A Complete Turnaround

Rated; M
Pairing; HiccupXAstrid
Disclaimer; I do not own anything HTTYD related. Everything belongs to its original creator.

Another Form Of Protection

=Normal POV=

{Friday, April 22, 2022-7:20 pm}

(Berk; Haddock Manor)

Astrid felt like she could only hold Hiccup once he had begun crying. Its what anyone would do in this situation. Hiccup had been dreaming of joining the army for years from the stories Astrid had heard, and now with his foot being gone; that dream was dead. Hiccup would never be able to join with a prosthetic limb, and the more Hiccup sat with knowing his leg was amputated; the reality set in that the one thing Hiccup wanted to do was no longer within reach. Astrid felt like this is what had Hiccup so miserable, and she was right. Stoick, Valka, and the others who were over for dinner at the Haddock residence realized that Astrid must have figured out what was wrong, and that's why she bolted from the dining room to get upstairs. Hiccup had been crying for about fifteen minutes, and Astrid's heart went out to her best male friend; her best female friend was Heather hands down. Astrid didn't know what else she could possibly do at this moment, but she knew that Hiccup probably needed this; to cry. Sometimes it just made you feel better when you stopped holding in pain.

"We should go back downstairs…" Dagur stated.

"But…" Valka began.

"Dagur is right, Val," Spitelout interjected.

"Hiccup is not going to appreciate us spying on him," Gobber added. "Astrid is Hiccup's best friend, and she must have discovered what was bothering Hiccup; that's why she came to comfort him,"

"Can't we do the same?" Heather tried.

"It wouldn't be the best idea to insert ourselves right now. I think Astrid can handle it," Stoick reminded his wife. "Don't forget that we haven't been the most supportive of his desire to join. Jumping in on a matter like this might just upset Hiccup further,"

Valka nodded, understanding. "Let's all get back downstairs to finish eating," Frida suggested. Quietly, the minor group of people got out of the Sitting Room and returned to the first level, now leaving Hiccup and Astrid alone in Hiccup's room. Astrid continued to hold Hiccup, rubbing his back a little and trying to soothe him; she knew he was having a hard time with everything, but this being unable to join the military aspect had to be the worst pill to swallow as it were. Hiccup admitted that he couldn't accept it as he'd done with so many other things.

Another five minutes must have gone by before Hiccup's crying stopped, leaving only sniffles and light coughing. Astrid pulled back a little and looked at Hiccup's face. "I'm…Sorry…"

"Sorry for what, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, a bit surprised at his words.

"Crying on you…" Hiccup sniffled, wiping the wetness from his cheeks.

"Stop being so proud. You're human, Hiccup, and we all have emotions that sometimes can't be contained through silence or hours of thinking. Especially things like this…You're allowed to be upset about it, and pain often comes out as tears," Astrid informed gently as she moved from the edge of the bed to get Hiccup a couple of tissues from the bathroom for him. "Here," she handed them off.

"Thanks…" Hiccup replied as he blew his nose a few times, and ended up palming away the rest of his tears. Hiccup tossed the tissue in the trash can by his bed; then he began putting all the military things away in the green folder they had been kept in. After that, Hiccup put the folder in his nightstand drawer and sat back a bit. "What made you come to check on me?"

"Well, everyone wondered when you'd stop shutting down on us, and Eret asked if you planned to go back to Archia Burger. Your mom said she didn't know what you'd do now and…I don't know; I guess something clicked that the reason you might be upset is that you said your future had changed. The one thing you've always wanted is to join. As soon as I realized it; I came running up here," Astrid explained lightly.

"You came running for me?" Hiccup asked.

"Of course…You're my best friend," Astrid said. "You've done so much for me, Hiccup and…I just want to do things for you too. Well, you know…Make sure you know that I'm here for you as well; that you're not alone…Like you told me I wasn't and didn't have to go through this by myself,"

Hiccup smiled a little as he nodded. "I get it," Hiccup replied. "And thanks, Astrid. That, uh, that means a lot to me…" he admitted.

"We know you're dealing with a lot, Hiccup…But we're your friends, and we'll help any way we can…Just don't shut us out…" Astrid reminded.

"I know that Astrid; it's just hard…I'm used to being the one who helps everyone else. I guess it's a lot different to be the one who takes the help offered. But I do appreciate that all of you are coming to my aid…" Hiccup said.

