Archive of Our Own

"I don't know what souls are made of, but mine and his are the same."
Wuthering Heights

(Part three contains sexual content.)

He was fifteen, alone in a fishing boat a few meters from the rocky coast of humid Berk. He had just argued with his father; the old man never listened to what he had to say. He knew he was the son of a simple fisherman and that his life wouldn't amount to much more than that, but why couldn't he have a voice in his own home?

He untied the knots of the fishing net with rage, breaking his nails as he forced the rope, while the sun burned his shoulder blades. He was so hot that he had thrown his shirt aside long ago.
He grumbled, trying unsuccessfully to push his sweaty hair back until he heard a subtle splashing sound beside him.

He turned his head to the left and leaned toward the ocean, meeting two enormous blue eyes and blonde hair hiding in the water. He frowned, his mouth opening in disbelief. The creature raised hands with long, sharp nails, bracing them against the small boat to haul herself up.

Hiccup fell backward, his chest heaving in ecstasy.

"A mermaid..." he whispered, eyes wide. The creature had strange ears—blue and shaped like fish fins. Her nose had blue-green scales that matched those continuing from her waist down. She was young, perhaps as young as he was. Her body was slender and lacked many curves; her breasts had barely blossomed, and her hair hardly covered the pale buds of her skin.

Hiccup blushed but couldn't take his eyes off the creature. She was beautiful—stunningly so, despite being monstrous. His father had started warning him about mermaids and how they liked to kill tired or broken-hearted fishermen when he was twelve. Was this his death? Was she real? Or was it just severe heatstroke?

The mermaid seemed enchanted by him as well, tilting her head to analyze the boy's curious and expressive face. He raised his hand, wanting to touch the curly blonde hair gathered at the curve of her neck. When the creature noticed his approach, she hissed like a frightened cat, baring sharp teeth, and scratched Hiccup's chest with her claws.

While he cried out in pain, watching the blood on his hand, she vanished, diving back into the water and never returning. Hiccup wondered if it had been a dream, but the pain in his chest felt very real.

In the end, he caught no fish. He washed the cut in salt water and, once home, tended to it in secret. How could he tell his father he had seen a mermaid? A beautiful, naked being, just like the stories said?

***
At the end of every day, Hiccup stood before the sea, watching the colors of the sunset fade. He was always sweaty, tired, and smelling of rotten fish after a long day of work.

Looking at the ocean as night fell made part of his pain vanish. it made the grief fade and the loneliness pass—the absolute feeling that tomorrow would be exactly like today felt smaller for a few minutes.

Hiccup had never been very social, strong, or fast. He was intelligent, but his father didn't have enough money to send him to a school outside of Berk. So, he just did what was available: the basics. Growing up, he never wanted his life to consist of spending the day alone on a boat with a radio, but that’s how it turned out. After his father's death, the world lost its color. He didn't leave the house, so he brought in no money. When loyal customers came looking for fresh fish, it finally clicked that this was now his duty.

While his father was alive, he still had time for crazy projects or failed tests. Now, he had to look after himself. Sometimes, Hiccup felt trapped in a cycle of grief and depression. He looked around and saw no one. How long could he hold on?

He was twenty now. He had to manage on his own.

The sun was about to vanish from his sight, and he began walking calmly with his hands in his pockets. He walked along the wet sand, appreciating the wind and the last moments of light.
His eyes followed the final ray of sun and stopped on the body of a naked woman lying on the rocks. He shouted for her, but there was no response. He ran over, leaning down to place his ear against her chest until he heard a heartbeat. He lifted his head, breathing a sigh of relief, and looked at her face.
It was the same lip shape, the same pronounced cupid's bow, and the same round face as the mermaid from years ago. Her long, curly blonde hair covered part of her body.

Could it be her? Was it possible?

He looked down and saw two human legs instead of a fish tail or blue scales. A strange feeling filled his chest, but mermaid or not, he couldn't leave a naked, unconscious woman on the beach at night.

He carried her in his arms, checking for any injuries on her back. All the way to his house, her face rested on his shoulder—a serene, beautiful face that only an angel could have. Her skin was cold, as cold as a corpse. At home, he placed her in his room, cursing the old generational house and his father for never installing electricity in several rooms. He lit the three candles on his nightstand and grabbed a shirt and trousers of his own. The top was so large on her that he left her in just that.

