Well, it's been a long time between chapters. Health and life, the usual suspects. So very sorry about all that. I'm still keen to finish this story, but it will take longer than I expected. We'll get there!
Some big reveals this chapter.
Astrid had never felt so awkward in all her life. Well...except maybe for that time at a different physio clinic when she'd forgotten to knock before entering the treatment room, catching her male client mid strip. He'd smirked and propositioned her while Astrid could do nothing but stumble over an apology, her cheeks bursting into flame. To add insult to injury, when she'd spun around to make a hasty exit she'd managed to collide with the door and fell onto her backside at his feet. The resulting visual was still burned into her brain.
Thankfully she'd finished her placement that day.
Shoving those humiliating thoughts aside, Astrid focused on her host. They were facing each other in the kitchen while Fishlegs impatiently honked his horn outside, waiting to drive her to work on a cool Wednesday morning.
Last night had been fantastic but now it was time to leave. Astrid felt her stomach drop at the realisation this was it. Sure, she'd probably see him every now and again. It wouldn't be the same, though. No more listening to him talking to his book characters as if they were real, no more teasing each other over pet antics. No more ...anything really. Still, she was determined to keep this goodbye light.
"Thank you again, Hiccup. I really appreciate you putting up with me this last week and a half."
Hiccup was obviously feeling off too because the brief twitch of his lips conveyed more uncertainty than warmth.
"No problems, Astrid. It was a pleasure."
She stuck her hand out at the same time as he opened his arms for a hug, resulting in a uncoordinated and cringeworthy mix of limbs and hands.
"Sorry, sorry," she spluttered, her cheeks reddening.
"Yeah...ahh. All good," puffed Hiccup, pulling back to drag his hand through his hair as if that had been his intention the whole time instead of that embarrassing hug-hand shaky thing.
Astrid tugged on the hem of her shirt, not sure how to get past her latest most awkward moment. Her bags neatly packed and stacked beside the back door caught her eye. She breathed out a mental sigh of relief. Changing the subject would definitely help.
"So...you okay with dropping off my stuff when you help Fishlegs this afternoon?"
Hiccup planned to help her cousin move in the new bedroom furniture once it was delivered after lunch. It seemed logical that he would also take Astrid's bags with him instead of her leaving them in Fishleg's car for the day, or having to cart them to work.
"Yeah, sure." His hand nervously scrubbed the back of his neck.
Fishlegs blasted his car horn again, making them both jump.
Hiccup glanced out the window. "Seems like he's ready to go."
Astrid kept her gaze on the lanky man in front of her, feeling her stomach drop lower and lower. She really didn't want to leave. "Yeah. Seems like it."
Picking up her backpack she turned to exit. Pausing with her hand on the door knob, she flicked her chin over her shoulder and flashed him her best cheeky grin. Even if it was a teensy bit wobbly.
"Tell the twins and Toothless I'll miss them."
He grinned back, relaxing as he settled a hip against the counter. "Yeah. They'll miss you too."
She smirked at him, their eyes locking for just a moment.
Another blast from an impatient Fishlegs prompted her to move. She stepped outside.
This wasn't going to be the end, Astrid decided as her feet crunched over the gravel pathway. She pushed her sunnies over her nose. Hiccup might be an elusive hermit on the hill... but she still had the key to his kitchen door.
Sliding into the passenger seat of the old Camry, Astrid smiled to herself. There was nothing to stop her from visiting anytime she liked.
-oOo-
Astrid was quiet for most of the ride into town, her thoughts keeping her occupied. She didn't notice that her cousin hadn't said much of anything either until they were almost at their destination. Seeing the clinic drawing closer she sat up, thinking it would be wise to at least confirm any arrangements before Fishlegs dropped her off.
"Hiccup will bring my bags down with him this afternoon."
Fishlegs glanced at her, his face inexplicably flushed. "That's not necessary. I can collect them later."
Astrid shot him an odd look. "Why? You're the one picking me up after work. Wouldn't it make sense for my bags to already be at your house?"
Fishleg's gaze bounced everywhere but towards her, making Astrid think he was a little flustered by the whole deal for some reason.
She spoke slowly to remind him. "You know...since the room will be ready this afternoon."
Her cousin tugged at his collar, sweat beading at his hairline.
Astrid frowned. This was a weird sort of reaction. Before she could ask about it Fishlegs pulled up at the curb outside the physio.
"Fishlegs?"
"Yeah, umm...sure. Look, here we are. You'd better hop out now."
