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Northbound

Summary:

Hiccup is 17 when Astrid leaves Berk, choosing to explore the world beyond the island. When she returns four years later, everything has changed, most of all the boy she used to love.

Notes:

So this is straight up an enemies to lovers trope, except it's more like lovers to enemies to lovers. ANGST. Hiccup is a SASSY boy. Astrid is OOC for the first few chapters, just a warning. She has been gone four years and she missed all the big battles and she's just kinda naive. For the most part this is canon divergence, all that happened in the first movie remains true, and the second mostly happened the same, except obviously there was no Astrid, so the way Eret joined their gang is a little different.

Chapter 1: Astrid’s Betrayal

Chapter Text

“If you leave, there will be no more of this.” He was begging, and he knew it but if this is what it took to get her to understand, then he’d get on his hands and knees and plead until the sun came up.

“I know.” She turned and continued to throw clothes into bag set out on her bed. She was packing everything, he noticed. Her drawers were completely empty; all that remained were the furs on her bed. My Gods, did she ever plan on coming back?

“We’re seventeen, do you know how amazing it is that we have something this incredible so young?”

She turned sharply, blue eyes blazing into his soul. “So I’m just supposed to stay here forever in the name of love? No, I’m seventeen, I’ve never left my island and I’m ready to see more of the world.”

“So you’re just going to leave me here?” He pictured them, 40 years from now, on dragon back travelling together, leaving their children to care for the village while they lived their last years exploring the unknown.

She sighed, back turned towards him as she tied her pack closed. “I’m sorry, Hiccup. If you would leave with me, I would want that too. But we both know you won’t.”

That was true. As much as he wanted to leave and travel, he had an obligation to the village, and he took it seriously. He couldn’t leave, not for the length of time Astrid apparently wanted.

“How long will you be gone?” This was the question he was dreading, the one he hadn’t asked since she had brought up the subject a few weeks ago.

“A few years, at least.” Her voice was barely above a whisper and Hiccup almost asked her to repeat herself but no, deep down he knew he’d heard her correctly.

Nothing could have prepared him for this. Two years ago, after they defeated the Red Death and he woke up and Astrid kissed him, he saw his future clearly. Adventures, dragon training, chief duties. All with Astrid by his side, supporting him, helping him and running the village with him, as partners. The vision had started to crack when she first mentioned the possibility of her travelling, but now it was completely shattered, the pieces so small he knew they would never fit back together correctly.

“If you leave, there will be no more of this.” He repeated the words but he still wasn’t quite sure what they meant. He wanted to sound authoritative and tough, but once again the needy tone seeped through and he sounded desperate.

“I know, Hiccup. I’m not asking you to wait for me. I know what I’m doing has consequences.” She cast her eyes down, hands twisting in her lap.

He was furious suddenly. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Consequences? You say that as if I’m just a symptom of your life here. As if I’m just a bullet point on a checklist of things that might kind of suck if you left.” His arms were flailing and his chest was heaving and she wouldn’t make eye contact. That’s when he knew he was right, when he realized she would never love him like he loved her, like he needed her.

He shook his head slowly after a long silence. “I guess I should go then.” He turned on his heel to leave, but she caught his wrist and pulled him into her arms, lips firmly pressing against his, moving furiously and he was lost again, in the world of Astrid where she was the only thing that mattered, the only thing that existed. She dragged him down to her bed and tangled his fingers in her hair, vaguely aware that this would be the last time he would be able to do this. She removed his shirt and her bindings fell to the floor shortly after. They were locked together until exhaustion hit, Hiccup no longer able to keep his eyes opened, drifting into an uneasy sleep.

When he woke the sun was shining high in the sky, signaling late morning. He looked around for any signs that she was still here, her hair tie on the bedside table, her axe under the pillow. But it was all gone, only the faint smell of her skin lingering against the now cold pillows.

Hiccup stood in the middle of the room for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes stinging with tears he stubbornly refused to shed. He looked around one last time before climbing out of the window, ready to face his day.

---
Four years later

“You ready to give this a go, bud?” His voice was muffled both by his helmet and the wind, but Toothless warbled his consent. Hiccup locked his tail into place, stood and jumped, with a loud yell.

The first time he had done this, he swore nothing would ever feel as good. But he was wrong, he knew that now. As he stretched out the wings in his flying suit, he confirmed that every time was just as freeing as that first. The warm wind blew loudly around him and he glanced back, seeing Toothless’ gummy grin. Hiccup shot him a thumbs up before turning and taking in the view.