He ran to the kitchen, warmed water in a bowl, and grabbed a clean cloth. Returning to the room, the woman was still unconscious but now in his bed and in his clothes. Hiccup dipped the cloth in the water, wringing it until it was warm, then gently wiped her hands and feet, watching for any reaction.
She looked even more beautiful by candlelight.

He dipped the cloth again and gently wiped her face, brushing her hair back and checking her pulse once more. Perhaps this would warm her up faster or even wake her.

He had been sitting in a chair in front of the bed for some time when her eyes opened and a startled sigh, almost a scream, escaped her throat. Her breathing was ragged as she ran her hands through her hair, her giant blue eyes trying to comprehend where she was.

Hiccup didn't know what to do, mainly because she was identical to the mermaid. She stared at him, and it was his turn for the breath to leave his lungs. Her eyes traveled from his face to his chest and then widened.

"You..." she said, her voice the sweetest Hiccup had ever heard. He looked down and noticed part of his scar was visible through the open buttons of his white shirt.

"Is it you? But how?" he asked, frowning. The mermaid—or perhaps ex-mermaid—flinched, pulling her legs to her chest and touching them, appearing surprised by their shape and texture. "I... I found you on the beach. You were on the rocks, naked and freezing. You're in my house."

They stared at each other, neither having the right answer. Hiccup swallowed hard and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"How did you end up there? Do you remember?"

"I was cast out. They condemned me to the human realm for an indefinite time," she said, her eyes still locked on his, waiting for any change in expression. Hiccup gave a nervous smile and shook his head.

"What?"

"Have I changed that much? It’s only been five years. Is that a lot for your kind?"

"You're a mermaid?!" Hiccup stood up abruptly, so fast that the chair fell. He took determined steps toward the bed, leaning over her. The mermaid kept her head high; though her body recoiled slightly, her gaze did not waver.

"Well... at least I was," she shrugged. "The day I hurt you, it was the first time I had ever seen a human. I had never reached the surface. I thought you were so strange... so clumsy." He placed a hand on his scar. "I got scared when you came close... I didn't expect to get so big."

The scar was covered in uneven, bunched-up tissue, slightly darker than his skin tone because he hadn't been able to care for it properly at the time. He moved away and picked up the chair.

"Why are you cast out?"

"I broke the rules."

"Do you know how to walk?"

After she said no, he told her she could sleep in that room and that tomorrow they would learn to walk together. He then went to the kitchen, brought her some biscuits and a glass of water, and went to his father's room. A mix of emotions took control of his body as he laid his head on the pillow. He avoided that room at all costs, and now he was there—plus, he had a mermaid in his house and had promised to teach her to walk.

He shed a few tears that night; he didn't have much left to cry about. When he woke—or rather, just opened his eyes, since he couldn't switch off his brain—he began his usual routine.

He dragged himself to the living room and turned on the tube TV, adjusting the antennae to hear the news better. In the kitchen, he started preparing his breakfast and lunch. When he washed his hands in the sink, he splashed water on his face, and the memory hit him: there was a woman in his house, and that woman was a mermaid.

He stood at the bedroom door, feeling a bit shy. She was still sleeping, and the biscuits were gone. Her blue eyes opened, and he fought the urge to run when they met his.

"Good morning," he said, forcing a smile. "I'm making breakfast. Do you want to try taking a few steps?" Her chest rose and fell sharply under the loose beige fabric of the shirt. With difficulty, she pushed herself up, and Hiccup went over, gripping her arms to take most of her weight. "What can I call you?"

"Astrid," she answered, startled by the idea of putting her feet on the wooden floor. He lifted her, trying not to hurt her. Astrid let out a small yelp when her weak feet slipped on the floor, and she clung to the man like an anchor to keep from falling.

"It's okay... it was just one foot. Let's try again." He looked at the blonde head hiding against his chest. In the last months of his father's life, he couldn't walk alone, so Hiccup had gained some practice. Astrid lifted her head, showing her large, beautiful, frightened blue eyes. Her pink mouth trembled and was a bit dry. Damn, she is very beautiful. Is this all real? "I won't let you fall," he whispered to her, and his mind teased him into thinking she actually blushed.
Astrid planted one foot firmly on the floor and then the other. Carefully, they stood up, and she was standing like a human. Astrid looked joyfully and fearfully at her feet pressed against the ground and smiled at Hiccup.

"This is so strange!"