"I think it's the least we can do after what you did for us," Astrid smiled softly. "Oh, and one more thing…" she began as Hiccup looked at her. "You are a hero. You risked yours and Toothless's lives for the entire island against Red Death. You didn't have any special training, use any weapons, or fight with a group of others. You and Toothless found the source of the problem, then acted selflessly and alone to defeat that dragon without any hesitation," Hiccup's eyes widened a little. "You did exactly what you wanted to do; protected your home and the people you love. And guess what? You didn't do it as a soldier; it was as a civilian. So don't think you have to join the military to be a hero, Hiccup, because you already are one in my eyes and many others too," Astrid kissed Hiccup's cheek then stepped back while heading for the door. "Come back down and join us when you're ready, okay? We miss our leader, and those Friday night sleepovers," after that; she was gone with a giggle; leaving Hiccup utterly stunned about what she had said, and the small kiss to his cheek.

. . .

{7:30 pm}

(Haddock Manor; Dining Room)

Astrid smiled as she returned to the room with the others; eyes fell on her. "What?" Astrid asked.

"Where were you?" Heather inquired.

"Just…Checking on Hiccup; I'm his best friend after all," Astrid sat down to continue eating.

"Yeah…Cut the crap, Astrid. We followed you upstairs and heard what Hiccup said was bothering him…" Snotlout stated.

"I know; I saw you," Astrid replied casually. "And you will act as if you know nothing. I got him to calm down, and I don't want to see Hiccup get upset or mad if he finds out you were eavesdropping…"

"I-Is he okay?" Valka wondered nervously.

"I'm sure he will be with a little more time, Mrs. Haddock. Hiccup will tell everyone what's wrong when he's ready." Astrid enlightened.

"Is he going to come back down?" Stoick asked.

"I invited him to join us when he was ready, so give it a bit," Astrid responded.

"Will do," Dagur nodded. "And good for you, Astrid…For figuring out what was bothering him,"

"I've known something was making his miserable for a while; I just didn't realize what it was until tonight when Hiccup said his choice, while he didn't regret it, cost his future to change. The one thing Hiccup looked forward to was joining the military," Astrid reminded.

"We should have seen it right away," Gobber muttered. "Lad has been talking about it for years,"

"And it does hurt Hiccup that this desire is unattainable. However, I think Hiccup will have a new…Perspective of things after our talk upstairs on the matter. So as I said; just leave it be," Astrid informed again while taking a bite of her chicken breast. By 7:45 pm; dinner was over, and everyone was relaxing in the Great Room. Around 8 pm as usual; they'd all be leaving to go home since Hiccup didn't appear to be ready for sleepovers yet. Yet, they were shocked to see Hiccup emerge from the elevator on his crutches and head towards the dining room.

"Oh! Hiccup, son; we're in here now…" Valka called to him. Hiccup stopped and shifted to get inside the Great Room. "Are you still hungry? I had Hagen wrap your plate and set it aside…" she asked.

"I'm okay right now, Mom. Thanks, though," Hiccup replied.

"Take my seat, Hiccup; I know you always sit here by the window," Thuggory offered, getting up from the window seat that faced the stables. Hiccup made his way over, setting the crutches against the wall as he hopped a bit and held his balance while easing himself down onto the window bench and fixing the pillows so he could lean back comfortably. Thuggory moved over to sit next to Camicazi, and everyone stayed quiet since Hiccup seemed deep in thought.

Finally, Hiccup opened the window and lookout outside before giving a semi-long whistle. Seconds afterward, Toothless bounded happily towards the window and poked his head through. The Night Fury excitedly jumped up and down, did a circle and licked Hiccup's face repetitively, which caused Hiccup to laugh a little.

"H-Hi, bud…Yes, I've missed you too," Hiccup chuckled as he rubbed the top of Toothless's head, then under his chin, making the dragon stick his tongue out in enjoyment. Toothless rested his head on Hiccup's lap, crooning contently, then sniffed Hiccup's nub a little, the warbles turning almost sad. "It's okay, pal. I'll be alright…I know you didn't mean it…" he said, but everyone heard it.

"Didn't mean…What?" Spitelout decided to pursue what everyone was wondering.

"Oh, right…You still don't know…" Hiccup remembered that no one knew what happened. "After Toothless's rig broke and I fell off him towards the blast…Toothless dove after me,"

"Well, we know that…We found you in his wings," Astrid stated.

"The only reason he caught me is that he grabbed my leg with his mouth," Hiccup informed as it took everyone a moment, but they got it. Instantly, their eyes widened. Hiccup looked at them now. "Toothless bit my leg off, by accident, and the heat of the fire from the explosion slightly cauterized the wound; then you found me unconscious in his wings," Hiccup confirmed.

"Okay, I get grabbing your leg to stop your descent into the fire, but why bite?" Gobber blinked.

"I assume heat of the moment and Toothless didn't realize how hard he bit; the doctor did say it was a clean break, and Toothless has a strong jaw and bite. It's cool; I'm not mad at him. Toothless saved my life, and hey…Now, we match…" Hiccup laughed a little.

"Match? How?" Nadia said, confused.