He loved seeing Berk from this height. The trees, with their vibrant green shining in the summer sun, the dragon’s eating from the posts in the middle of town, the ships coming in, waiting to be greeted by the-

“Oh Gods, Toothless we gotta get down there right now!” They fumbled for a moment, never truly figuring out a smooth transition to get Hiccup back in the saddle. When he was locked back in he directed Toothless towards the dock, where he could see two boats now anchoring.

They landed roughly, having come in too quickly and Hiccup took a few stumbling steps before removing his helmet. The boats were already beginning to unload and people were hopping off, so Hiccup quickly started introductions without truly paying attention to what was happening.

“Welcome to Berk, everyone! Sorry I’m late, I uhh- was scouting the land for some of our new projects!” That sounded like something the person in charge would say, right?

“Nicely done, chief.” Eret approached from behind, clapping him on the back painfully.

Luckily, no one seemed to be paying too much attention to Hiccup’s rambling and he and Eret assisted in unloading the ship’s cargo, introducing himself as Berk’s chief to the boat captain and crew.

When everything had been taken care of, Hiccup and Eret walked back to the main part of town, discussing construction plans and what to do with the influx of dragons. He was so enamored in their conversation that he almost didn’t notice the blonde coming to stand in front of him.

He stopped in his tracks and looked up, talking without really seeing. “Hello! Welcome to Berk! I’m- Astrid?” He was frozen with his hand extended halfway out, his usual chiefly speech stuck in the back of his throat.

“That’s so weird! My name’s Astrid too!” She punched him in the shoulder and it was so much like old times that Hiccup suddenly felt a foot shorter and forty pounds lighter. It wasn’t pleasant.

She looked so different that if she hadn’t put herself directly in his path, he probably could have passed her by and lived his life in ignorant bliss, thinking Astrid was in some far off land. He glanced over her a second time.

Her hair was shorter he noticed, as it hang loose around her shoulders, falling just below her collarbones, and it looked shinier than he remembered. Her face had rounded in a flattering way and as his eyes skirted down further he saw her feminine figure that wasn’t there all those years ago and felt his mouth go dry. He didn’t dare to look into her eyes, afraid they would recall too many memories.

“No- hi it’s uh, good to see you’re back! The gang is probably at the great hall, you should go visit them.” He gave her a light pat on the shoulder before walking around her, Eret and Toothless on his tail.

“What was that all about?” Eret was glancing over his shoulder, where Hiccup was sure Astrid was still standing, mouth hanging open at his icy welcome home speech.

“That, back there? That’s baggage, years and years of emotional turmoil that I tucked away and I sure as Hel don’t have time to unpack it now.” He was getting angrier by the minute. Who gave her the right to just come back and decide things were normal? Four years was a lifetime at this age, she doesn’t even know him anymore!

He headed to the forge then, suddenly eager to help construct building materials. He bid Eret goodbye and turned towards the sounds of hammers pounding against metal. When he entered the small building, he saw Gobber, scolding Grump by the anvil.

“How’re we supposed to melt metal if you can’t keep the fire lit?” He looked up when the door shut. “Hiccup! Finally remembered you’ve been promising me help now, eh?”

“Never forgot Gobber, just been busy trying to figure out how to get all the rebuilding done when the ice won’t melt.” The battle against Drago and the alpha had taken place nearly a year ago, and the village was still suffering from the damage. The ice was thick and Berk hardly got warm enough for all of it completely melt. The dragon’s fire helped, of course but it was a tedious and exhausting job that no one seemed to want to help with.

A knock on the door pulled Hiccup from his thoughts and he turned to see Astrid.

“Astrid, Mighty Thor I didn’t know you were back!” Gobber went and folded her into a strong hug that lifted her off the ground momentarily.

“Funny, I just saw Hiccup so you’d think he would have mentioned it.” The sarcasm dripped off her words and Hiccup gritted his teeth to avoid voicing the sassy retort that hung in the back of his throat.

“How were your travels, dear? You have to tell me everything! I hear you went south, how was that?” Gobber pulled up a stool and offered it to Astrid, she glanced toward Hiccup, whose face remained blank. She sat down anyways.

“Yeah, I went south. It was incredible, the water over there is so blue and the people live so differently.” Hiccup began pounding, the sound of hammer against metal serving to drown out Astrid’s voice.

Was she really here to try and brag about her adventures to him? He wouldn’t have it, he wouldn’t listen as she retold her tales of knights and princes, golden sand and the most free she has ever felt. No, he was good.

