Very long chapter. Many words. Most of them co-writers.

-HTTYD-

When the orgasm finally rushed through her, Astrid bit her lip in order to keep any sounds from escaping her room. Not that anyone would have said anything or likely even minded, but the idea of her parents overhearing her masturbate was still mortifying.

However, her worries were unnecessary; the shallow orgasm was barely enough to take the edge off her desire, let alone draw unwanted noises from her. With a more than just a little frustrated sigh, she let her vibrator drop onto the bed next to her and ran her hands through her hair. No matter which toy she used, it always left her wanting and disappointed, never felt nearly as good as being with Eret and Hiccup did. They'd ruined her for anything or anyone else.

Something like a hysterical laugh escaped her at that thought. Soon, she would have to get used to not hooking up with them again, no matter how hard she tried not to think about that. It wasn't as if she could simply drop out of college and leave with them come summer, as if they could move together and continue their illegal… whatever it was they shared. Or, well, she could drop out, could work as a freelancer even without graduating after having learned quite a bit by now. But that wasn't why she'd gone to college, and she certainly wouldn't do something that idiotic just because of sex.

No matter how good the sex was…

Oh gods, she was a mess! They had only been back at their parents' for all of four days now – with the actual Christmas day itself having passed just like every other year – but she already felt as if she couldn't stand another day. Oh, it was good to be here again, to joke with her father and talk with her mother. But there always was this edge now, something that just wouldn't let her find true comfort.

Later that day, she was standing at the closed glass door that lead into the garden, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands as she tried to banish all those troublesome thoughts. She was here to enjoy the holidays and not to mope around. And it was enjoyable, she reasoned, with Hiccup being busy in the kitchen preparing dinner right now, his humming to himself audible even from where she stood. It made her smile a little, the familiarity. All the while, everyone else enjoyed a bit of leisure time. Calm and peaceful. Frustrating.

She yelped when a pair of arms wound around her waist from behind, and Astrid prepared to shove Eret off her with a threatening glare... when she realised that it wasn't Eret.

"Astrid dear, is everything alright with you?"

Firmly, but with less force than if it had been Eret, Astrid wound out of her mother's arms and even managed to give her a smile as she did so. She saw the crinkling at the side of her mothers eyes as she tried to work out if Astrid's smile was genuine; the woman could read people when she wanted to.

"I'm fine, mom. Don't worry."

Valka's concerned expression didn't waver though. Astrid did her best to keep smiling.

"Really? You look troubled, honey, and if I'd had to guess, I'd say it looks like boy trouble. You know you can tell me anything, no matter what?"

Astrid's lips pressed into a thin line and she turned back to look outside, taking a sip from her mug to buy time. Yes, she used to tell her mother everything… but things had changed. She couldn't tell her that the boys in her life were no trouble at all, at least when they were together. She couldn't talk about the amazing sex she had with her brothers, couldn't tell her how excited she was about soon trying double penetration for the first time, or how much she missed the touch of their hands and their arms around her, especially at night. And she also couldn't tell her that her only trouble was the prospect of it all having to stop soon. Their mother would be horrified, and rightly so, really.

"Yes, I know. But honestly, there is nothing to tell."

She replied, and hoped that Valka wouldn't see right through her. Before she got chance, a voice cut in to ensure said mother didn't get the chance to react anyway.

"So you still haven't found anyone?" came her father's booming voice from the other end of the room where he sat in his comfortable chair. "I'd hoped you would've found someone by now, with all the young men around college. Even smart ones in your classes! Nobody who caught your eye?"

Forcefully suppressing a groan, she turned to glare at him.

"Dad, you know perfectly well that my goal in going to college was never finding someone. I'm busy with enough other things and there's enough time for that once I have graduated."

Eret Sr let out a hearty laugh and winked.

"Oh, I'm just teasing you, lass. I know you'll make your way."

Astrid rolled her eyes and, as an excuse to flee, downed the rest of her hot chocolate and headed toward the kitchen. Behind her, she heard her mother gently chide her husband for teasing her, and in passing, she caught Eret's concerned expression. She could see that her brother desperately wanted to say something but, given their audience, didn't dare to do so. And even though she knew that her feeling so bad was partially his fault, she dearly wished she could just burrow in his arms right now.

No, that's wasn't fair. It wasn't Eret's fault, nor Hiccup's either.

