Life on Berk

Memories

Summary: After the events of Gift of the Night Fury, Hiccup and Astrid talk about what happened on Berk while he was gone, bringing up some memories in the process. Fortunately, friends he can count on are always there for him.

Takes place after GotNF.

After Toothless came back and the rest of the Berkians began the celebrations, Hiccup and Astrid sat down in a quiet corner of the Hall with their dragons.

"So what happened while I was gone?" Hiccup asked Astrid.

"Nothing much. Finished up preparations for Snoggletog," she replied. However, she was unable to maintain eye contact, and it didn't go unnoticed by Hiccup. Then he remembered what the village looked like. It looked like a Monstrous Nightmare had gone on a rampage and burned down the entire town. Only, that was impossible, seeing as the dragons had all left.

"What happened outside then? It's a mess!"

Astrid mentally cursed. Of course he would have noticed. She should have expected him to ask. Even if she lied to him, the others would say something for sure. Fishlegs would keep quiet, but Snotlout and the twins could never be trusted to keep a secret for long, if at all.

"Hello? Astrid? You still with me?" Hiccup waved a hand in front of her face, which she smacked away lightly. She scowled.

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "The eggs explode."

"So I found out. How did you guys figure that out?"

She laughed nervously before continuing. "We thought- Well, I thought it would be a good idea to give everyone an egg for Snoggletog." She looked at him and back down at her hands. "I had no idea they would hatch like that, Hiccup. The entire village was set on fire. It was so- What are you laughing at?"

Beside her, Hiccup had his hand over his mouth, trying but failing to muffle his laughter. Before he knew it, he had burst out into loud guffaws. He knew he'd probably get punched for that, but he couldn't help it even if he tried. He chanced a glance at her and laughed even harder at her bewildered expression.

After a while, when he finally calmed down, he looked at Astrid who had her face in her hands. He felt bad for his outburst, but he couldn't help but feel like now she knew, to some extent, what he went through, every day of his entire life, until the Red Death.

He hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders bringing her closer. She slowly looked up at him.

"Sorry for laughing at you. Although you have to admit it was pretty funny."

He got punched for that.

"Okay, I said I was sorry!"

"But you didn't have to laugh like that, Hiccup. I already feel bad enough about it as it is!"

"I'm sorry," he said again. "But now you know exactly how I felt." Hiccup's face noticeably fell, even though he tried to hide it.

"What do you mean?" Astrid bent down to look him in the eye. The mood had changed by a lot.

"Before the Red Death. Before all this," he almost whispered. "Before the dragons. Before Toothless. Before you. How you felt earlier, I felt everyday, Astrid. I'm sorry for laughing earlier."

So that's how he felt every single day of his life? How could they have done that to him? She had felt it once, but he felt it countless times. Even now, when some of them slipped up he still felt the pain.

All she had been trying to do was please everyone else one time.

He had been trying to make his father proud for fifteen years.