=Normal POV=

{Sunday, February 13, 2022-7:30 am}

(Haddock Manor; Basement)

Hiccup hated sharing his space with Eret, Nadia, Camicazi, Gruffnut, Ragna, and Thuggory. After the event last night, Hiccup just wanted to spend some time with his friends like they did almost every weekend unless something else prevented them from doing so. Unfortunately, because the adults decided to drink too much after Hiccup got called away to work a few hours; most of the adults were staying at Haddock Manor for the night. Hiccup returned home tired, and learning that the six populars he couldn't stand were staying the night; he just wanted to go to bed. However, Hiccup took his chance to shove it in the populars' faces that he was right about them throwing someone aside. In this case; it was Astrid who needed help, and those jerks got rid of her. Hiccup was glad Astrid had been able to see that he was never trying to hurt her; Hiccup only wanted her to see and understand what he was saying. All of it was to protect her from something like what took place happening. Hiccup was happy to see Heather, Ruffnut, and Minden making Astrid feel more welcome into the group of friends. Hiccup hoped that with this; things could go back to how they used to be.

The night was quiet after Hiccup shut the lights off, and everyone nodded off to sleep within half an hour. For Hiccup, though; he couldn't seem to knock out no matter what he did. Hiccup tried shifting around, water, staring at his phone for a bit, but he couldn't fall asleep. Hiccup's headache got worse at 3:10 am, then his stomach started to hurt around 4:30 am. As the night continued, Hiccup began feeling a little feverish when the clock hit 5:45 am. At 7 am, Hiccup developed a migraine, but Hiccup managed to fall asleep. Now, a half-hour later, the others were starting to wake up.

"Morning," Heather said as she came out with Ruffnut, Minden, and Astrid.

"Hey, sis," Dagur greeted.

"Sleep well, girls?" Fishlegs asked.

"Always," Minden replied.

"Speak for yourselves," Thuggory got up, cracking his back in the process.

"At least Hiccup was nice enough to provide sleeping bags and pillows," Ruffnut rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, stop complaining," Snotlout remarked.

"Morning Hic-," Astrid started but noticed Hiccup was still knocked out in the recliner. "He's still out?" she looked to his friends.

"Weird…Isn't Hiccup usually the first one up?" Tuffnut stated.

"Yeah," Heather nodded. Dagur moved to the recliner and tapped Hiccup's shoulder a few times, but Hiccup stayed asleep.

"Hiccup. Hey, time to wake up, brother," Dagur shook Hiccup a little harder this time. Hiccup groaned a little, finally turning over and putting a hand on his head, then opening his eyes a little.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"Dude, it's 7:30 am. What are you still doing sleeping?" Snotlout asked.

"Maybe because I didn't fall asleep until 7 am…" Hiccup remarked.

"Why not?" Ruffnut asked. Hiccup adjusted in the chair, then put the leg-rest down as he tossed off the blanket to get up. Of course, this task wasn't so easy as Hiccup had trouble finding his strength to complete the action.

"Legs asleep?" Eret chuckled a little. Hiccup ignored it as he tried again, but couldn't with how much his head was bothering him. On top of that; he was beginning to feel nauseated too. Hiccup bent over, holding his head.

"Cuz, you okay?" Snotlout asked. Hiccup shook his head slowly.

"Isn't that the position Hiccup goes into when he has a migraine?" Fishlegs asked.

"Oh, shit; you're right," Dagur added. "When did it start?"

"Half an hour an hour ago, right before I fell asleep. I was up all night not feeling well," Hiccup admitted.

"All this over a headache?" Gruffnut laughed.

"A migraine is not the same as a headache, Gruffnut. Migraines are much more intense with worse symptoms," Heather rolled her eyes.

"It feels like someone took a bat to your head and neck, or working through a really bad hangover," Minden added.

"Hiccup is prone to migraines; he's had them since he was about thirteen, and they come on at random. They can last from a few hours to a few days. How bad is it, Hiccup?" Dagur put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder gently. Hiccup didn't answer right away; he was rubbing the sides of his head and neck.

