Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD
Hiccup awoke to the bright flash of headlights through the blinds as they scuttled down the street. He threw an arm over his eyes in an attempt to block out the strobe. It passed, and along with it, the thudding of a muted bass-line; Hiccup guessed the car belonged to some freshmen out for a midnight joyride. He smiled inwardly, imagining their faces once the campus police caught up to them. It really was quite disturbing: the happiness he felt whenever the obnoxious newbies got in trouble. But then again, his perception of them had been severely distorted after a drunk student pulled the fire alarm for the third time in one night in his old dorms. Thank god his girlfriend had an apartment off-campus. And those annoyances had given him an incentive to pack up and move in with her.
Hiccup hummed contentedly and rolled over, feeling the airy blankets tug at his bare hips, only to be met with an icy coldness radiating at him like the winter wind. His hand groped out blindly, finding the covers still smooth and unfolded. She'd never come to bed in the first place. Hiccup sat up groggily, blinking blearily in an attempt to shake the sand from his eyelashes. He squinted into the darkness, spying the sliver of buttery light streaming under the bedroom door from the kitchen. An audible sigh escaped his lips, blowing into the lonely night with the propulsion of frustration.
It had happened again.
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and massaged the bridge of his nose. Astrid hadn't saved enough time for her classwork and her perfectionist nature was currently beating her up over the tiniest details on that neglected essay. Hiccup shuffled to the door, tugging a sweatshirt over his disheveled hair and wincing as the freezing floor grasped at his bare feet.
Astrid sat at the wooden dining table, papers and books and pens spread across the expanse of the grainy top like an Staples explosion. Her laptop glowed in the semi-lit space, a harsh contrast to the soft tone coming from the kitchen nook. She was slumped over, cheek smooshed against her hand, disinterestedly clicking though the blocky text on the page. An empty cup of coffee rested in her crossed legs, and she looked so tired it pained Hiccup.
Not wanting to startle her, Hiccup leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and whispered gently, "Hey, Astrid."
She jumped nonetheless, and Hiccup guessed she'd been floating on the brink of consciousness. The coffee mug tumbled to the tile with a frightening crash as she whipped around to face him, blonde braid slapping her nose. She rolled her eyes upon seeing him.
"God, Hic. Don't do that."
He approached, resting a hand on her shoulder. She gave a mighty yawn.
"Why don't you come to bed?" he asked, studying her droopy eyelids and blurry gaze.
"I can't." She yawned again.
Bending over to shut her laptop, Hiccup placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Astrid protested as the light dimmed and the whir stopped, leaving the two of them alone in an almost eerily silent kitchen.
"The essay's due tomorrow." Tired tears were beginning to form in her eyes, and Hiccup frowned heavily.
"Yeah, at three in the afternoon," he reasoned. "There's no way you can think like this. Get some sleep and then come back to it tomorrow."
"I–"
"Don't make me carry you," he threatened.
Astrid looked at him carefully, to make sure he wasn't kidding. She sighed resignedly.
"Fine."
She held her arms out, and Hiccup blinked, confused.
"What?"
"You said you were going to carry me." She gestured to herself pointedly.
Hiccup laughed, cracking the midnight silence.
"Alright, sleepyhead."