Hey, everyone! Sorry for the wait. I sort of lost inspiration for this story, and needed to take a break from this... but I'm back now with an extra long one, so that's good!
I'll Take Care of You: Four times Hiccup got hurt and Astrid took care of him, and one time Hiccup got hurt and Astrid didn't take care of him.
This one was my own idea, as it is a birthday gift for katurdi! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAT, HAVE A GREAT ONE! *streams* *balloons* *candy* *whatever-you-want* You requested Hiccup!whump and Hiccstrid... so I wrapped it up into this neat little story. I've been wanting to do a four-and-one for awhile now, so thanks for the opportunity!
Enjoy, guys!
Chapter 10: I'll Take Care of You
...
ONE
(RttE Season 3 time-zone)
...
It was all Hiccup's fault, really.
He was a trouble magnet; a problem that had only grown over the years. When he wasn't kidnapped or nearly being slaughtered in battle, he was getting in trouble at home. He could mess up anything, Astrid had come to learn.
This particular incident had been coming all along. She should've been prepared, she should've seen it coming. But she hadn't... and she hated that she'd gone softer than she realized.
Hiccup was working in his make-shift forge on the Edge on one of his many projects. This one was some crazy contraption that would shoot out ropes to tie up a few Dragon Hunters. Honestly, the brutes were unbelievably stupid, and all Hiccup would have to do was toss a curious-looking object down on the boat and wait for one of the Hunters to touch it. That would shoot out a bunch of ropes and distract a bunch of them, buying valuable time for the Riders.
He believed he was almost done. Just needed a little tightening here and there, maybe an extra cleaning or two, but it was all about done. And now, to test it…
Hiccup reached out and held the thing in his hands. It wasn't very big, but wasn't tiny either. It was about the size of a Terrible Terror. He smiled, turning it over in his hands. He wondered if it would work, and ran his fingers over the contraption. It seemed to be in working condition, no visible mistakes. He relaxed. Everything was-
BAM!
The whole thing gave a spasm of movement, spitting out ropes and random parts. Hiccup flinched back from it all, trying to get away in time, but it was too late. The thing that held the rope inside flew at his forehead, slicing into it and leaving a long, gaping cut. Yelping in pain, Hiccup stumbled back and nearly tripped down to the floor.
"OW! Agh- the gods hate me, that's for sure... ow... ahh..." He gingerly touched his cut, and his fingers came away dripping red. He felt faint and slightly dizzy.
"Hiccup?" a voice called from outside. Oh gods. Astrid. "Are you okay? I heard you yell..."
Hiccup winced, trying to compose himself. "What, me? Pffttt, I'm fine... why- why would you thinking something's wrong?"
There was a brief silence, and Hiccup thought that he had convinced Astrid he was okay (though his stinging cut said otherwise). But the intuitive person Astrid was, she could feel something was wrong.
And Hiccup, after all, was a terrible liar.
The door flew open, and Astrid barged inside. Hiccup, surprised, whipped around the other way and tried to conceal his cut. But he was too late. Astrid had seen it... and she was not pleased.
"Hiccup!" she gasped, running forward. "What- what happened? How did you get that cut? Wait, no- never mind, you need a bandage for that, it's dripping all over the place... I'll run over to the Clubhouse and get something to wrap it..." Biting her lip, Astrid slowly departed the room, leaving Hiccup still struggling for words. He sighed, giving up. Astrid could be a little... over-bearing at times. Especially when it came to Hiccup's well-being.
A minute later, the girl returned with a fresh bandage and some special cream to fight invading bacteria. Hiccup tried to convince her that he didn't need all of that, but he wasn't surprised when Astrid won the argument. Soon, he was sitting quietly while Astrid dressed his wound.
"How'd you get this one, Hiccup?" Astrid joked, wiping away the blood.
Hiccup's jaw clenched at the irritation. "Faulty invention... just a minor calibration issue, really..."
"Uh-huh..." Astrid began to apply the cream, making Hiccup hiss in pain. "What?" said Astrid, concerned.
