Chapter 13: Field study


The road that took them closer and closer to the school building felt like one hammer blow after another that brought them back to reality, away from the kitchen in which only the two of them existed, away from the small glass cube that protected them from the world, from the shadows that eclipsed them.

Hiccup felt as nervous as he had ever sat behind the wheel of his beloved car. The bubble was getting smaller and smaller, choking him and making him want to look anywhere but at the girl in the seat next to her and want to look at nothing but her.

"You okay?"

Astrid must have noticed his white knuckles on the wheel and his sharp jaw clenched, not concentrating on the road. They passed a faded, torn-up sign, both reading it silently: 'Berk High School 1.5 miles'

The well-known and mocky poster was like a kick in the groin.

He released his tight grip on the steering wheel with a bang and leaned back in a familiar posture, trying to return to what he knew. That was a safe plan.

The steering wheel in his hands, his foot on the accelerator, the familiar smell of his car mixing quickly with As-

He shot a hasty look at the blonde so he wouldn't think he was avoiding her gaze and cleared his throat "Yeah, yeah, why?"

He felt a little proud that his voice came out normal.

Astrid felt like smiling but she didn't. She absentmindedly looked at the tall trees that covered the sky waking up as they flashed past her window and after a few seconds she shrugged in a distracted tone "Nothing. You look like throwing up"

That urged the boy to turn to her "Me?"

And she looked back and this time she did smile. He looked so indignated "I don't see anyone else in the car. Does it make you nervous to drive Haddock?"

His voice went up an octave making her less shyly more "Me?" he repeated himself. Astrid saw him let out an incredulous laugh and open his mouth dramatically "You're talking to the god of the road here Hofferson, a little respect"

She decided to shut up with a silent laugh, because if he obviously wasn't nervous about driving, it meant it was for her, being there, barging into his space. She felt another invisible wall rising between them, this time lifting it on purpose.

Maybe. But they were so different.

They both let out a laugh between tense looks that dissolved into an overwhelming silence when Hiccup slowed down the car. The imposing and suddenly giant highschool building in front of them. Astrid felt like it was going to suddenly fall on top of them.

They had arrived quite early, something very very unusual for the boy, but there were some people already sitting on the stairs or walking inside waiting for the first bell to ring. Astrid swallowed hard and the boy experienced the same sudden fear.

"We better go in through the back door"

Atrid didn't disagree.

The dirty and cold student parking lot where Hiccup's gang used to meet was considerably emptier, yet they both checked on each side to check no one was too close.

Astrid went out first and Hiccup would wait a few minutes to follow her, or maybe leave, he still hadn't decided.

The passenger door slammed shut which ended up popping the bubble. The boy looked up when he noticed Astrid crouching down for him to see her through the window. He waited until she spoke.

"I, uh..."

"It was nothing blondie"

And she smiled at him, one of those 'give it up' smiles, but he smiled back anyway.

"Thanks Hiccup, for the ride, and well, everything else" she still decided to clarify, her soft voice fading into the morning mist and the glass between them, and Hiccup couldn't help but feel a tingle on his cheeks and a warmth melting in his chest that he decided to push it away with a clearing of his throat, a little too loud.

"You're gonna be late"

She wasn't, but both decided to ignore it. He watched her step away from the car, straightening up, her bag and her clothes neat and calculated steps until he saw her disappear through the back door. He released the breath he had been holding since last night. Now a smell of wood, iron, and lavender filling his car, though he didn't open the windows.

He sat a few minutes until he e cursed. He cut the engine and got out of the car to head to his first period.


The next time she saw him was at the sound of the last bell. She had been disassociating all morning, the sky was grey, the air white and it seemed that it would be raining soon, although she decided to ignore it for the sake of science. And of her, their, work of course, just for that.

This was repeated several times in her head when she told the twins to hang on a second for her and made a little run back to the student parking lot.

She scaned the place with cars leaving and people walking with her air in her throat, taking several breaths. She wasn't tired, but the air was unusually thick, it was hard to breathe.

Finally, and as she suspected, she found the group of troublemakers leaning against a wall full of graffiti, one of their usual spots.

