Title: Secrecy Is Not My Strong Suit...

Rating: T (for one line)

Set in: RTTE (When Astrid and Hiccup were trying to sneak around for the time being)

Summary: Tuffnut witnesses something he wasn't supposed to...and he has to keep it a secret. The only trouble is...secrecy is a very hard concept for him.

"Chicken!" Tuffnut called as he walked through the woods surrounding Dragon's Edge. Snotlout had threatened the roast poor little Chicken in what Tuffnut hoped was a blind fit of rage. Either way, Chicken had gone straight for the hills and had gotten far away from Tuff, "C'mon, Chicken! I'm not going to let him roast you!"

It sounded like the grass was rustling somewhere off to Tuffnut's left. If Chicken wasn't going to come to him, he was going to use the element of surprise. He tiptoed towards the sound, the rustling still continuing. He crouched rather stealthily behind a tree. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he spun around on his heels.

"Got -" Tuffnut yelled, trying to say "gotcha!" but the word turned into an utterly horrifying, bloodcurdling scream as he realized that what he was looking at was definitely not Chicken.

"Oh, hi, Tuffnut," Hiccup said, scooting away from Astrid as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"We were just -" Astrid began, but Tuffnut cut her off.

"Lip wrestling? Face battling? Lip sex?" Tuffnut said, his face paled and his eyes wide.

"It was just...kissing, Tuffnut," Hiccup explained, looking at the grass.

"FRIENDS DON'T KISS! I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS!" Tuffnut shrieked, pulling at his hair.

"Keep it down, will you?" Astrid said, glaring at him. Tuffnut tucked his lips.

"Tuffnut, don't -don't tell anyone about this," Hiccup stuttered.

Tuffnut didn't reply.

"Swear you won't," Astrid said, although she said it a little more softly. She had frightened him enough in the time being. Tuffnut nodded his head.

Before the impending awkward silence got too heavy, Chicken came and stood near Tuffnut, clucking in concern. She had heard his prior screaming.

"Well, uh, I guess I'd better...move my feet...in this direction..." Tuffnut said, picking up Chicken upside down on accident as he walked away, still completely shocked.

As he came back to the Edge, Ruffnut was waiting for him.

"I see you found Chicken," She said, then her eyes narrowing in confusion as she saw his expression, "Do I even want to know?"

"Oh, you most certainly do, sister," Tuffnut said, the temptation to tell all too enticing, "But you can't,"

Ruffnut, who was used to her brothers antics, and figured he just saw a dragon look at Chicken the wrong way, shrugged it off. Tuffnut continued on his walk, still shellshocked as ever.

He ended up around Fishlegs' hut, although he wasn't paying too much attention. He walked right through the flowerbeds that Fishlegs had just finished tending to.

"Hey! Watch it!" Fishlegs excalimed, walking away from rinsing the dirt off his hands. But Tuffnut was walking away again, babbling incoherently under his breath.

Tuffnut found his way to the stables, where Hiccup had left Toothless. Of course. He wanted to be alone with Astrid. Stormfly was at the stables, too. Tuffnut looked around for any sign of the others before he started talking.

"Toothless!" He exclaimed, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, "Do you know where your rider's lips have been? Do you, Toothless?"

Toothless grumbled as he cocked his head in a state of confusion.

"And you, Stormfly -do you know where Astrid's lips have been? Because they've been on Hiccup's. They're kissing buddies! Secret kissing buddies!"

Tuffnut collapsed against Toothless, sobbing dramatically.

"And I have to keep the secret! My heart. Can't. TAKE IT!"

"Um, Tuffnut?" Snotlout's voice came, cautiously as he had heard the last couple seconds of Tuffnut's rant, "Ruffnut made me come apologize for spooking your bird..."

"She's not a bird!" Tuffnut said defensively.

"Are you okay?" Snotlout asked him, "You were shouting that your heart can't take something, if I heard correctly..."

"My heart can't take the fact that you people keep calling Chicken a bird with such disrespect!" Tuffnut shouted, but his mind was continuously playing the moment he saw Hiccup and Astrid with their faces pressed together. Sure, he was expecting the chemistry to build up between the two...but impromptu was a real jerk and it did not settle with him very well at all.

"Okay..." Snotlout said, backing up slowly.

Suggestions are open...but:

Nothing over T

No Modern AUs, please (it's How To Train Your DRAGON...not how to train your cat and whatnot)

Other than that...please, please review or PM me with suggestions if you have any. I'd like to keep this collection growing.