"Ugh…" Hiccup moaned as his body jerked a little.

"Where's your migraine medicine?" Fishlegs asked.

"My room, master bath…Left side of counter," Hiccup managed.

"I'll grab it," Heather announced, then rushed off quickly. Hiccup jerked again, breathing hard.

"He's gonna throw up," Tuffnut stated. Seconds afterward, Hiccup was up and rushing down the hall past his spare room, then around the corner into the bathroom that sat right before the home theater. The door slammed shut and then the sound of Hiccup vomiting was heard.

"Are you sure he's not just sick?" Astrid asked.

Dagur shook his head. "It's possible. But when Hiccup gets migraines; it's pretty bad. Sensitivity to light, sound, even some smells. He gets nauseous and ends up puking. He has meds for it, but sometimes they don't help a lot if he's already in the worst of everything," Hiccup stayed in the bathroom five minutes and threw up a total of three times including the first. Heather returned downstairs, Valka and Stoick with her.

"Where is he?" Stoick asked.

"Bathroom still," Fishlegs said. Valka went to the door, knocking on it with her knuckle.

"Son? It's mom. Are you okay?" Valka asked.

"Ssh…" was Hiccup's response.

"Can't deal with loud sounds, vomiting, and I don't see the light on in there, so it could be too late for pills," Stoick informed.

"You can come in," Hiccup said. Valka opened the door to see Hiccup sitting on the floor.

"We should get you upstairs to rest, Hiccup," Stoick offered as he moved inside to help Hiccup get to his feet.

"I might have something that can help…" Astrid offered.

"I'll try anything to relieve some of this," Hiccup said.

"Sit on the floor, and take your socks off," Astrid smiled a little, then she headed out of the room as Hiccup did what she said while confused. Astrid returned minutes later with a bowl of water and a bag of frozen vegetables under her arm. Astrid knelt down, and set Hiccup's feet in the water, which he discovered was between hot and warm; a comfortable temperature. "Here, bend forward and put your forehead on your knees," she instructed as Hiccup did so. Astrid put the frozen bag at the base of his neck and held it there. "There, now just close your eyes and try to relax for like ten minutes,"

"And we'll be quiet," Heather said as everyone just kind of sat back and remained quiet, seeing if Astrid's method would work. The entire ten minutes, Hiccup's head remained down, eyes closed, and trying to stay relaxed. Shockingly, Hiccup noticed that the pressure in his head was lightening up a bit; his head didn't hurt as much as before.

"How do you feel, son?" Stoick asked calmly.

"Tired, nauseous, can deal with low volume, and dim lights. A lot of pressure is off though; it's a little better," Hiccup admitted softly. "How'd you know what to do?"

"My…Mom used to get a lot of stress migraines, and that's one of the things she did. I wasn't sure if your was stress or not, but worth a try," Astrid informed.

"You should probably take one of your pills, Hiccup; then black out your room and get some more rest," Fishlegs offered. Hiccup removed the frozen bag, then sat up slowly; he looked miserable and sick. Dagur put out his hand to help him up carefully. Hiccup took it as Dagur pulled Hiccup to his feet; then Valka handed Hiccup one of the pills, which Hiccup took with some water. After that, Dagur helped Hiccup to the elevator. The doors closed, and those two were gone.

"Thank you, Astrid," Stoick said.

"It's the least I can do after what he did for me," Astrid smiled.

"Well, let's all get upstairs for breakfast. Hiccup won't be joining us for obvious reasons," Valka said gently. After that; everyone cleaned up and got upstairs. Hiccup was in his room with the shades drawn, and fast asleep according to Dagur, who had left Hiccup there to rest. After breakfast got served, Eret, Guffnut, Nadia, Camicazi, Ragna, and Thuggory all left. As Hiccup needed to rest to get over a migraine; the others except for Astrid left shortly after. Astrid went to her room to relax and hoping that Hiccup would feel better soon, and also fearing the return to school now that the others knew she was living at Haddock Manor.