"The cream... it stings..."
"Hmm... never noticed anything before."
"Maybe because you're Astrid Hofferson and somehow actually enjoy getting scars... Remember? 'It's only fun if you get a scar out of it...'"
Astrid smirked at the memory, moving onto the bandage now. "Well, if I recall this correctly, you also said... what was it, again... 'Love the pain?'"
Hiccup rolled his eyes, though it was mostly in annoyance of his younger self. "'Pain, love it', actually. Gods, I was a mutton-head."
"We all were..." Astrid carefully sealed the bandage. "You're lucky that wound wasn't any deeper, dragon boy, or you'd need stitches."
"Nah," said Hiccup. "I never cross over the borderline of mortal wounds..." His gaze trailed down to his prosthetic. "Well... often."
Astrid grinned, but it soon faded to a light smile. "Does it still sting?"
"What- my leg?"
"No. The wound, mutton-head. Does it still sting with the cream?"
Hiccup shrugged. "Sort of... well..." He looked sheepish. "Yeah."
Without thinking, Astrid leaned over and kissed Hiccup's forehead. He smelled of dragons and fire and an extra something sweet. When she pulled back to look at Hiccup, his emerald gaze was stunned.
"All better?" she teased.
Hiccup smiled. "Ye-yeah."
It was true. He felt like he could grow wings and fly up to Thor at the moment. Astrid soon left (harshly chiding him for his carelessness and making him promise to stay away from the forge for a few days), but the exhilarated feeling never quite faded. All he could think about was Astrid... Astrid and her forehead-kiss.
That girl was really something...
TWO
(RttE Season 2 time-zone)
...
"Ready... alright... GO, BUD, FLY!"
Hiccup and Toothless shot up into the air faster than ever before over the Edge. The other Riders watched with some interest, some awe, and some exasperation.
"What's dragon boy trying to pull off this time?" said Snotlout, rolling his eyes.
Astrid crossed her arms, watching Hiccup's progress in the sky. "Something stupid."
Fishlegs stepped up, looking slightly worried. "He's trying out a new tailfin on Toothless that will allow him to pull up quicker," he explained. "But at that speed... it's going to be tight. He might not make it."
"Gods," said Astrid, her brow crinkling in concern. "Hiccup won't ever stop putting himself in danger, will he?"
"Nope!" said Ruffnut cheerily. "But that's the fun part!"
Hiccup was so high now that they could barely see him. He would dive back down soon…
"He's going to get himself killed," Astrid muttered after a second of thought, then lifted her head and called up. "Hiccup! Get down here! NOW!"
But Hiccup was too far away to hear, and even if he could make out Astrid's voice, he would've ignored her. He'd be fine. He always was. She worried too much about him…
Just as Hiccup and Toothless reached the absolute climax, they froze in the air. For a moment, Toothless's outstretched wings kept them airborne, but soon gravity tugged at the pair and they began to plummet. Astrid watched with lips pressed together. That careless, idiotic, naïve, mutton-head-
"WOOOHOOOO!" she heard him shout. "THIS IS AMAZIIINNNNGGGGGGGG! WAIT... AHHHHH- NOT SO AMAZING!"
With a start, Astrid realized that Hiccup hadn't pulled up Toothless yet... and he should've been preparing to by now, or he would crash-land or hit the nearby ocean…
Hiccup was desperately trying to get the tailfin to work, but at the speed they were dropping... It was like trying to open a clam while riding sidesaddle on a horse that was being chased by wolves. In other words, impossible.
"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed in panic. "Pull up, pull up, pull up!"
Hiccup tried again. No luck. And they were nearing the ground oh so quickly-
Toothless opened his wings in a desperate attempt to slow their fall. Unfortunately, the abrupt motion shook Hiccup from the saddle. Hollering, he fell the remaining way down to earth and disappeared into the forest, still flailing.
Astrid let out a shout, then without hesitation, bounded towards the direction that Hiccup had fallen. Meanwhile, Toothless (whose drop had been slowed, though not by much), hit the ground. He was miraculously okay, and after a moment, stumbled to his feet.