She couldn't help but stumble when she saw Hiccup sitting on top of the wall, a cigar in his left hand, his laud blonde friend talking energetically sitting next to him. He looked exactly the same as he had that morning, in his car when they giggled awkwardly, on his kitchen stool when they came to some kind of lull, in the clearing last night when he interrogated her.

She decided not to think that at some point in the day she would have to go back to her house.

Now was now, she had a free shift at the cafe and a work to continue. So she steeled herself, which was very unusual, and she strode too robotically-like towards the wall.

As soon as all the eyes of the group that had so much fun tormenting her landed on her, Astrid almost turned in the opposite direction. It might have been a good idea to wave him privately from afar, or text him, but she didn't have his phone or a time machine.

The eyes of mockery and anticipation sent to her were not unheard of, but when she looked at the auburn, head tilted down to look at her, she didn't know what his were saying. They used to say the same as the others, mixed with a calm and reserve, but this time, she didn't know what she saw, he seemed almost 'not upset' to see her, if a little surprised.

Before babbling like a fish in front of them and making a big mistake, she thought of her sentence and spoke directly to Hiccup: "I'm going to go to the forest later"

'Well, that was a strange phrase to start with, Astrid. And you're talking too loud!' She didn't notice Hiccup getting off the wall and looking for her gaze, now focused nervously on the wet asphalt.

She cleared her throat. "Um. For, for the botany work," she clarified, her voice a bit more normal. She looked up, not expecting to find the boy so close and at a normal height. She jumped but didn't take a step back. The boy didn't seem to cooperate because he just raised an eyebrow, almost curious and blowed a stream of smoke to his side to not hit her.

He seemed to enjoy it. Astrid decided to ignore the rest of the group, very amused letting out smirks and comments.

"What Hic, aren't you going with her? She could get lost!" Snotlout snickered dramatically behind him.

"Yeah, we don't want that, it could be your perfect opportunity to push her down a slope!"

The three of them burst out laughing and Astrid felt the vein on her forehead growing. 'Assholes'

"Do you want me to go with you?" he finally spoke, his eyes and tone only on her, he had a note of amusement on it but she didn't found any mockery. She raised an eyebrow, a bit suspicious.

"Um, if you want…I mean, I could use some help, I guess, whatever" she started to ramble so she shut her mouth close.

The truth was that she was not very excited about going into the woods for three hours to collect samples of Berk's fauna by herself. Although she didn't know if she didn't either was excited to go to the forest with Hiccup Haddock for three hours to collect plants. Mmm...

"Alright"

Astrid almost joins in the loud, incredulous 'WHAT?' of the other three when she heard him.

"Aah, our Hic is going to seize the opportunity!"

"Have fun dying of disgust, don't let anything stick to you"

"Use protection!"

Their voices mixed again in an unrecognizable racket of laughter. The girl blinked several times and Hiccup smiled at this while he tossed away his cigar and put it out with his boot. Astrid could not stop staring at every movement. What was going on with her today?

"Um, okay, alright then. See you at five?" she was ready to walk the hell out.

"Raven Point?"

Astrid shook her head. Of course, she hadn't told him where. Idiot

"Oh! Oh, yeah, there, see ya"

This time she did see his amused smile very clearly as she slipped away without saying goodbye back to where her friends were.

Daamn iitt


Five o'clock came as the mist gradually cleared, slowly revealing the shady trees now cloaked in opaque light.

Hiccup knew Raven Point quite well, he had been there countless times. First with his mother when he was little, later just to draw what he found, and then just to think or throw stones into the nearby lagoon. He had never gone there with anyone other than his mother, that made him nervous, but it had been the first place he had thought of saying.

Now, standing near a tree that had his initials carved into it somewhere, alone, with a backpack practically empty except for his phone slung over his shoulder, he felt like an moron. He let out a breath that turned to mist in the air and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. It was starting to freeze.

He looked around. 17:03. Had something happened to her? He knew that the girl was annoyingly punctual.

He tried several different positions for when she arrived feeling more and more stupid and in the end decided to give up sitting on a fallen log.

17:05. He sighed audibly. Could she has really get lost...?

"Hey, you came"

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. Astrid waved him low with one hand, her face clear of emotion except for her flushed cheeks. Perhaps because of the cold that was starting to get up or because she had to climb the small hill that led to the entry of Raven Point. He got up hastily while the girl took small steps until they stood facing each other.