"Toothless is missing his left tail fin, and I'm missing my left leg," Hiccup paused, then shrugged. "Well…Half of the shin and foot. Toothless can't fly, and I can't walk, but prosthetics allow us to," he said. Toothless screeched, raising his wings and wanting to fly. "Soon, Toothless. Don't worry, bud. Once mom and dad give me the green light to work in the forge…I'll rebuild the rig. Maybe we can make it better than before," Toothless jumped up and down, his tongue out excitedly. "Yeah? You think so? Well, I'll give it my best," Hiccup promised. "Stronger, lighter, faster…Think we can hit your top speed, or better?" Toothless gave Hiccup a bored look, then nudged into Hiccup a bit, purring. "Guess we'll see, huh?"

"You have a forge?" Tuffnut and Ruffnut blinked as Hiccup nodded.

"Behind Haddock Stables," Hiccup admitted.

"How come we never knew about this?" Heather wondered.

"Oh, come on. I can't tell you everything. If I did; I'd lose my full of surprises factor," Hiccup snickered a bit. "Everyone has secrets," he added.

"Yeah…He's right," Dagur nodded.

"Out of curiosity…What is Toothless's top speed?" Ragna asked.

"I actually have no idea. We've never tested it because Toothless uses a rig I built. If he had his tail fin; Odin only knows how fast he could go without me controlling a leather and metal made prosthetic," Hiccup answered.

"Well, what's the fastest you two have gone?" Fishlegs questioned.

"Uh…I don't know… Maybe around 200 mph?" Hiccup shrugged slightly. "Possibly 250 mph?" It's been a long time since we went ridiculously fast. It only happened because we were testing the rig when I was fifteen, right after I built it. Toothless can obtain faster speeds if we're streamlined,"

"Meaning?" Camicazi wondered.

"Oh! Me lying flat on Toothless. Well, bent over and as leaning forward on him as I can get. Meaning that when we fly, there is nothing for the wind to go against. You notice it when you fly, the wind against you. If you're flat, or as much down as you can get, there is nothing to resist against," Hiccup explained.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Astrid nodded. "Is that why you always lean forward on Stormfly?"

"Yep," Hiccup replied. "That and some dragons you just have to find others ways to sit down and hold on,"

"Like us with Barf and Belch. Wrapping our legs around their necks and holding the horns," Ruffnut said.

"And me with Hookfang, same thing," Snotlout interjected.

"That's right," Hiccup stated with a nod.

"Can we watch? When you rebuild the rig?" Thuggory inquired.

"I guess if you really want to," Hiccup blinked, surprised that they wanted to see such a process. Though, it wouldn't take nearly as much time as before since Hiccup knew that he was doing this time around. Now, it was quiet as Toothless was purring into Hiccup's touch. Not long after, Stormfly wandered over as well, squawking gently. "Hi, my girl," Hiccup greeted. Hiccup was petting and rubbing both of them, and they were content too. "So…Do you guys wanna stay over?"

"We keep a set of stuff here just for the occasion," Tuffnut grinned.

"And we have things in our vehicles," Nadia said while the rest nodded.

"Awesome; we'll camp in the basement then," Hiccup smiled a bit. Yeah; he felt a lot better than he did prior to Astrid coming to check on him. Hiccup had been miserable of being unable to join the military, but thanks to Astrid's kind, comforting words…Hiccup knew that what he did was probably bigger than anything he could have ever achieved in the army. Plus, now Hiccup could say that he followed in the footsteps of his Viking ancestor; living through a battle with Red Death and preventing another Dragon-Human war.

. . .

=Astrid's POV=

{Tuesday, April 26, 2022-2:05 pm}

(Archian Preparatory)

The weekend was great! After Hiccup's minor breakdown about not being about to join the military and us talking; he turned his whole demeanor around to being the happy, carefree, guy we've all come to accept and love as our leader. All of us enjoyed the Friday night sleepover in the basement with snacks, drinks, movies, and games. Well, the guys would game; us girls would chat about whatever and watch the boys battle each other. Hiccup knocked out first, surprising around 11:35 pm, but he was still healing, and his pain medication made him a bit drowsy. The rest of us nodded off between the hours of 12 am and 1:30 am. Hiccup was asleep in his recliner with the leg rest up and an extra pillow under his nub for comfort. Saturday and Sunday mornings involved breakfast, relaxing, and some Dragon Training review before going back into the newer things. We weren't that far off from Finals and Hiccup was ensuring that we would all pass. Also, at the end of this week; if Hiccup's leg was recovered, then he would get to start trying prosthetics on and walking with them. It would be a big step given everything that's happened since the battle.