Astrid tore through the trees. "Hiccup?" she called frantically. "HICCUP?!"
"H-here...," said a weak voice.
Astrid whipped around to see the young Rider lying against a tree. His face was contorted in pain, and his right arm hung at an awkward angle no regular limb should.
"Hiccup!" Astrid gasped, then hurried forward. She fell to her knees in front of him, shaking. "Oh gods- Hiccup! Are you- are you- is anything h-hurt?"
Hiccup looked down at his floppy arm, panting with the aftermath of the fall. "Side's sore... arm hurts, too... might've... sprained it... don't think it's... broken..."
Astrid breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the gods... Hiccup... I was so... I thought that you were..." She swallowed thickly. Why were her eyes prickling? Fearless Astrid Hofferson never cried! Not even if... not even if…
"But I'm not," said Hiccup, his emerald eyes meeting hers with a comforting serenity. "I'm here... I'm alive... by some ridiculous miracle, I'm sure..."
Astrid nodded, trying to convince herself that Hiccup was okay. But all she could keep seeing was him tumbling down to the trees, flailing, helpless... She shivered. She had been so frightened... but she was never frightened... oh, it was all Hiccup's fault…
Suddenly angry, she shoved him (though she used her light push in the understanding of Hiccup's condition), making him grimace. "That's for scaring me," she growled. Then she ducked forward, and without thinking, enwrapped him in a warm hug. She nestled her chin on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.
"That's...," she whispered, holding him tight. "...for everything else..."
And through his pain, Hiccup smiled.
THREE
(Defenders of Berk time-zone)
...
"Oh, Hiccup..."
Fifteen year-old Astrid Hofferson rushed forward to meet her friend. He was covered in bruises and scratches that didn't look comfortable at all. Astrid nearly broke at the sight of him. She hadn't seen him for three days... three whole days…
Hiccup had been kidnapped by Alvin to train dragons. Again. Of course, he had refused... which only made it worse for him, as those bruises showed. They were on Stoick's ship, already sailing home just a minute after the rescue of the Heri of Berk. The dragons had needed a break from searching the entire archipelago with hardly a moment of rest, so Stoick had sent out a boat instead.
"Astrid!" smiled Hiccup as the other Rider came forward. But his grin was weak and tired. Astrid wondered what was the last time he rested.
She tackled him in a breath-quenching hug a moment later, making him hiss in pain. She quickly pulled back, remembering his wounds. She settled for staring into his eyes with her azure gaze.
"Hiccup..." Was it just his imagination, or did tears fill her eyes? "Hiccup..." That was all she said. His name. Hiccup. He strangely liked it in the caressed tone she spoke it with.
"So... how are you doing? Long time, no see," he joked.
Astrid's thankful expression fell into a glare. "How am I doing?" she repeated, growing angrier. "How am I doing?! You were the one kidnapped!"
"Well, yeah, but I was just wondering..." He seemed a little afraid of her.
Astrid realized that she was being harsh. Well, harsher. "Wait, no- I didn't mean... Hiccup, I was just terrified of what Alvin might've done... I didn't know if you were dead or alive, or if I would ever see you again... and I can't believe that you're okay... that you're here with me now..." She leaned forward and pecked his cheek, then ducked back.
Hiccup's eyes widened with surprise at the affection. "I... I..."
Astrid smirked. Then- "You are okay, right?"
Hiccup nodded, trying to seem confident. "Oh, yeah...! Better than ever... that kidnapping- whew, it really... really invigorated me!"
Hiccup was a terrible liar.
"Hey..." Astrid lightly punched his shoulder, but it still earned a yelp. "From now on, I'm going to protect you with everything in me. I won't let you get kidnapped by Alvin ever again. And neither will the others. We've got your back. I've got your back."
"And I yours, milady," Hiccup murmured.
Astrid smiled. "That's right," she said. "And I will always take care of you. You need someone to keep you safe, after all, with the amount of trouble you attract."
"Like a Bardiguard? Someone who protects the Heir to a tribe?"