"Hey. You asked me to be here" he returned perhaps too late.

He saw her roll her eyes and irritably push her bangs away from her with a blow, rolling her eyes. He smiled.

"It's our work, in case you don't remember"

Hiccup suddenly felt loose when he heard her with her normal attitude "Oh, I remember quite well"

Astrid sighed in defeat and moved around his shoulder, brushing against it, he didn't know if she noticed it too. He followed her with his eyes "Come on, let's get done with this before it starts to get dark"

He chuckled, amused. This was going to be an interesting afternoon.

"Don't laugh!"

He laughed harder without being able to stop it.


Their footsteps on the dry leaves and wet dirt were the only sounds for the next few minutes. Astrid carried the open library book in her hands and she looked at it concentrated, turning the pages from time to time.

Hiccup had to pull her away by grabbing the sleeve of her sweatshirt for about the third time so she wouldn't trip over a root that was sticking out in front of her.

"You know, you could pay a little attention to what you step on. Have you never been in a forest?"

The girl finished reading whatever she was reviewing and looked at him with a puckered lip. "As if you had a lot of experience"

"More than you it seems" Hiccup whispered to himself as he started walking again.

He dodged a large rock to just then hear a short 'ack-!' behind him. He turned just in time to break her fall and pull her back into a straight safe position.

"What were you saying?"

Astrid trembled as she felt his hands onto her forearms. He was as close as yesterday in the lockers incident.

'Yesterday?' Was that just yesterday?' She felt her head dizzy.

"Be more careful or I'll laugh a lot when you fall, I promise" his deep voice came in a warm breeze that was too close, and when their eyes met again, he released her, as if realizing that he was still holding her, not giving her time to see his expression. Astrid felt a blast of cold again. "Let's go"

She rolled her eyes, following him with her gaze "You're hilarious"

"Thanks, I worked hard on it"

She bent down to pick up the book that had flown as well when she hadn't seen the damn rock. She absently brushed the dirt off the cover, trailing after the auburn, this time keeping her eyes attentively on the ground.

Astrid saw him walk among roots and stones and fallen branches like a fish in the water. She raised a curious eyebrow as she stepped forward to catch up with him, without looking at her.

Here, surrounded by trees that barely let you see the white sky matching his eyes, it seemed that it was where Hiccup belonged.

"You handle yourself pretty well" she commented when she saw him dodge a branch without even looking down. Astrid stopped before she thought to carefully jump over it. She trusted his promise.

She saw the boy blink as he woke up and turned to look at her. "Oh, yeah, I guess" he said with a shrug. He seemed suddenly evasive.

"Have you been here a lot?" she decided to continue the conversation. She was a little bored of the silence and the cold, she needed to distract herself.

Hiccup shrugged again "Why do you say?"

Astrid looked him up and down, he was dressed as always, leather jacket, faded jeans and rider boots. She finished in his eyes with an amused smile "Because you're only missing the bike helmet"

The auburn seemed to understand what she was referring to and looked at himself quickly "Oh" he felt himself turn red and cleared his throat without looking at her "I didn't have time to change"

He was embarrassed to say that he didn't have any sports clothes apart from his P.E uniform.

She heard the girl nod as if she didn't believe it a few steps behind him and swallowed uncomfortably, his stomach knotting.

"I used to come here a lot, when I was kid"

It looked like she was pulling information out of him at gunpoint, but it was something. Astrid trotted again, a little lighter, to catch up with him "Really?"

"Why do you say it so surprised?"

"It doesn't fit you. Well, that's what I thought, anyway" she raised her hands to her mouth, blowing warm steam into them.

There are so many things used to think they both thought.

Hiccup quickly checked her gym leggings and her blue sweatshirt, so different from what he used to see of her and smiled like a private joke.

And then he looked up at the trees standing tall like hands reaching for the sky, so familiar and yet now different "Yeah, well, I don't think it fits me either, but, I like this place, I don't know"

"Why is that?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and Astrid knew there was something he didn't want or didn't know how to say.

'What was with all the questions?'

The boy looked forward, picking up the pace. What the hell. Not that there was anyone else here besides her. Her, who he knew that her family was shit too.

He didn't want to look at her face anyway "My mother used to take me here all the time, in summer break"

"Oh" she heard her say behind him.

