Sometimes I like to re-read the reviews for this story and cackle in author.

-HTTYD-

Eret sighed to himself as he watched Hiccup, wishing he knew what to do or say to make the sadness abate, but it was fruitless - he knew why Hiccup was so sad. It was the same reason Eret was too, but he always put Hiccup first.

It was like Astrid hadn't even been there when they got up the next morning, save for the blonde hairs in their bed and the marks on their skin.

"Should... should we have asked her to stay?"

"H, Astrid didn't wanna talk. She made that perfectly clear."

He could still hear her saying shut up before he kissed her. Knew from Hiccup telling him that she'd begged him not to try and make her have that conversation. And because they were idiots, they let her get away with it. Still, Eret felt like last night had meant something to Astrid, with the way she held them and touched them and laid between them to sleep... though he suspected she hadn't actually fallen asleep, just waited for them to do so before leaving.

It was almost weird to have her back, to have a third person with them. Astrid hadn't been the only one who'd been changed by Yule. He and Hiccup had actively avoided picking people up, dodging their usual haunts and avoiding most of the parties, blaming mounting work as the end of their final year loomed. Only when multiple people had made jokes about how they had to be getting it somewhere based on their usual sex drive made them go out again properly - given their reputation for sharing partners, neither brother wanted anybody considering if they had ever crossed the line.

And they knew, when they took that Scottish redhead with a filthier vocabulary than Eret himself home, that things were different now. That, if either had been alone with her, lacking their twin to heighten their arousal in all those secret little ways they'd learned, that they probably wouldn't have even been able to fake it. That night had changed all three of them, and Eret would have given anything to go back and fix whatever it was that broke the next morning.

Hiccup curled into his chest on instinct, fingers tracing the lines down Eret's shoulder that Astrid's nails had left when she lost herself with them. Eret could see the bite marks on Hiccup's chest, playful ones around his nipples that Astrid had giggled in between because they made Hiccup growl, teasing him and luring him out of his attempts to draw things out, to make it last. She hadn't just been there, taking what she wanted and leaving. Astrid had been present, playful, engaging, intimate. He'd seen how she clung to Hiccup and held Eret's hand. Felt how she wrapped herself around him and whimpered sweetly in his ear.

Astrid had been there, and she'd so very clearly wanted to be.

So why had she ran?

Eret had asked himself all those questions two months ago, and now he still had no answers but even more questions.

Gods, she ached. Astrid was glad she left in the middle of the night when nobody was around, so that nobody could see her limping.

Though she'd missed it at the time, Astrid found herself relieved that they'd been hesitant to bite her last night. It meant she didn't have bruises to explain to Heather. She'd have to be careful as it was not to let on what had happened last night. Had Heather seen her leave with Hiccup?

Her phone was dead, so it was impossible to know. Astrid felt guilty for possibly messing up her birthday celebration, but Heather knew Thuggory had been hassling her... gods, she just needed to get back to her room and shower. Again. Their sandalwood shower gel clung to her skin, and after getting back into bed to weakly, desperately allow herself one last moment before she waited for them to sleep so she could leave, Astrid needed to wash the feel of their touch from her body all over again.

Her dorm room was a welcome sight, throwing her clothes into the wash after extracting things from the pockets before scrubbing herself under the shower spray until the sandalwood was gone again. Given it's popularity in most male fragrances, Astrid hoped she wouldn't always need to get rid of that scent just so she didn't have to feel tears choke up in her throat for all the memories inspired.

Falling into bed with the twins had been the worst possible thing she could do for getting over her feelings, really. Every sensation, every scent, it had all been as intense and incredible as ever. Maybe more so, after so long starved of it, convinced she'd never feel their hands on her again, never taste their mouth on her own. Feeling Hiccup's heartbeat thrum against her back as he teased her with those long, slow thrusts, hearing Eret murmur filth in her ear as he watched Hiccup lick her clean so they could make her messy all over again...

She was meant to be getting over them, but Astrid had successfully fucked that up quite well, the ache inside her testament to how weak she was for them when Hiccup pushed just a little more than before.

And in all those moments, Astrid had let herself feel... everything, really. And let herself believe what she knew rationally was untrue. That she mattered to them as they did to her.

But she knew better, especially when no longer wedged between them, basking in their warmth. Remembering them with that redhead, proving they could still go out and act like nothing had changed... it made her chest hurt to replay those moments. The only upside for them with Astrid was the freedom they had with each other - she was the only person who would ever see Hiccup bend Eret over the bed, both visibly getting off on being watched as Eret whined and whimpered.

