Did anyone order some feels?
This is completely separate from anything and any universe I’ve ever written, but I was inspired by some of my initial ideas from Puzzle Pieces.
He caught her watching them again. The mother with the two year old and the few week old. There was a longing in her eyes that he wasn’t used to. And he didn’t like it.
She started and turned away, back to the food in front of her.
He put his hand on her back gently. "Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she muttered, shaking his hand off and glaring at her plate.
It had been three years. Three years since they got married. And no children.
She hadn’t wanted children when she was younger. But things had changed. Dragons became friends, Berk was at peace, and she had fallen in love.
It wasn’t fair. There were so many kids around, so many young, happy families.
People had joked for the weeks up to the wedding that she’d be pregnant before the year was out.
She didn’t want to say she was jealous, but she was. Not that she’d ever tell anyone. She was a warrior, why would she want to be a mother?
She couldn’t quite explain why she wanted a baby so badly. She wasn’t really sure.
She suspected it had a little to do with Hiccup. He’d always been great with kids, all kids. Even, miraculously, babies. He loved to play with the villager’s children when he could. They simply adored him. They flocked to him. They always had.
He had never brought it up to her, but she supposed he wanted kids even more than she did.
And she couldn’t give him that.
“It’s been three years…” she murmured.
Hiccup rolled over. “What?”
Astrid jumped a little. She thought he was asleep.
“Hey,” he found her hand and squeezed it gently. He sounded a little sleepy. “What’s wrong?"
“Astrid, I know something’s wrong. Just tell me.”
“It’s been three years since we got married, Hiccup.”
“We have an empty marriage.”
“What are you talking about?” he was still talking to the back of her head. She hadn’t rolled over.
“We don’t have any kids.”
“So?” he sounded indifferent.
“So?” she rolled over then, upset. “It’s been three years, Hiccup. Three!”
“I know, I can count. I just don’t understand…”
She wrenched her hand from his. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? We should’ve had one by now at least… I can’t have kids. I can’t have kids and you need an heir and I can’t give you that!"
Her voice wavered and she tried to stop the tears, but they came anyway. She hated to cry. She hated herself whenever she did.
Toothless woke up at the outburst and he whined. He trotted over to his human friend’s bed and tried to nuzzle Astrid, who just pushed him away.
Hiccup panicked. Astrid didn’t cry enough for him to know what to do about it. But he didn’t want her to feel like their lack of children was her fault. It was nobody’s fault. No one asked for problems like that. They just… happened. "Astrid, hey, it’s okay.” he tried to hug her, but she squirmed away. “It’s been three years, sure, but we’ve got plenty more and there’s no law anywhere that says we need to have a kid in three years.”
Astrid sniffled. He didn’t get it! He couldn’t understand. She wanted a baby. She had wanted one for a long time. It wasn’t just about the island needing an heir. It was about them, it was about being parents, it was about everything. But she couldn’t put that into words.
She settled for “You need an heir."
She had been thinking about that for a while.
"You should-you have to find someone that can give you an heir.” she said quietly, looking anywhere but at him. “It won’t be me.”
He knew what she was implying. And he didn’t want to. He loved her too much, he respected her too much. And if he ever did have kids, he wanted her to be their mother. Not some random girl. He didn’t want to look at his child and not see Astrid somehow.
“There has to be someone that would be willing and-”
“I’m not willing, Astrid. I love you too much."
She glanced up at him before looking away again. "Don’t be ridiculous, Hiccup. It’s not about love.” It had gone past that. People were starting to ask her what they were waiting for.
“Of course it is.” he tried to touch her again, but she wouldn’t let him.
“It’s not. Not anymore.” she said simply, rolling back over and tugging the blanket over herself.
Hiccup and Toothless exchanged a worried glance before the dragon went back to bed and Hiccup rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“She’s right, lad, you do need an heir.” Gobber looked over at the young chief, who was ranting in the forge like he always did when he needed to rant.
“But I don’t- she’s my wife! I don’t-I couldn’t!”