Her brows shot up and she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off, his words rapid fire.
"I'll talk to you later, okay? I'm late for work plus I need to leave early today so I can be at home when the delivery truck arrives."
To her surprise, he then unclipped her seat belt before leaning over to push her door open.
Astrid's jaw dropped in shock. Was he kicking her out?
A few seconds later she found herself standing on the sidewalk, watching her cousin peel off down the road.
Yes, he was. Her normally timid and soft-hearted cousin had just shuffled her butt to the roadside. What on earth was that all about?
Shaking her head she pushed open the door to the physio reception, bells chiming cheerily overhead. Whatever was going on with her cousin she'd have plenty of opportunity to find out later that afternoon ... when she'd moved back in.
-oOo-
It was early afternoon when Hiccup's truck pulled up outside Fishleg's house. The delivery van hadn't arrived yet so he parked by the side where his vehicle would be out of the way. Closing the driver's door behind him Hiccup paused to grab Astrid's bags from the tray before continuing towards the front door. Fishlegs greeted him.
"Hey Hiccup. Thanks for coming round."
"No problems, Fish. I brought Astrid's bags with me." He held up the suitcase and the smaller overnighter to show him.
His friend stared at them with an odd expression Hiccup couldn't place. "Uh...could you maybe keep them in your truck?" Fish asked tentatively.
Hiccup's brows rose in question.
"You know...so it won't get in the way while we're moving furniture," he added, his stout fingers tugging at the collar of his shirt.
Hiccup eyed him off in concern. "It's only two small bags, Fish."
Beads of sweat appeared on Fishleg's forehead and he quickly swiped them away. "Yeah, but...you know how Astrid gets if her stuff gets damaged. I won't hear the end of it."
Hiccup didn't know. In fact, Astrid had accidentally torn her shirt the previous morning when she'd snagged it on a loose wire in the chook run. She'd laughed the incident off and told him it was a good excuse to go shopping for more clothes. She hadn't sounded annoyed at all. So either Astrid was a good liar... or something else was going on.
Keeping his eye on his best friend, Hiccup spoke slowly. "Let's put the bags in another room, then. Shall we?"
Fishlegs opened his mouth a few times, most likely to offer a rebuttal, but when he couldn't find one he sighed. "Yeah, sure. I'll put them in my room."
By the time Fishlegs had returned from depositing Astrid's bags in his bedroom the delivery truck had arrived. Hiccup's opportunity to question his friend's strange reaction was lost.
-oOo-
A couple of hours later the pair stood back to survey their handiwork. The newly renovated room was now gleaming with a spacious walk-in robe just waiting to be filled with clothes and other items. The tiles in the en-suite were shining, fresh towels and toiletries already laid out. Even the bed had been made up with brand new linen and colour co-ordinated throw pillows.
"Looking good, Fishlegs. Astrid will love it," Hiccup smiled, putting his palm up for a high five.
Fishlegs return palm was less than enthusiastic. "Yeah, uh...about that."
Hiccup's smile dimmed as he remembered his friend's earlier odd behaviour.
"You know, I don't think this room's ready yet. The...paint smell is too strong," Fish blurted out.
Hiccup sniffed discreetly, then shook his head to counter his friend's odd resistance. "No, it's okay. There's a slight odour but nothing overpowering."
Fishlegs huffed, obviously not happy.
Hiccup tilted his head, brows furrowed as he considered his friend. "Fish, what's really going on? Why don't you want Astrid to move in?"
The big man tugged anxiously at his collar. "Nothing, there's nothing going on," he squeaked.
"Fish?" Hiccup's voice was firm. The other man eyed him before finally cracking, stumbling over his words.
"Um...I can't take her back."
Hiccup stared at him suspiciously, his heart jolting at this unexpected news. "Why not? Everything's completed."
"I know. Um…I'm getting another house guest," was Fishleg's nervous reply.
"Okay…so now you're Mr Popular? Or are you charging your room out as a B&B?" Hiccup asked, his eyebrows raised.
Whatever answer Hiccup was expecting, it was not the one that he received.
Fishlegs cringed. "Er, no. Actually, I'm getting married. My fiancé will be staying in the spare room until our wedding."
Hiccup's jaw dropped in shock. It took him a few moments to find his voice. "You're getting married? I didn't even know you were seeing anybody. When did all this happen?" he asked, his voice raised high.