"Yeah! A little..." He adjusted his arm around her waist for support so they could take steps. Little by little, gradually building confidence, Astrid managed to reach the kitchen. She looked enchanted by everything around her. Hiccup lowered her into the chair, pursing his lips as he wondered what she could eat.

"What is your name?"

"You can call me Hiccup." He lit the stove and set a pan, preparing to crack two eggs. His cheeks warmed, and his bangs sadly fell over his eyes; he could feel the beautiful creature staring at him.

Maybe it's not nice to call her a creature anymore. Maybe I shouldn't work today.

"Do you want to bathe after eating? I promise to leave you alone." He threw the shells in the trash, and Astrid raised her eyebrows. Maybe mermaids don't have a human sense of morality.

"I think I do smell a bit..." Silence followed as Hiccup stirred the eggs, thinking of what else he had to offer. "Thank you for taking me in. I didn't expect humans to be so receptive. I thought I'd be dehydrated and dead by this morning."

Hiccup smiled at her and shook his head, showing it was nothing.

"I lived here with my father, but unfortunately, he died a year ago. It's just me." He cut two slices of yesterday’s bread. "It's really good to have someone else, even if they aren't exactly... a person."

"Do you believe my story?"

"I remember that day perfectly."

It was near noon, and Astrid was frantically flipping through TV channels while sitting in the old leather armchair. She had already bathed, and this time Hiccup had given her a pair of his trousers. He had to buy clothes for her, but how could he do that without attracting too much attention?

Almost as if on autopilot, he took some fish that were too small for sale and sat on the uneven wooden floor of the porch. From a distance, he watched the waves crashing against the rocks of Berk’s beach while he descaled the fish with a hand knife.

Hiccup froze when he realized he was being watched. He turned his head and found Astrid leaning against the doorframe, her long blonde hair falling to one side and her eyes curious.

"Does this bother you?" He gestured with the dead fish.

"No... why?"

"Well... I'm descaling a sea animal..."
Astrid dropped to the floor and crawled toward him. Hiccup was so shocked that he only realized what she was trying to do when it was almost too late.

"No! No!" With one hand, he moved the fish as far away as possible, and with the other, he pressed her shoulder to stop her. "Since you're human now, I don't think you can eat this raw anymore."

"It was never a problem before." She kept trying to move forward.

"I can't trust that now! And you were doing so well! Why didn't you try to walk?" She groaned in frustration.

One year after their first encounter, Astrid made her first trip on solid ground. Hiccup's life was never the same after she arrived; even with a strong temperament, she managed to break down all the walls he had built throughout his life.

Berk stopped asking questions—he was never going to answer—and it had been a while since Astrid stopped looking at the sea with such longing.

They did everything together, and the old, sad house was filled with little pieces of Astrid: every window had shells, every wall had mirrors. They framed photos together, and his old room—now hers—had blonde hair behind the furniture and various weapons scattered around.
Astrid loved cleaning fish.

Her long blonde hair had been cut above her shoulders, and she had a vast collection of skirts, long and short—which he tried not to focus on too much—but she had few shirts, keeping the habit of wearing his.

Astrid helped him with the selling and catching of fish, and she also helped his social life, reconnecting him with several childhood friends. For the first time, Hiccup felt like he belonged.

They had been on the road for three hours straight. Hiccup was grateful for the effort his father had made years ago to get him his driver’s license. He had rented a small pickup just for this trip. It was just him and her in the front, with the numerous bags of their friends in the back. Astrid had her head out the window, admiring every tree they passed. She wore leather boots she’d received from an old lady a few weeks ago, a blue skirt, and one of his black shirts.

Hiccup wondered if she missed home. He didn't know that it had been extremely difficult for her to adapt to his world... but they didn't talk about that, just as they didn't talk about Hiccup's father.

The group had gone camping in one of the mountains surrounding Berk. Fishlegs was newly married to Heather, the girl Astrid had befriended most—and who had relieved Hiccup of the burden of buying underwear. Fishlegs was following in his parents' footsteps as a teacher in Berk. He had rented an old car from a politician, and with him came the Thorston twins, the two most eccentric people in town.

Snotlout went by motorcycle. The mayor’s son—of course, he’d go by bike, wanting to impress Astrid.

They arrived at the campsite around 10 AM and spent the rest of the day exploring, even bathing in a river that ran through the woods. At night, tired and full, they started getting ready for bed. Hiccup was setting up his and Astrid's sleeping bags when a branch snapped beside him. He looked into the woods, startled, and saw two pairs of green eyes just like his own staring back.

