"Astrid!" called Hiccup as he pushed the door open and entered the house. "Astrid, where are you?" Without waiting for a response, he made his way upstairs and into the loft. There, he saw his wife - who was three months pregnant - lying in bed, her cheeks tear-stained and her eyes moist.
"Hiccup!" she exclaimed, sitting up and bringing a hand to her head at the sensation of dizziness that came with the sudden movement.
In an instant, Hiccup was by her side, his arms fastening around her. "Darling, what's wrong?"
A fresh flow of tears poured down Astrid's face. "I-I waited for you last night, but you never came home! T-The storm was awful; I didn't know what happened to you, and -" She crawled onto his lap and buried her face into the chilled leather of his flight suit.
"Shhh." He stroked her hair, which was flowing loosely over her shoulders. The day before, he and Valka had gone out to investigate a potential problem on Dragon Island. On the way back, a windy snowstorm had begun, and they had been forced to settle down in a cave for the night and wait out the bad weather.
For the longest time, Astrid simply clung to him and sobbed, releasing the jumble of emotions that was built up inside of her.
"How are you feeling?" asked Hiccup once her crying had died down. "Fishlegs found Mom and I and told me that you fainted and threw up earlier when he stopped by here."
"I made him promise not to say anything," she muttered.
"Well, he told me anyway."
Astrid groaned.
"And besides, did you really think I wouldn't know you weren't feeling well by the fact that you were lying in bed with all your armor and everything on?"
She shook her head. "No, but I...I just didn't want you to get all overprotective."
"Oh gods, what am I gonna do with you, Astrid?" he murmured affectionately as he kissed the top of her head.
The room grew silent.
"Have you eaten anything today?" Hiccup asked after a while.
"Not yet."
Sighing, he pulled her closer to him. "I'll tell you what, milady. You change into your nightgown, and I'll go see what I can find you for breakfast," he suggested. "Or lunch. I guess it is noon already."
"Please stay," begged Astrid. She lifted her face to meet his. Although she knew she should eat something, she was reluctant to have Hiccup abandon his comforting hold on her. The couple hadn't cuddled up at all over the past few days - save one night in bed - and that just wasn't sufficient for Astrid.
"It'll take no more than a half hour," he assured. Then, noticing her sad expression, he leaned down to kiss her lips. "Smile, darling."
Astrid simply laid her head in the crook of his neck and hugged his shoulders. "I don't feel like smiling."
"What has gotten into you, milady? It's not like you to be this clingy."
"Our baby, that's what's gotten into me," she answered dryly.
Hiccup chuckled softly before growing quiet. Eventually, he said, "Astrid, I hate to break it to you, but I need to go out again before the day is over."
"No, you don't." She leaned further into him.
"But Mom and Fishlegs are still out there with Toothless; he seems sick, and we're not sure what's wrong. I told them I'd come back as soon as I could." As he spoke, Hiccup rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to soothe her.
