Sorry guys, I know I missed a day yesterday. I had a really busy day, and was just too exhausted to write. I'll make up for it with two drabbles tomorrow! Don't hesitate to leave a review, they really help my motivation!
"No one can ever know," Hiccup said, voice trembling slightly.
"Aww, is it that bad? I thought you liked my skirt. You once called it 'badass', remember?" Astrid teased, trying very hard not to burst into laughter. Hiccup looked so embarrassed by the situation.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," he muttered, turning away from her. "Let's just get this over with."
His hands, shaking with anger or shame, moved to the back of his head and untied his blindfold.
"For what it's worth, I think you look cute. It kinda suits you," she said when he handed the piece of cloth to her. Unwilling to look at his now exposed scars, she looked down again, to Hiccup's waist.
Adorned with her skirt. It was a little too small for his legs, and should restrict his movement. Perfect. That should make it a bit fairer.
"Thanks. I guess. Not sure if that was a compliment or not," he said, adjusting the waistband of the skirt again. Remarkably he was still thin enough that the skirt threatened to slip over his hips.
"It was a compliment. Don't be so hard on yourself. Honestly it's dumb that men throw a hissy fit at the very idea of a skirt, like they stop being men if they put one on. So I admire that you're willing to do this," she said, a little softer now. Her words brought a slight smile to her husband's bright-red face.
"I guess you're right. I'm just sad I don't get to see you without your skirt. I always wondered what that looks like," he chuckled, and Astrid punched his arm lightly.
"Pervert. I'm still wearing my leggings and my underwear. And it's not like you don't know what's under there," she said, shaking her head.
"Sure, now I do. But I didn't know that when I was 15 and your skirt just barely hid the good stuff. You know I didn't know anything, it was all secret and mystery for me," he laughed, and she smiled. Her husband hadn't known anything about women when they got married. She had to teach him. Thoroughly. At least he was a quick and eager learner. Not that she didn't enjoy the teaching.
Seeing Hiccup in the short skirt, hanging low on his hips, was sending her thoughts in strange directions, and she forced herself to focus on the here and now.
"Right then. I'll put on this blindfold and we'll see who's faster!" she said, forcing her eyes back to his face.
"Still confident?" Hiccup asked as she tied the cloth around her own face. It felt weird. She had never worn it before, wasn't sure what to expect. She wasn't completely blind, she could vaguely see through it, but not enough to not to run into trees.
But she wasn't gonna tell Hiccup that. How dare he suggest he could be faster than her?
"Of course. I'm gonna destroy you. Cane?" she said, holding out her hand. Hiccup briefly ran his hand over hers, squeezing it before placing his cane in it. It told her that despite the banter, he still cared.
"Okay then. First one to make it to Toothless' cove wins and has to do all the housecleaning for a month," she said, tapping the ground a few times with the cane. It was strange and unfamiliar, and she wasn't really sure how Hiccup navigated with this. She certainly couldn't tell much from it. She might just have to not use it. At least Hiccup didn't have it.
That was part of the compromise they came up with as part of this crazy bet. They had been walking back to Berk through the forest after checking on one of the distant farms, and she had mentioned how slow Hiccup walked. Surely she could run faster blindly, she had laughed.
Hiccup had looked embarrassed for a bit, but then a smirk that scared her appeared on his face, asking if she was willing to prove that.
And that's how they ended up here. She had to wear his blindfold and got to use his cane, but he had to wear her skirt and boots to slow him down a little. She didn't mind that last part, she liked running on bare feet, and her skirt did impede her movement a bit sometimes.
"Get ready to eat your words," he said, moving next to her. She could sense he was there, but not much else. His stance or direction were a complete mystery to her. How did Hiccup figure that kind of stuff out all day?
"Enough chat. Let's go in three… two… one… go!" she shouted, jumping forward and running as fast as she could. Her arms were held out in front of her, locating trees so she could jump to the side. Still, it only took a few seconds before she tripped over a root. It didn't slow her down, however, she turned her fall into a roll and got back to her feet in one smooth motion.
Hiccup seemed to be taking things slower. She could hear his footsteps behind her, calm and methodical. That's not the way to win!
Astrid kept running, jumping and rolling whenever she stumbled. She hit a tree pretty hard with her shoulder, but didn't stop. Soon enough she couldn't hear Hiccup anymore, but that didn't stop her from moving forward.
So she ran for a while. She hadn't expected how distorted time became when she couldn't see and had to focus so much on her other senses. She barely had time to think.
Pebbles scraped her bare feet, and a branch scratched her thigh. If she'd had her skirt, that would have just bounced off. Still, she kept moving. It couldn't be far now. Straight ahead from their starting location, that's where the cove was. Surely she should have hit the wall by now. Just a little further. Just a little. Maybe a minute longer. Curse this blindfold, she couldn't see a damn thing!
Suddenly a root snagged her ankle, and she fell painfully. It made her stop for a second, holding her aching knee. Without the sounds of her own footsteps, she suddenly heard something else.
Waves.
That wasn't right. There was no water between the farms and the cove. Just thick forest. The ocean was far away. But she did hear…
For a moment Astrid felt guilty when she pulled the blindfold off, though it washed away when she saw she was near the edge of the forest, looking out over the bay. She had somehow gotten completely turned around. How long had she been running? It had been maybe a quarter mile to the cove, but this was at least a mile away.
Maybe the trees hadn't been her biggest obstacle in this race.
It took fifteen minutes of walking back on bloody feet before she made it to the high cliffs marking Toothless' cove. Hiccup was waiting at the entrance, whistling a happy tune as he leaned against the rock with his hands on her skirt.
"Hey there, milady! Took you long enough. Still think you're the fastest with a blindfold?" he asked smugly, and she resisted the urge to snark.
"You were right. It was a lot harder than I expected. I thought the obstacles would be the biggest problem, me tripping and hurting myself, but I got lost. Made it all the way to the west beach before I realized," she admitted, giving him back his blindfold.
"I'd say 'I told you so', but I didn't tell you about how hard navigating is, plus I don't want to be nasty about it. I think it's brave you still tried it. I don't think anyone else in the Academy would have been willing to do this," he said as he tied his blindfold back around his face before pulling her boots and socks off.
"Plus, I had trouble walking in your shoes too. I'm not used to having something around my prosthetic. The skirt is… surprisingly comfy, though," he added, face reddening again.
"Oh really? You want to try it more often?" she asked as she put her socks on.
"I don't think so. The spikes still scare me. But it's… I don't know, it's nice somehow," he muttered, turning away again.
"Well, I don't think any less of you for it. Hell, I think it's incredible you can find your way through the forest. That's what makes you an amazing man, not your clothing," Astrid told him as she pulled her skirt up. Damn this way too cute boy. Some part of her was still angry that she lost a race, but damn if she wasn't impressed by him in a way.