It was a wolf, black as night, appearing just as startled by the encounter. The animal began to growl, its eyes darting between Hiccup and the meat behind him.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Hiccup backed away from the animal, maintaining eye contact—it was enough that Astrid had once hurt him—and grabbed the meat left by the extinguished fire, tossing it at the wolf's feet. "I don't want to hurt you." The wolf stared at the meat, then looked at him again. Its demeanor changed to that of a pampered puppy, and its pink tongue licked its pointed nose in thanks. It took the meat and left.

Hiccup felt deeply impacted by that beautiful animal, as much as when he first found his mermaid. Was he also a man?

Later, the two were lying side by side, staring at each other for several minutes in silence. Everyone else was already asleep, but the two "fish" were still awake. Astrid moved closer, and Hiccup put his hand on her waist, pulling her against him. The blonde lifted her head from his neck, pulled Hiccup's face down with her hand, and kissed him. He wasn't man enough to resist her slightly cold lips and kept the contact going for a long time.

The trip back wasn't the same. Astrid didn't care about traffic laws and kept her head on his shoulder; as much as he loved it and it made his stomach flip, he didn't want to bring a ticket home.

Hiccup and Astrid arrived home late, both exhausted from carrying bags. They did nothing but sleep.

Astrid threw herself onto the armchair, and Hiccup managed to make it to his new room.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" Her sweet voice was the first thing he heard as he emerged from the limbo of sleep. He lifted his head from the pillow and looked at her through a fog of exhaustion.

"What is it? Did something happen?" His voice was raspy and thick. It was very dark—it must have been the middle of the night—and Astrid only had a candle with her.

"Your breathing was so faint I thought you were dead." She placed the candle on the nightstand and sat on top of him, still in the same clothes from yesterday, or maybe the day before. Hiccup was struggling to keep his eyes open, so groroggy that he hadn't noticed her movement.

"I'm tired."

"Really?" she pouted, stroking his cheek. "Ruffnut told me something incredible I can do with you men."

"Torment their lives? Astrid, you already do that." He turned his head into her hand, enjoying the contact.

"I do not!"

"You're doing it to me right now."

"It's a bit different from how we do it, but I want to try."

"Try what?" Hiccup asked, rubbing his eyes and finally getting a good look at her sitting in his lap, her hands lifting his shirt until it fell onto the bed. His chest rose and fell unevenly as he looked at the skin of her chest and belly. He had seen her naked the day they met, but this moment was different; there were feelings he could no longer hide, and she wasn't near death. So, he had never truly seen her.

"Are you sure? Do you know what this means?" She nodded with determination, her red cheeks glowing in the dark night. When her bra finally fell, she kissed him again.

Three months later, he didn't know if he could be any happier. Much of their routine remained the same, except now there were kisses, hand-holding, bathing together, sex, the same room, and all the other little things that had made them Berk's best couple.

Hiccup was used to sleeping while hugging her, smelling her, and touching her skin. When all of that vanished from his senses, his subconscious woke him. He looked at the bed beside him—empty and cold—and went to the kitchen to find her.

"Astrid?" He called for her in every room. "Astrid!" he shouted from the porch, his breath hitching and his hands sweating cold. He looked at the rising sun and the waves crashing fiercely against the rocks. She could only be there; as she gained more control over her legs, he always found her by the sea.

"Astrid!" he kept shouting as he descended the stairs carved into the rock that his ancestors had made for the family home. He went down another set of stairs and his toes touched the sand. He had left the candle at home because he couldn't hold anything with his trembling hands and the strong wind wouldn't allow it.

He ran to where he usually found her—nothing. He ran across the beach shouting for her until, near a boulder, he saw something. It was just his shirt—everything she had been wearing when they went to sleep—lying on the wet sand, being washed by the tide.

Hiccup held the garment against his chest and sat there, trying to regain his breath.

Maybe she had gone for a swim, even though she hadn't in over a year. But the sea was so rough... well, she grew up in it; she could manage. He would wait for her. And he waited until noon, but there was nothing.

He got up from the sand and decided to wait for her at home. Two, three days passed, and she still didn't return.

"Hiccup!" Snotlout was the first to look for him, bursting into his room on the third day of Berk not seeing or hearing from him. "Dude, what happened?!" He seemed genuinely concerned. He and Snotlout still had some family ties.

