*basks in screaming readers* ahhhh, yes.
-HTTYD-
Hiccup woke mildly confused but ridiculously comfortable, Eret snuggled into him and a nest of warm blankets he could still smell Astrid on. But the room seemed much taller until he remembered pulling the mattresses down onto the floor, creating said blanket nest for the three of them. He was a little put out Astrid wasn't still there, but it was reasonable that she'd gone since he could hear their parents puttering about the house.
Eret stirred next to him when Hiccup poked him, stretching with a groan before looking around.
"Oh, yeah, she had to go."
Neither twin left the nest immediately, just reminiscing the previous night together for a little while because gods it had been so much better than even their wildest dreams. And had bonus Astrid cuddles to boot, where she was cute and sweet and snuggled between them. Where she belonged, Hiccup dared let himself think for a brief second before he shooed away the thought, glancing around and seeing the sinful, seductive thing Astrid had worn for her brothers to unwrap like a gift was still on the floor, but Eret's top from last night was missing.
"Well, she couldn't exactly leave starkers if mom and pops were back."
"Yeah, true. Will have to smuggle that thing back to her room at some point, but right now I'm starving. And we both desperately need a shower."
"Yeah. Shame we can't share."
Rolling his eyes at Eret, Hiccup reluctantly peeled himself out of the bed and picked up the lacey thing covered in untied green bows. It smelled like Astrid's lightly scented moisturiser still, Hiccup folding it and stashing it under a jumper until he could be sure the route to Astrid's room was clear. Eret was quicker in the shower than him, so Eret went first while Hiccup reluctantly put their bedroom back to order.
Gods, he missed her already, even knowing Astrid was in the same house.
After a quick shower himself, tracing fingers over the bite bruise Astrid had left on his shoulder, Hiccup dressed and headed down for breakfast. They were still getting through the indulgent holiday food, so breakfast was rich and sweet but Hiccup barely tasted any of it. When he looked over to Astrid with intent of making a perfectly socially acceptable good morning she refused to even meet his eye, and Eret seemed to be getting the same cold shoulder.
It made a cold shiver run down his spine, but when Hiccup looked to Eret, his brother gave a silent look in return that said don't panic, she's fine. Hiccup tried to convince himself; maybe Astrid was just a little uncomfortable with their parents being back after last night?
That excuse could only calm his mind so long, Hiccup found. Astrid barely stayed in any room that one or both brothers entered, often escaping to her room with mumbled excuses to their parents. Hiccup caught their mother watching Astrid go with her lips pursed in a frown, but the expression faded to be replaced by a smile for Hiccup that he expected was meant to reassure him of... something.
It went on continuously, and the difference was even more tangible than before; prior to Astrid spending the night with them that holiday, there had been stolen moments, frantic kisses and sweet cuddles and the hum of anticipation between them. All those things were gone now, replaced by a weighty tension that seemed to hang somewhere around Hiccup's stomach to leave him feeling nauseous. Even Eret, with his usual ability to explain it all away with some kind of rationality that helped balance his anxious brothers overthinking, was clearly running out of excuses for Astrid's behaviour.
The worst for Hiccup had to be that he could tell she'd been crying. Watching a movie with Eret and their parents, he got up for a drink and found Astrid in the kitchen. Her eyes were red, face a bit flushed and there were a couple of damp spots on her shirt. She flinched when he entered the room, and the look in her eyes when Hiccup dared take a step closer to her made him ache inside, unsure what it was that put it there but increasingly certain it was his fault. She left without even finishing the drink she was making, and Eret found Hiccup still staring at the spot she'd vacated several minutes later.
"H?"
"Not here."
Was all Hiccup could answer with, and Eret nodded tightly before reaching out to hug him. Hiccup took it eagerly, wishing he had something to go on for why Astrid was acting so damned off with them.
"Did we push her? Did we hurt her?"
Hiccup asked Eret that night, burying his face against his brothers warm chest and feeling the sting of tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
"No. I mean, she came here by choice. She stayed as long as she could."
"Then why... what's going on Ret?"
Heavy arms squeezed him tight, Eret as confused as he but still somehow seeking to comfort Hiccup.
"I don't know H. You know Astrid, we'll never get it out of her until she wants to talk. We just... wait, I guess."
The waiting was horrible, though. Astrid's behaviour didn't improve the entire time they were there - a very, very long week between their night together and the return to university - and her excuses to never, ever be alone with her brothers grew increasingly... desperate, like she was determined not to re-use the same one as though it would make the way she paled at the sight of him or the redness in her eyes less obvious, as though a reason plausible enough would stop Hiccup noticing the way she tensed up or her hands trembled slightly.
Hiccup half-considered just going to Astrid's room and demanding she explain herself, but of all the things he wasn't about to do when his sister was struggling, invading her only personal space was definitely a no-go.
A night they'd anticipated for weeks was tainted, Hiccup barely able to even think of it without scouring every second for where they'd gone too far. He remembered Astrid asking for more, but he still couldn't shake the idea something, somewhere had to be the cause of Astrid's actions. Eret dismissed that concern, but Hiccup saw the pain in his brothers face every time Astrid withdrew from them again. They were her big brothers; they were meant to make the bad things better, to make her happy.