There were just these weird circumstances that kept her from truly calming down. It pained her that she couldn't be honest with their parents, but at the same time, she couldn't ignore the longing for her brothers any longer either. During the summer, that had been easier somehow, but now… now, she just wanted them to kiss and to hold her, wanted that bliss that only their touch could give her, the longing so much stronger than usual with being around them all day. She felt so torn.

As she entered the kitchen, Hiccup glanced up at her, a half-alarmed and half-amused expression on his face.

"Oh no, you shouldn't be here! I really don't want all my work from the past two hours to go to waste just because of your bad-kitchen-aura."

Astrid glared at him and a second later, he sobered up. He must not have heard the conversation over in the other room, couldn't know about her mood but he caught up to it quickly.

"Hey, what's up?"

He asked, concerned. He made half a step toward her, arms raising as if to embrace her, then apparently remembered where they were. Seeing him back away again only pained her even further.

"It's..."

She began, but broke off when she didn't know what to say. 'It's nothing'? 'I'm fine'? That would be lies, and she didn't want to lie anymore, at least not to her brothers if she could help it. So she bit her lip and, after a moment's hesitation, threw a careful look over toward the living room. Eret and their father were engaged in a deep conversation and Valka was just leaving in the direction of the bathroom. That gave her at least a minute or two.

With two quick steps, she closed the distance between her and Hiccup, and before he could even grunt in surprise she had her arms wrapped tight around him, her face buried against his chest.

"I'm so sick of lying," she mumbled. "I hate it. And… and I want–"

I want to go home, she thought with a start. She'd notice this last summer already, but now, it hit her so much harder. This place wasn't home anymore. Home was where she could be with Hiccup and Eret. She'd known it before, when they were counting down the summer holidays, but that had been a passing notion of comfort amongst the boys flat, where they were at ease with each other.

Now it was far more a sense of who than where.

Hiccup's arms closed around her, slowly at first but soon he held her as tightly as she'd hoped he would, soaking in his body heat, his scent.

"Shh, it's okay," he mumbled into her hair. "What do you want? You know we'd support you."

"I don't even know what I want."

She whispered back. She wanted to not have to lie to their parents anymore, but at the same time the thought of them learning the truth terrified her. A small part of her longed for the simpler times of over a year ago when there simply hadn't been anything she had to lie about, but it got smothered directly. No, going back to a time before this... this intimacy with her brothers, a time without it… that wasn't what she wanted either.

Hiccup rubbed her back, soothing with his hands and his soft, gentle voice.

"We don't have to do anything, you know that, right? Neither of us wants to pressure you. Just say so, and we'll stop. It's okay."

A low whimper sounded in her chest, but before she could reply, tell him that he'd gotten it completely the wrong way around, their mother's voice was audible from the living room again and the two quickly parted. A moment later, Valka entered the kitchen as well, apparently to prepare tea for them all. Astrid helped quietly, feeling Hiccup throwing furtive glances at her every now and then. Then, with a full mug in one hand and a couple of cookies in the other, she retreated to her room with the excuse of not being used to so much company anymore.

It wasn't even a lie, even though she desperately craved at least some of the present company. But that would have to wait.

"And you really don't mind us leaving you alone? I feel bad about wasting time we could spend together instead. It's become so rare to have you all around."

Eret laughed and placed a kiss on his mother's cheek.

"I honestly hope this night won't be a 'waste of time' for you. Those tickets weren't exactly cheap. Don't worry, mom. We'll be fine. Enjoy yourselves. And it's only for the night anyway!"

Valka glanced from him to Hiccup and Astrid next to him and was about to protest further when their father beat her to it.

"Come now, Val. We're getting late and I'm sure the kids need a break just as much as we do. You still have a whole week to cluck over them."

Chuckling, Eret noticed how his mother threw both him and his older namesake the same irritated look before she agreed to get into the car. Obviously, he'd inherited more than just the look and the name from their father. Once their parents' car was out of sight around a corner though, his amusement abruptly changed into excitement and anticipation.

Finally, they were alone, had hours at their hand instead of only a few rushed minutes of kissing every now and then. Though that was more than they'd had for summer at least. And even though he immensely enjoyed those, he was looking very forward to focusing all his attention on Astrid for real again. He hadn't expected it, not to this extent, but he missed her. It was worse than during the weeks before, maybe because they saw her every day, were so close to her.

But it was also worse than last summer, and the only explanation he could come up with was that their connection had intensified, had become deeper since then – which sounded about right. He couldn't really phrase it, but something was different now.

