I Love You to the Edge and Back (A How to Train your Dragon Fanfiction)

Chapter Nine: A Matter of Time

"Hey, Hiccup, can I talk to you for a sec?" Astrid asked. He was in the middle of working on the Dragon Eye, while everyone else was watching, eager for it to be completed. Toothless lazily played with Stormfly, while the others tried each others patience, by waving their tails in each other's faces.

"Ah, sure," Hiccup said, glad for the break. He dropped the piece he was working on, and followed her out the door.

"Well, as you know, you are closer and closer to becoming Chief. Which also means we are close to getting married. Due to this," Astrid started.

"You want to be the co-leader?" Hiccup guessed.

"No, I want us to start making decisions together.  Meaning, if you want to go on a trip or exploration, I'm notified. If I want to splurge on some girly thing, you'll talk me out if it," Astrid explained.

"Okay. And we haven't been doing just that for the past how long?" Hiccup asked, leaning against the clubhouse.

"Well, I mean officially. We have to do it. Do you agree?" She asked.

"I mean yes, but where did this come from?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, I've just been thinking about other couples, and realized all of them make decisions together. Take my parents for example. When my father has a decision to make, he seeks my mother's council. All men of the council go to their wives some time during their term," Astrid said.

"One problem with that," Hiccup said.

"What's that?" Astrid asked.

"Your not my wife," Hiccup replied.

"Betrothed, wife, close enough," Astrid replied giving him a hug. While he was leaning in for a kiss, a loud thud! came from inside.

Hiccup hurried to the door, opened it, and watched in horror as the dragons backed away from their riders, who were trying to hide the smashed Dragon Eye under a crate or blanket. Toothless waddled over by Hiccup, warbling his apologies. Astrid yelled something, and somebody yelled back, but Hiccup didnt hear that. He jumped on Toothless and flew away, not wanting to do something he'd regret.

"So let me ask. Is he mad?" Tuffnut asked.

Astrid glared at him, hopping on Stormfly. "You get the pieces back to his hut, I'll go look for him," Astrid told the other Riders. "And don't lose any pieces, or you know what's coming," she seethed.

"Wait, do you mean?" Ruff asked, gesturing to her cheek, drawing an imaginary line down

"Yes, I mean that," Astrid said, turning Stormfly around.  She then flew off, searching left and right for Hiccup. She knew the one place he would be. The cove. Its where he always goes when upset.

When Astrid landed, Hiccup had his head in his hands, quiet as ever. When Hiccup is mad, he shouts. When he is disappointed or angry, he is eerily quiet. Astrid had never seen him this quiet.

"Hiccup? Are you okay?" She asked. He stayed quiet. "Do you need anything?" She asked again. He did nothing accept hop on Toothless, careful not to so much as glance at Astrid. "Hiccup, answer me!" She shouted as he mounted Toothless. He didnt even answer her as he took off.

"He'll get over it, right girl?" Astrid asked her dragon. Stormfly just squaked, flapping her wings. "I know girl. I hate seeing them upset to."

Astrid hopped on Stormfly once more, and readied herself to kick some major butt when she got back. She practiced the words she would use, and the actions that would go with them. "Snotlout will get it worst of all," she said, silently promising herself this. It wasn't just that they made Hiccup upset. It was that this Eye had so much more then the other one.

"Okay, where are you muttenheads?" Astrid called, walking to the Clubhouse.

"Is she talking about us?" Astrid heard Tuff ask.

"Yes, I'm talking about you," Astrid said. The Riders watched in horror as she neared the table they were all behind. "Why did you break it?" Astrid asked.  She was starting to learn from Hiccup that calmness was the most effective way to get them to talk.

"We were looking at something on the bottom, when Fishlegs knocked it out of my hands!" Ruff replied, pointing a finger at Fishface.

"Did not, it was your dragon!" Fishlegs shouted back.

"No matter how it happened, I want it put back together exactly like it was before you muttenheads broke it," Astrid seethed. She grabbed a map from the wall, and started sketching, watching them struggle.

Meanwhile, back in the Great Beyond, Hiccup and Toothless were tired from the flight, resting on a sea stack. "Well bud, what can I do to get them to learn?" He asked, staring into the sunset. Toothless just looked at him.

Its not like I'm in charge of the humans, you are. You make the decision.

"Hey, your in charge of the dragons, and you were there," Hiccup replied.

True, but I can't get them to behave any more than you can with their riders.

"Well, I was with Astrid," Hiccup excused.

So I get yelled at? You should've been there.

"I can't say no to her when she asks to talk about something," Hiccup replied.

Really? Well, nonetheless, we should really be getting back.

"I agree," Hiccup said, mounting Toothless. "You know bud I think I have the solution to our problems, I'm sick of being leader. I should do something about it."

You mean your problem?

"You know what I mean bud," Hiccup replied, leaving the sea stack.

"Okay, looks like we got nowhere with the Eye. You guys are finishing it tomorrow, or in two weeks, or how ever long it takes," Astrid said after hours of sketching on the map.

"No need," Hiccup jutted in, taking the Dragon Fly 2 off by a table. He put it on a chair, reaching over to envelope Astrid in a hug.

"What to you mean?" She asked, looking at him  with all the love in the world. That would change with his next few words.

"I'm saying, I'm resigning from the Dragon Riders."