Chapter Text
Someone *cough* requested I finally update this. Excuse the fact I am a disaster of a human and enjoy the update!
-HTTYD-
It was a couple of days before they were released from the hospital, which gave them time to have their parents all take turns coming to visit the new grandchild while Astrid recovered and Helena got a little breathing support and weight monitoring and so much love.
Astrid's mom was a blubbering mess, which she had absolutely expected.
Hiccup bringing Stoick, Gobber and Valka was honestly comedic, because the two men took up so much space and both openly teared up while getting to hold the baby that looked utterly minute in their massive arms. And Valka reacted a lot like Hiccup did, glowing with happiness and tears of joy while she cooed about how much Helena looked like Hiccup had at birth.
And then Eret's parents... Astrid had been a bit nervous about that introduction, since Eret Sr felt the most slighted by the whole situation. But she apparently shouldn't have worried at all, because they were equally enamoured with the little one as soon as they took their turns holding her.
"Well, she looks nothing like you son."
"I mean, that would have raised some very strange questions about Hiccup's lineage since he's half Scottish Viking and half Australian."
Eret joked, beaming ear to ear as he watched his parents visibly accepting Helena. Astrid was relieved too; she'd been pretty sure they were going to come around regardless, but it was reassuring watching the Hunters nonetheless.
"Well, we did say there's a chance our ancestors crossed paths since the Viking and Sami groups both decided to live as close to deathly cold as possible."
Hiccup quipped back, hanging a little ways away from them while Eret Sr and Elsir got to meet their granddaughter. He'd been around as much as visiting hours allowed too, which was only fair since when they eventually left, he was going to get less time with her than Eret and Astrid did.
"That's true. It will be very funny if Helena takes after Astrid instead and enjoys sunbathing and sandcastles rather than snowball fights."
"As if any of Astrid's kids wouldn't enjoy projectile violence."
Astrid rolled her eyes and considered if she had anything to hand worth throwing at Hiccup, then figured she'd rather just relax and enjoy not having to do much other than recover from birthing a whole damn human.
Despite still feeling exhausted, Astrid was ecstatic a couple of days later when they were cleared to go home at last cus it meant Helena was 'out of the woods', so to speak, declared healthy enough to leave the hospital.
"You wanna follow us back?"
Eret asked as they headed out. Hiccup nodded, casting a longing look at the carrier containing Helena before they parted ways since they'd driven over there in separate cars. Strapping the baby in to her car seat for the first time was honestly more nerve-wracking than admitting to hers and Eret's parents that she was having another man's kid. It was worth being uncomfortable in the back seat with less leg room to sit next to Helena, watching to be sure the damned contraption actually kept her little girl safe on the ride back.
"The first person to put a human baby in one of these things must have been so high on hospital drugs, I swear. Cus I know they are meant to be super safe and I'm scared to death of it."
Astrid insisted to Eret, who laughed from the back seat but waited til they were at a set of traffic lights to turn around.
"I know it's scary love. She's fine, see?"
He nodded to where Helena was in fact fast asleep in the carrier, not a single care in the world with her silly Haddock hair sticking out from under the little baby hat she had on to keep her little baby head warm. She was so darn cute!
Hiccup was right behind them when they pulled up back home, rather adorable in Astrid's mind with how he bounced around waiting not-quite-patiently for Helena to re-appear. They let him carry her carrier inside to soothe the visible anxiety, and while Astrid was only too happy to flop on the sofa and grunt while adjusting the enormous post-birthing pad in her undies til she was comfortable, Eret fussed with baby stuff and Hiccup hovered, obviously uncertain where to put the baby down.
"Bring her here, she'll probably be hungry when she wakes up."
"Wonder where she gets that from."
Hiccup said with a teasing grin as he brought the carrier over to Astrid so she could extract Helena carefully from it. His hair had been immediately apparent on her when Helena first came out, but as she perked up and put a little weight on it was easier to see her other features start to show too, like Hiccup's pale colouring and Astrid's button nose.
"She's definitely gonna have freckles, huh?"
Eret said as he peered over at her, then up at Hiccup.
"Oh, absolutely. Plus her ears stick out like Astrid'd did when we were younger before she grew in to them. I'm expecting her to basically look like a little red-headed Astrid with more freckles."
Astrid glared at Hiccup, because he was annoyingly right and it was before she'd met Eret so he did not know of the time when her ears plotted against her by trying to escape from her head. The boys shared an amused smile while Astrid sulked, but then Eret brought her a huge cup of decaf coffee and a snack, and Hiccup offered to change the stinky baby nappy Helena made, so she decided they were both allowed to stay alive.
"You are very gross, but also very cute."
She laughed listening to Hiccup talk to Helena on the changing mat. Helena still looked very tiny, especially with Hiccup's big hands and lanky frame where he leant over her, but she was squirming around and doing all the regular baby things, so Astrid tried to relax... she did, eventually, when Hiccup brought her back over and Astrid could hold her again.
"Hey there little one."
Astrid said as she held her close, full of love for the squishy little creature wiggling in her arms. Even after a few days in hospital, her early delivery had them all still adjusting to the fact she was there.
