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Clarity, Part 1
Toothless leapt from tree bough to tree bough, chirping happily as the leaves shook down like slow rain. Hiccup groaned and kept raking the grass, ignoring the leaves now sticking to his hair. The pair were at the back of Hiccup's cabin, out in the circular garden area where Toothless could clamber about to his hearts content. The park had closed and Hiccup was, for once, not working night shift. He had finally tracked down a reputable security company, and their trial-run started tonight. A couple more cameras had been installed throughout the park that had proved more expensive than he'd thought, but all in all, it was a positive step in the right direction.
"You are so not helping, bud."
The panther eventually clambered down the large trunk to frolic in the neat pile of leaves Hiccup had just collected, making deep purring noises in his throat as he rolled in ecstasy.
"Bud! Come on..." His prosthetic hit and slid on a small drainpipe cover -"Shit!"- sending Hiccup wind-milling sideways and down next to Toothless with a phloof. He should have worn his boot.
Far from being worried about his owner, Toothless merely nuzzled his hair and licked a swath of saliva up the side of Hiccup's face, deciding his torso was the perfect place to deposit fallen leaves. Hiccup watched the pile grow on his chest with a critical eye, taking note of the detailed colours fanning out between the brown swathes of foliage.
As soon as Hiccup had heard from Ruff how well Astrid had settled in, a strange sense of foreboding had crept under his skin. Her teasing friendliness seemed out of place now she had a stable job and living situation. Hiccup reverted to a professional standpoint whenever they interacted, and he was as polite as possible. No point delaying the inevitable – he believed she would do the same now she had her life sorted.
At the back of his mind, Hiccup saw his previous actions with her and reviewed them, wincing at how casual he'd been to her at the start. He'd gotten so used to being himself here; surrounded by the others, that he'd almost forgotten he was meant to act with more authority.
And then he found out about her permit. And it had made him feel like her compliments of his sketches, or her friendly comments, or even her outrageous fish slapping incident, was some sort of ploy to get involved in the park, to be liked enough that she didn't get fired at the end of the day. Although his efforts were genuine, a nagging suspicion suggested Astrid was not. That idea made Hiccup simmer with resentment – at himself for liking her, and at Astrid for lying for a tragic cause. It made his head hurt.
She had technically committed fraud to get the job.
But she was desperate for a job.
She saw his stump.
But hadn't made a big deal about it.
She lied to Hiccup's face about her love for animals, and probably countless other things.
But had admired his sketches with an honesty that bordered on painful to watch.
She lashed out and was a violent person. But when Hiccup cracked that veneer of confidence he saw a gentleness that bordered on fragility; given their grappling match in the office a while back. He had seen her walls crack, had seen the desperation to remain in command of her situation. She didn't realise the depth of respect he held for her effort to remain in control of her own life.
Before the shit had hit the fan, he had truly clicked with Astrid. Despite her rather brusque attitude, he recognized that was a part of who she was; authoritative and demanding. Their tentative friendship comprised of sarcasm and natural banter that made Hiccup feel at ease. She was capable, more than able to do anything she wanted. His natural mocking self conflicted with her imperious presence, and coupled with the ridiculous fluttering in his chest when she was near, made it damn near impossible to act like he didn't care.
A set of teeth loomed in his vision, and Hiccup could only bring up one hand to defend his face from the lapping tongue of bored Toothless.
"Oof! Toothless!"
The big cat barked in the semblance of a laugh, playfully tugging at Hiccup's arm to get up. He followed with a growing grin at the panther's antics, and rushed at him as soon as he'd regained his footing.
"It's ugly!" He roared, swinging comically back and forth with his arms spread wide. Toothless chirped and lowered his front to leave his tail and butt waggling excitedly in the air like a dog. "Panther and man, ancient enemies!"
Toothless darted to and from from just within Hiccup's grasp, chirping when he got too close. "A fight to the death!" Hiccup ducked as Toothless leapt effortlessly over his lowered form. Mid leap, however, a startled bark escaped the panther and even as he landed, his shoulders splayed defensively up as he growled lowly, signalling something had changed in their surroundings. Still couched, Hiccup whipped his head over to the cabin, seeing nothing but the open door and his kitchen beyond. Toothless pounced forward and leaned into Hiccup's side; head lowered and tail swishing. Something was up.
Grabbing the nearby rake, Hiccup advanced around the side of the cabin with narrowed eyes. Toothless rarely got spooked. Who was it? A robber? Health inspectorate? At the thought of loosing Toothless, Hiccup's chest constricted with sudden pain. He gave a short whistle and click, intended to get Toothless in a nearby tree to hide, but the panther just ignored him and disappeared around the side. Hiccup swore and shot after him, cursing his prosthetic slowing him down. A snarl, and a high scream, had Hiccup skittering round the corner to his hut entryway, where he skidded to a halt in suprise.
Toothless was backing away with a confused whine from the small bucket of fish Astrid had clearly dropped. Hiccup's already thundering heart missed a beat and refused to calm down..
"Astrid?"
As soon as her blue eyes landed on him, they widened and brightened. Her mouth stayed down-turned, however, as she knelt and muttered, "You've got leaves in your hair."
Realising the foliage was still clinging onto his head like natural decorations, he shook it off and leant the rake against the wall with a sigh. "I thought you were a stranger."
"Toothless certainly thought so."
The panther himself was still whining, hunched down as he backed up next to Hiccup. The reason was revealed when Astrid's bare hands, still scooping the fish across the ground into the bucket, came across a familiar long set of yellow stripes. Toothless yowled and snarled again, properly hiding behind his owner. "Ah." Hiccup realised why. "That's an eel – he's been scared of those since he was a cub."
Astrid's mouth lifted into an amusement smirk. "You big baby."
Hiccup remained silent as she deposited the eel in a nearby bin and lifted the bucket back into her arms, suddenly looking unsure. The silence stayed with them and smothered what should have been a peaceful moment, and followed her jerky reactions as she adjusted the bucket awkwardly.
"What is the bucket of fish for, anyway?" Hiccup couldn't help but ask, curious as to why Astrid was standing, after hours, on his private property. He realised he'd never changed the door code after she was here last time.
Astrid shifted, seeming to have trouble getting the words out. "For Toothless." She thrust the bucket forwards; the contents sliding dangerously as her wet hands slid slightly on the metal. This time it was Toothless who huffed gently at her form. He crept out from behind Hiccup to sniff at the fish and began chirping excitedly.
"We'll pretend you haven't already had dinner, bud." Hiccup shook his head at the twin gazes of horror. "Come round to the kitchen. I've got a section where I feed Toothless."
Look out for part 2 !