He had never told this to anyone.

His voice came out smaller and quieter than he intended "After she left, I only come here from time to time" he decided not to add anything else, he was already revealing a lot. Anyway, the whole town, with their noses everywhere, already knew that Valka Haddock abandoned her family years ago.

"I'm sorry"

Hiccup suddenly turned to her, making her stop in surprise.

Some birds croaked in some trees beyond, making black 'v's in the sky. He frowned. "Why are you sorry for?"

They looked at each other for a few seconds, perhaps too long, until Astrid shrugged, almost shaking off a weight, but she didn't take her eyes off him.

"That's what people usually say"

'That's what people usually say ' That was the only thing he heard for months when he was only five.

"But really, I'm sorry, that's...very fucked up" she brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and Hiccup looked away from her to avoid seeing the bruise now well covered with make-up. Hell, he didn't want to see it.

"Yeah, I guess" he breathed "Thanks"

"Thanks?"

"That's what people usually say" he couldn't help the smile in his voice.

"Wow, I never expected to hear a thank you from the great Hiccup Haddock"

He smiled a little less tensely and narrowed his eyes "Well, treasure it because it won't happen again" although he was about to thank her again for changing the subject.

They continued walking in a looser silence until they reached the thin stream that separated them from the meadow that had many specimens of the local plants they were looking for. Hiccup expertly vaulted the first two rocks, not wanting to get his boots soaked as he had many times before.

In a short jump he was already on the other side. He looked over at the blonde, who was balancing between the book and her legs, stuck on the rock in the middle. He chuckled and ignored her death glare. "Do you need any help?"

Astrid jumped awkwardly onto the last rock and Hiccup made a gesture of catching her, already watching her fall into the water until she made one last jump to the ground next to him. She slapped at his outstretched hand and continued walking.

"Too much pride huh?" he laughed following her.


The meadow was full of the local yellow and white daisies in which Hiccup found himself sitting among with none other than Astrid Hofferson. He felt like laughing, they looked like the April cover of a calendar with low budget.

The girl had brought some small plastic bags and began to carefully pluck and insert the flowers that seemed most intact in them. Hiccup, not knowing what to do, distracted himself, lying on his back next to her, passing a flower from one hand to another watching the few clouds pass in the gray sky over their heads.

"Now this is really fun"

Hiccup heard her sigh and scored another point.

He watched her pluck another flower sideways and then put it away, "If you're so bored you could help. That's what you're here for, isn't it?"

"I thought you told me to come for my great company"

"Oh yes, you are a pleasure to be around"

Hiccup poked at the flower that he had in his fingers, it was small and white, with some stems lost in his little game. He looked at the girl next to him.

The soft light fell directly behind her making her hair glow, highlighting her flushed cheeks and her frown down in defeat, irritated.

He smirked and acted without thinking, reaching an arm out to her and placing the flower behind her ear.

"There"

Astrid looked at him with furious surprise stopping on the spot, her cheeks like apples, she had never seen her so shocked. Hiccup had to hold back a smile "Now you look almost like a girl"

Her face was priceless. He wallowed in louder and louder laughter as Astrid jerked the flower out of her hair.

Using his distraction, she smiled wickedly and took advantage of the boy's laughter to slam the withered flower into his open mouth. Hiccup nearly choked, dropping it aside before accidentally swallowing it, unable to help himself from laughing harder. "Oh come on, you should have seen your face-!" he blurted out between breathless laughs.

Astrid looked at him flat "I'm going to kill you" he laughed harder "Someday I'm going to kill you"

Hiccup sat up on his elbows, his laughter dying into a bright smile. He hadn't laughed like that in a while "Oh, wow, could you let me know a few days before? You may catch me busy"

She tilted her head with a dead tone "Then how would it be murder if I warned you?"

He let out another laugh and the girl rolled her eyes in response, going back to tearing out samples. Hiccup clucked his tongue sitting up, getting closer "Oh, come on, don't be mad, I'll help you"

"You should have helped me from the beginning! That's your job!"

"Okay okay, Miss Bossy, sorry" his laughter reappeared as he began to imitate picking the flowers. Astrid sighed, almost unable to fight a smile of her own. 'Jerk'

"And you? You've been here a lot? because it doesn't seem like it" he blurted out suddenly with an air of amusement.

