HTTYD One-Shot: Leather

He had to keep finding ways to spice up the time they spent together. Weeks had turned into months, and months turned into years; most people would not have noticed, but Hiccup knew Astrid. She liked a good challenge, a worthy opponent.

Today, he was ready. Hiccup had grown tall and wiry, though he worked hard to keep his strength up. Boys like him-- runts of the litter- were not supposed to be strong, but Hiccup had never let a silly thing like skinny arms stop him. After perfecting his flight gear with Toothless, he started training himself to toss rocks, and to use his shield like a foreign boomerang, so that it always returned to his hand. He hadn't bulked up the way Snotlout and Fishlegs had, but at least he could carry a barrel of mead if he had to.

It was early evening, in the late summer before the leaves turned brown. Hiccup waited on one of the distant cliffs. Hiccup and Astrid had built a small cabin up here, which was camouflaged to mimic the black rock, so that they could have alone time, without anyone stopping them. Hiccup had already started a fire with Toothless's help, boiling moon tea over the stove, and he tightened the laces on his surprise for Astrid.

Astrid landed in a flurry of fur and blue scales. She was wearing the fur, and a soft braid that highlighted the roundness of her cheeks. Stormfly, shaking her head, went to talk with Toothless.

"Evening, milady." Hiccup stood up. He had calculated the exact angle by which the firelight would reflect off his armor, against the many laces.

"What is that, Hiccup?" she asked, taking the saddle off Stormfly and coming to warm her hands by the fire. "Are you going to a Snoggletog cotillion?"

"At this time?" He held out a mug of moon tea for her. She took it, swirled the boiling water around, and sat by the fire. "I actually made this for you."

"For me?" She stroked the leather. Despite its thickness, Hiccup felt his skin tingling where her fingers ran. They found the laces at the sides, and Hiccup let out a trembling breath.

"Think you can open it?"

Her eyes twinkled with the amusement of the challenge. Then he moved away, feeling his body warm in response.

"Of course, you also have to hold me still," he said. "Think you're up for it?"

She gave a fierce grin and put down her mug. It was half-finished.

"You're on, Amazing," she said, and tackled. He sidestepped her. Toothless already knew about the game, or the dragon would have stepped in.

He knew her too well. Today had been a slow day on Berk, with no massive dragons trying to eat up the island or other tribes invading, and Astrid had been restless. He had timed his surprise.

She was surprised by how he evaded her. His hand-to-hand combat had improved, though he still had to work. Astrid wouldn't appreciate it if his fight were halfhearted, though he made sure to remain on the defense. He was slippery as an eel, though he didn't bite. Every time she pinned him, he'd push her off and start the chase again. At some point their mugs of moon tea got knocked down, and he stopped to push them to the side. That decided her victory.

Astrid got his left arm pinned behind him on her fourth try, found the laces on the sides of his armor. When he tried to move away, her fingers slipped to his tunic and startled tickling. Caught by surprise, she undid the rest of the laces quickly and bent her knees. Soon he was on the ground, on his stomach.

"Fine, you got me," he laughed, breathless. "I surrender, Lady Hofferson."

She was also laughing, pulling off the leather and running her hands under his green undershirt. He quivered at her touch, pricked by a breeze that blew over the cliffs. Toothless snorted with dull amusement.

"Heir Hiccup, what would your father say about challenging shield-maidens to fight, and wearing expensive armor for the occasion?"

"He'd say that it's the fool-hearted way to declare love." Hiccup grinned. "There have to be swords and maces as well."

She leaned forward and kissed him on his brow. He couldn't move much, stomach between her bent knees, but he nevertheless quivered against her touch. Astrid noticed, and she also rubbed against him.

"Now you're my prisoner," she said with mock sternness. "Will you do everything I say for this evening?"

"Gladly."

She started removing his tunic, carefully folding it in the grass along with his leather armor. He lay still, waiting for her to finish.