#ler!astrid

“Alright, try it again. Gently.”

Snotlout grumbled, trying his best not to roll his eyes as he picked up the terrible terror.

The group had managed to train a small flock of them, and the younglings were visiting the Edge. They were flighty little guys, and Hiccup had the idea to try and run a training exercise with them.

It was Snotlout’s turn to try and tame a baby terrible terror, and it was…certainly going. Astrid was trying to coach him through it, but the man was testing her patience.

“Here, little fella. Have some— OW! Thor!”

Snotlout tried to offer the little dragon a snack, but he forgot to feed it palm-flat. The youngling nipped his fingers, wings flapping in distress at his cry.

“Snotlout, you’re scaring him!” Astrid huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Trying to get Snotlout to be quiet and attentive was like trying to get a dragon to hug an eel. “Just…here.”

With a sigh, Astrid stepped over. She guided the little dragon’s head onto Snotlout’s shoulder, petting it. “Pretend it’s a human baby. Hopefully you’re more careful with those.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” he grumbled, mimicking her touch. Sure enough, the scaly little reptile settled down, nuzzling against him. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t cute.

Churring, the hatchling gently butted the underside of Snotlout’s chin. Once he’d determined it was a soft, warm spot to snuggle against, he started rubbing his head there.

The young viking squeaked at that, jerking his head away. Unfortunately for him, the little dragon followed, seeking the warmth of his neck.

“G-gehet ihit ohohohoff!” he yelped, scrunching his shoulders as high as they’d go.

After her initial shock, Astrid found the entire situation rather amusing. Not only was Snotlout ticklish, but a baby dragon was tickling him? It was all fun to watch.

“Problems?”

He whined at that, trying to pry the hatchling off of himself. “Sh-shuhuhut ihit ahahand hehelp!”

Astrid narrowed her eyes. Shut it? Oh, he was going to pay for that, and thanks to a little dragon, she knew exactly how. “Sure, I can help. Hold still.”

Too busy being “attacked” to notice her tone, Snotlout did his best to hold still. The baby dragon was removed, but a pair of impressively strong arms quickly replaced him. The young viking was on the ground in seconds, his back pressed against Astrid’s front.

“Hey! What the Thor?!”

Snotlout kicked in Astrid’s hold, trying to squirm away. She’d gotten the baby dragon off of him—he watched it fly away just then—but she definitely had ulterior motives.

Astrid shrugged, smiling softly. She’d never hurt the guy wihtout proper reason, but some mischief was more than encouraged. “Teaching you a lesson.”

The moment her nails brushed the underside of his chin, Snotlout knew he was yakked.

“Wahahait!” he whined, his boots kicking up dirt clouds as he struggled. It tickled enough to start melting his brain, but not enough to overwhelm him. “Ahahastrihid!”

“What?” she deadpanned, letting her free hand poke at his side gently. It was a bit odd—despite the kicking, he wasn’t trying very hard to get away.

“Thihihis— youhuhu knohohow whahat!”

Snotlout barely knew how to speak at that moment, trying and failing to get a coherent word in. It tickled, but it also felt weirdly relaxing…comforting? He wasn’t sure how to digest that.

The girl could practically hear the cogs turning in Snoutlout’s head. It was kinda cute, in a bully-your-annoying-younger-brother way. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Not my problem.”

“Youhuhu’re a jeheherk!” he attempted to growl, though it came out as more of a giggly gurgle. He’d given up on squirming away, simply leaning against her and complaining his way through it.

Astrid huffed at the feeling, shaking her head. Snotlout was…actually enjoying the tickles. Sure, he was being a brat, but he was actually relaxing. It was a rare occurrence for him, despite all the one-liners and cocky remarks.

She let it go on like that for a few minutes before stopping, giving Snotlout’s shoulder a little punch. “Get back to your hut before sunset, okay? Heather’s cooking tonight.”

With that, Astrid got up, dusted off her skirt, and started walking out of the forest. She knew he’d be fine getting back on his own in a minute or two.

Snotlout panted on the ground, running a hand down his face. That had been…fun. He hated to think it, but it was fun, and he even wondered if he could somehow get it to happen again. It had felt nice to laugh, and the tickles on his neck were so relaxing. He thought of asking Astrid again, but…

Oh, Thor, how was he ever going to face her again?