Astrid opened another bag and looked at him "Uh?"

"Through the woods, I mean"

"Oh" she picked up another flower thoughtfully "Not really, long ago" she shrugged and accepted another daisy the boy offered her. She couldn't help but skip a beat at the sight of Hiccup Haddock holding out a flower for her.

"What?" he asked her for the stare.

"Oh well, I really think last night was the first time I've been back in... quite a while" her voice trailed off and a breeze ruffled the grass and flowers and their hair noisily.

Hiccup didn't want to remember last night, so he kept quiet.

The forest had been a black blanket under the sky just as dark and the only thing he remembered among the blurs were purple, raised voices and mist.

"I used to come with my father too, for camping and that stuff, before he died" she said it with such normality and bluntness that he almost dropped the flower he was about to give her. Hiccup watched her continue working as if nothing had happened while he had had a hard time swallowing his world to drop two sentences about him a while ago.

"Oh, I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry"

Hiccup watched her attentively. She was picking flowers without thinking, her gaze suddenly cold.

"I wasn't going to say that"

That seemed to puzzle her, because she turned to look at him. They were closer than they thought but Hiccup preferred not to move away.

"So what were you going to say?"

"That's very fucked-up"

He saw her smile and scored another silent goal, perhaps one that counted even more.

She gave out a sour laugh and raised her head looking at the trees on the other side of the clearing. "Yeah, but, it's not that bad, I was very little, I don't really remember him"

"Really?" he tilted his head forward, her bangs not letting him see her eyes.

"Hmm" she nodded lost in thought "Do you remember your mother?"

Hiccup swallowed before answering, taking back by her deep eyes, the knot coming back. He ruffled his bangs looking for something to do with his hands "Uh, yeah, I guess, vaguely. It's more like...a feeling than a memory."

The darkening sky passed over their heads, and it was hard for her to see the surroundings of the meadow.

Astrid nodded again "I get that"

A silence passed between them and with so little light he felt nothing but her and the grass under him. She ruffled her hair again letting out a nervous laugh "Whoa, this is getting depressing"

He heard her giggle and turned around confused "You always do that"

"Do what?" he raised an eyebrow stopping all his actions, what was he doing?

The girl imitated him, flipping her bangs nonchalantly in that typical way of his, a smile growing on her lips in amusement. "When you are nervous. You always mess with your hair" she pointed out.

When she had noticed that?

"I'm not nervous"

"Oh ok, my apologies, I must have misunderstood" she brushed it away with a smile.

Hiccup stood up, praying that the heat on his cheeks wasn't visible in that light. "Anyway, it's getting darker, we should get back"

The girl, still sitting, looked between him and the sky that had suddenly darkened and stood up, cleaning her knees and hands, frowning. "We don't have enough samples yet."

When three hours had passed? "In a few minutes we won't even see each other, we'll continue at another time"

An icy and quite strong breeze shook the forest between rustles that made her hair stand on end "Yeah, okay. Let's go"

He extended her arms "We finally agree on something" the boy bent down to help her put away the samples "And you, who thought it was impossible uh"

He could see her mocking smile in front of him even in the dim light "Me alone? Did you think something different?"

He cleared his throat without answering.

They followed the path back again in silence, this time accepting his help in the stream because she didn't even see the sparkles of the water.

Astrid was almost tempted to hold his hand the rest of the way so she wouldn't fall when she almost tripped a second time with another branch, but she just plunged her icy hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt. A blush growing just at the ridiculous thought.

"You're doing well?"

He barely heard her nod a step behind him, cowering in on herself and as far as the collar of her clothing gave. With a defeated sigh he took off her jacket and flicked it over her head perhaps a little too roughly. "There"

Astrid pushed it away from her head looking at her as if it was an invader "What?"

"You look like you're going to freeze to death"

"I-"

He turned around with a firm voice "Either you put it on or I'll tie you to a tree with it and I won't come for you until tomorrow"

They stared at each other until defeated (and freezing to death) Astrid jammed the first sleeve into her arm, throwing daggers at him with her gaze "Fine, thank you" she bited.

It was warm and it smelled like wood.