"She's gone," was all he said, still clutching the shirt she had worn.

"What?! How? Where?!"

"I don't know! I woke up in the middle of the night and she had vanished."

The whole group spent the next week searching Berk, the sea, and neighboring towns. Every time Hiccup came out of the water after a fruitless search for a body, a certainty grew in his mind: she had gone home.

Why didn't she tell me?

On the day Hiccup said he couldn't continue the search and that they should stop, his world became as lonely and sad as it had been before—before her, before everything. He sat on the sand, watching the sunset. She wasn't coming back to him.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he didn't try to hide them when Heather sat beside him.

"I can't even imagine what this is like for you..." Their hair blew in the wind. "But I never thought she'd stay long; it always seemed like the sea was calling her."

"You know?" Hiccup looked deep into her green eyes; they held no malice or ulterior motives.

"She told me. At first, I didn't believe it, but some things started making sense. Now, it all makes sense." Heather gave him a little pat on the arm. "I know how much you loved each other. You could always see the love in your relationship; it was beautiful. It is beautiful."

Hiccup lowered his head and pulled his legs closer to his chest.

"We'll give you your space, but please, don't disappear completely." Silence. Breaking waves. Sun fading away. "Hiccup?"

"Hmm?" He looked at her with teary eyes.

"I'm pregnant." A confused expression crossed his face. "I want you to be the godfather."

***
Hiccup didn't realize how difficult a simple outing could become with a battalion of children. He rolled his eyes as he watched Heather and Fishlegs’ youngest daughter jump onto a random person's motorcycle.

Seventeen years had passed since that night on the beach, and Hiccup was now the godfather to three of the couple's five children. He was the godfather to one of Ruffnut and Eret's three children and would likely be a godfather to one of the family Snotlout was starting with his pregnant girlfriend.

He smiled and laughed at the corner of the table, seeing the whole family gathered. They were his family, even the newcomers like Eret and Minden. The couples didn't know how to control the kids, and it was clear on Snotlout’s face that he was also worried about not managing.

They were older now—expression lines, wounds from the years, gray hair. Some were already forty. The years as a fisherman hadn't been kind to him. He was 38, nearly 39, with a considerable streak of white hair and a few stray silver threads.

"Hey, Ruff!" he shouted over the noise in the restaurant.

"Honey," Eret caught her attention and pointed toward Hiccup.

"Do you think Tuffnut is coming home this Christmas?"

The older twin had joined a circus overnight and was now traveling the world.

"I have no idea! That idiot lost his phone, so he's unreachable!"

"Again?!" Fishlegs exclaimed, and Hiccup rolled his eyes.

When he was with them, Hiccup felt complete—partially complete. There was always something missing, but as soon as he opened the restaurant door and everyone went their separate ways, loneliness walked with him again. He put his hands in his black leather jacket and walked calmly back to his house. It was always the same old house, but it had been a few years since he stopped feeling physical pain just thinking about it.

The night wind of Berk messed up his hair even more. A car drove past him, honking, with people inside waving—it was the Ingermans and their restless kids. Hiccup waved back and continued his way.

It had been 60 days since the last time he thought about jumping into the sea in hopes of finding his wife. He knew that wherever she was, she would be happy because she was home; after all, he had never left Berk. She was happy, but that had ended up killing him.

He should have taken the right path to reach his cliff, but he kept going straight. Hiccup had lost his fight with faith, his fight with life, and he was resigned to it. He had started wearing a fake wedding ring to stop the questions and advances; now it was obsolete, just a manifestation of a dream. He wasn't young or as handsome as he used to be, yet he still wore the gold ring on his ring finger.

He stopped at the beach. He was always there, staring into nothing while staring at the sea.

"You were always in love with it, weren't you?"

The same sweet voice he had sworn never to hear again outside of his dreams—the voice that had called his name so many times, that had laughed at him so many times—sounded behind his back once more, mature and not a distorted memory.

He turned, his heart racing and his mouth open in shock. In all his illusions, he had found an empty space, but this time he saw the same giant blue eyes and the same blonde hair.

Hiccup took a step back, unable to breathe, and pulled his hands from his jacket pockets. Astrid was in front of him after 17 years—older, with less facial fat, slightly thinner lips, and a few expression lines under her eyes. She wore a flowery blue dress that barely covered her legs and seemed a bit tight on top, as if it were something she had found on the sand.

