A/N: Hi again, everyone. Sorry for the late update... ran into a bad case of writer's block. But, never fear! I have returned with a new chapter. This one I particularly like, I think you'll see why.

Usual disclaimers apply!

Please enjoy!


Chapter 3

Harsh, barking coughs ripped his lungs, making his chest burn like fire and ache as though he were running a marathon. His throat felt sliced to ribbons, like someone was forcing him to swallow a white hot sword. Ruthless, hacking coughs were forced out of him until he was gasping for breaths and trembling with the exertion. His sore rib seemed to splinter, making him cry out between coughs that pitched him forward and desperate gasps for much-needed oxygen. Her eyes wide with terror, Astrid yanked Hiccup roughly by the shirt, manhandling him into a sitting position and slapping his back more roughly than she had intended in an attempt to stop his choking. His back stung from her forceful swatting, but slowly, he began to regain control. He barely noticed Astrid forcing the glass of sheep's milk back into his hands and up to his mouth, urging him silently with her eyes to drink. He sipped at it through the fit, praying to the gods he didn't start to choke on it, and his paroxysms ebbed considerably.

Toothless perked up immediately at the sound and came over to investigate, barking softly and trying to understand what was happening to his friend. He watched Astrid rub Hiccup's shoulder, and lowered his head into the boy's lap, only to pull back when he realized his rider was far too warm. Toothless growled softly, then gazed with puppy eyes up at Astrid for an explanation. She didn't offer one, too concerned about the shaking boy in her arms.

"Easy," she said softly. "There you go. Breathe, Hiccup. You've got to breathe." Panting, Hiccup nodded. The coughing had knocked loose some of the congestion in his pounding head, and he sniffled to keep from dripping all over himself and Astrid. Toothless rejecting him a second time while in this state hit him hard, and he lowered his head, trying not to show that it had gotten to him.

"'m alright, bud," Hiccup mumbled, holding his hand out to the dragon, who watched it carefully before reluctantly nuzzling it. "It's just a cough." Toothless cooed persistently, convinced there was something very wrong with his rider. Hiccup's voice was nearly gone, now raspy and guttural. His nose was an angry shade of crimson and was dripping slightly onto his upper lip. He had dark, bruiselike circles around his eyes, and he was visibly shaking. The dragon took all this in, instinctively coming closer to his rider and attempting to figure out what was wrong.

"Hiccup, you look exhausted," Astrid commented, gently massaging his shoulders. The young chief moaned softly as her fingers worked, abating some of the ache in his muscles. "There's got to be a way to stop your coughing."

"Mom tried tonic and honey," he said, wincing as it hurt his throat. "It didn't help." He sniffled, blushing at the slurping sound it made. Astrid quieted for a moment, deep in thought. When she was younger and had come down with bad coughs, her parents had always given her tea with herbs from Healer Island. Before that, they had used warm yak milk, and before that…

"Steam!" Astrid finally exclaimed, scaring both Hiccup and Toothless, who had settled into a comfortable silence. "That's it! When I was little, my parents would set me up with a bowl of hot water and let me breathe in the steam. It worked like a charm!

"Hot water?" Hiccup asked. "You really think this will work?"

"Well, we won't know unless we try!" Astrid said, still excited at her discovery. "Besides, if it lets you get rest before your mom gets back with a healer, then no harm done!" Hiccup winced.

"Okay, Astrid, I'm… still right here, no need to yell," he said, holding the side of his head, which was now throbbing harder and making his ears ring.

"Right. Sorry," she said, smiling apologetically and kissing his cheek. "I'll boil some water, see if we can't let you rest a little." Hiccup nodded.

"I'll… do whatever it takes," he promised, relishing her gentle kiss. "Thank you."

"Mhmm," Astrid said distractedly, already up and rushing towards the door, calling out a hasty "Make sure he tries to rest," to Toothless. The dragon cocked his head, then turned to his rider and hesitantly rested his head in the Viking's lap. Hiccup idly scratched at Toothless' head scales, resting his uncomfortably warm forehead on the dragon's cool one.

"I just… gotta close my eyes for a second," he murmured. Toothless cooed curiously and nuzzled Hiccup, urging him back onto the bed with his head. Hiccup struggled as hard as he could to remain upright, but he was too weak to stop the Night Fury on a regular day, let alone when he was this ill, and so he lost. He leaned back upon his bed, coughing tiredly, and curled in on himself. Everything was aching, the room was now spinning, and he was exhausted past the point of pretense. Toothless took pity on his miserable rider, wrapping him up in his black, warm, protective wings and curling up beside him. Hiccup scrunched his eyes shut, trying to block out the feelings vying for his attention, from the confusing hot-yet-cold sensations to his pounding headache and aching limbs.

He was nearing sleep, he could feel it, surrounding him from all sides and waiting to overtake him, when he heard Astrid return. He opened his eyes reluctantly and sat up, peeking out between Toothless' wings.

