dictated

[mildcalibrationissue]

--whoah whoah whoah whoah!

[Hiccup sounds mildly panicked. Again. I sincerely hope no one is surprised.]

Uhh - I think I broke the computer Alan let me borrow.

[A pause.]

Odin. [It's spoken like a curse, and then, muttered:] I meant to filter that from him.




Okay, so - um. The screen keeps turning blue. Does anyone know how to fix this? Because, seriously, I'd appreciate it a lot.

[And anyone in the lobby may see him tinkering with said laptop, at a complete loss. When it's not bluescreening, it's filled with popups, because Hiccup of course is the only person in the castle who could infect his machine with spyware without ever connecting to a network.]



[And then, added later:]

Soooo. Hey.

Comments

[mildcalibrationissue]

.. yeah, I kind of would.

[His hand tightens a little on hers.]

But I think we're safe for the next few hours, at least. Don't think people disappear when other people can see them.

[ex_battleaxe109]

[ If she was cheesy she'd say something along the lines of 'Then never let me out of your sight' but instead she just thought it for a quick moment instead.

She'll just change the topic of conversation instead. ]

You should stop hiding in your room unless you want me to start barging in all the time. It's really a hassle to walk allllll the way up here when we need to go alll the way down and outside right after.

[mildcalibrationissue]

Well, if I'd known we were going outside, I would have just met you there! You can't blame me for what I didn't know.

[But her earlier words have unsettled him a little bit, so he pauses in the hall to duck a brief kiss to her mouth.]

What are you showing me, anyway?

[ex_battleaxe109]

I didn't-- Okay, it was partially my fault for coming up here.

[ Oh! The kiss surprises her a little bit, so pardon her if she has an awkward giggle. ]

It's a surprise, Hiccup. I'm not going to ruin it right before we get there!

[mildcalibrationissue]

Okay, okay, fine.

[He smiles a little bit, though, head ducked.]

Did you see what I made for Toothless?

[ex_battleaxe109]

If I did then I don't remember what it was.

[ Because sometimes she has the observational skills of a rock. Especially in regards to things she doesn't understand. ]

Plus I've been a bit distracted, when we actually get outside you'll see why.

[mildcalibrationissue]

Okay, okay, I'm excited enough as it is! [He laughs quietly, shaking his head.] And it's this - mechanical tail thing. He doesn't need me to fly anymore.

[ex_battleaxe109]

Really? That's great! I'm sure he really appreciates being able to fly on his own again.

[mildcalibrationissue]

[And Hiccup looks almost.. wistful for a moment.]

Yeah. He seems pretty excited by it.

[ex_battleaxe109]

Though I'm sure he'd rather have you riding him.

[ I sure would. Hey, look-- they don't have much further to go before they're outside! Yay. ]

[mildcalibrationissue]

[And when they get outside, Hiccup is immediately on the lookout.]

What's out here?

[ex_battleaxe109]

Cover your eyes.

[ Astrid grabs his other wrist and lifts them up, hoping he'd get the hint to use his hands for the job. And no peeking through them, Hiccup! Or she'll beat you. ]

[mildcalibrationissue]

[Hiccup isn't going to tempt fate. Instead, he just covers his eyes with both hands, stepping carefully now that he can't see where he's going.]

Okay. My world is officially dark.

[ex_battleaxe109]

[ She stares at him for a moment, making sure he isn't going to look before she whistles.

And then Hiccup can probably hear the dragon that stomps over to her, flaring its nostrils as it snorts. So the jig is up. Stormfly, why can't you be quieter? ]

I guess you can look now.

[mildcalibrationissue]

[And Hiccup's laughing by the time that Astrid gives him permission to look, peeking through his fingers. He recognized the sound of a Nadder approaching.]

There's another dragon! This one is yours, right?

[ex_battleaxe109]

Well, yeah. As much as a dragon can be mine. I don't think any dragon will be as loyal to a person as Toothless is to you.

[ She's practically bouncing, running over to Stormfly to pet her on the nose. ]

I found her the other day and I was so excited.

[mildcalibrationissue]

That's awesome, Astrid!

[And he sounds earnest about it, too. Every little familiar piece of home is just fucking incredible to him, okay. :C

He follows her to pet the side of the dragon's head, laughing.]

We'll have to race sometime.

[ex_battleaxe109]

I'd rather not. I wouldn't want you to mope around after I beat you time after time after time...

[ Astrid turns her head to grin at him. ]

[mildcalibrationissue]

Oh, please. My Night Fury against your Deadly Nadder? No contest - and Toothless and I are both gimp, too.

[He shakes his fake foot at her.]

[ex_battleaxe109]

Did your ego get huge while I was gone? I guess I'll have to change that.

[ She nudges him with her elbow before signaling Stormfly that it's okay to wander off. If her and Hiccup are just going to flirt ridiculously then no reason to have her poor dragon witness the grossness. ]

[mildcalibrationissue]

Hey! My ego is appropriately sized, thank you very much. But I've been working on that whole 'confidence' thing.

[He hesitates, then grabs her wrist, tugging her over. Hahaha he's blushing.]

I've heard girls think it's cute? I might be wrong.

[ex_battleaxe109]

[ Astrid smiles at him, draping her opposite arm loosely over his shoulders. ]

You're not wrong. It's cute. I always assumed you'd look pretty good with confidence.

[mildcalibrationissue]

You know what?

[Hiccup ducks his head, chuckling breathlessly under his breath.]

This is still all pretty surreal to me.

[ex_battleaxe109]

Right. Too much.

[ She slips her other arm around him and hugs him, squeezing him tightly before puling both arms away from him. Astrid tucks a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear rather awkwardly. ]

You can go back inside if you want, I guess.

[mildcalibrationissue]

Nah. [He pulls back, trying not to look sheepish.] You wanna go for a walk?