He looked at her legs, then her face.

"I know you probably don't want to talk to me, I know! But please, speak! Say anything! Talk! Shout at me! Fight with me!" She took a step forward, eyes welling up, and her balance failed after years without practicing walking on two limbs instead of one.

Hiccup caught her, just as he had done the day he taught her to take her first steps.

She should have been jumping for joy; after so many years, she was back in his arms. His large hands held her waist, but his eyes were so startled, sad, and defeated, as if he still couldn't believe she was there.

A faint scent of alcohol came from his skin and breath. His brow was furrowed as he undressed her with his eyes. Astrid really liked the beard that adorned his jaw and the white streak in his auburn mess of hair.

"You look as beautiful as the last time."
Whatever Astrid was going to say died in her throat, and she let the tears fall down her cheeks. she should move away from him, but she simply couldn't.

"They called me. I heard them calling me even while lying beside you. They told me I could come home, that I had been forgiven." She clutched his shirt under his jacket as her broken voice fought to release the words. "I wanted to see my family, my parents. I wanted to tell them about you! So I went! I'm sorry for never warning you! I wasn't given that opportunity!" She pulled away from him, her knees trembling. She knew she would fall again, but she wouldn't stay this close to this man.

"If I had the chance to see my father again, I would go without thinking twice, too," Hiccup replied, his voice sounding like someone who had faced many storms and could now steer his boat alone.

"Then there was a war. I couldn't come here; I would never have made it here alive. When it all ended, I was going to ask you to wait for me, that I would find a way to get these legs back." They trembled, but Astrid didn't know if it was from anxiety and fear or from lack of use. Hiccup took a step forward. "Then I poked my head out of the water and saw you talking to Ruffnut. You looked so happy... I couldn't say anything or see you again after that. I understand if you've moved on, that you have a wife and children, but I simply couldn't handle another night without seeing you! You humans live for such a short time and..."

"Ruffnut is married," he cut her off seriously, and she sighed in defeat. She was married to the best possible choice. "But not to me."

"No?! Then who is your wife?" She looked frantically at the ring shining on his right hand.

"This is a ridiculous disguise!" He pulled the ring off and threw it far into the sand. "My only wife is you."

Astrid couldn't believe she had lost so many years to a lie her mind had created. She should have had the courage to talk to him sooner, to ask for forgiveness; they could have been together long ago. Her legs failed again, and Hiccup was there to catch her once more. This time, he picked her up in his arms.

"I am so sorry for never coming sooner, for never questioning, for leaving everything aside for so many years. I ask that you don't hate me, but I understand if you do."

"Astrid... I never hated you." He said every word clearly, calmly, shaking his head to dismiss all her thoughts. She let out a sob and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her head to his. Hiccup began to walk, and she didn't care where he was going. He was there with her—warm and alive.

She was back in the house, and it looked identical to her memory from years ago. Astrid was fighting all her internal strength not to kiss his neck. Hiccup placed her on their bed and turned on the bedroom light—he had apparently made some changes—then returned to her and knelt in front of her.

His fingers lightly touched her knees and moved up her thighs, applying more pressure, a longing to squeeze her skin, and stopped at her hips under the dress.

"I still want to know if you're real."

"I am..." she ran her hands through his hair. "I liked the beard."

"I was thinking of shaving it."

"Please don't..." He stood up and placed one knee on the bed. Astrid fell back and let Hiccup climb over her.

"I'll only keep it if you promise me you'll stay."

"Oh, Hiccup..." she laughed, taking off his jacket and throwing it on the floor. She put her hands under his shirt and ran her nails over his skin. "What I did to get these legs back... even if I wanted to, I couldn't return."

Hiccup looked at her with such hunger, such desire, that it made his throat dry. Astrid locked his hips between her legs and with an impulse reversed their positions. He breathed heavily, his dilated pupils drinking in every detail of her as she pulled the flowery dress off her body.

"I missed you so much." Hiccup stroked her waist with one hand and with the other pulled her into a slow kiss. At first, it was out of rhythm, but soon their bodies remembered how they worked together. Their tongues met, and Astrid sighed as his cold fingers rediscovered parts of her body.

She pulled his clothes off his body—nearly tearing them, in fact. She wanted to feel skin on skin; it had been so many years she was sure she had distorted all her memories. In the middle of it, Hiccup moved back on top, and they kissed again. He lowered his head to her neck and began to give it his full attention.