Astrid violently jerked her head, trying to dislodge the thoughts. Her exhausted body cried out for sleep, but Astrid's bed felt cold and empty after their body heat had infused her again.

That was what she'd missed the most, out of everything that she missed about them. The sleeping. The feeling of warmth and safety and right that she only got from being securely snuggled between the two of them.

But they hadn't even asked her to stay the night. Maybe if they had... it would have been something. Something to tell Astrid they wanted her there for more than just the sex, but no. It was clearly just that for them, like it always had been.

Astrid only realised she'd cried herself to sleep when there was an urgent knock at her door. Groaning, she saw her phone flashing with a bunch of texts and calls from Heather, and as she rose from the pile of blankets, she heard Heather's voice calling to her through the door. It was getting kind of late for her to be sleeping, too, so Heather had probably tried to get hold of her by phone first before just turning up.

She let Heather in reluctantly, knowing if she didn't it was only delaying the inevitable. Heather closed the door behind her, taking in Astrid's clearly just-risen state.

"Have you been crying?"

"What? No. Just woke up!"

A loud yawn turned up to accompany that, bolstering her claim as she hoped Heather would ignore her tear-stained cheeks. Astrid hurried to hide in the bathroom, rinsing away evidence and emptying her bladder before she went back to face Heather again.

"What the hel happened last night?"

"I uh... got into a fight with Thuggory."

"No, I know that. I meant with the twins. I saw you leave with Hiccup, and Eret left not that long after the ambulance did. And you didn't answer your phone all night, you didn't answer your door when I got back last night, and you look like you had a late night."

Astrid sighed, wishing she'd had a moment longer awake and un-interrogated to come up with an excuse, but no, she had to answer for her absence and not tell Heather about the prolonged session with her brothers...

"I was a little emotional. Hiccup took me back to his because he doesn't know where my dorm room is, and I guess their place was closer? I dunno. I slept for a bit on the sofa, and then I left. Nothing happened."

"Really? In the place where everyone gets laid, you took a nap and left?"

She rolled her eyes at Heather, who had at least made her a hot drink to ease the harsh realities of consciousness.

"Yes. I wasn't there to get laid. I didn't even mean to go there at all. Did you enjoy the rest of your party?"

Heather eyed her shrewdly when Astrid changed topic, but nodded.

"Yeah. It was good. Had a little back room dalliance with a cute girl, then got drunk and Dagur made sure I got home alright. When I realised you hadn't come back, I went to bed. I did make sure to save you some cake, it's in my room. I'll bring it by later."

That did bring a small smile to her face - Heather had obviously not wanted Astrid to miss out.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Reckon Thug will leave you alone now?"

"He better or I'll break his other arm."

Heather giggled.

"Atta girl. See, last night was just what you needed!"

Astrid forced a smile, let Heather keep on thinking that. Which worked.

For a few days.

"Are you sure nothing happened with you and the twins?"

"Yes, why?"

Heather shrugged, twirling noodles around her fork.

"They just seem kinda down. Dagur saw Eret in the gym, said he barely cracked a smile. Which is weird for Eret, he smiles at everyone."

"Huh. Maybe he was working through an injury. That usually puts me in a bad mood."

Astrid shoved a forkful of rice and chicken in her mouth. She remembered the flashes of sympathy, the way Hiccup's hands lingered on her hip bones, and how Eret's fingers had dwarfed her waist. The last thing she needed was them tattling on her to their mother about her losing weight and not eating enough. Astrid had no explanation that would placate their parents.

"Maybe. Still. Hiccup seems a little down in the dumps too."

"Finals stress? It's what, the end of their final year, I think?"

"I guess. Just wondered if you had any inside info since you apparently only went to the twins place for pleasant conversation."

Even if Astrid wasn't denying a lot of things, she was truthfully unaware of anything really bothering Hiccup and Eret.

"Yeah, they shared deep emotional secrets with me while I was sleeping."

Heather shook her head, rolled her eyes and resumed eating her noodle soup. Astrid managed to force down more than half her plate, which was more than she'd eaten in a few weeks. Hopefully her clothes would fit her again soon.

And hopefully Heather would stop bringing up the twins. It made her nervous, anxiety tugging in her gut as she feared them turning up, demanding the explanation she'd avoided giving before. They hadn't even tried getting hold of her by phone, which Astrid thought probably said it all. They weren't that interested, not really. More proof that to them, it was just sex, just physical.

That they hadn't fallen for her the way she had for them.

-HTTYD-

Poor, dumb idiots, all three of them. Someone give them a cuddle and cake.