Hiccup and the Soup Bowl 12

Up to this moment, Astrid only thought of Hiccup as the scrawny, awkward kid that worked in the blacksmith shop. Other than dropping off weapons to be sharpened or fixed there, she rarely paid any attention to him. In her mind, tonight she had given Hiccup her soup because she was tired of seeing Snotlout and Tuffnut tormenting him for some stupid laughs! She had had enough of the hurtful pranks and was clearly sending that message back to the other viking teens who were now watching in disbelief.

But what happened next came as an even greater shock to Astrid!

As she stared down at this freckle-faced oddball with soup still dripping from his hair and the most ridiculously goofy smile beaming at her, she noticed his eyes.

They were large and dark in the dim light of the hall. They were not like the eyes of any of the other vikings. These eyes were filled with tenderness, loneliness --- and pain. These were not the eyes of just any boy, and something inside her compelled her to continue gazing into them.

An unusual sensation swept across Astrid's whole body. She suddently felt very warm, as if the whole room had instantly become hotter. She could feel a couple of sweat drops blister onto her forehead. What was happening? What was this feeling?

She then remembered that, just a moment before, Hiccup had said something to her. What was it?

He had thanked her for the soup.

Astrid cleared her throat and sputtered out, "Y---ou're welcome."