Draugr

One

"Ewww-get a room, cuz!" Hiccup rolled his eyes as the two pulled apart. The stocky jet-haired man huffed as he tried to get past, his arms full of art supplies.

"Snotlout...we already have one," he sighed.

"And you two are lying in the way of us getting the bed into it!" Fishlegs added, half of the frame in his steady grasp. Astrid huffed and reluctantly got to her feet.

"You're a bad influence on me," she smiled, staring down on the rumpled shape in baggy, paint-splashed jeans and faded green tee-shirt. Hiccup smiled happily back, the goofy smile the one she had fallen in love with.

"I do my best," he smirked as he stuck up a hand and she hauled him to his feet. He skipped back a couple of feet, his eyes teasing. "You're not going to punch me again, are you?" he added. She gave a smug smirk.

"I actually only reserve that for people who annoy me," she told him as he walked slowly forward to pull her close.

"Then I'm safe because I'd never dare do that," he admitted, then winced as he heard Snotlout trip over one of his sculptures and drop his favourite easel. "My cousin, on the other hand..." he sighed as he pulled away to go and check what his cousin had broken now. Astrid sighed and stared after him, wondering how she had ended up with such an amazing and loving man that she certainly didn't deserve...especially after the way they had met...

oOo

One Year Earlier...

Astrid awoke slowly, her head muzzy with the aftermath of a really good night out. It had been one of those work-related things that she had reluctantly gone along to with Heather-her best friend and deputy CEO-because it would provide opportunities of networking and 'letting her hair down', which was Heather's persistent refrain. It had also been her birthday, though her idea of a celebration would have been a cup of cocoa in front of the computer. Personally, Astrid hated parties but the chance to meet with 'Chief' Stoick Haddock, the infamous CEO of the Haddock Corporation, the largest Finance and Investment Brokerage House and Bank in Berk and the East Coast, had just been too good to miss. So she had dressed in her best dress, a stunning azure silk form-fitting knee-length that she knew suited her eyes and had dutifully turned out, probably drinking too many champagnes on an empty stomach and....

Reality hit her at that moment. She had no clue where she was...but she was in a bed that certainly wasn't hers and she had no clue how she got here. She lifted her head: the green sheets were rumpled and the pillow on the other side of the bed was dented, showing someone else had slept in the bed with her. More reality slapped her in the face: she was naked in the bed. Whoever she had gone home with had taken advantage of her drunkenness and of her.

Anger and embarrassment warred in her chest as she sat up and cast around for her clothes, strewn on the floor. Shaking with anger, she grabbed them and swiftly dressed, expertly loosening her hair and then rebraiding it before she grabbed her bag, pulled her heels on and stormed through to the kitchen to find the person who had shamefully taken advantage of a drunken woman.

It wasn't hard, she realised swiftly as she heard the sounds of cooking and arrived at a modern, white kitchen. There was a light, slightly nasal voice talking to an unseen other person as she rounded the corner. A tall and lanky young man was standing barefoot at the stove, expertly frying bacon, a pile of pancakes already keeping warm. Casually dressed in training pants and a loose tee-shirt, his auburn hair was shaggy and dishevelled from sleep, his sharp jaw darkened by stubble and his brow furrowed as he concentrated on his task.

"No, bud-none of this is for you," he said, his emerald eyes flicking to playfully inspect a large black dog lying at his feet, big green eyes looking hopefully at his owner. A long arm snaked over to a mug of freshly-brewed coffee...and as he looked up, her saw her. His handsome face lit with a genuine smile as she approached and he half-turned to her. "Morning, Milady! How..." he began but got no further. Infuriated beyond words, she walked up to the swine, punched him so hard in the stomach that he collapsed to his knees and stormed off, leaving him coughing on his knees. The dog gave a small whine as she slammed the door...and was gone.