius, really; Astrid had no idea how he pulled the whole thing off.

The wild look in his eyes sealed her decision. She was done pretending she didn't care or that she wasn't lonely. She liked having someone to rely on, someone that had her back when she could no longer keep fighting.

As much as she had missed the dork who sharpened her axe at the forge, she liked the man who Hiccup had become. He was still kind and gentle but had discovered his own quiet strength, both mentally and physically. He had certainly filled out, and despite his thin figure, it was clearly deceiving because, from what Astrid had observed, he was jacked. She knew he was strong when he had seemingly no problem with carrying around baskets packed with goods without stopping to catch his breath. His deception would be an advantage in battle. It was better to be underestimated than overestimated any day of Thor's week.

This wasn't Astrid's first kiss; that belonged to a passing fisherman's son. It had been quick and sloppy and left her feeling disappointed at the act. Was this what adults were supposed to do? She never felt the urge to do so again, not with Snotlout begging to kiss her for years. It had grossed her out, and she decided that she would not be missing out on much. She had been dead wrong.

At first, Hiccup stilled under her pressed lips, but when she held his jaw with her hand to make it clear she wanted him, he snapped. He kissed her back with the intensity of a wild brush fire, and when he gently traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue, she curiously let him in. Ruffnut had told her about kissing with tongue after her midnight rendezvous with one of the older Vikings, Grenog, but Astrid couldn't understand the appeal.

Now she felt like kicking herself because of the sweet oblivion being caused by Hiccup teasing his tongue over hers, causing her to let out a strangled sound in surprise. He jerked back, much to her dismay, panting hard.
His eyes searched her face in panic.

"Was that too much?"

Astrid couldn't help but blush under his intense gaze and shook her head. She looked down and placed both of her hands in her lap. How could she feel so embarrassed when she was the fiercest warrior of her generation? It shouldn't matter that she was so inexperienced, but to her it did.

"No, no, that was perfect. I'm just not used to that, is all."

She felt him place a hand under her chin and gently turn her face towards him. His eyes were warm, and his touch felt impossibly good.

"We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. Tell me, what do you want, Astrid?"

That was such a complicated yet easy question. She wanted everything. She wanted his little smiles when she made a joke, wanted his caring words that made her heart swell with warmth, and wanted his strong arms around her to tell her everything would be okay.