"No, you mutton-head." Astrid rolled her eyes. "A friend."
Hiccup broke into a grin that made Astrid's heart flutter. The boy was still getting used to the fact that he was no longer the village scapegoat, but a hero and the dearest friend Astrid would ever have.
"I won't complain to that," he agreed.
Astrid nodded, then growled, "Now, don't you ever scare me like that again!"
"I'll try not to."
"You promise?"
"I... well..."
"Promise?!"
"I'll do my best, Astrid," exasperated Hiccup, though he was clearly just teasing. "That I can promise."
Astrid linked arms with her friend, and began to lead him off to a place to get some rest. "Well, I guess that's good enough for me..."
FOUR
(post-HTTYD 2)
...
It was all Astrid's fault, really.
Hiccup was the one who had been trying to do something nice. Make his wife dinner. Though he perhaps had the busiest job in the village as the chief, he firmly decided that no matter what, he would make time for Astrid. Even through the busiest day. Because that's what husbands did for their axe-throwing wives...
...well, maybe that wasn't entirely true. Astrid had been the one to suggest that she make her famous "yakalicious yoke-stew" for dinner. Hiccup, who had tasted it too many times to logically still be alive, had quickly cut in, "No, how about I do the cooking for you this once? You always make the meals... you need a break!"
And so do I, thought Hiccup, trying not to think of the taste of Yaknog.
Astrid nodded. "Sure; that actually sounds pretty good."
And so Hiccup started to cook.
He didn't know too many recipes, but one he was familiar with. When his father was out on searches for the Dragons' Nest, he would make this for himself at home. It was something called "boar n' eggs." It was pretty good.
As he worked, Astrid began to talk to him. "What did you do today? I had to stop the twins from setting the arena on fire to try and win dragon racing, the mutton-heads. And Snotlout was actually rooting on for them! Fishlegs... well, you know him, he goes along with whatever Her Highness the Great Ruffnut asks, so he helped them out. Sometimes, it's like you and I are the only sane ones here! You ever feel that way?"
Hiccup, cracking an egg over a pan hanging above the fire, mumbled, "Sometimes, I guess..."
"Finally!" cried Astrid. "Finally someone agrees with me. And then Stormfly and I went on a recon flight- we're the captains of the guard, after all. I found out that Gustav Larson had some crazy idea that we should build hideouts in sea-stacks just out of Berk's range, to look for 'enemy intruders'. ...hideouts..." She snorted. "Stupid."
Hiccup started to mix the boar with the eggs. The pan was hot enough to cook them now. "Yeah... stupid..."
"And then," she continued, sounding aghast, "Eret had caused some ruckus in the town with Skullcrusher! I'm sure you heard about it, you're the chief... I thought that he was a decent guy, but now... he's as immature as the other Riders!"
Astrid flopped her hands out in emphasis, but ended up hitting Hiccup's palm. That knocked his hand towards the pan and against the sizzling-hot side of it.
Hiccup yelped and pulled back, hissing with pain. "OW OW OW, SWEET BABY THOR IN A THUNDERSTORM- OW!"
His hand had an angry red rash of a burn, throbbing painfully. Hiccup winced, shaking the injury in discomfort.
Astrid gaped at the scene. "Oh my Thor, Hiccup, I'm so sorry- let me go get you something to cool that!" She rushed off to prepare a ice-cold rag, then came back. Hiccup was still jiggling the burn as if he could shake it off.
"Here," said Astrid, holding the cloth to his hand. "Again, I'm so so so sorry... I didn't mean-"
"-is fine," said Hiccup through clenched teeth. "'m fine. Is okay."
Astrid crossed her arms, looking dubious. "Yeah. Sure. You've never looked better, really..."
"You can be as... sarcastic 's me... milady," Hiccup chuckled, then grimaced at the sting of his hand. Burns were one of the worst lacerations you could have, and the size of the one that Hiccup had gotten was certainly not comfortable.
Astrid bit her lip. "You alright?"
"Mhm."
"Hiccup..."