“I’d be thinkin’ the same way, boy. Trust me. But it ‘as been a long time… you should at least be considerin’ it. When you go to tha’ meeting next week, just, think about it.”
“Okay, fine, if I do consider it, do I just go up to some girl and be like 'Hey, I need to borrow you really quick and then for nine months and then I never want to see you again because I have a wife’?”
Gobber tried not to laugh. This was serious, but Hiccup always did have an interesting way of putting things. “I think you’d be needin’ to talk to her dad, Hiccup. Not jus’ her. It’s a pretty big deal to be asked for somethin’ like that. I’ve heard about it plenty of times.”
“I don’t even want to think about this. I don’t even want to do it! Astrid has been so upset lately… It’d jut make it worse if I showed up one day with another woman’s baby, right?”
“I don’t want that. I just…” he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, leaning against the wall. “I want her to be happy, Gobber. That’s all I want.” And the only way for her to be truly happy right then was for them to have a baby, which was proving to be more difficult than they’d have liked.
He was leaving for a meeting. And she refused to go with him for once.
She figured it was for the best. If he was considering some girl, she didn’t want to be there. She knew it was necessary, but it was still going to be hard on her.
“I love you,” he said before trying to kiss her. She turned away.
He frowned. This was already hard. Now it was worse.
She barely even glanced at him before she went back into the house.
The chief of the island was showing him and Toothless around. It was the first time Hiccup was there and the other chief was proudly showing his island off to him.
Hiccup stopped when he saw a small child sitting near a building playing with a stick. No one was watching him. He was alone. Which was weird. It wasn’t the warmest of days.
The other chief saw him looking. “Ah, that’s Toby.”
“What’s he doing out here all alone?”
“He’s an orphan. His mother died right after his sister was born and his father’s dead too. He’s out here so someone could take him. It’s been a few weeks. No one’s taken an interest in either him or his sister. It’s almost time for us to just let them be. It’s no use to feed two tiny mouths that no one wants when we’ve got a whole island that needs it.”
Hiccup shook his head, a smile tugging at his mouth. “That won’t be necessary, I think I know someone that will want them.”
It was late when he got home. Late and dark. Astrid was combing her hair out next to the fire.
Astrid didn’t look over at him. She knew it was Hiccup.
“I have someone I think you should meet.”
He had nerve. Bringing some girl home for her to meet. She didn’t want to know who she was. But she supposed she’d have to know. She would be on Berk for the entirety of her pregnancy, getting treated exceptionally well because she would be carrying the heir. It’d be one huge slap in the face.
Astrid took a deep breath before she turned to look at her husband and was surprised not to see a girl with him. She was going to try and be polite.
What she saw instead was a sleeping toddler in one arm and a little bundle in the other.
She was sure her confusion was evident on her face as she stood up. “Hiccup, who’s kids are these?”
“No one’s right now… they’re orphans. No one wanted them.”
She reached out to touch the toddler gently. He squirmed a little.
She took the baby carefully from him. It waved it’s tiny hands towards her face, making her smile. “Oh, Hiccup… They’re precious. How’d you get them here?”
“Very carefully.” he smiled. “This little fella’s name is Toby, and she’s” he nodded towards the baby in her arms. “Nina.”
“Toby and Nina.” Astrid said quietly, stroking Nina’s head carefully. Both children had brown hair, though Toby’s seemed to be darker, and the darker skin that came with being born in the more southern islands.
“I think they’re perfect.” Astrid replied looking down at little Nina cradled in her arms, her eyes filled with tears.
Hiccup took a step closer to her and kissed her. She didn’t turn away this time.
There was no way he ever wanted to have a child where Astrid wasn’t its mother. This was the perfect solution for them. Two children who needed a loving home and two people who were ready and willing to give them one.
“I love you,” Astrid told Hiccup.
“I love you too,” he grinned. “Mommy.”
This was a lot better in my head, but I hope you still liked it.
As always, feel free to shoot me an ask to write more and/or elaborate and explain something. I’d be happy to do it!