Run Away

Astrid

"Well then, why don't you and your mother come with us down to the arena and show us how it's done?" I grinned. "Gladly." We all walked down to the arena, and me and mom went inside. Everyone else crowded around the rim. The log holding one of the cage doors shut slowly was removed, and after a split second of silence, a Monstrous Nightmare, in full flame, roaring its head off burst out. I glanced at mom. She nodded. "You know what to do?" I nodded. She gestured to the dragon. "Do you want to take this one?" I grinned. "Absolutely." I rushed the beast, and in his surprise that this noodle of a Viking was standing up to him his flame died out. I grabbed his horns, and shoved them on the ground. The Nightmare instantly calmed down, and I got off of his head. He stood in front of me, and I held out my hand. The dragon acknowledged me for a second before touching his snout into my palm. I put my other hand under his chin, holding his head in my hands. The crowd roared with cheers. Toothless came up to me and flipped me onto his back. Dad came in and clapped my shoulder. "Well done son!" His face softened. "I can't even tell you how glad I am your back, alive." I looked down. "I'm sorry I left dad." He squeezed my shoulder. "I'm sorry too son." He looked up to see the sun setting. He looked back down at me. "What do you say we go home?" I nodded. "Sounds amazing." My childhood home looked almost exactly how I remembered it. Dad opened the door. The inside of the house looked the same too. Mom came in behind us. She laughed. "You can tell there's not a woman around, Stoick." He said something, but I wasn't listening. I walked up the stairs, almost in a trance, to my old room. I drew a sharp breath. All of my things were still there. My bed was in the same place, and all of my drawings were still on the wall. There were still sketches shrewn over the top of my desk. I gently touched a sketch on the wall. Dad came up behind me and put  an arm around my shoulders. I looked up at him. "You kept all this?" He nodded. "Aye. After I thought you died this-this was my way of making it feel like you were still here." I drew a shaky breath. Mom came up the stairs behind us. I turned around and saw her look around. "My. Hiccup, you weren't exactly a neat freak, now were you?" We all bust out laughing. That night, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned in bed. I missed my other home. The sanctuary. After a few hours of homesickness and tossing and turning I got up. I snuck downstairs and out the door. The moon was full, so I easily guided myself through the village and to the cliff. I sat down and stared over the ocean. "Missing home, dragon trainer?" I jumped and turned around. Astrid was standing a few feet away. I sighed. "Yes." She sat down next to me. "What's it like?" I raised an eyebrow. "What's what like?" "Where you've lived for the past three years." I blushed. "Oh. It's amazing. More dragons than you'd ever hope to see, and then there's the bewilderbeast. He's huge! The alpha, king of the nest and all dragons. He was pretty nice to me and mom too. I guess he accepted us as one of his own. We lived in a cave on the south side. One room, but pretty big. I built a forge too." She made a time out sign. "Whoa whoa whoa. You lived in a DRAGONS NEST?!" I nodded. "Pretty much." There was something else nagging in the back of my mind. "Astrid?" She didn't take her eyes off the moon. "Yeah?" I shifted. "Why did you do that?" She turned to me with a confused expression. "Do what?" I ran a hand through the back of my head. "Why did you kiss me? I thought you hated me." Her face softened. "Hiccup, I never hated you." I laughed. "Really." She socked my arm. "Yes really. I didn't like you at all at first. Then over the years you grew on me. I thought you were funny, witty, kind, cute..." She rubbed a finger on the little scar on my chin. "I especially liked this." She looked down. "I just didn't know how to tell you. Then you disappeared, and I thought I lost you forever." I put a hand on her cheek. "Astrid, I've had a crush on you since i can't even remember. You're beautiful, and kind, and very protective..." I blushed. "There's nobody like you Astrid." She stared at me. Without really thinking, I took the ultimate risk. I leaned forward and touched my lips to her own.  Her eyes widened in surprise for just a moment before closing again and pulling me closer.  It seemed to go on and on, and i savored every sensation of my skin sliding across hers and the ghost of her breath. We simply held each other, kissing in a way i had never imagined experiencing before. Slow, not passionate yet, but not just friendly either. When our mouths finally parted, she smiled at me and laid her head on my shoulder. "I missed you Hiccup." I put my arm around her shoulders. "I missed you too Astrid.". I smiled. "Let's not tell anyone yet, okay?" I nodded. "Okay."  She snuggled closer into the crook of my neck.  We sat there for awhile, just enjoying each other's company. After awhile her breathing became deep, and I glanced down at her. She was asleep, her head nuzzled under my chin. I smiled.