With a smirk that didn't hide his thoughts at all he turned to look at his siblings – but was surprised when he only found Hiccup still standing there with his back toward him and his eyes cast toward the stairs, visible tension in his shoulders.

"So I was right."

Hiccup muttered, his hands at his sides balled into fists. Eret frowned and made a low grunt. His brother had told him about Astrid's small break down in the kitchen a couple of days before; of course he had, the twins talked about everything. But Eret hadn't believed in Hiccup's interpretation of their sister's behaviour, not with how eager Astrid had been throughout this almost full year they had sex now and with how prone to overthinking Hiccup was.

"You really think she changed her mind?"

Of course, that would be completely okay, it was her choice after all. It just seemed so very not like Astrid. Hiccup snorted, though the sound was not one of humour.

"She just fled into her room the moment mom and dad were out of sight. How does that look to you?" he shook his head, a pained expression on his face that made Eret's chest ache "we went too far. I don't even know what it was, but something must have put her off. Gods, I feel horrible! If only we could turn back time and… and… I don't know. Do things better. Dammit, I never wanted to hurt her!"

Again, Eret grunted and his frown deepened. Hiccup's words seemed to be right with how she'd just disappeared on them… but they didn't fit to how passionately she'd kissed him just that morning! She'd grinned against his lips and had reminded him of how much she was looking forward to tonight, lithe frame sliding against his body with eyes sparkling. It had felt like Astrid was plenty keen less than twelve hours prior.

"How about this?" he spoke slowly, garnering Hiccups attention "You go to our room and make everything comfortable. Worst case scenario, we could still watch a movie or something. And I'll go and talk to her, see how she is, and I promise I won't push her. Is that okay for you?"

Hiccup hesitated but then nodded, reached to hug Eret and sighed quietly before they headed up to the house, parting ways for different bedroom doors. Eret rapped his knuckles against Astrid's.

"Astrid?"

"Don't come in!"

Came her hasty reply and it made Eret frown, and not just because of what she'd said. She'd sounded… stressed somehow. Harried. A little worried now too, he called back.

"Is everything all right?"

He could hear a grunt from within the room.

"Yep, peachy! I just… I just need another minute or three. Just go ahead and I'll… yeah, just... go."

His frown deepened, but with a slightly confused "well ok then", he left her alone and walked the few steps down the corridor to the room he'd shared with Hiccup for all their lives. When he entered, he was greeted directly by an overly tense brother who looked to Eret with an almost painful sort of... hope? Angst? It was somewhere in the middle.

"So? What did she say?"

Eret took the time to run a hand through his hair and shrugged.

"She… yelled at me not to come in and thentold me to go ahead," he muttered, caught Hiccup's alarmed look and swiftly added, "but she also said she just needed a few more minutes or so. No reason to panic."

Hiccup wrinkled his nose.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you so tense all of a sudden, too?"

To that, Eret had nothing to say. Hiccup was right, after all. Astrid's reaction had been… strange, to say the least. What if Hiccup was right and they'd somehow upset her? He couldn't think of when or how that could have happened, but still… he couldn't really come up with another explanation either.

Instead, he did what always helped him. He went to where Hiccup stood and wrapped his arms around his twin, holding him close. There was something so incredibly soothing in this, in knowing that, no matter what else might happen, they would always have each other. He could feel how Hiccup relaxed as well until he sighed deeply.

"It's not even just what we'd planned for tonight, you know?" he murmured in a low voice as he leaned more heavily against Eret's chest, all but melted in place "What if we lose her for real? She's still our sister, but the last few days… they've been horrible. If this is how things will be from now on then I wish we'd never started this. I just…" he paused, shrugging helplessly. "I just don't want to lose her."

"I know what you mean," Eret answered, hand instinctively rubbing softly over Hiccup's back "but I don't think there's any more that we could do right now except wait and hope for her to talk about it when she's ready."

Hiccup nodded, and for a few minutes, they were quiet, seeking reassurance in comfort in their embrace. They both knew Astrid was complicated, emotionally, having put herself through a phase of closing off to be 'one of the guys' when she got tired of being underestimated by her peers. That phase had ended, but the damage was done and Astrid often struggled to communicate her feelings. And so, they had to wait, both then and in the longer term, until she was ready.

"That almost looks like you started without me."

