LyccaeTheSecond: Don't forget you planned to have chocolate with this chapter! (although personally I'd save it for next chapter)

-HTTYD-

Biting his lip, Hiccup let his eyes roam over the table in front of him. It was set for five people, a rare occasion for their flat. Had only happened once, over three years back now when they first moved in...

Thinking about the past hurt, as it so often did lately. Back then, everything had been alright. Normal. Or, well, as normal as things had ever been. He and Eret had been close already, closer than siblings or even twins were supposed to be... but aside from that, everything had been fine. There had been no threesome escapades to keep secret from the rest of the family and Astrid had been nothing more than their sister. Well, save for Hiccup and Eret's occasional... Hiccup shook those thoughts of. Gods, what would he give to go back to that time, when Astrid was just simply excited, jealous, and a bit sad to see them leave their shared childhood home.

Sure, going back to what they'd had about the year before, with Astrid slotting perfectly into a space between him and Eret he hadn't even realised was empty, that would be even better… But Hiccup was beyond being picky. Anything would be better than the awful silence between them now.

Hiccup hadn't even noticed that staring at the table while his mind ran riot had made him tremble. He instantly calmed down though, at least a little, when a pair of strong arms wound around his waist from behind, and he eagerly let himself melt into Eret's embrace. At least they still had each other. He'd have lost his mind without Eret the last few months.

"Do you think she'll come?"

Hiccup wanted to chide himself for the uncertainty in his voice, but there was little he could do about it. Originally, the idea of luring her out of her shell under the pretense of their birthday had sounded like a fantastic idea to him. But by now, he wasn't so sure anymore. Yeah, she had agreed to come and it would be good to see and talk to her again. But at the same time, talking about anything important would be impossible with their parents right there and Astrid far too skilled at dodging them lately...

"Well, I should hope so," Eret replied. He too sounded strained, anxious, but still tried to add some joking lightness for which Hiccup was grateful "you spent a lot of time preparing this just for her, after all. It would be rather rude of her not to come."

Despite himself, Hiccup felt his lips twitch into something of a weak smile. This meant a meal that had been one of Astrid's favourites ever since he could remember. Stuffed shells, big and filled up with seafood and some extra diced fish, cooked in a minestrone-like sauce and covered by an Astrid-appropriate amount of cheese. It certainly was a tasty dish, but it took quite some time to prepare it. This time, he'd started two days ago to get everything for today right – which usually was more time than Astrid was willing to wait for food. Or… had been…

And there it was again, that sting that came with thinking about the past, about Astrid. Hopefully, there would be a way to mend their relationship, at least enough that she would talk to them again. If only she'd give them the chance to apologise for… for whatever it was that had upset her. If she would just explain…

Hiccup didn't comment further, only stared at where he knew without turning that his twin was gazing, too. The seat that was, by custom, Astrid's, the middle one on the side with the three chairs. Right between him and Eret…

He really hoped she would come.

Both he and Eret jumped when the doorbell rang. They shared a tense look and a nod, Eret squeezing him around the middle before they seperated and headed over to open for whoever it would be. If Astrid arrived before their parents then they might get a few unobserved minutes to talk. But would Astrid ring the bell, when she still had their key?

The distinctive laughter of their father told them who it was in advance though, which was good. It meant there wouldn't be a disappointed shadow crossing his face when he opened the door.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again boys," Valka greeted them as soon as they were all back inside the flat, pulling them both into hugs "Honestly, it feels like an age since you were home for the holidays. I missed you so much."

"They are growing up, Valka dear. Soon, they won't even be students anymore but grown men heading out into the world for real. You've got to accept that,"

Eret Sr. teased his pouting wife before turning to his sons with a "happy birthday to you two" before he hugged them, a rarer occasion as their father wasn't quite as tactile and affectionate as his wife.

"Thanks pops,"

Hiccup muttered, trying to appreciate the gesture without throwing another worried glance in the direction of their entrance room. It was already five minutes past the agreed-upon time. What if Astrid came up with some excuse to stay away after all?

As if she was able to read his mind, or perhaps equally concerned, Valka was the one to ask.

