Don't leave me

Chapter 5: Don't leave me

Hiccup's POV

I stood outside Astrid's door in the early hours of the morning.

Parchment in one hand and a dagger in the other.

I took a deep breath as I pinned the parchment to the door with the dagger. I stared at the parchment for a second, reading through what I had written as my eyes began to sting.

I pressed my palm against the door before taking another deep breath. It was time to go.

When I showed up at the docks, it seemed as if the whole village had gotten up early just to see me off.

A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as my people wished me good luck and a safe voyage, but the smile quickly faltered as soon as I realized who was missing.

I said my goodbyes to my friends and my mother, promising them that I would make it back alive and wiser.

I turned to Toothless, who was watching me with confusion.

I felt my eyes burning again as I placed my hands under Toothless' chin. "Hey, Bud. I'll be going away for a long time now, and I'm unfortunately not allowed to bring you with me,"

Toothless let out a sad coo as he nuzzled his head up against me.

"But don't worry, bud, mom will take care of you. And when I return, I promise that we'll spend a bunch of time together, does that sound good?" The dragon let out another sad coo. "I'll miss you too, bud"

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a big hug before attempting to walk away, only to be stopped by Toothless teeth sinking into my pants.

"I'm sorry bud, but I have to go. Now, if you could please let go of my pants?" The dragon let me go as the sad look from before returned on his face, tearing my heart into pieces as I made my way towards the ship.

I stopped at the boarding ramp, allowing myself to scan the crowd one last time for Astrid, but she wasn't there. I felt my heart constrict at the thought of her not even showing up to see me off.

"Chief, it's time to go" The captain of the ship informed me.

I replied with a sharp nod before turning to wave at my friends and family.

I was about to step onto the ship when the sound of my name being called stopped me in my tracks. I whipped my head towards the source of the voice.

"Hiccup, wait!" A familiar blonde yelled as she pushed her way through the crowd, running towards me at top speed.

I stepped down from the boarding ramp so that I could catch her as she ran straight into my arms.

"I'm so sorry for overreacting the other day, Hiccup" She said as she buried her nose in the crook of my neck. "Don't leave me"

I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as I kissed the side of her head. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"

She stood up straight and locked her gaze onto mine. "For someone who never thought they would be anything like their father, you sure do sound a lot like him"

I let out a chuckle as my thumb stroked her cheek. "I thought this was supposed to be a sentimental moment?"

A small smile danced across her lips. "It most certainly is"

I gazed into her eyes and was able to see all the sadness that hid beneath the surface. "I love you"

Another smile spread across her face as tears began forming along her waterline.

I cupped her cheeks as I pressed a soft kiss against her lips, which only grew more passionate with each breath. It was like the world around us disappeared. No Berk, no people, no ship waiting to carry me far far away from the love of my life.

The captain cleared his throat, and I was reminded of why I was there in the first place. I broke up the kiss, but I didn't let go of her cheeks.

"When I get back, I'll never leave you again" I whispered to her.

Her hands wrapped around my wrists as our foreheads touched. "You promise?"

"I promise" I pressed my lips against hers one last time before taking a step back and boarding the ship.

I waved at all the people and dragons of Berk as the boat sailed away from the place I called home, and I continued waving until Berk was just another dot on the horizon.

Astrid's POV

I waved at Hiccup as he sailed away, I waved until he was long out of sight and my heart had almost sunken to my stomach.

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders. I glanced over at Ruffnut and was met by nothing but silence, which I found to be very comforting.

I wrinkled my nose as I dug through one of the small satchels by my waist, pulling out the note I had found on my door that morning. My fingers traced the writing.

^^^
Dear Astrid,
I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that I was leaving before I announced it to the village. I was nervous the entire day leading up to that evening and that led me to forget to tell you about it.

Once again, I'm sorry, and I understand if you no longer wish for the two of us to be in a relationship.

But regardless of that, I want you to know that I'll always love you more than anything else, and I'll miss you from the second I leave until the second I see you again.

I love you, Astrid Hofferson.

Sincerely yours,

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
^^^

I felt my eyes burning as my throat clogged.

Ruffnut followed me home, somehow managing to stay silent the entire walk, something that surprised me, seeing as the Thorston twins aren't exactly known for being silent.

After being escorted home by Ruffnut, I decided to do the one thing that always got my mind off everything else in my life, sharpening my axe.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I opened it, brows furrowed and axe in hand as my eyes were met by the sight of Eret's chest.

I looked him up and down in confusion. "Eret? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take care of you, make sure you don't do anything stupid" He replied with a smile.

I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head and sighing in defeat. "Very well then, come on in"