Fishlegs shrugged, a small wistful smile settling across his lips. "We met online a while ago. Her name's Heather and she lives on Beserker Island. We've been corresponding the whole time. I've been over there a few times but she has never been here before. Mum's met her and thinks she's wonderful. So do I," he said, his gaze softening as he talked about his beloved fiancé.
Hiccup's jaw snapped shut. "Okay, I'm not sure what I should be saying. Except maybe…how on earth did you not at least mention this to me?" he asked, still in shock.
Fishlegs shrunk with guilt under Hiccup's hurt glare. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring it up in case, you know…you fell into a depression again."
Hiccup blinked. "You were trying to protect me? Fishlegs, I would have been happy to know you had found someone. Truly. Do you really think I'm that fragile?" he asked, unable to fathom the reason why his friend had felt the need to keep something like this from him.
It made him question just how others saw him. People had often told him he was a loner, a recluse, an eccentric living on his hill with only animals for company. But for Fishlegs to feel he needed to keep his own happiness hidden to avoid triggering off Hiccup into an anxiety attack or even a bout of depression was a real smack to the gut. He began to question a lot of things about his own life. Was he really that sensitive?
"Well, no…." said Fishlegs slowly. "But it took you such a long time to recover from what happened…and I didn't want to accidentally set it all off again."
Hiccup froze at the reminder of his traumatic past, then shook his head in disbelief. "Thank you for thinking of me, but I'm fine. What were you planning to do? Pretend she was a house guest forever?
Fishlegs screwed up his nose in consternation, then scratched his head. "Uh…I guess I didn't think about that part," he muttered, colour rising up his cheeks as he conceded to the shortcomings in his plan.
Hiccup had to admit he wasn't fine. Fishleg's unexpected bombshell had tilted his world for sure, but it was thoughts of Astrid that popped up first. It had been hard enough to watch her walk out his door, could he adjust to having her back? His predictable routine had no chance of returning to normal with her bright presence filling in all the empty spaces in his house, the place where he had successfully retreated from the world for years.
However it was her inevitable questions that worried him the most. Fishleg's news was not the kind you could brush off with 'oh, sorry I forgot to tell you'. No, this was big. She was going to ask why. Anxiety speared through him at the thought of revealing his deepest secrets, of exposing his guilt. What would she think of him if she knew?
It was all a bit much.
Hiccup swallowed hard. Standing in the middle of Fishleg's spare room was not the time or place to dwell on those thoughts. He'd leave that for later. Much later.
He turned to his dearest friend that perhaps he didn't know quite as well as he should. "Does Astrid know?"
"No, I uh...was going to tell her this afternoon," Fishlegs replied, not able to meet Hiccup's bewildered gaze.
Hiccup pushed his hand through his hair, dislodging the beanie in the process. Snatching it off his head he shoved one corner of the woollen cap into his jeans pocket. His breath left him with a solid 'whoosh' as he struggled to control his spiralling thoughts. First things first. Practical things. Okay, he could do this.
"So...I guess you need me to take Astrid's bags with me?"
Fishleg's look was decidedly guilty. As it should be, Hiccup snidely thought. Then immediately chastised himself for being so petty.
"Yeah. Sorry about that."
Needing something to do before he broke out into full panic mode, Hiccup strode forward to collect Astrid's possessions. Fishlegs followed him.
"Do you still want to stay for dinner?" Fishlegs asked, his tone tentative.
Hiccup hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I need time to process. Can you bring Astrid home later?"
"Yeah. Sure Hiccup. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier."
Hiccup tucked Astrid's overnighter under one arm then clamped his hand on his friend's broad shoulder. "It's fine. I don't understand why but I know you were thinking of me. However, for future reference, tell me up front. Please?"
Chastised, Fishlegs nodded. "Sure Hiccup. I'm so sorry I did that to you."
"We're good." Hiccup paused, then shook his head. "I'll see you later."
"You going to be okay?" Fishlegs asked worriedly.
Hiccup's smile was brief. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
With that, he left.
-oOo-
Stumbling through the kitchen door, Hiccup dropped his keys on the table. Toothless padded towards him, tongue lolling out in a happy grin.
Hiccup paused, staring at his furry friend with unseeing eyes. Then blinked.
Without warning Hiccup felt the massive blow to his chest, his roiling emotions decided now was a good time to take over. His knees buckled and he slid down the kitchen cupboards towards the floor, his hand tangling through the collie's thick fur. Dragging the dog into his arms, Hiccup hugged him tight.