Hiccup smiled back contentedly "You're welcome" Another gust passed between them, and now that he was only wearing a long-sleeved cotton shirt he couldn't help shake a bit. Nothing he couldn't handle.

It was about a while when they were almost leaving Raven Point, when he heard her stumble again and curse audibly. He had to swallow a lot of his blush as he turned to her, caught her hand in his and pulled her forward. "Gods you're impossible"

She almost jumped at the contact, her hand a stark contrast to his, strangely warm. It was calloused and smooth at the same time, and even though they had a similar complexion, her hand seemed so small in his.

Then reality hit her again and she jerked back "I'm not a little girl!"

He rolled her eyes irritably continuing forward "Yeah, it's true, kids aren't that clumsy"

"It's not my fault, I can't see a thing, and you know this place by heart"

That was true but Hiccup didn't want to agree with her. He helped her down the slope and they finally left Raven Point behind.

By the time he looked up, the trees parted, leaving him seeing the dim light of streetlights.

"Just stop complaining, there's not much left to go out. See, there's the road, and then-"

'Yeah that's what I told him, and then bam!, a good backhand to the jaw, you should have seen it' the deep, loud voice made him stop dead.

It was not that far away.

His sudden stop made the girl bump into his back, but he didn't even wobble. Astrid rubbed her nose with her free hand. The boy was tough. "Hey, why do-"

Hiccup stopped her softly "Sssh"

The blonde raised a confused eyebrow and noticed him staring at the tree line to their right. She followed his gaze but couldn't see anything, it was too dark.

"You wouldn't believe how much blood there was!" A laugh grating sinister flooded the forest. Now, she did heard that.

That voice was familiar to him. Realizing, Hiccup squeezed her hand and brought her a little closer to him. She looked at the boy even more confused. What was wrong with him? He was so serious all of a sudden, is it that he did know the voice?

"Hiccup" whispering seemed appropriate.

He finally looked at her, tilting his head even lower due to their closeness, but he didn't move away from her, nor did he change his expression, that made her nervous. "What's wrong?"

"That's Dagur" he whispered back.

"WH-"

Hiccup covered her mouth just in time, all of his senses suddenly on alert "Sssh! You want him to come?"

Astrid jerked his hand away, but she kept quiet. Neither of them let go of the other's hand.

"Shit. I forgot he usually hangs around here at night..." he thought aloud.

The girl wanted to ask how he knew that but she kept silent thinking.

Everyone in Berk knew of Dagur's not to good fame, who had gone from bully to criminal in record time when he dropped out of high school at 14. And everyone knew that if you see him, it's better to run in the opposite direction and beg that he would haven't seen you whether he liked you or not.

Hiccup fell on the list of the first, but he would rather repeat the experience of last night's bruise than find him. Here, with Astrid, alone and at night.

He could defend himself, but the blonde's presence complicated everything.

"Let's get out of here, I think he hasn't se-"

"Hey wait, I think I heard someone"

'Shit'

Hiccup heard the man hang up his phone and heavy footsteps getting closer and closer.

'Shit!'

He turned quickly to Astrid. He didn't have time to see her expression as he pinned her between a tree and his body.

He heard her protest furiously but she seemed to understand when the footsteps grew louder until he was a few meters away from them. Hiccup put his index finger to his lips and saw her nod sharply, not having the time or head to think about how warm Astrid's breath was on his cheek.

He adjusted his hands to either side of her head to carefully turn his chin around the tree, and of course Dagur was there, and of course he had a beer in one hand and a spiked bat in the other. 'Shit...'

They were too close, he was going to see them, he had to be blind, damn-

"Is there someone there!?"

He looked at Astrid again, her eyes squeezed shut and he felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

And then the redhead saw Hiccup, Astrid covered by the trunk, maybe if he pushed her he would only see him and... "Hey, you!"

Steps closer.

All of his planned thinking neurons shut down at once as Astrid looked at him. He never thought he would live to see Astrid Hofferson scared. The sparkle of exclamation in her eyes was what gave him the courage to grab her cheeks and get closer to her. "Sorry" was the only thing he whispered before stamping his lips with hers.

'I'm an idiot' was the only thing he could think of apart from the softness and warmth of Astrid's lips like an explosion in his head

But she wasn't answering. The girl had squeezed her eyes shut out of sheer instinct and now she looked like a statue.