An unexpected but highly welcome voice came from the door, both twins heads lifting to the sound.

Eret whirled around and whatever he'd meant to say got stuck in his throat, his eyes going wide as he took Astrid's appearance in. She was wearing nothing but a very transparent piece of lingerie he couldn't quite name. It was a body stocking of sorts made of silk, satin, and lace in black with green detailing, leaving nothing to the imagination. From what it looked like the only fastenings were near to two dozen little bows, leading from her shoulders down on either side to her hips. The sight made his throat go dry and his trousers tight.

"Astrid!"

Hiccup gasped. He made to step in her direction, but then paused again, his face a mix of concern and worry and surprise.

"You… you came."

With one hand on her hip, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, a tiny smirk tugging at her lips and she looked like seduction personified.

"Of course I did. I told Eret I just needed a few more minutes, didn't I?"

Eret watched his siblings, unsure of how to react. Hiccup had nearly been able to convince him, and even with Astrid having shown up now in that criminal outfit, he couldn't ignore the tension obvious in her every movement. And with that slight quiver in her voice, her words did little to reassure them either.

"Astrid, I meant what I said. We don't need to do anything if you don't want to. I've seen you struggle during the past few days, please don't do this just because you think you have to."

Usually, Eret would expect a comment like that, about how Astrid might not know what she truly wanted, would anger her. But today, she just averted her eyes for a moment, chewing at her lips, before looking up again with a soft and apologetic but genuine smile, one that really reached her eyes at last.

"I know," she whispered as she breached the distance between her and Hiccup "and I appreciate the sentiment. And I won't lie, I'm torn and unsure of many things right now. But…" her eyes flickered to Eret, beckoning him closer before she lifted her arms to wrap them around Hiccup's neck, her smile even warmer now "but if there's one thing I am sure of, then it's this. I want this, all of it. I want you two."

She stretched to place a hesitant kiss on Hiccup's lips. At first, Eret thought his brother would draw back, his hands falling to her waist almost as if to push her away. But instead, the kiss intensified as all tension seemed to melt out of Hiccup from one moment to the other. Eret couldn't help but grin when Hiccup hauled her closer, the longing of their interrupted plan and the entire week since then crashing down on them all.

Without hesitation, he stepped behind Astrid, his hands on her hips and his mouth on the bare skin of her neck. Things hadn't really changed after all. This thing between them, whatever it was, wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. But as long as they were together, everything was good. Perfect. Astrid hummed, caught between her brothers, when Hiccup released her mouth to lean is forehead against hers.

"I was really worried, y'know?"

He murmured, panting slightly from the intense kiss.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But there never was enough time to talk to you and explain. But I hope this–" she vaguely gestured to her outfit, "–is enough to convince you that it's really not just a spur of the moment. I thought about it long enough, and I picked green out special."

Hiccup nodded. Eret expected him to dwell a little longer on this topic, but he doubted Astrid would appreciate that, so he quickly commented.

"What is this anyway? I doubt I've ever seen you in something like this before."

A cheeky grin spread across Astrid's face, looking more like her than she had since they left uni for the holidays.

"Well, you remember how you teased me about my flirting attires back when we started? I thought I would rectify that impression by showing you what a real seductive outfit looks like, before you die stupid and unaware. Take it as a belated Christmas present?"

Eret chuckled.

"I certainly don't mind unwrapping such a lovely gift."

He hummed and dropped his head to place a kiss on exposed skin before he slowly opened the first of the bows with his teeth. Hiccup, who seemed to only now even notice her outfit, took a half step backwards to take her in properly, eyes wide and jaw dropping so fast Eret half-expected to hear it hit the floor. He breathed a low "oh", before his face brightened.

"You really are sure, aren't you?"

Astrid, with her head leant back against Eret's shoulder now, let out a soft moan.

"Yes..."

That seemed to be enough for Hiccup to join in, and rather happily. Their eyes met for only a second, but that was enough communication for them to know what to do. Astrid squeaked when they bodily moved her to their 'bed' for the night - nothing but their two mattresses on the floor, a nest of comfort for the three of them, without their mouths leaving her skin even once.

Each individual bow came apart painfully slowly; they didn't have forever, but that didn't mean they were in a rush. It was the first chance they'd had to enjoy each other for what felt like forever, foreplay occasionally slowing just to embrace one another with only intermittent kisses, Astrid's back warm against his chest as they peeled the tempting lace thing off of her, bare skin under their hands at last.