"What's wrong with me, Toothless?" he murmured, his voice broken. "Why can't I get past it all?"
He felt the blackness descending, his lungs contracting as he struggled to suck in precious air. The urge to run threatened to overtake him. No, he couldn't do that. Not now. Bad things happened when he ran. Blowing out heavily, Hiccup forced himself to pace his breathing. He needed something positive to distract himself. Fishlegs getting married. No, that's what triggered him. Anything else?
Astrid. His heart gave a little double beat. Yes, Astrid. Hiccup closed his eyes, allowing himself to remember the way she laughed, her eyes bright and teasing as she taught him how to smile again. His lips turned up involuntarily, his harsh breaths beginning to level out.
Focus.
Her touch. The way she liked to oh-so casually drape her arm over his sweaty shoulders as they worked on the spare room. Her enthusiasm and boundless energy. The way she lit up a room just by walking through it.
Air filled his lungs much more easily, the tightness in his chest easing the longer he thought of his blonde-haired house guest.
With one last huge sigh, Hiccup opened his eyes. Panic attack averted. A soft body rubbed against his arm. He looked down to see Tuffnut and Ruffnut blinking up at him. Hiccup loosened his grip on Toothless, shifting to stroke their backs instead.
"Oh, hey...Ruff, Tuff. Have you come to watch me fall apart again? Cause I know you used to love that before. Me? Not so much."
Ruffnut pushed her cheek against his hand. Hiccup scratched between her ears.
"You know, talking to my cats and dog could be considered a little out there. Just sayin'."
Tuffnut yawned, sitting on his haunches before twisting to lick an underarm itch.
Hiccup's lip twitched. "Don't give me that. I know you were thinking it, even if you're too polite to say it. You don't get to judge me just because you think you rule the universe. Or YouTube at least."
He paused, then grimaced. "What am I saying? Actually you do rule."
Toothless gave him a slobbery lick to his chin. Hiccup chuckled, gathering his fur babies close before they had a chance to wriggle out of his arms. He buried his face in their fur, his voice muffled.
"Thanks, guys."
Tuffnut was the first to escape, followed quickly by his twin. Toothless lay across Hiccup's lap, his eyes trained on the cats sauntering away with their tails in the air.
Hiccup dropped his head back against the cupboard, exhaustion beginning to eat at him. It had been a while since he'd been hit like that. He couldn't deny that Fishlegs news had rocked him, bringing up emotions and memories he thought he'd pushed down. Not deep enough, apparently.
A tendril of anxiety wound itself through his gut. So many questions. So many changes to come. Could he keep it together in the following days? Astrid was moving back. His gut churned, not sure if this was good news or not. Would she ask what he couldn't answer? Or just accept it? The uncertainty of it all was going to cost some peace of mind, that was the only thing he knew for sure.
For now, he was just grateful this episode hadn't blown out to a full scale attack. All due to one person. Even when she was absent, her presence was felt.
"Thank you, Astrid," he whispered.
-oOo-
Astrid's shoe tapped an impatient rhythm on the sidewalk. Where was Fishlegs? He'd promised to pick her up half an hour ago when she'd finished work. A glance behind her showed the front doors of the physio locked tight and the lights off.
Great. Joe had left already.
She sighed. That left her with two choices. Wait a bit longer for her errant cousin or start walking. A familiar rumble broke into her thoughts, directing her attention up the street. Fishlegs old silver Camry was hurtling towards her. No walking required today, then.
Astrid smiled, her hand raised in greeting as he screeched to a halt beside her. Popping open the door, she slid into the passenger seat.
"Sorry, Astrid," Fishlegs murmured, his eyes distractedly bouncing back to the street.
He was back on the road before she'd even had a chance to click in her seatbelt.
"Woah! Where's the fire?" she asked, bracing herself as the car lurched around the corner much faster than Fishleg's normal sedate pace.
He glanced over, his round cheeks flaming. "Sorry," he mumbled again, abruptly lifting his foot off the accelerator. Astrid had to slam her hand against the dash to prevent herself smacking into the glass.
Gritting her teeth, Astrid shot a glare at her cousin. His face burned brightly with mortification and his head sunk into his shoulders. What was going on? Fishlegs was never reckless behind the wheel. Especially not with passengers in the car.
"What's going on?"
He glanced at her, wiping beads of sweat from his brow.
"Fishlegs?" His uncharacteristic behaviour had her worried.
"I, uh...I'm getting married," he blurted out.