What was happening? They were about to fucking probably die and Haddock was kissing her?!

She tried to raise a hand in protest but the boy was quick and caught it out of the air. He wanted to tell her something, but he could only deepen the kiss, sinking into the other and into the three, twisting his head, hoping he would hear them, hoping to never stop, he didn't knew anymore.

The sensations of the forest and Hiccup were so overwhelming that Astrid let herself be done. If the log the boy was crushing her on wasn't there, making her to stay still, she would have fallen on her back or on her knees.

At some point Hiccup forgot that Dagur was barely a meter away, submerged in Astrid responding him and grabbing his collar shirt tightly towards her, drowning in a kiss that his teenage self would have died for.

He pulled her closer, placing a hand on her healthy cheek. It wasn't until the need for air became too strong that they parted in a loud wet smack, their breaths rippling. Hiccup had no more eyes for Astrid, just like him he was breathing hard trying to stabilize himself, her bangs covering her downcast eyes. Oh no. What was she thinking, what had he-

That was until he looked up to find Dagur looking at him, eyes wild with recognition, the bat slung over his shoulder and a grin of pure amusement, macabre, on his white lips.

Hiccup breathed heavily, Astrid's grip on his shirt was still anchored but he didn't know if it was because of the faking or for real. "Oh" he didn't know where he found the strength to smile nonchalantly.

He leaned a little closer to the girl, careful so that he would only notice him. He felt her do the same "Hey Dagur"

It took him a few seconds to return to normal breathing and he was a little thankful that the overwhelming cold and the dangerous presence of the man had returned all the blood to his head.

"Hiccup, my brother nonetheless!"

He had to return the smile, his muscles tensing on either side of Astrid's head.

"And with a chick, wow, I'm proud little brother"

Hiccup thought he heard a "little brother?" almost imperceptible from the girl. He lifted his nearly splintered hands from the trunk. Perhaps he had used too much force.

He touched the girl's healthy cheek again, but this time it wasn't acting, so that she would look at him. Her altered eyes and cheeks as red as his made him nod so she wouldn't worry.

"Well, are ya gonna let me to see the pretty lucky bitch, are you?" The redhead laughed grotesquely again. The pressure from the tree disappeared and Hiccup wasted no time in taking Astrid's hand again in his before coming out from behind the tree. She kept her head down squeezing his hand back.

Now with only air between them Hiccup felt more unprotected than ever. His eyes attentive to all the boy's movements and the bat on his shoulder. He moved slightly in front of Astrid, careful not to let the man see her right away.

"UHH, and she's hot! Well done brother!"

Astrid didn't have time to hide behind Hiccup's back this time as the redhead was already crouching down to look at her face, really close to her. She jumped and stepped back in alarm, she felt Hiccup lean her towards him, also alert, not letting go of her hand, but she didn't have time to look at his face.

Dagur's electric green eyes looked like two pools of poison, with a mad dancing glow that turned her stomach upside down. They watched him swing the bat back and forth and he felt Hiccup's forearm pressed against her shoulder, his knuckles white from gripping her hand and the other clenched in a fist. He was looking at the redhead, not at her, not too serious to anger him but not wanting to play either.

"Yeah, yeah, she is, and you've interrupted us a bit so..." the boy's high-pitched, witty normal voice was strained with a thread of edginess that the girl could almost touch.

Dagur laughed loudly interrupting him and suddenly patted his shoulder, making the girl jump, although Hiccup remained calm "Of course, of course!"

He could only sigh somehow relieved that it was dark enough for Dagur to not quite recognize Astrid.

He leaned in towards her again, but this time neither of them moved. Though Astrid nearly screamed as his large, rough hand grabbed her cheek carelessly.

She couldn't help but remember the auburn gentle touch and she leaned back, startled, and the punch that almost sent her to a wall. She again felt Hiccup's hand tilting her back and towards him, but it was no use.

"Dagur-"

"Quite the specimen you got here uh, you don't find sluts hot enough to bang these days, no bro?" he laughed. That was a joke? Astrid felt like throwing up, with the feeling of the man's hand still on her cheek. She didn't even dare to breathe.

