Hiccstrid One-Shot: Adjustments

Sunsday didn't come soon enough. Hiccup spent the few days beforehand taking apart and reassembling his utility belt and apron. He had never done proper fittings before, so he didn't know what needles to bring or to leave behind.

When the big day came, Hiccup sneaked out early on Toothless, leaving a note for his dad. Astrid's parents would leave the house by noon, so in the meantime he could gather his supplies and even go for a quick flight around the island.

 Noon came quicker than expected, so Hiccup hustled his way over to Astrid's house. Gobber had caught him stashing sewing equipment in his belt, and Hiccup had barely gotten away by explaining that it was repair for his flight suit, in case he or Toothless's tail fin got a bad tear and needed to fix it. To support that lie, Hiccup had packed a spare connecting rod and material with which to patch up the tail, and made Gobber promise to be discreet about "late morning flying."

Astrid was waiting outside, cleaning her axe. She was wearing her usual outfit, the grey skeleton skirt and the plain tunic. She smiled as she put down the cleaning cloth and laid her axe across her lap.

"About time, Amazing. I was getting worried."

"Gobber nearly busted me," Hiccup admitted. "But I threw him off the trail. He thinks I'm riding to the north to add to my map of the world."

"Are you that worried about him adding to the Talk? Was it that bad?"

Hiccup shuddered. Toothless imitated his shiver before laughing at the gesture.

"I never want to go through the Talk again. Besides, he might even tell my dad, and that's worse."

"But your dad likes me," Astrid said with a teasing smile. "Considering he wants us to get married in a couple of years."

"Oh he likes you, but 'a chief's son must be chiefly,'" Hiccup said, imitating his father's swagger. "And making clothes for women is apparently not 'chiefly.'"

"If only he knew about the fitting," Astrid giggled. "Let's go inside. I don't want anyone to see me in the buff."

"Aww." Hiccup pretended to be disappointed, but he followed her inside. Toothless wanted to go in, but Stormfly appeared and greeted him first. Probably for the best; the dragons could serve as lookouts in case Astrid's parents returned early.

 She had hung up the leather suit in the partition designated as her room. Astrid picked up the outfit and went into her room to change. Hiccup waited in the main room and stoked a small fire. It was a warm day outside, but he wanted Astrid to be comfortable if she was going to be changing into and out of clothes.

He didn't look up from the embers until Astrid cleared her throat. Then he looked up, and took in the sight. He couldn't help but grin and open his mouth at how his handiwork fit her well.

It was battle armor much like his riding suit, padded around the torso to protect the heart, lungs, and spleen. He had added a tiny layer of Gronckle Iron to the breastplate, so that her armor would be light as a feather but hard as diamond. He had made sure that the area there needed no adjustments, since Gronckle Iron didn't cut easily.

The sleeves and pants were a different story; he had forgotten to factor in where the elbows would tighten. And the trousers . . . well, to put it bluntly, they were ridiculously baggy at the ankles. Astrid pinched the material there, considering it.

"Oops," he said. "Guess I shouldn't become a clothes-making Viking if I ever get tired of dragons."

"I think these need to be tightened a little," she said, indicating him to come closer. "And I do appreciate that there's room for my hips to widen. Would be a shame if I couldn't fit into this in a couple of years."

"You? Not fit into armor? That would never happen," Hiccup assured her. "Besides, Trader Johann mentioned something about darts, which are points of adjustment on an outfit. I added them to your suit, in case any growing is involved. Here, let me show you were they are."

He went to her, guided her hands to the small folds of fabric that were called "darts". She responded to his touch, curving against it like a coil of silk.

"I am flattered; that way when we have kids, I can still fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes," she teased. "Though I doubt you'd still be able to cup my legs the way you're doing now."

Those made him stutter. He withdrew his hand, and Astrid laughed.

"K-kids?" he said, in a small voice. "I- I've never thought about that."

"Well I have, since I'm going to be carrying them." She poked him in the stomach, in a ticklish spot that made him chuckle. "But we'll worry about that when we get to that point. At least one thing we don't have to worry about is my getting new clothes."

"Of course not," he said, blushing. "It's just, I never thought of having kids."

He felt very boyish now, as Astrid kept poking him in that ticklish spot. At times he felt he'd never outgrow his buckteeth or baby-face, and the thought of having another little bucktoothed Viking around the house made him fret. His dad had brought up the topic, but children existed in a future distant and far from the present.

"But when they grow, you'll have to make their baby outfits as well," she went on. "Special nappies designed for dragon flights, Snoggletog tunics and little skull skirts-"

"Stop, stop," he said, laughing at the image and because she was still poking at that particular spot. "Of course I'll be happy to make outfits for them, and to adjust them for growing. Gods, I'll need to incorporate more darts."

"You will have to," she declared. "Mom keeps declaring my hips are too thin, so she needs to see that they're getting wider. Don't they feel wider already?"

He knelt and cupped her thighs, found himself unable to encircle one with a single hand. Then again, the armor wasn't exactly form fitting and the trousers got in the way. He would one day see if he could wrap a hand around one of her legs.

"They do," he said, since it wasn't a complete lie. "But maybe you should eat more yak steaks. They're sure to put the weight around there."

She pulled back and punched him in the arm, affectionately. He winced and grinned, releasing her thigh.

"Stick to clothes and dragons, Amazing. Your healthcare tips are severely lacking. And these trousers could use a little more tightening around the ankles."

He used chalk and charcoal to mark the areas that needed sewing, and took the opportunity to stroke her inner thigh. She didn't protest or punch him, so he kept it up until he had finished the markings.

"You know," he remarked, "I wouldn't mind sewing skull skirts and tunics if we have a girl. Especially since she will be like you. Fearless, beautiful and playful."

"I know," she said dreamily. "A houseful of boys and girls, running in and out with dragons and stuffed yaks."

"We'll have to rebuild the house every two weeks," Hiccup joked, which earned him another punch

Hiccup smiled as he straightened up and kissed her hands. Maybe he wasn't ready for kids, but one day he would be. He'd accept that household of crazy fun, along with the chiefdom and old age. All because of the woman above him; she made him ready.