"But where's Astrid? I'd expected her to be here already, getting a head start on the food."

Hiccup tried to push an answer past the lump in his throat, but he didn't need to reply as Eret beat him to it.

"Oh, you know how it is. It's her second year, and she realised that she actually has to work for her degree and can't just laze around all day. She's so busy lately, we hardly see anything of her either" He even managed to add a light chuckle, and it seemed as if nobody but Hiccup heard how forced it was "but I'm sure she'll be here any moment. You told her when you'd be here, didn't you?"

Valka confirmed, and they passed another couple of minutes with small talk, distributing drinks and generally getting a little more settled but the time seemed to drag out endlessly. Hiccup half expected a phone call or maybe even just a short text from Astrid any minute now, her telling them that she was sorry but couldn't make it after all. Probably to their mother, with a promise she'd see her soon. He wasn't sure what he and Eret would do if that happened. Probably eventually end up confronting her at her dorm after all. Gods, by now he barely cared about what the other students might think, just as long as they just got the chance to talk to her again.

Eventually, there was a tentative, near-silent knock and it took all of Hiccup's remaining self-control not to gasp out a relieved prayer and leap from his seat. Noticing how Eret's hand slipped and he almost knocked a glass over in his eagerness to get to the door helped too, odd as it was. The reminder that his twin was just as nervous as he was, and just as desperate.

Seeing Astrid at their door at last was… weird. Hiccup's heart thundered like the hooves of a galloping horse, his mind going blank over simply seeing her. She was just as breath-taking as always, wearing jeans and a loose blouse in dark blue that went wonderfully with her eyes and hair. He was aware that those weren't the kind of thoughts he should have, but he couldn't help it. Her hair was falling in soft waves around her face, a rare sight beyond their bedrooms where Hiccup had buried his fingers in the silken strands countless times... but no matter how inappropriate and alluring those thoughts were, he forgot it as soon as his eyes found hers.

Astrid was scared.

Oh, she definitely tried to appear happy and lighthearted as always, throwing smiles around and hugging them all in greeting. But there was something in her eyes, some underlying panic. When they hugged, Hiccup deeply inhaling her scent as his face was buried in her hair and his heart fluttered painfully in his chest, he could have sworn he felt her trembling and retreated a little more hastily than was usual for her, thoough not quick enough to raise their parents suspicions and she pasted that smile back on as soon as she'd pulled away from Eret.

And, as it turned out during the next couple of minutes, inviting her along with their parents had been a horrible idea.

Gods, it was good to see her again. So good that Hiccup was hardly able to keep his eyes off her and Eret was little better, despite knowing that at the same time, they couldn't risk their parents noticing anything unusual. It was just a liiiiittle nerve-wracking.

And if they'd hoped to get a moment to talk to her in private in some way, that hope was quite thoroughly crushed by her making a point of never leaving the living room and the company of their parents for even a minute. In a way it was even more tortuous than the past weeks, her being right there but the answers he and Eret craved even further out of reach than ever. Astrid was close enough to touch, to cradle close and never let go but they couldn't just pull her into their arms and keep her there until the knot in Hiccup's chest went away.

Hiccup was acttually glad when it was time to get their food ready. It meant he could sort of hide in the kitchen, the open room not enough to really be alone but it was enough to get at least a little grounded again. Especially when Eret followed him to help with the food. Hiccup dearly wished they could hug and comfort each other, but as it was covertly squeezing hands had to be enough.

"This is even worse."

Hiccup lamented under his breath after he'd needed three attempts to get the big baking tray with the stuffed shells out of the oven, almost burning himself twice. Eret reached for his trembling hands, the motion covered as making sure the tray didn't tip and dump the fruits of Hiccup's labour all over the floor.

"Easy now, don't waste good food!" Eret said, audible for the others before he dropped his voice for Hiccup's ears only "the day isn't over yet. Maybe the food will make her loosen up a bit, or…"

He trailed off, shrugging helplessly when the tray was finally on the side to breathe for a minute before being taken through for devouring. Hiccup nodded, though without much vigour to it.

"Yeah, maybe."