"How adorable, did the boy get your tongue ah?" he squeezed her chin to look at him and couldn't help but hiss at his rough touch. His big fingers had smeared the makeup and he was pressing directly into the bruise that was still healing.

Hiccup seemed to notice as did Dagur, who smiled widening his eyes, his scars like whitish snakes in Astrid's eyes, spreading across his face and poorly trimmed beard.

His thumb brushed away the last strand that hid the bruise. Dagur caressed it sending shivers of terror down her spine.

"Ooh, and a bad bitch indeed, no? Looks like Hiccup had to give you a little punishment huh?" She felt her eyes wetting.

The word punishment repeating in her head like many nights.

That was enough for Hiccup, with a jerk he pulled the girl towards him, releasing her from his grasp. His hand released hers to rest possessively in the hollow of her hip. Astrid almost sighed in relief, regaining her composure "Dagur, we really have to go"

"Ow, but why? We could both have a little fun with her, I'd also like to punish her..." his viperous smile made her unconsciously hide her face into Hiccup's chest.

Maybe during the day and not in a forest Astrid would have given him a good fight, but now, Dagur and Terry mixed in a whirlpool in her head almost made her cry a scream. She bited her tongue trying to catch her breath, trying not to cry desperately.

Hiccup smelled good, with Hiccup she was fine. Almost as if he had felt the break in her, he pulled her closer by putting an arm around her.

"Oh, well, again, really, my father is waiting for me and you know how he is..."

His father was out of town but neither of them said anything to deny it. Astrid squeezed even closer if she could against him, grabbing his shirt with her fists and Hiccup didn't feel as eager to get out of a place as he did at that moment.

"A pity" his smile let him know that it wouldn't be the last he would hear from him, but he would make sure that Astrid was not present in their 'conversations' again.


The walk back was of a totally different silence. Dagur was far away and the streetlights illuminated the girl's street, but neither let go of the other's hand nor took their eyes off the ground, nor did either of them mention Astrid walking the remainder of the walk alone to her house.

Dagur could follow them and find her and Hiccup didn't know what to think.

In the girl's stepfather a few houses away, in the perhaps most incredible kiss of his life that he had imagined for many years, in what would have happened if he had finally let the girl go alone today and she had met Dagur alone... He decided to focus on taking one step after another, on the determined grip on her hand and that they were both okay. That was already something.

"You alright?"

She didn't even respond, just a short nod without looking at him. After the (incredible and fake) kiss, Hofferson had been unusual, not Hoffeson. Frightened, alert, she seemed about to burst into tears. As she had hidden in his chest, confiding the situation to him.

Astrid Hofferson would have punched her way out. But he couldn't rub it off either, she had seemed really scared, and he himself had been exactly like that in the man's presence not many years ago before he'd grown up and learned to handle Dagur.

"And you?"

The question almost makes him stop. "Oh, me?" The boy dismissed it, his shoulders still tense. Hell, even he had been scared. More for her than for him "Oh, yes, I'm used to it. I've known him since we were kids. I know the impression Dagur makes, it's okay to be scared"

Astrid turned to look at him hard, her hand pulling away almost painfully from his "I wasn't scared"

Hiccup held her gaze in silence. They both knew what had happened.

He saw her fidget on the spot restlessly, playing with her hands, her bangs not letting him see her.

"Well, maybe a little, it's just..." she let out a shaky breath that made him alert again "I don't know, when he touched me, he reminded me of... and I-" her voice broke before finishing the sentence.

She laughed dryly, her crystallized eyes fixed on the ground and he without knowing what to do.

Take her hand, pat her head, hug her, kiss her again-? 'Nope Haddock' he gently took her by the arms for her to look at him "Hey hey, I know" he knew. That was exactly what he had thought as well when Dagur started mentioned punishments and-He felt dizzy just thinking about it.

He would never raise a hand to her. "I know..."

She returned the gaze and took a deep breathe, sitting up straight and sniffling. She smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks...You saved our asses back there"

"And I'm going to remind you that for all eternity, just so you know that" her laugh sounded like a muffled cry but it was something "Let's get you home"

He heard her whisper a heavy 'okay'

He didn't hold her hand but they walked very close, almost brushing against each other.

And just when he saw her disappear through the window of her room the thought hit him like a lightening: he had kissed Astrid Hofferson.