They undressed each other clumsily, giggles and thrown fabric and distracting kisses slowing them down a little before finally they were all naked, something in Eret's chest loosening when they cuddled close that way, Astrid turning between them to demand kisses they happily gave before more focused explorations started. Hiccup encouraged her up onto all fours, Eret retrieving the things his brother had helpfully laid nearby, ready for such a need.

Astrid clenched needily at his fingers, mewling and pleading for Eret to do more than just open her up a little. He nipped the soft skin and heard her gasp, coating the plug he'd gotten with the same lubricant as his fingers and pressing it into squirming blonde. It wasn't a huge one, but enough to help Astrid's muscles get comfortable with pressure and stretch before she took one of them later.

Then she was on her back, Hiccup wasting no time in going down on her. Astrid moaned, back arching and hands scrambling, searching until one found Eret; clutching his forearm as she twitched and bucked under their brothers eager tongue. Eret pried her fingers off, slid his hands under her back and lifted her to lean against him, giving Eret the spectacular view of her bare torso all the way down to Hiccup's busy mouth. His cock twitched with the illicit, erotic image of them, erection pressed against Astrid's hot skin.

Hiccup pulled his mouth away from her before she came, earning him colourful curses as Astrid shook with unsatisfied want while Hiccup licked his lips lewdly.

"Hey!"

"Hush" Hiccup nipped her thigh "we're not done yet. Up on your knees."

Eret got the idea before Astrid was even done moving, adding fresh lube to his fingers as they both knelt up with her. She whined softly as the plug slipped out, Eret gratified to find her muscles loose and pliant when his fingers slipped back inside her. Hiccup did the same, Astrid shaking with the feel of them and Eret felt the weight of what was coming as acutely as his siblings did. He felt Astrid's body tighten further before she spasmed around his fingers, letting out those beautifully obscene noises of hers as she came almost violently between them.

Cleaning their hands on nearby wet wipes, they pulled Astrid down to the bed again while she recovered, stroking her gently until the shakes stopped; if Eret had to guess, he'd say Astrid had needed that. It was so peaceful, silent save for their breathing and his and Hiccup's fingers loosely linked over Astrid's inked hip, he'd have been more than happy to just stay like that for a few hours.

Astrid, it soon became clear, had other ideas, her hands sliding down each of their chests to close around half-hard cocks, a few strokes bringing them to full mast. Hiccup leant in, kissed her hungrily.

"How do you want us?"

She didn't have to think, pushing Hiccup onto his back and crawling on top of him. Hiccup quirked an eyebrow up at her, obviously a little surprised by her quick choice. Astrid winked at him.

"Eret won't go super easy on me. I don't want, or need the kid gloves."

Hiccup had no rebuttal; they all knew he'd go slower than Astrid liked, wary of hurting her and while Eret was careful not to hurt her, he also trusted Astrid to know her limits and caved to her demanding whims more often than his twin. Agreeing - unsurprisingly, given that Astrid was naked and needy on top of him - to her whims this time, Hiccup ran his hands over her thighs before they were moving to get Hiccup inside her, both faces slack with bliss as Astrid seated herself on him.

There were a few thrusts, Astrid humming as she felt Hiccup in her at last after all the waiting, before she was twisting around and throwing Eret a lethal smile.

"You in on this or what?"

That was apparently his cue. Eret moved behind them, brushing messy blonde hair aside to kiss Astrid's shoulder before he reached for the lube again, coating himself generously and murmuring "are you sure?" against her ear. He knew his answer, but Astrid's consent was paramount and hearing it calmed Eret.

"Definitely!"

Astrid answered, enthusiastic and eager as she leant forward on Hiccup, who reached for her ass and winked up at Eret as he spread her open for him. Astrid moaned in response, aroused and sensitive.

Eret eased himself in slowly, keeping one hand twined with Astrid's and moving gently, giving her time to say no, too much or slow down, but she said nothing of the sort. Only breathy whimpers and pleas for more left her mouth until Eret was flush to her back, panting and feeling his cock all but choked in the tight grip of her ass. He and Hiccup had never done this bare, and gods it was intense; he swore he could feel Hiccup twitching and pulsing through the thin skin that seperated them, could feel Astrid shaking all over as she adjusted to the feel of them both.

