Panic over! I have seen RTTE, I should have ranted about it ages ago so I'd have got it sooner, silly parents :P
"OK," Astrid decided, "don't freak out."
"There goes my weekend plans." Astrid glared at him. Hiccup pressed his lips together, a silent vow not to speak. For the last week, Astrid had changed the bandages on his left arm while he was asleep. She always seemed to be there to stop him from taking them off during the day. It had taken a fair bit of wheedling to convince her to show him whatever horrors lay beneath.
"This is serious, Hiccup." He nodded, not feeling so light-hearted now. He felt a little sick. Astrid took his hand gently and started unravelling the dressings with barely a twinge of pain to his broken wrist. "There." She said when the last of the cloth strip fell away. She stood back and let him examine what was there.
He was quiet for a minute, staring at his arm.
"If you turn it this way," He eventually announced, twisting his arm so his palm was under his chin, "it looks like that big tree on Itchy Armpit."
"Hiccup-"
"But if you look at it like this, it just looks like a snake. Or a wingless dragon. Snake." He decided, holding his arm out to her. He had hurt his wrist moving his hand, but that wasn't his sole focus right now. He was starting to remember a few things now. Astrid was watching him carefully, winding the long line of cloth around her hands. He shifted, wincing as everything complained, and then smiled up at her. "It gives me character, which I hadn't really needed before, but it's nice to have something a little extra."
"Hiccup, you're freaking out."
"Wouldn't you if you had this on your arm? Odin's underpants! What am I going to do?"
"We'll figure something out." Astrid vowed. He shook his head.
"The village can't find out- they won't want a slave for a chief."
"But I'm sure they'll argue you're a good chief and, after everything-" But he was shaking his head again. Astrid bit her lip uncertainly. He held his arm up a little higher and she started wrapping it back up. His eyes didn't leave it until it vanished completely beneath the white cloth. She sat on the bed next to him, running a hand through his hair and then braiding it. "Hiccup, we will find an answer to this. There has to be something."
"If I was to ask Gothi though, what would that do?"
"I don't know, but it's worth a shot asking her. It's not like she's going to tell anyone." Hiccup just nodded. Astrid wasn't sure if he had heard her. She tied off the first braid and started a second. "I wish you wouldn't refuse poppy milk." He forced a smile. "I know you're still in pain, Hiccup, you can't hide anything from me."
"Sure?" He challenged, exagerrated cheekiness in his tone and a darkness in his eyes.
"I was." Astrid sighed. "What's going on up here, huh?" She tapped her fingers against his forehead, flicking a strand of hair from his eyes. When he said nothing, she finished off styling his hair and kissed his cheek. "How'd you feel about what happened? About... before Dagur."
"I don't know. Part of me feels better, I guess I got what I deserved really. Still don't like it though."
"No, I didn't think so."
"What do you think about it?"
"I think what you did was crazy and you have every right to feel a little woozy about it all. Well, maybe more than a little woozy, but you know what I mean. And I understand why you did it and I get it, I do."
"And?"
"And what?"
"And... what... what do you think... about... me?"
"I didn't know what to think at first, admittedly. I wasn't going to let you struggle with that." He rested his head against her shoulder. "You get some rest, Hiccup. I'll bring Ingrid and Alastor up to see you later, yeah?"
"Yeah." He murmured. Astrid helped him lie back against the pillows and left him to sleep.
Hiccup didn't sleep though. He lay awake and stared up at the ceiling. Toothless sat in the corner, licking his claws and cleaning his face. He cooed at his rider affectionately, padding over and giving Hiccup a friendly nuzzle. "Hey, bud. I'm OK. A bit more cuckoo than usual, but that was bound to happen anyway." Hiccup regarded the Night Fury. "And I know you spat in that potato. Don't deny it, you did. You chewed it up and put an extra bleugh of drool in it, didn't you?" Toothless chortled, pleased with himself. "Yeah, you did. Horrible dragon."
"How's Hiccup doing?" Snotlout asked. Astrid was teaching him to peel carrots, not an easy task as he had already scraped his own skin a dozen times and he hadn't even finished his first carrot.
"He's Hiccup, just grumpy and bedbound. You know he hates staying in one place." Snotlout nodded in agreement. "Valka, Fishlegs, Gothi, my mother and I are all working to look after him, medicinal herbs and such mixed with Toothless's spit. The infection on his back is gone now. Bruises are almost gone too, ribs healing. His back is still a mess, but we're doing all we can."
"And what's that thing on his arm?"
"That's between us."
"I'll ask Hiccup then."
"He won't tell you."
"I'm his best friend. Best human friend, in case Toothless is somewhere." He pointed at her with the knife, a new cut on his middle finger. "I will find out what that is and you will not stop me."
"It doesn't have to be me to stop you."
"Oh yeah?" Snotlout smirked in defiance.
"Peel your gods damn carrots already." He grinned and returned to his carrot. Instead of peeling the skin off, he was hacking chunks from it. The poor vegetable was no more than a flimsy stick. Astrid gave him another one. She had peeled eight, having mostly been talking. "How's it going with you and Waiola? Hiccup's asking for updates."
"Well, she has her dragon now and she keeps coming to the dragon classes too."
"What dragon has she got?" His smile brightened.
"Girl Hookfang is back."
"Oooh, a Monstrous Nightmare. Matching set."
"It's great. Hookfang and Tempest get on really well."
"I bet they do." Astrid returned his smile. She peeled the last of her carrots and then left his to him. Snotlout and Waiola weren't exactly a tidy pair. They dedicated one or two days a week to household cleaning. Astrid, the Rowells and sometimes Spitelout sorted things out as well, but less often. The newly-weds had to learn to run their home alone. "You guys are such slobs."
"We do try."
"No, this is the opposite of trying. Look, your clothes do not go with your weapons. I'm not even going to ask how they got there. OK, clean clothes, fold them up and put them away. Dirty clothes, put in the wash basin and bloody well wash them, for the love of Thor! I am not picking up your dirty underwear, it's vulgar."
"You pick up Hiccup's, don't you?"
"Not usually. He's a very tidy and organised man, which is strange, yes, but he does clean up after himself."
"It's Hiccup though."
"I'm sure you can keep things straight if the very, very busy chief can find time to pick up his socks."
"Sock." Snotlout corrected.
"I make the amputee jokes here, not you."
