Oh my gosh, you guys are amazing; 6 reviews in two days? I just had to post another chapter.
(Hiccup POV)
"I swear, it really wasn't what it looked like!" My face was on fire, as Astrid had sat me down at the kitchen table. Toothless had managed to slink away, probably to his room, and I silently swore to myself to make him regret leaving me alone with Astrid.
"Oh really?" She asked, smirking at me. "From where I was standing, it looked like you were under Toothless- half naked and with your hair mussed I might add- with your arms around his neck." This just made me blush darker, as I pulled a shirt over my head.
"Thank you, for summing that up." I put my face in my hands, wishing I could just die and get it over with.
"So…?" She asked, leaning forward. "What are you going to do?"
"There's nothing to do Astrid, I told you, we just kind of ended up like that, but it wasn't anything like that."
"I know, but it's obvious you're crushing on him," She grinned in victory at my reaction, pointing to my face as if it was proof that she's right.
"Shh!" I looked nervously over my shoulder, praying he didn't choose to venture out just yet.
"Oh he's not coming out, he was just as red as you. He'll probably come out of hiding as soon as I leave." She patted my shoulder, before lowering her voice. "Seriously though, you okay? What are you going to do? Have you told him? And what about your dad?"
"I just, I mean I was trying to tell him when you came in, but I've completely lost any courage I had. And with my dad… I just need time. Please, don't tell him where I am." She nodded, before standing and pulling me into a hug.
"I'm here for you Hiccup. I'll make sure Gobber knows not to tell Stoic anything. Good luck," She patted me on the back as she left, giving me an encouraging smile.
I sighed, standing in the hallway, before trying to summon any courage left in my body that hadn't been kicked out from the immense humiliation I had just suffered.
I softly knocked on his door, waiting a second before opening it. Toothless was sitting on his bed, staring at his hands, but he looked up when I entered the room. "She gone?" He asked.
"Yeah, she left a minute ago." I responded, giving him a small, awkward smile. "I was, uh, gonna put some stuff on my leg to help with chafing, if you want me to check on your uh," I gestured to his torso, and he nodded, standing and headed to the dining room.
I stopped in the bathroom first, grabbing the first aid kit from under the sink, as well as some strips of cloth I kept just for this purpose. When I got there he was already seated, and was halfway through pulling his shirt off when he saw me. I blushed a little, setting everything down on the table next to him.
We didn't talk as I checked him over, he was mostly healed and just had a few cuts that were reluctant to heal. After I was done I sat down next to him, pulling up my pant-leg to detach my prosthetic.
"Um," his voice was almost a whisper, but I looked up anyways. He cleared his throat, looking away before looking down at my hands. "C… can I?" I was taken aback, but I still nodded silently when he looked into my eyes.
He pushed his chair back, kneeling in front of me and undoing the straps, with methodic, purposeful movements. I was a little surprised at how careful and gentle he was, making sure he wasn't hurting me at all. When he was done, he sat back, and I pulled the strips off the table, using them to replace the strips that were already on the prosthetic.
I glanced up at him, as he watched me. "For padding," I clarified, and he nodded. "It chafes no matter what, but these help."
When I finished, I sat back, placing the prosthetic on the table, glad to relieve the pressure on my sore leg. It was quiet for a moment, before he spoke up.
"What's it like?" He asked, a childlike curiosity in his features.
"Having a half of a leg?" He nodded and I paused, lifting it up and examining it thoughtfully. "It's like when you're preoccupied while walking up stairs, and you lift your leg up for a step that isn't there. Except instead of taking a big step for no reason and feeling stupid, you fall on your face and feel stupid. Because there's nothing left to catch you."
He looked up at me and I smiled sadly at him. "It's alright though, I've had it for so long it doesn't bother me anymore." I looked at the floor and we sat in silence for a while.
I knew he was looking up at me every so often, and I finally raised my head to look him in the eyes. "You wanna know about what happened with my father, right?" He nodded, almost embarrassedly. I nodded too, sighing. 'Here goes nothing.'
I looked him in the eye, knowing I had his full attention. "When you and I met, I had just moved into this place. I assume you've figured that much out," he nodded, and I continued, nervous, but determined. "So I moved here, but I haven't told you why. I've lived with my dad my whole life, as my mother died right after I was born.
"I can't say I'm not grateful to my dad for giving me food and a place to say, but it wasn't much more than that. We were closer when I was younger, but I think he's always blamed me for Mom's death. After my own accident, we just grew even more distant.
"I started 'working' for Gobber, my dad's friend, when I was probably 8. It was mostly that my dad was busy with work, so I'd go to Gobber's shop after school and hang out until my dad could come pick me up. I started doing odd jobs here and there, and eventually he apprenticed me.
"Actually, I made this table and the coffee table in the living room." I grinned proudly, and his eyes widened and he smiled back at me. "Anyways, right before I moved into this apartment I decided to tell my dad something I'd been hiding from him for years. I knew he wouldn't be very accepting, and he kicked me out. Thankfully I was prepared, but… still." He nodded, and opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again. I sighed, and looked him in the eye. "I'm gay Toothless."
...a cliff-hanger, I know, don't hate me xD