Astrid tested them first, hips shifting to figure out how moving felt. She signalled Eret could move too, his hands holding Astrid's waist as Hiccup held her hips. Hiccup didn't have as much leverage or freedom to move as Eret, but he could feel Hiccup still moved as much as he could, shifting back and forth as Eret began to thrust. They went slow at first, but it was still oh so powerful to be together that way. Astrid let out sweet little whimpers, keening softly with each thrust, writhing between them and digging her nails into skin where she held Eret's forearm between her fingers.

The dual sensation had a potent effect on Astrid ever since they first began working up to this, and judging by how Astrid's brain seemed to have gone utterly blank for anything but pleasure... it was even more powerful now. Words beyond her, Astrid could only moan and clench and shudder, back bowing to an almost painful angle as she moved with them. They moved a little harder, and Astrid responded beautifully, twisting and leaning down to bite at Hiccup's shoulder as she came with a muffled cry, jerking and bucking for a minute before she sat back up with a low, contented sigh.

"Keep going!"

Her voice was strained but arousal laced through every syllable, her body moving to encourage them already and a final plea of "harder" all the words Astrid seemed capable of before her sounds were nought but primal, hungry, almost animalistic. Her bared neck as her head tipped was tempting; Eret barely held back from leaving a far-too-visible biting bruise upon her lovely throat.

Both were a little hesitant to go much harder, but Astrid showed no distress, a constant stream of growling, moaning and pushing down to feel them deeper encouraging them both until she finally seemed satisfied with their pace. Eret had to muffle her with his hand eventually; Astrid was loud, perhaps more so than usual, and while their parents weren't home he worried a neighbour might call the police if they overheard her so close to screaming.

It wasn't like anyone would have been expecting the twins to be doing their best to fuck their sister into blissful oblivion, after all.

Eret didn't have words for how incredible the entire thing felt, from the solid weight of Hiccup sliding against his cock to Astrid's fluttering, gripping muscles and the sinful heat of her body he never failed to appreciate. He could see in the way Hiccup's shoulders drew tight, the way he bit his lip and closed his eyes as the cords of his neck stood out; both of them were struggling to hold out, but the way Astrid moved said she was close to a second climax and they were determined to hold out for her.

His free hand gripped Hiccup's wrist, dragged it upwards to Astrid's chest and the message was recieved loud and clear, Hiccup's other hand joining to toy with swollen, neglected nipples. Astrid bucked, hands closing over Hiccup's and squeezing them, encouraging him to be rougher. Hiccup obeyed, tugging and pinching until Eret felt her smile against his hand over her mouth. His free hand slid down her sweaty stomach, curled against Astrid's clit. Hiccup's thrusts added pressure to his touch, Eret's thrusts starting to falter as he struggled not to simply surrender.

Thankfully, Astrid began to shake again, soon seizing around them violently as their hands and cocks finally pushed her over the edge. The way she seized around them again was far too much for either to take, Eret aware by the guttural sound Hiccup made that his brother came as hard as he did, vision blinking with coloured lights as they both buried themselves deep and let the climax consume the three as one.

Astrid was utterly limp in their arms when they came back to reality, leaning heavily against Eret. He waited until he was softening to pull out, rubbed soothing circles on Astrid's hip as she whimpered slightly. He and Hiccup managed to lift her and move her down to the bed, where Astrid all but crumpled with a broad, satisfied grin across her face. Tempting as succumbing to his own tired muscles was, Eret reached for the towel and wet wipes nearby, giving Astrid a little clean up before themselves. Only then did Eret crawl next to her, Astrid's head resting on his chest with Hiccup wrapped around her back.

While they weren't going to rush her out - they had a little wiggle room on time just yet - the plan was definitely that Astrid go back to her own room tonight, loathe as they all were to agree to such a thing when they'd not had the chance to sleep as they were for far too long. She was rather adorable though, mumbling that she wanted to stay there just a little longer before they moved. Eret was adamant he'd stay awake, even when Hiccup noticed Astrid shiver slightly with the sweat cooling on her skin in December and pulled the nearest blankets over them. He was a little too warm, but it was well worth it for Astrid to settle, smiling.

He stifled a yawn in his hand, rubbed his eyes. He couldn't... fall... asleep...

Warm and more comfortable than she could remember being in a while, Astrid was initially sure she must still be dreaming when she recognised the doodles on the wall, the owls and dragons soaring.

Speaking of soar... she was a little sore. Not surprising, really, and not as bad as she'd been prepared for. And the reason for said soreness had been so worth it. Mind-blowing, indescribable...