So, it's Tuesday now, and we're already at the main office for Hiccup. We now use Monday through Thursday on the Dragon Training field from 2 pm to 3 pm. Then on Fridays, it's also 2pm to 4pm, but we do it at Haddock Manor. Saturdays and Sundays; we do in two parts of the day. We do a morning review from 9 am to 10 am. Relax a bit until after lunch; then we do new material from 2 pm to 4 pm. Works out nicely too because our friends would leave Sunday before dinner. And it'd be a good way to unwind and relax before Monday morning. However, Hiccup wasn't here yet, and that was a bit concerning as it was going on 2:05 pm. Hiccup is usually the first one here, but he's slower on the crutches.

Finally, he came up slowly. "You look like you're in pain," Fishlegs observed.

"Forgot to take my pain pill this morning…" Hiccup muttered.

"Well, let's just move the class to your house so you can take one?" Thuggory suggested.

"I'll be okay if I take it easy," Hiccup said. "Let's move; I'm sure Dagur is waiting," he reminded.

. . .

{3:05 pm}

Dragon Training was over now, and I could tell Hiccup was more than ready to just get home for a nap with his little girl, Runa.

"Let's get on Stormfly and head to Haddock Manor," I told Hiccup as he nodded, struggling to get up and I could help him onto my Nadder's back. Out of nowhere; I felt someone grab my arm and rip me back and Hiccup fell due to lack of balance. "Hel-," was all I got out before a hand went over my mouth.

"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled, reaching for me. I watched as our friends turned around and rushed back to help, but then I heard the sound of a gun chamber being loaded.

"Not another step or he dies," the male voice warned firmly, and our friends stopped. "I have orders to bring her alive, but he seems to be close to all of you, so I can kill him if you persist," my eyes trailed to Hiccup on the ground and this guy pointing the gun in his direction.

"What do you want?" Dagur asked, keeping the others behind him.

"Someone I know wants something she has," he said. I caught Dagur's eyes locked onto Hiccup's and saw the man give a short, small nod.

"What do you want from me? Just let Hiccup go, and I'll give you whatever it is…" I stated after pulling the man's hand down.

"It's very small; something from your pare'-," the male never finished as I felt myself get jerked forward a bit and the grip on my arm loosened. "Ow! What the he-," the man raged as I got away from him quickly and Dagur pulled me back behind him, and Heather held on to me quickly. I saw what happened; Hiccup had forced him up through the pain and used one his crutches to whack the guy in the back of the head. Hiccup was balancing on one foot to do this with a fierce look in his eyes.

Hiccup didn't waste time as he threw his arm out to knock the gun away, then he used the crutch to hit the guy in the gut, turn it around and lower to knock the man's feet out from under him. Finally; Hiccup rammed the crutch into the guy's stomach once he was down. Hiccup's balance faltered, and the guy tried to make a run for it.

"Idiot," Hiccup grumbled. "Stormfly, fetch!" Instantly, the Nadder perked up and bolted for the man who had her rider, and Hiccup commanded her to get. Stomfly charged and knocked the guy over hard once he tried to run faster in fear of the Deadly Nadder catching him. Stormfly climbed over the male; then sat on his arms. Eret and Dagur helped Hiccup up and kept him on his right foot. "Good girl…" Hiccup praised as the dragon squawked. "Now, bring him back," Stormfly bit the back of the guy's shirt and dragged him back to in front of the stable.

"Let me go!" the man demanded.

"Not a chance…Toothless!" Hiccup called as his Night Fury emerged from the trees slowly, growing low as the man tensed up. "Stormfly, spineshot him in place," Hiccup commanded. Stormfly did so as her spines held the mans arms and legs. "Toothless, guard," the Night Fury gave an affirmative nod; then snarled at the man, making him yelp out in fear. I was still shaking with fear; this is the second time Hiccup had a gun held on him because of me. And Odin only knows how many times Hiccup has protected me, or gotten hurt in my place. I've seen Hiccup fight at full health and strength; right now, he's wounded, and still refusing to allow me to be hurt.

"I'll phone the authorities," Dagur said as he got his phone, and Snotlout took Dagur's place in helping Hiccup get his crutches.

"Ask for Chief Jorgenson and tell him that Astrid was targeted again and I have the attacker. Mention the weapon was seized, and the guy is being held," Hiccup informed, which shocked a few others. Was this a reoccuring thing? Definitely a question for later, but it seemed Hiccup knew what he was doing and very well aware of the situation already. Dagur didn't ask questions; he just nodded. "Astrid…You and I need to talk about another form of protection for you until this is over,"

I looked at him with curosity, and still in fear from before. "What…Did you have in mind?" she dared to ask. Hiccup gave her the hardest stare he could, showing that he was being ridiculously serios.

"I'm going to teach you martial arts," Hiccup informed as my eyes widened a bit.