"Hey, bud… give me a minute, please, okay?" He asked. The dragon more or less rolled his eyes, but complied, leaving Hiccup shivering as he once more tried to sit upright. Astrid chuckled and went over to Hiccup's side, helping him up and covering him as best she could with his blanket furs. She then set a steaming bowl in his lap with a quick, "Be careful, it's hot." Next, she added a sprig of sweet-smelling mint and a small hint of camphor to the bowl before sitting down beside her boyfriend on his bed. She gingerly brushed through his messy fringe with her fingers.

"Alright, just lean forward, babe," she murmured, guiding him with one hand on his back. He bent low over the hot bowl, letting the steam cover his face. It tormented his abused, chapped, cherry-red nose. "That's it," she told him encouragingly, rubbing his back. "Now just breathe in the steam." Hiccup nodded, coughing weakly into his fist and taking a few rattling breaths. The steam tickled his nostrils and sinuses, making his nose twitch and quiver and his breaths hitch desperately. Astrid meanwhile covered his head and the bowl with a blanket to trap the heat and moisture for him to breathe in.

Stifled under the warm blanket with a hot, steaming bowl and a rising fever, Hiccup began to sweat profusely until it soaked through the back of his tunic. His nose began to run like a flowing river. He tried to stem it by pressing the heel of his hand firmly to his septum, but it just covered his hand in the drippy mess and made his eyes water. He tried to sniffle, but it didn't help stop the liquid from slipping right out of his nose. His nostrils flared, tiny droplets of congestion beginning to drip from the end of his nose into the bowl. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back, lashes fluttering, and his breath hitched mightily. He realized he was no longer in control of his abused nose just seconds before the fit began.

"Hehhh…ehhh… hehhhSSCHHuu! Hehhh… rihh SSCCTCHH! Ehhhttsch'uu! IhhSSCHOO!" The steam did nothing to help, and his entire upper lip glistened. His eyes were leaking as though he was crying, his nose was running copiously, and he was sweating profusely now. He felt completely powerless, completely miserable. Toothless looked on, pacing back and forth and flapping his wings in confusion.

Astrid hurriedly removed the blankets and thrust her handkerchief at him, eyes wide. "Hey, hey, calm down," she tried to soothe him, patting his back. Hiccup snuffled into the cloth fabric, letting out a few more wrenching sneezes and coughs intermittently. "Hehhhrr… nnnxxtSCHHuu! Nnnhihhh…nnxxxttschh! Ihhhsschh! SHHxxx'tt!" Terrified he may burn himself in the confusion, Astrid quickly grabbed the bowl of water from his lap and set it aside, out of the way of the desperately pitching and spasming Viking chief.

Finally, after a few more gut-wrenching fits, Hiccup calmed down and took a deep breath, his nose clear but the handkerchief dripping wet.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Astrid said, her eyes wide and her stance rigid, her voice bordering on hysteria. "I thought it would help, Hiccup, I didn't mean for you to have an attack like that." Hiccup waved his hand dismissively.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he croaked, his throat stinging from the exertion as he spoke. "Actually… I think it did help." He sniffed experimentally through clear sinuses. He breathed deeply, his sinuses unblocked. "It worked, Astrid!" He said excitedly, too tired to muster up more than a small grin resembling a grimace.

"It did?" Astrid asked, her face brightening. "It did! Good! How do you feel?"

"Less… less drippy," he said, trying to put it into words. "And less like I'm going to cough up a lung." He still had a headache, worse now from the steam and the sneezing, but he didn't tell her that, wanting her to feel good about how much she had in fact helped him. "This is amazing, the cough is just… gone. Why didn't we think of this sooner?" Astrid smiled shyly.

"My parents used to do this all the time, and it was always helpful," she said. "The camphor should keep you from coughing for several hours, just enough for you to get some rest." Hiccup nodded and stifled a yawn, as though illustrating her point. "I know you're tired. Why don't you sleep? You can now. We'll wake you up when your mom gets back with the healer, won't we, Toothless?" The dragon peered out from behind his wing and nodded with a coo. Hiccup smiled again and slumped back down onto his pillow. Astrid very gently and deliberately covered him, though she was aware of his sweating now. Once he was tucked in, she retrieved the rag and soaked it again, sitting down on the edge of his bed and using it to carefully sponge off his brow. Hiccup sighed in relief and closed his eyes, curling up close to her leg. He had barely enough time to murmur a soft, "Thanks, Astrid," before sleep wrapped its soothing tendrils around him and pulled him down into a more peaceful rest.


A/N: So that's it for now. The healer will be arriving in the next chapter, which will go up in about a week! Thank you all for reviewing, and if you feel inspired, please continue to do so, as I love to know how I'm doing, and reviews keep me going.

Bye for now!

~SS