Staying was not part of the plan, but Astrid couldn't have cared less when she burrowed back into their warmth, utterly content with them so close, so cuddly. Hiccup's question of a couple of days prior rang in her mind; what did she want?

This, Astrid's mind supplied. They were what she wanted. Messy, brilliant sex by night, and waking up with them surrounding her every morning...

Astrid's eyes flew open, body stiffening in a sort of startled horror. No no no, she couldn't be thinking that. It was stupid, idiotic, impossible. And she knew what they did, even last night when she'd felt so powerfully consumed by both, then cherished and cradled after... it was all just sex. No strings. Just for fun. They'd agreed that when they first began a year before,

Mind whirring, Astrid tried to ignore the threat of overwhelming emotions in her confused brain, knowing she needed to leave. She should never have stayed in the first place, it was stupid and risked them getting caught. It wasn't easy to slip out from their tangled limbs, even more so when Astrid didn't want to wake them and risk having to talk about what was on her mind. Eventually wriggling free, Astrid saw Eret grunt and roll over, seeking the warm patch she'd left behind and Hiccup snuggled in closer to him in his sleep. Barely daring to breathe but knowing she could no more walk out of her brothers room naked than she could have put on the thing she wore in there to begin with, Astrid picked up Eret's discarded t-shirt, unsure whether to like that it smelled of him or not.

It fell to mid-thigh, covered the bruise on her inner thigh from Hiccup's teeth and the reddened marks of tight hands on her hips. She grimaced at the sticky feeling on her skin, normally aroused by the feel of them coming inside her, but desperate for a shower in that moment. She crept out of their room, pulled the door closed - they were naked and sharing their makeshift nest, Astrid wouldn't leave it open for them to be caught - and had barely made it to the bathroom door when her heart leapt into her mouth at the sound of another door creaking open, footsteps in the hallway.

"Astrid?"

Only relaxing a tiny, tiny bit at the sound of their fathers voice rather than a brother, Astrid turned, hand still on the door handle.

"Dad?"

He rubbed his face, yawning.

"Didn't expect a queue for the bathroom at this hour... what are you doing lass?"

"Couldn't sleep, wanted a shower to..." clean my brothers off of me "warm up."

"Right. Is that your usual outfit for wandering the halls?"

Astrid's voice caught in her throat, unsure how to explain herself and terrified he might see something, nervously tugging the fabric down even though there was no way her father would have been able to see Astrid had nothing on beneath it.

"I know you steal your brothers shirts lass, relax. Mind if I go quick before you shower?"

Astrid backed away from the door, nodding and taking a few steps further away as her father passed her. Before she could even figure out how to breathe again, another voice interrupted Astrid's frantic, confusing thoughts.

"Astrid? Are you alright love?"

"Mom!"

It came out with rather more force than intended, and surprise showed along her mothers sleepy features.

"You look like you've seen a ghost love, what's wrong?"

Astrid shrugged, unsure how to answer without her voice giving away that she was lying. Eret Sr left the bathroom then, and Astrid fled right into it. Under the shower, she scrubbed the mess from her skin and fought to regain control of her brain. If a couple of tears of sheer panic slid from her face, they were lost in the shower spray. Gods, if her dad had left his room just ten seconds earlier, he'd have seen which room she left. He'd have wanted answers as to why Astrid was leaving her brothers room in nothing but an oversized t-shirt.

What a mess. What a terrible, awful mess she'd gotten herself in to. And Astrid hadn't gotten there by mistake. She'd leapt right in and let it happen. She had wanted it to happen.

Her sleepy thoughts wouldn't shut up, and Astrid couldn't ignore the truth in it any longer.

She wanted them. Not just the sex, or the movies and dinners and hanging out. She wanted all of it, the waking up together and the soft words on their tongue when they thought she was asleep. Wanted never to have to think about after, about end dates and getting caught any more. Just wanted to know she'd always go home to them, that they'd be who she spent her days and her nights with.

And it was all so, so wrong. It could never happen, and Astrid knew that. Even if they weren't her brothers, the fucking and the threesomes and the general way they conducted themselves together had boundaries from day one - it was never about more than sex. It couldn't be. All the things Astrid wanted were never an option, and they never would be.

No. It had to end.

All of it.

-HTTYD-

Ah, a delicious angst sandwich. And an Astrid sandwich.