Astrid's brow shot straight up.
"You're what?"
"I'm getting married."
Astrid's jaw dropped. Words failed her as she stared at her cousin, barely noticing his hands twisting nervously around the steering wheel.
Well, that was unexpected.
"Okay, um...congratulations?" She hesitated. "Is this a good thing?"
Fishlegs visibly relaxed and his gaze took on a more love-struck quality. "Yeah."
Okay. Seemed like the big man was in love. At least that box was checked.
Astrid cleared her throat, not sure how to handle the hot potato that had been thrown into her lap. "So...when's the big event?"
He shot her a side glance, slowing as they approached a stop sign. "In six weeks," his voice wobbled with obvious emotion.
Astrid's jaw dropped again. "Six weeks? Isn't that a bit fast?"
She loved her cousin and wished him all the happiness he could find, but a super-fast wedding was just begging for questions.
Lots of them.
Fishlegs wiped his arm across his brow again.
"Actually, we've been planning this for a few months. I haven't told anybody...except mum of course."
There was another mind-blowing moment. Aunt Freda had known but said nothing? The woman loved to gossip as much as the next person. Especially if the next person was Mrs Jones. How had her aunt kept this quiet?
"Oh."
What else could she say?
"Heather will be arriving in Berk tomorrow."
"Tomorr...?"
Astrid paused, her mouth still open on an unfinished word. A few dots were beginning to connect in her mind. Her jaw snapped shut and her gaze turned speculative.
Casually she asked, "Fishlegs... where will your fiancé be staying?"
If it were possible for her cousin to self-combust, his bright red cheeks would have been the first warning sign.
"In the spare room."
Yup. Just what she suspected.
"That room never was for me, was it?"
He at least had the grace to look guilty.
"No."
"So...I'm guessing you want me to stay with Hiccup then?"
His grip tightened nervously on the wheel again. Flicking the indicator, he turned into his driveway.
"Please. If you don't mind?"
Astrid snorted. As if she had a choice. Her cousin parked the car and yanked out the keys. They jangled noisily in his hand although neither moved to exit the car.
"Does Hiccup know about this?" she asked, suspicion evident in her tone. It had only been a few hours ago that she'd said good-bye to her lanky host, thinking everything was about to change. It had. Just not in the way she'd envisioned.
She bit her lip.
Would Hiccup even want her back? After crashing headlong into his otherwise peaceful life for nearly two weeks, surely he would be annoyed at further forced disruptions to his routine. The man did have a deadline to meet, after all.
Fishlegs broke into her tumultuous thoughts. "I told him when he came over this afternoon."
Astrid couldn't help the lurch of her heart knowing Hiccup had been broad-sided just as she'd been. Even more so. Fishlegs was supposed to be his best friend. How could he do this to him?
"Why didn't you tell him before?" she demanded, feeling gutted on Hiccup's behalf.
Instead of answering, Fishlegs stepped out of the sedan. He thumbed towards the house.
"Can we go inside? I'll explain it all there."
When she made no move to get out of the car, he begged. "Please?"
Not knowing what else to do, she nodded and stepped out, dragging her back pack with her.
Astrid followed Fishlegs into the lounge room. A quick scan of the coffee table showed tea and biscuits already waiting and her aunt conspicuously absent. She paused, her heart thudding loudly in her chest. Why did she feel like some kind of bad news was about to be announced...and that Hiccup was involved.
Fishlegs took a seat opposite.
"Do you want a biscuit?" he asked politely, but his eyes kept dancing everywhere, avoiding her narrowed gaze. The man couldn't keep his eyes straight to save his life.
"No, thank you," she replied curtly. "Why didn't you tell Hiccup you were getting married? Why the big secret?" Astrid cut straight to the chase. She couldn't help but feel affronted on Hiccup's behalf. Plus a little worried.
Fishlegs dropped his head into his hands, sighing deeply.
"I think I've made a massive mistake, Astrid."
She snorted. "Yeah, I'd say so."
"I thought it was better this way. That it would be easier if he didn't have time to stew over it. Instead, I ended up dumping it on him in one big rush. I'm so stupid," he moaned, berating himself.
"No arguments here. But why did you think it would be easier to not tell him?" Astrid was blunt.
Fishlegs eyes were filled with sorrow for his friend plus self-condemnation. He took a shaky breath.
"Remember how I told you Hiccup suffers from anxiety?"
Astrid nodded cautiously. "Yeah. You said it had something to do with his leg."