Hiccup felt they were failing quite spectacularly.
He should have listened to his worries before. Hiccup knew something was going on with Astrid, and he'd let her and Eret convince him not to let it stop them. Sure, Astrid had been eager that night, but something had changed and Hiccup wanted to go back to before, to when Astrid could at least look at them.
"Is everything alright love?"
Fingers slid through his hair, a habit that his mother had had since Hiccup was a boy, when playing with his hair was the easiest way to get him to sleep. He leant into the touch out of habit before the urge to recoil occurred, certain that if Valka knew what had transpired while she and her husband were out at the opera that she wouldn't want to touch him, to comfort him.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, I just noticed you all seem quite... melancholy, and I wondered if something was the matter."
Hiccup didn't have the words to explain it all, nor could he explain it all to her. She continued to stroke his hair lightly as Hiccup tried to think of an answer, eventually letting out a sigh.
"Post holiday slump and knowing when we go back Eret and I are on the final stretch at uni, I guess? I don't think anything specific is wrong."
Except the fallout of a year-long sexual relationship with their little sister, which had led to whatever it was that made Astrid enter the room, see Hiccup and Valka, then turn and leave silently. Facing him, their mother didn't see a thing, which was probably good so she wouldn't grow more suspicious. She hugged Hiccup, patted his cheek.
"So long as you know you can talk to me son."
"I do mom, promise. I'm good, honestly."
He was surprised his words seemed to convince his mother, as Hiccup didn't think he spoke with much conviction, but after asking if he wanted more cake, Valka left him alone again. Waiting until she was out of the room, Hiccup let his head fall back with a deep sigh.
"Oh, fuck!"
Eret suddenly uttered as they laid in bed that night, never bothering with the pretence of seperate beds though neither had initiated anything sexual since Astrid left their room days earlier. Hiccup raised an eyebrow, confused.
"What?"
"I was just thinking how we'd have been able to talk to Astrid on the drive back to uni, but then I remembered."
Hiccup felt his stomach drop with the same realisation, having held the same half-hope Eret had until then.
"Mom and dad drove us home, and they'll be dropping us back."
"Yeah."
As they sat in the car for the drive back a couple of days later, Hiccup was pretty sure the trip had never taken so long. The smallest of the three, Astrid was sat in the middle of the back seat between Eret and himself. She'd blamed her own dour mood on a hangover to her parents, and Hiccup and Eret had followed suit despite neither twin having touched alcohol the night before.
Normally rather keen to be situated between the twins, Astrid's discomfort was painfully apparent. She was trying to shrink in on herself and be smaller, so they wouldn't touch, but there simply wasn't space. Every time they moved, Astrid tensed as their arms or legs knocked against her. Whenever Eret caught his eye, Hiccup saw the same pain there at how they were causing Astrid so much distress.
Their parents kept up enough conversation to prevent the car being both silent and uncomfortable, but didn't seem to expect much response from their 'hungover' children.
"Hey, could you guys drop me off first? I know you'll probably head up with the boys to their place, and I just really need a lie down."
Eret Sr glanced around, nodding at the first full sentence Astrid had spoken the entire journey.
"Sure lass."
Astrid didn't even have them drive her to the front of her building, half-climbing over Hiccup to escape the car quicker and leaving everyone with a wave and goodbye at the edge of campus, her bag in hand and saying she'd walk. Their dad turned to the boys, heavy ridge between his brows.
"What's going on with Astrid? She's not herself today."
Valka turned in her seat to look at her sons too, waiting for their answer. They both shrugged at their parents in sync, looking away as soon as it wouldn't be too obvious they were lying.
"No idea."
"Well, keep an eye on her boys."
At the rate Astrid was going, it would be amazing if they got the chance to do so, but the twins naturally agreed that they would. Their parents headed up with them for hot drinks and to check how they were living, seeming pleased to see there were still leftover meals in the freezer and that they had turned off all the right appliances while they were away.
After hugs and promises to stay in touch, the parents were on their way home again and it left Hiccup and Eret by themselves, looking around their little flat as though it might offer answers to their situation. Eret pulled Hiccup into a tight cuddle and they stayed that way for an hour or so in silence, not needing to say anything to know they just needed the comfort from one another.
"Should we ask if she's up for talking?"
"Sure. Send her a text though, just in case she's actually lying down or sleeping."
Hiccup nodded, tapping out a text to Astrid that took a while to figure out the wording, hoping to avoid putting any pressure on her but the need to try and fix whatever was happening was painful, acute. He hated himself every time he saw Astrid shrink away from him.
He twitched and fidgeted and got told by Eret to sit still repeatedly for over an hour before he checked the text, saw it still read 'delivered' but that Astrid hadn't opened it to look at, let alone reply. Eret plucked the phone from his hand and hit 'call' instead, frowning a few seconds later.
"Her phones off."
"So she's actively ignoring us?"
Eret shrugged, making comments about a dead battery or forgotten charging, but Hiccup knew by the tension in his shoulders and the tone of his voice that Eret didn't believe those reasons any more than he did.
-HTTYD-
Tasty, tasty angst.