Life on Berk

Drawing Lessons and Birthday Gifts

Summary: Astrid was never good at drawing. When Hiccup's birthday comes around, and she wants to give him something special, she doesn't do too well with it.

Takes place around RTTE.

Astrid growled in frustration for the umpteenth time, crumpling up the piece of paper on her desk and throwing it across her room into a corner, piled high with crumpled drawings. She scowled and picked up the pencil, trying again to draw the picture she'd been working on for days. If you could count messing up and throwing it out countless times over the course of a week.

Hiccup's 19th birthday was in a week, and she wanted to do something special for him. The previous year, she had given him a dagger. It was simple, but he appreciated it all the same, claiming he needed a new one. This year, she wanted to give him something that would remind him of her. Something he would never expect from her. She'd thought about it for the longest time, and settled on a drawing.

There was just one problem. Astrid couldn't draw to save her own life. She'd seen how talented Hiccup was when it came to drawing, and she envied him for it. She loved watching how his pencil glided across the paper, creating a work of art in a matter of minutes, and the look of pure concentration on his face as he drew. Astrid wasn't one for sitting still for a long time, she longed to be able to move around as she pleased. But she was more than willing to stay put if it meant she could watch Hiccup at work.

But when she tried it herself, she saw nothing but meaningless scribbles. Hence her increasing anger, which she took out on the paper in front of her. She tried again, this time going slower, hoping to at least draw something recognisable. She knew it was going to be hard, but she didn't think it would be this hard.

Moments later, she crumpled up the paper and threw it across the room again, this time it hit the door. She held the pencil over a new piece of paper before scribbling again.

She didn't hear a knock at her door while stewing in her anger.

"May I come in?" The voice was cut off by a scream and the door slamming shut as she hurled the pencil at the door. Astrid looked up in surprise.

"Is it safe to come in now?" Hiccup poked his head in, stepping in cautiously.

"Sorry. Didn't know you were there." Astrid replied.

"It's fine. Next time warn me before you throw pencils at me, though." He looked around.

She had paper lying all over her room. If the markings on them looked more like actual pictures than doodles, she would have been panicking about Hiccup being in her room. She couldn't care less though. She groaned and put her head on her desk.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at the mess that was her room and picked up the pencil, placing it back on her desk. Then he straightened out a piece of paper from the floor and sighed. She had been trying to draw. He put it on her bed and grabbed an extra chair, pulling it up to her side and sat down. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Can I teach you?" Hiccup asked. She looked at him, confused. "How to draw."

"It wouldn't do any good." She sat up. "I can't draw."

"But I could try to teach you, if you want. Maybe you could even help me with the map I'm working on." He smiled, silently urging her to let him teach her.

She considered his offer for a moment. She didn't need to tell him what it was for, or what exactly she wanted to draw, so it could still be a surprise. She nodded.

"Great! Start now? Or do you want to take a break first?" He glanced around her room, emphasising his point.

Astrid looked at him sheepishly. "I should clear up first, huh?" He stood up and offered his hand which she took. He pulled her up and the two cleared the mess, placing the crumpled papers in a bin to throw out later.

Once they were done, they sat at Astrid's desk again. Hiccup placed a paper in front of Astrid and handed her a pencil, taking one for himself.

"What did you want to draw?" Hiccup asked. Astrid merely shrugged in response.

"I just wanted to learn to draw, I guess." She sighed.

"Let's draw you and Stormfly then." He caught her blushing. "We could draw something else?"

"No, that's fine." She wanted to draw that anyways.

Hiccup spent the next few hours in Astrid's room, showing her how to draw. She looked at the final product and almost jumped for joy. She could really make out herself and Stormfly. It was nowhere near as realistic as Hiccup's drawings were, but it still looked good to her.

She wrapped her arms around him and thanked him. She pulled away too soon, claiming she was starving, and that she was going to make them some dinner.

Hiccup rushed ahead of her, offering to make them some vegetable soup instead. He would never admit it, but Astrid's cooking was still awful as ever.

Over the next few days, Astrid worked hard on her gift for Hiccup. The day before his birthday, she finished it. Satisfied with how it looked, she rolled it up and tied a string around it.

On his birthday, the riders decided to have a celebration of sorts, and they spent the day at the beach with their dragons. When the others went to splash around in the water and they finally got some time alone, Astrid pulled out the drawing from Stormfly's saddle bag. She held it behind her back.

"Close your eyes." She stood in front of Hiccup.

"Why?" She gave him a warning look and he complied, holding his hands out.

Astrid placed the paper in his hands. "Open your eyes."

He eyed the paper in his hands. "What's this?"

"Open it and find out." Astrid looked down at the ground and shifted around uncomfortably. Hiccup looked at her skeptically, untying the string and unrolling the paper, revealing a messy drawing, although he could tell a lot of effort went into it.

Astrid had drawn herself and Hiccup holding hands, Stormfly and Toothless behind them. It wasn't much, really, but it was her first drawing. And it looked amazing to her, and to Hiccup, who was admiring the work of art. Astrid looked up at him, waiting for a response from him. Well, something other than the surprised expression he wore.

Finally, after what seemed like forever to Astrid, he spoke up. "Astrid, I- I don't know what to say. It looks amazing. Did you do this yourself? Is that why you were trying to draw the other day? Stupid question, of course it was." He rambled on.

Astrid recovered from her embarrassment and rolled her eyes at his rambling. She pulled him in for a kiss that lasted only a second, but it was enough to shut him up. She grinned triumphantly.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Do I need to have a reason to kiss you?"

"I never said that. I really don't-" Astrid put her finger to his lips before he could start again.

"Happy birthday, Hiccup."