Fishlegs flushed nervously, his gaze skittering away to the floor. Astrid huffed, getting a little annoyed with his avoidance techniques. The man could put a greasy pig at a country fair to shame.
"Er, yeah. I did. That's a big part of how it all started but its not the only reason he suffers from panic attacks."
"There's more?" Astrid scooted forward in her seat, brow furrowed with concern. And possibly intrigue. Okay, she could admit it...despite the inauspicious atmosphere, she was keen to hear more about the layers surrounding her intriguing host.
Fishlegs sighed heavily, his thoughts obviously worrying him. "Unfortunately, there is. The reason I failed to tell Hiccup about my marriage to Heather was because I thought the news might trigger another panic attack."
Astrid eyed him uncertainly. "Why?"
Fishlegs shuffled in his seat, his round face screwed up as if he were debating whether he'd already said too much.
"Come on Fish. Don't hold back now."
Astrid knew she was pushing it but her heightened curiosity was off the charts and she really wanted an answer. What was behind Hiccup's panic attacks that had Fishlegs so worried?
Sweat dripped down Fishlegs flushed face as he nervously twisted his hands together.
"You have to promise you won't say anything to Hiccup," he blurted out.
Astrid sat back, slightly stunned by her cousin's vehemence.
"Astrid, you have to promise."
Astrid put her hands up. "Of course, I promise. I won't say anything to him...or anybody else for that matter. What do you take me for?"
Fishlegs had the grace to blush but he wasn't about to back down either.
"I'm sorry, but it's important. He's been through so much, Astrid. I don't want to see him hurting like that ever again."
Her thoughts flashed to her own desire to tempt her lanky host and a shot of guilt pierced her. Shuffling on her seat, she wondered why she would feel like that. Hiccup was a handsome and appealing man and he had caught her attention as no others had. Surely it was natural to want to draw closer to him?
Pushing those thoughts down for perusal at a later date, she kept her expression serious.
"I wouldn't hurt him, Fishlegs. You have my word."
Fishlegs nodded. Then dropped his bombshell.
"It's because he used to be engaged."
Astrid felt her jaw drop in shock.
"He was engaged?" she squeaked, ignoring the stab of jealousy.
Fish nodded solemnly.
"What happened?"
"She died before they could marry."
Astrid felt her heart squeeze tight in sympathy for Hiccup's loss. No wonder Fishlegs hadn't wanted to tell his best friend about his impending nuptials. The melancholy air that surrounded Hiccup was starting to make more sense now.
"I'm sorry," she spoke softly, feeling as if she should be saying those words to Hiccup himself instead of her cousin. She'd forced him to tell her Hiccup's most painful secret and now she kind of wished she hadn't. The reveal had left her shaken and disturbed.
"She was the love of his life and her death really rocked him for a long time. So you can understand why I don't want you to say anything to him."
"Of course," Astrid murmured softly. "You can trust me to keep his secret safe."
Fishlegs expression was serious as he eyed her. Astrid braced herself for whatever else he obviously wanted to say.
"So now you know, I need you to keep an eye on him for me. Let me know if he looks like he's not handling any of this. Can you do that, please?" Fishlegs pleaded with her and Astrid could do nothing but agree.
"Of course I will Fishlegs. I care about him too."
Astrid surprised herself with the knowledge that yes, she really did care about Hiccup Haddock. Somehow, he'd slid under her guard and became more than just a crush.
She'd developed a deep desire to be his friend too. One he could hopefully trust.
-oOo-
It was late by the time Fishlegs dropped Astrid back at Hiccup's house. Using her key, she let herself into the kitchen, only to be surprised by the sight of Hiccup in mid-coffee preparation.
"Hey," she greeted him, casually as possible.
"Hey," he responded, watching her closely.
"I guess we're going to be house mates for a little longer."
"Seems that way." He hadn't moved yet, keeping his eyes on her.
"You okay with that?" she asked, noting the haunted expression he was trying to hide.
He shrugged, his shoulders stiff. "Sure."
Astrid softened, her voice low. "You don't have to be."
His eyes seemed to glisten for a moment before he blinked and it was gone. "It's fine, Astrid."
He turned to finish making his coffee so Astrid went to push past him on the way to her room. His hand shot out to halt her progress. He smiled gently.
"Welcome back, Astrid."
Astrid smiled back, a lump in her throat and a load falling from her heart. He was going to be okay, she just knew it.
"Thanks Hiccup. It's nice to be back."
-oOo-