When he had finished with the tools, he was surprised to see the two were still talking and- laughing? Gods, who gave them the right to laugh when he was so angry? He couldn’t take it any longer. He threw the hammer down roughly and turned to Gobber.

“I’m going to go check on how the ice melting is going. Let me know when you need more help.”

“Ice melting?” Astrid’s eyes were filled with humor, as if they were telling some kind of joke and it only served to increase Hiccup’s irritation. She clearly wasn’t aware of anything that the village had suffered, and here he was trying to fix it while she laughed about the thought of ice removal.

“Aye lassie, you aren’t the only one who's been on a crazy ride these last few years.”

Astrid thought on that for a moment. “Well maybe Hiccup could catch me up.” She made as if to get up and follow him out.

“No, really, I’m very busy at the moment.” He put his hands out, signalling for her to sit back down.

Gobber rolled his eyes. “The chief is always busy, Hiccup. Take her with you.”

“Chief?!” Astrid’s eyes bugged out and my Gods, had she really kept herself that ignorant to the changes of her home?

Hiccup sighed before opening the door and signaling for her to follow him. She stood and hurried behind him. She seemed like she was struggling to keep up with his pace and that annoyed him, because Astrid was always the one moving fast. Hiccup had to practically run to keep up with her and now the tables were turned.

He glanced over and noticed her relaxed posture and for a moment he envied her. She left and she looked all the better for it. Her skin was golden from a tan that would never be possible on Berk, her lean muscles were still there but they weren't the same. He knew, somehow that she had stopped yielding her axe. Her definition was different than he remembered and she probably didn't have to fight anymore, so it made sense. She hadn’t spent the past four years training and battling like the rest of Berk, like she used to, so of course her body had changed, adapting to whatever work out she decided suited her best.

“Chief.” Astrid repeated and looked at him, a nervous glint in her eyes. But her chin was held high and there was a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Yeah well, didn’t have much of a choice.” He didn’t want to tell her, he realized. All of the craziness that had happened in the past four years and he didn’t want her to know any of it.

“What do you mean?” He remained silent until they reached the part of town that was most damaged and he heard her gasp.

Good, he thought. Feel the shock and outrage that I’ve been dealing with for the past year.

“Ice dragon,” he said, answering the question he knew would be coming.

“How?”

“I don’t really have time to talk now, but if you head to the Dragon Academy, everyone should be there and they’d be happy to fill you in.” He whistled for Toothless then, and the dragon appeared within seconds. He mounted him and then flew off to help assess the best place to get started with the melting expedition.

---

It was just past dark when Hiccup entered the Great Hall, exhausted and starving. It was nearly empty, except for a blonde head in the far corner.

Hiccup groaned, exasperated and feeling like he was being stalked. He contemplated turning around and heading home, but his grumbling stomach protested, so he moved forward, hoping she would take the hint he dropped earlier and not approach him.

He was only sitting for about thirty seconds before the bench in front of him squeaked. He looked up and locked eyes with Astrid. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

“I just need to talk to you, okay? You don’t even have to respond.” Her voice carried a seriousness that brought him back to that first real conversation they’d ever had.

“You know you’re gonna have to kill a dragon.” He could still feel the shiver sent down his spine by these words, almost as well as he could feel her arms wrapped right around his waist. He shook himself back to the present.

“I’m engaged.” He brought his eyes up to hers then, waiting for the punchline. She was silent a moment, probably waiting for a reaction but he had spent too much time working on shielding his expressions, not even this could catch him off guard. She pushed forward roughly.

“It’s been about a year since we met and he proposed not long after. He’s from a small town in the south and I told him I had always planned on returning home and he said he’d come with me and..” Her eyes had taken on a dreamy state and he wondered if she ever got like that when she talked about Hiccup. He couldn’t picture it, this Astrid was a complete stranger.

“We want to get married here, before summer is over.” She looked at him expectantly and he wasn’t sure why she was telling him this, it wasn’t his business anymore and then realization hit him hard.

He was the chief. He would have to marry them.

He pushed his food back, suddenly without an appetite.

“Send me the details, preparations must begin soon if you want it before fall.” He moved to stand and Astrid laid a hand over his arm, freezing him in place.

“I’m sorry.” She really did look it, too and that was the worst part. She had clearly moved on, why was it so hard for her to imagine that he might have done the same? Her pity soured in his stomach and he snatched his hand away harshly.

“Please try and approach me with chiefly matters at a more appropriate time from here on out.” He stormed out of the hall, not needing to look back to know her angry glare was fixed on him.