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Astrid was half asleep when she felt Hiccup jab her in the thigh with his charcoal.
“It’s getting late,” he said, and she poked him right back.
They were stretched out together on a bench strewn with sheep fleeces and thick blankets. Astrid’s head rested in the crook of Hiccup’s neck, his soft breaths ruffling her golden crown. His arms were around her, though instead of holding her like she’d wanted him to, he’d picked up a pencil and was drawing designs in his sketchbook.
A wax candle on the table had worn down to a stub, the fire in the hearth only a weak flicker, but it cast enough light to see by and they were warm and comfortable in each other’s company.
In Astrid’s opinion, there was no pressing need to leave just yet. She snuggled closer to Hiccup's side, relishing his warmth and earthy scent.
“Suit yourself,” he sighed.
“What?” Astrid reached an arm behind him and stroked the soft hairs on the back of his neck. “You want me to leave?”
“No, no,” he said, still scribbling away. “I’m just reminding you that staying here might incur unwanted attention from some of the more, ah... conventional citizens of this fair isle.”
“Who?”
“Your mom.”
Astrid gave him a wry smile. “You’re scared of her?”
“I like to think I have a healthy sense of self-preservation.”
Toothless looked up from where he’d been curled by the fire, and snorted derisively. If dragons could look sarcastic, Toothless managed it.
Hiccup made a face at him.
Astrid shifted in his arms and pressed a gentle kiss to his chin. “Well, I don’t care what she thinks.” Her eyes glimmered in the dying light, her sly smile beckoning him.
She felt Hiccup’s charcoal-blackened fingers on her jaw, tilting her to just the right angle, and when his mouth met hers it was slow and comforting, strong yet delicate, as warm as the coals in the fire, as familiar as home. Astrid clung to him, threading her fingers in Hiccup’s hair, and soon his sketchbook and charcoal fell to the floor, forgotten in his desire to hold her.
She could have stayed there all night, wrapped up in his tight embrace, could’ve slept with her legs tangled with his, her arms around his neck, if only to be close to him. Hiccup certainly made no move to push her away. His hand ghosted up and down her thigh, pausing only to gently squeeze at the soft muscles beneath her skirt, the weight of him pressing her to the wood beneath...
“Oh!” There was a gasp from behind them, and they both turned to see Valka standing in the doorway, her hair windswept from dragon flying, cheeks ruddy with cold or maybe embarrassment. It was hard to tell. She grinned at them, glassy eyed.
“Ah!” Hiccup quickly separated himself from Astrid and retrieved his adventurous hand. “Sorry, Mom... We were just—”
“Oh aye, I’m sure you were,” Valka cut in. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Y-You didn’t.” Hiccup bent to retrieve his book from the floor.
Astrid stood up and straightened her skirt, looking anywhere but at Valka. She could feel the older woman’s eyes on her, crinkled at the edges with amusement. “I was just leaving anyway,” she said. “It’s getting late. My parents will probably be wondering...”
Hiccup nodded, lips pursed and his notebook held tightly under his arm. “Uh huh. So I’ll see you—“
“Tomorrow,” Astrid agreed, turning to leave. “Oh, and don’t forget, Snotlout’s racing Eret one-on-one at noon. We’re definitely going to need a decent referee.”
“And probably a doctor.”
She couldn’t disagree with that. With a final smile at her boyfriend, she turned and put her hood up, nodded to Valka, and headed out into the snow.