Hiccup Haddock sat on his bed with a hand-held video game in his hands. The medications he took for his migraines had been working a bit better recently, and since he couldn't walk or run the boy liked to sometimes read or stay online. His mother had bought him the DS-like game which worked to teach kids her son's age how to pronounce words and spell. The idea seemed good considering it was Snoggletog break.
Astrid Hofferson sat beside Hiccup on his bed, watching him play his game in interest. The girl had gotten a new blue and red outfit as an early Snoggletog gift, and her parents along with the Haddocks had begun to recognize some hints here and there once she showed the clothing to her friend that little Hiccup Haddock might have a crush on his friend since he was three.
Valka was doing some work on her computer for the different organizations she supported for special needs kids, so the two nine year olds had time to themselves with Toothless on watch. "So...I take it you like your new game?" Astrid asked her friend who was so focused on his game he seemed to forget she was there. Hiccup's head shot up and he blushed slightly.
"U-uh yeah...still not as fun as uh...hanging out with y-you and the other o-outside." Hiccup stuttered nervously, making Astrid chuckle. The girl threw an arm around her friend which confused him. Hiccup didn't get the hint that there was a trap coming up until one tiny hand that wasn't pinning him down began brushing against his side with crazy fingers.
"S-stop!" Hiccup cried out before he fell onto his back in laughter as his friend began tickling him. Astrid had recently figured out just how ticklish the boy was and dared not let any chance slide to 'torture' him ever since. Hiccup signed the word 'stop' over and over again in the air as his breath was knocked out of him, but the strong Astrid Hofferson showed no mercy. He tried silently calling out for Toothless, but the dog simply barked at Astrid, jumped on the bed playfully, and then hopped back to the floor in distraction once spotting a chew toy nearby.
"T-traitor!" Hiccup shouted to his dog. Tears were in his eyes at this point, and only now did Astrid let up a little. She still tickled him enough to make him laugh, but didn't use both hands. Instead, she pinned Hiccup's hands above his head and used her free hand to brush against that sensitive area just below his shoulders.
The two kids were having so much fun that they didn't know how dangerously close they were to the side of the bed. Valka had put the bars on it up in case her son was to fall asleep again do to the fact it was getting late, and Hiccup's feet were flying dangerously close to the metal barrier. All it took was Astrid making one wrong move that caused him to shift sideways, and a yell of pain filled the air along with the sound of a limb hitting metal.
"Hiccup!" Astrid called out to her friend as soon as she recovered from the shock of hearing him call out. Hiccup was so shocked by the impact that he wasn't able to prepare himself, and a few tears escaped his eyes. He was still on his back, and reached his arms out for support out of reflex after having done so numerous times because he couldn't get around easily on his own.
Astrid imediatly wrapped her arms around the pain stricken boy, and Hiccup berried his face in the crook of her neck. The girl tried to lay a gentle hand on his leg which had hit the bed, but Hiccup's deformed, sore left leg flinched away. It was already slightly swollen, and obviously hurt, but it was more likely the shock of the pain that caused the boy to cry over the actual level of hurt.
Valka ran into the bedroom after hearing Hiccup cry, and she saw Toothless whining at the foot of the bed worried and confused. The poor dog had no idea what happened, and therefor didn't know what to do. The mother looked at the two kids in the bed, and imediatly noticed how Astrid looked at Hiccup's leg with an almost guilty expression.
"May I?" Valka asked while lowering the bars of the bed and setting down. Astrid nodded and tried to let go of Hiccup so his mother could look at him, but the boy surprisingly clung on tightly. "I-I want to stay here." He whispered after moving his mouth away from his friend's neck. Valka looked surprised, more so than before. It was very rare that her son spoke over signing when he was this stressed.
"Why Hiccup?" Valka asked in an attempt to distract her son so she could look at his swollen leg. Hiccup flinched back, but Astrid quickly reacted and used both of her leg to cross over his. The boy struggled for a second, but then Astrid flipped him so his back was facing her and she could get a better hold on his legs. Valka was no less than surprised. She'd seen many parents react like this when a child needed to be restrained because of a needle or something like that, but never a nine year old helping another nine year old calm down in such a way. Tears pricked at Hiccup's eyes in confusion, but Toothless quickly comforted him by laying in his lap.
Valka moved forward and locked eyes with her son. She brushed his short auburn hair out of his face, and lay a gentle hand on his cheek. Hiccup sniffled and looked at her expectantly. "I know it's sore, but I just need to look at it. Please let mom take care of you?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow as if in thought for a moment, before leaning back into Astrid and closing his eyes. Valka took that as her cue and gently put pressure on different parts of her son's leg. Astrid brushed her hands up and town the arms of the boy on her lap in a comforting motion, whispering soothing words in his ear. Toothless made that odd purring sound similar to a cat's he was known for, and this seemed to calm his owner greatly.
Valka watched closely for a reaction to her experimental touches, and realized her son's foot seemed to hurt more than anything. It was most likely he'd hit the slightly deformed ankle so hard on the bed that he'd caused something inside to bruise, though she'd keep an eye on it for sure. For the time being it would probably be best if he used ice and took stress off of it.
"Okay. Can you let him go sweaty?" Valka asked Astrid who obliged hesitantly. Hiccup launched himself forward and grabbed onto his mother for support. The one who he always knew he could turn to if he was hurting. Toothless moved out of the way and watched with Astrid and Valka coddled her son's small frame in her arms.
"It's okay Hiccup. We're just going to keep an eye on it for now. Okay?" Hiccup nodded, completely fine with the thought of no immediate doctors visits.
The rest of the night went quiet simply. Astrid had fallen asleep with her friend once again, so the Hoffersons agreed to let her stay with the Haddocks for the night. Valka moved Astrid to her own bed in the middle of the night knowing that she as a parent should start teaching her son not to sleep in the same bed as a girl this young now that he was old enough to develop deep crushes.
(A/N) I know this is SO short, but I had to get something down. It's been really hard to write because of mental health reasons here recently, and I'm just trying to stay out of the psych hospital. I'm not going to go too much into detail, but I have some mental illness' that make me feel, hear, and think things that aren't coming from anyone else and sometimes that makes it hard to focus. I also have PTSD which causes panic attacks and sometimes makes it hard to get out of bed. I'm not telling you readers this to gain pity, but so you guys and gals know I'm not abandoning my passion and really do want to update. Hope you understand! Plasma-peace out.