"You know, you have seen them before. I'd rather you weren't weird about this."
Hiccup predictably looked away when Astrid started nursing the baby. Eret laughed, nodding.
"What she said. If you start looking creepy about it we'll have issues, but if you start leaving the room every time Helena eats I think Astrid might slap you."
"I'm not creepy! Just trying to be respectful and not to upset the boyfriend of the woman I got pregnant."
Astrid and Eret both laughed.
"Yeah, you being in the room while the kid eats is what I'm gonna be upset about, nearly nine months after she slept with you."
Hiccup rubbed the back of his head, awkward and bashful as he let out a short chuckle before nodding.
"Right. Still. I don't like being stared at while I eat either!"
Astrid rolled her eyes and left him to be his ridiculous, awkward self. That was pretty solidly Hiccup, after all. Still, he stopped staring deeply into the corner of the room and Astrid decided to call that progress. And, as much as she wanted to hold on to Helena the whole time absorbing every second of her life, Astrid figured it was kinder to let Hiccup get some extra cuddle time in that day.
"It's getting late. You uh. Wanna crash on our sofa tonight?"
Hiccup looked up from Helena in his lap to stare at Eret, clearly surprised. As was Astrid.
"What? Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's Thursday but I don't know if Astrid's gonna be able to let her leave for the weekend tomorrow. Figured it wasn't fair to stop you getting to spend time with her some way or other."
Astrid nodded along - she was surprised, but Eret made good points. Especially about not wanting to let Helena go away the next day.
"I uh. Don't wanna be in the way."
"Of what? I just gave birth and I'm still bleeding, you think we're gonna be having sex?"
Hiccup coughed, then shook his head.
"No no. Just. Uh. Yes! I'll uh. Go head home and grab some clean clothes and stuff."
"You can bring over some of the baby clothes you said were buried under if you want. She's a bit small for some of the stuff we got."
"Okay. You need anything else picking up on my way back?"
Hiccup took a short list to shop for en route, then left after giving Helena a few little kisses on her cute little face. He lingered to look at her for another minute before dragging himself out of the door, and Astrid did not blame him. She was exactly the same when she needed to go to the bathroom.
"You think he's doing okay?"
Eret asked as he let Astrid use him as a big, sexy pillow, leant into his side with Helena on her lap so they could both admire how adorable she was.
"I hope so. Probably just feeling kind of third wheel again now we're home. It was sweet of you to ask him to stay."
"Yeah. I figured you wouldn't mind that over her going to his for the weekend."
"You were right, which is why I'm not peeved you didn't ask me first."
Eret chuckled and rubbed her arm.
"I know you that well, huh?"
"Mhmm. Here, hold her so I can go pee. You'd think my bladder would know there's no baby on top of it anymore but noooo."
Eret grinned as he took Helena, holding her close and looking every bit the proud dad. Astrid loved him all the more as she watched him do so, speaking softly to her in his native Northern Sami tongue. She'd never managed to get the hang of understanding more than a handful of words, but Astrid knew the peace on his face and the warmth in his tone when he spoke it.
"We're lucky to have you."
Astrid said, not meaning to interrupt by saying it aloud but it slipped out anyway. Eret smiled over at her, still cradling Helena carefully.
"She's my kid, I don't care if she's not my blood. Still gonna give her all the gifts my parents gave to me."
They stayed there, cuddled up watching Helena sleep until Hiccup got back. Much more peaceful than hospital cuddles had been, even without the added relief that Helena was declared ready to go home. Their lives had gone through an entire overhaul in under a year, but Astrid found she wasn't nearly as terrified as she expected to be.
Maybe cus there was three of them, so Astrid felt less outnumbered.
Hiccup returned with baby supplies and snacks, which Astrid was very happy about. She was also exhausted, which was hardly surprising given she was still recovering from the whole birth thing.
"I need to eat, and feed her, then go try and get some sleep before she remembers how to scream her lungs out."
"You want me to go make something?"
Hiccup offered. Astrid shook her head.
"Nah. I'm still cramping and feel kinda sick, I'm just gonna snack. Don't worry, I'll let you be my kitchen wench again soon."
Hiccup snorted as Eret went to get her said snacks.
"Should I be getting an outfit made?"
"Sure. Either french maid or topless waiter. Both would be highly entertaining."
"What, a topless french maid? Bow tie and frilly skirt?"
Hiccup asked, still chuckling.
"I heard topless and skirt, what am I missing?"
Eret asked as he came back from the kitchen, watching the two of them laugh.
"Astrid wants me to dress up and feed her, I was just finding out what the uniform was."
"Oh, is she back on keeping you chained to the kitchen?"
"I cook, I clean, I sew. I'd make an excellent wife."
Astrid smiled to herself as she watched the two banter while she shoved cheese crackers and chicken bites into her mouth. If they were all very lucky, everything was gonna be okay, and Astrid was letting herself hope that they would be.
-HTTYD-
Absolutely nothing is gonna be awkward or emotional.
Nuh uh.