Astrid was genuinely shivering, scratching his back at the slight tickle his lips made on her neck. With every sensation in her lower abdomen, her legs squeezed him harder.

"I missed you so much..." he repeated, still with his face hidden, then lifted his head to look at her. "My life didn't any make sense."

"I know exactly how it feels... I was home but I never felt so out of place. I love you."

It had never been so easy to say those words; she had never wanted to say them so much. He smiled and kissed her again. Astrid knew what was coming when he adjusted his hips and she pleaded for it.

Heaven knows how long they were at it, both sweaty and breathing heavily. Her body trembled with every thrust, and her nipples hardened even more at Hiccup's moans in her ear. His back had red stripes, and the air in the room was thick.

"You're squeezing me so tight..." he purred lowly, and Astrid grabbed his sweat-dampened hair to make him look up, then bit the prominent vein in his neck. Since they started, they had been entwined, but Hiccup rose and adjusted her legs, continuing now on his knees on the bed, strands of white hair stuck to his forehead and a face more pained than Astrid had ever seen. She reached out to touch the old scar from over 23 years ago. Who would have thought?

She bit her lip and made faces to try to contain the increasingly loud moans as he hit the mark inside her. His hands covered her waist and felt her smooth belly—touches that would leave marks, but that was exactly what she wanted.

When they both came, the room grew even hotter and more stifling. Astrid's blonde hair was stuck to his chest, and she felt very sticky down there but lacked the strength to clean herself—perhaps she didn't even want to. Hiccup lay beside her, his pupils still dilated and a slight smile on his swollen lips.

"I'm going to cut my hair, what do you think?"

"I prefer it long, actually."

"I'll keep it like this if you promise to do the same thing tomorrow morning." Hiccup laughed and affectionately stroked her face.

"Ask for something harder; that's too easy."

Hiccup didn't remember the last time he had slept so well. After years, his body turned to the side expecting to find someone; when it found only the cold sheet again, his heart skipped a beat.

He jumped out of bed, feeling the organ thumping in his ears, and ran to the living room to find her. There she was, beautiful as a sunbeam, wearing only his shirt. It wasn't as oversized as before, which gave him some inappropriate thoughts.

Astrid, with her face still round despite losing the baby fat of youth, was analyzing one of the photos they had taken at twenty, still on the wall.

She turned to him with a smile, her hair falling over her shoulder and covering the bruises that showed what they had done last night. Slowly, the man's heart returned to a normal rhythm.

"It's okay, handsome... I'm not going to run away from you again," she said in a voice that screamed ulterior motives and romance. She walked toward him with a bit of difficulty but much better than last night. Astrid wrapped her arms around his neck as he gripped her hips, forcing them close. "I was just thinking about how I'm going to tell the gang that I'm back after almost two decades."

"You should tell the truth. All of it," Hiccup said firmly, watching her kiss the old scar. Her blue eyes pondered the situation.

"Who lives in the other room?"

"That's Gustav; he's my apprentice. Gustav was born three years after you left. I saved him from a group of troublemakers, and his mother asked me to look after him. Sometimes he sleeps here." He looked at the time through the window above the old TV. "I think he'll be arriving any moment, actually."

"Then you'd better take me to the bedroom soon," Astrid joked with red cheeks, letting out a small yelp as she was carried in his arms once more.

***

Gustav was a fourteen-year-old boy with a few pimples, sweaty hands, and who had just started thinking about girls in a different way.

"Wow... looks like it was a sleepless night for you," he commented the second Hiccup opened the door. Hiccup had tried his best to dress decently and hide the post-sex look on his face, especially trying to ignore Astrid in the bedroom.

"It was a long night... I'm making our breakfast now, okay?" Hiccup sighed and returned to the kitchen, letting the boy do as he pleased.

Gustav's mother was a single mom with two more small children; they were quite poor, and the boy usually came without having eaten.

"Sure, no problem."

Hiccup was almost finished frying the bacon when Gustav called him from the kitchen entrance. The boy was pale, even shocked.

"What is it? Oh, damn!" he cursed as he was burned by the oil from the fat.

"There's a woman sleeping in your room," he said, terrified, barely moving his lips, as if Astrid were a murderous intruder.

"Oh!" Hiccup laughed. "That's my wife."