He murmured, then took the salad bowl and a bottle of white wine from the fridge and headed back to the others.

Astrid and their parents had already relocated to the dining table, looking up as Hiccup placed the salad bowl onto the table and began pouring wine in everyone's glasses. When he reached Astrid's glass however, his hands trembling a little at how close she was as he leaned past her, she quickly covered her glass with her hand and shook her head.

"No. Thanks, but no wine for me."

Still breathing her scent in, Hiccup struggled to remember how to speak. Valka cocked her head, giving her daughter a mildly puzzled look.

"No wine? I thought you liked this one a lot, that's why we picked it when Hiccup let us know what he was making."

Astrid threw a glance at the bottle in Hiccup's hands, a gift their parents had brought along for the occasion, and swallowed heavily.

"I... yeah, I do," she confirmed, slowly "b-but… you know… I-I still have some studying to do tonight, a-and I… well, I'd rather keep a clear head."

Chuckling weakly, she ducked her head, hiding her face behind her hair as it fell like a curtain around her. Was that why she wasn't wearing it in a braid or a pony-tail today? To hide from them? The thought made Hiccup's heart ache even more.

"I'll get you something else then," Eret threw in before anyone focused too hard and noticed Hiccup's emotional state "you want some coke instead?"

Astrid seemed to think about it for a minute, but shook her head.

"No, just… just water, please."

Eret nodded, turing to go back to the kitchen while their father took a swallow of the wine, nodding approvingly before he commented/

"Suit yourself, lass. But I doubt one glass of wine would ruin your studying session and you know it would go perfectly with these stuffed shells. Ah, they smell delicious. Good job lad!"

He reached out to serve shells to everyone, the potent scent of seafood saturating the air around them when the cheesy top was broken.

The praise usually would have made Hiccup smile, but today it barely reached him. Instead, he threw Astrid a hesitant glance, waiting for her reaction. Even a small smile from her would be worth so much right now, far more than any physical birthday gift. But her response... well, it was completely different from anything he'd expected.

With wide eyes, she was staring at the shells on her plate, face suddenly paling to an alarming shade of white. Her hand flew up to her mouth, muffling her rushed words.

"I-I'm sorry, but…" hastily, she scrambled to her feet and made a few steps backward "I-I'll be right back!"

Then she turned and all but sprinted away from them and toward the bathroom.

Four pairs of eyes followed her with equal bewilderment.

"Okay, that was not quite the reaction I was hoping for."

Hiccup frowned as he tried to make sense of Astrid's behaviour. He set the bottle he was still holding down onto the table and ran his hands through his hair. What was up with her? It could hardly be the food - she hadn't touched it!

"She… looked a little sick."

Valka commented, visibly worried. She was rising up from her chair when Eret motioned for her to stay.

"It's alright, mom. We'll go check on her."

He threw Hiccup a meaningful glance and then headed off to where Astrid had just disappeared. Hiccup took less than a second to react, following his brother and calling over his shoulder.

"Yeah we'll take care of this, and you stay there and enjoy your meal."

With relief, he noticed their mother sitting down again. There were puzzled expressions on their parents' faces, but that wasn't of any importance to him right now. All that mattered was Astrid.

They found her, as expected, in the bathroom. The door stood halfway open; Astrid had obviously making a great deal of haste to get to the toilet over which she was kneeling, audibly retching. Eret didn't hesitate more than a second before he was kneeling down beside her and pulling her hair back so it wouldn't get messy. Hiccup needed a moment longer, feeling guilty somehow, before he crouched down at her other side and rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry" he said when she'd stopped retching and would hear him, even though he still couldn't determine what it was he felt the need to apologise for "I… I thought I'd be doing you a favour with this dish."

With a weak groan, Astrid shook her head. She spat in the bowl, wiped her mouth and reached clumsily for the chain to flush before she leaned against Eret for support – a sight that would have pleased him immensely if she hadn't been in such a wrecked state – and mumbled in response.

"That's not the problem…"

-HTTYD-

This was originally a much longer chapter, but when it started pushing 8k and multiple POV shifts, I decided to split it up. So I'll be sure to put the other half up soon.