He sighed. "What?"
She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, to his surprise. "I love you," she whispered, emotion heavy in her gaze
The burning pain in Hiccup's hand seemed to dull for that small period of time. "Me, too... Astrid," he said. "And no matter what... even through wars, battles, long, hard days, and even cooking... I am yours... for always."
Astrid smirked. "That's right, dragon boy... and same for me. Now, let's go get another rag, alright? With the temperature of your burn right now, this one won't last too long."
Hiccup nodded. "Sounds... good... milady..."
Astrid wrapped an arm around her husband's shoulder, then helped him out of the room. Hand-in-hand. Side-by-side. Hiccup and Astrid, for always.
FIVE
(RttE late Season 4 time-zone)
...
"Just a... little... longer..."
Hiccup swiped his forehead, feeling like he might pass out. "Your definition of 'a little' and mine are very different, Astrid. You've been saying that for hours! For once, can't you pick an easy training exercise...?"
It was Astrid's turn to pick an exercise to do, and that only meant trouble. She had chosen that everyone go off in pairs (no dragons) into the forest to reach the Edge's volcano. No maps. No flying. Just plain old skills. Whatever team found it first was the winner... because these things always turned out to be a competition.
"No, really, I mean it," Astrid insisted, pausing to look back at Hiccup. She was too sweating, though not as much as Hiccup. The nearby trees offered shade, and she was comfortable in that. "We're almost there. Now man-up and start acting like a Viking!"
Hiccup squinted.
She paled after a moment. "Not that you're not... I mean to say... I didn't-"
Hiccup sighed, cutting her off. "Let's just keep moving." He stepped forward in the thick brush, not looking down to see where he was stepping. And that was a big mistake. With an, "UMPH!" he tripped over a root and fell on his face. His left side took most of the impact, and he could feel it stinging. "OW!"
Astrid turned around to see what had happened. When she saw him lying there, she asked, "Hiccup? You alright?"
Hiccup groaned, picking himself up. "Never... better..." As he stood, he brushed himself off. "Ow, my eye..." The poor boy's left eye was swelling black and blue already with a bruise that would keep him awake all night. Twigs also stood up in his hair, making him look ridiculous. In fact, upon looking over his black eye, foresty hair, and sheer expression, Astrid flat-out laughed.
Hiccup looked bewildered. "What?"
Astrid tried to force herself to stop giggling, but Hiccup's countenance made him look even more absurd. "N-nothing..." She snorted in a very unladylike manner.
"What- aren't you a little concerned? This eye- it hurts!" He jabbed a finger towards his bruise in exasperation. "Astrid; it's not funny."
"I know...," she giggled.
"Astrid..."
"I know!" she said, but her grin promised otherwise.
Hiccup threw his hands up, grimacing. "Aren't you going to help me? Offer me a bandage, maybe, at the very least?"
Astrid plucked a twig from Hiccup's hair. "No," she said simply.
"No?" Hiccup repeated, scoffing. "You're just going to leave me like this?"
"Ha ha... I know that you can take care of yourself, dragon boy." She glanced back up at him, then covered her mouth to hide her laughs. Those twigs looked so ludicrous that she couldn't keep her chuckles in much longer. With one last snicker over her shoulder, she disappeared further into the forest.
Hiccup huffed, trying to brush off the remaining twigs that stuck to him. "That girl...," he grumbled, annoyed at the state she had left him in. But a moment later, he smiled. "Well... that's milady for you..."
Still smirking, he followed Astrid into the trees. He was alright... as long as he had her. And up ahead, Astrid knew that she would always be okay if she had Hiccup.
Hiccup and Astrid.
Friends. Team-mates.
And a little something more.
So, katurdi? Did that satisfy you? Which one was your favorite? :-) HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN!
Special thanks toooo...
phieillydinyia, waytooobsessed, DragonGirl310, thepurplewriter333 (like your new profile pic, by the way...), devufairy, Guest #1, DragonRider015, annnndddd the birthday girl, katurdi!
I hope you guys enjoyed this next installment! See ya next time!