[Being attuned to the heart like he was now, he can sense the way it thumps, like the rabbit he'd sensed upon his awakening as a shadow. Hiccup watches her circle him, then takes a couple of steps around her in turn, almost like a dance he's witnessed people do over the centuries. He stops behind her, reaching to take hold of her upper arms, touch gentle.]
I didn't think I had to say anything about it before.
[The truth, an admission he's never told anyone. He had a sneaking suspicion Astrid knew, because they had once been husband and wife. She knew everything about him, though he knew his decision here had thrown her through a loop. He raises an eyebrow at the way she says it, slightly amused, but his expression changes, tendrils of shadow flicking off him, and he presses his lips to the back of her head.]
You say that but...
[His finger trail down her arms, ghosting across the sleeves of her dress like a touch long since passed, cupping his hands over hers when they reach.]
...I wasn't joking. I want you beside me. I know we could be great together. This isn't about Pitch, or the rest of the world. I want you, Merida. I always have.
no subject
I didn't think I had to say anything about it before.
[The truth, an admission he's never told anyone. He had a sneaking suspicion Astrid knew, because they had once been husband and wife. She knew everything about him, though he knew his decision here had thrown her through a loop. He raises an eyebrow at the way she says it, slightly amused, but his expression changes, tendrils of shadow flicking off him, and he presses his lips to the back of her head.]
You say that but...
[His finger trail down her arms, ghosting across the sleeves of her dress like a touch long since passed, cupping his hands over hers when they reach.]
...I wasn't joking. I want you beside me. I know we could be great together. This isn't about Pitch, or the rest of the world. I want you, Merida. I always have.