. . .

{Thursday, February 17, 2022-12:10 pm}

(Archian Preparatory; Cafeteria)

It had been a few days since the populars found out that Astrid was living at Hiccup's house, and they had been contemplating how to make Astrid's life a living hell. Finally, they knew how to go about it. Another public humiliation in front of the lunch room. All of this started with rumors that Eret and the others began circulating the school about Astrid's living situation. And truthfully; they were starting to get to Astrid a lot because some were true, and she didn't want to own up to them for the sake of not being teased anymore. It began on Monday during class changes that Astrid would hear things as she walked through the hallways.

"I heard she was living under a bridge,"

"Did you hear? Astrid was spotted entering a homeless shelter?"

"Rumor is floating around is that someone was taking showers before school hours begin. I bet I know who it is,"

"I heard she's living at Berkian Estates,"

This had been exactly what Astrid feared happening if anyone found out. Some of the things said; Astrid couldn't deny, and she knew the possibility of being seen was high. Someone could have seen her when she was living on the streets, or at the shelter. The showering at school bit wasn't untrue either, and staff of the academy suspected someone was sneaking in to shower. Astrid could only assume that they knew it was her, but not saying anything because they felt bad or whatever. However, the biggest problem now is that Astrid was living with the Haddocks, and Astrid knew that there were only six people in the entire school who knew for a fact she was staying at Haddock Manor and would use that information to make her miserable. It sucked, but what could Astrid do to stop it? It was the truth of the matter; she was living at Haddock Manor because she had been utterly homeless, taking showers at school, and living on the streets before Hiccup found her the night of the snowstorm.

Now, it was lunch hour with forty minutes to go until next period. Astrid was sitting with Hiccup, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Minden as usual; she had a permanent place at the table with them. Honestly, Astrid liked the feeling of being around her old friends; she felt happier because she knew it was a real friendship, and not fake like it had been with Eret and the others.

"So when do we get to start flying, Hiccup?" Minden inquired curiously.

"Well, Finals Week is May 16th through the 20th, and you'll need to know flying for that. And there is quite a bit that goes into it, so we're starting your dragon flyer training on the 1st of March," Hiccup stated.

"How long will it take us?" Camicazi leaned towards the table.

"As long as you do as your told; it shouldn't long at all. I plan to teach you all the flying you need to know until the end of April; then we'll use the remainder of the time until Finals for review on anything you're not sure on from either semester," Hiccup informed.

A couple of girls walked by, snickering as they did. "Hey, Astrid? Is it true that you're fucking Hiccup for a place to live?"

"What?!" Astrid screeched, appalled at the assumption. "No!"

"But it is true you're living with him, aren't you?" another questioned.

"W-Well, yes, but we're not-," Astrid started.

"True that you two danced to a love song last Saturday?" one inquired.

"True you two hugged?" one giggled.

"We're friends," Astrid defended quickly.

"Does he fuck you good?"

"We're not having sex!" Astrid said.

"Rumor has it that the last girl he was with said Hiccup was a God in bed,"

"Makes sense why Hiccup is single now; you drove off the other girl, didn't you?"

"Or, are you the girl who replaced Hiccup's girlfriend after she-," one began, and that's when Hiccup got decided to stay something. Clenching his fist until the knuckles turned white, he stood up. Everyone remembered what happened last time Hiccup got mad at someone mentioning Olivia, and now they worried what he would do this time when people were assuming Hiccup and Astrid were sleeping together.

"ENOUGH!" Hiccup snapped angrily, bringing the room to silence. "Just to effectively shut down any more fucking rumors, which I know were started by six people specifically…" Hiccup glared at the populars. "Yes, Astrid lives with my family and me. Yes, we are friends. No, we are not having sex with one another. And no, she didn't replace my girl. And before any other rumors mysteriously begin regarding that subject…My girl, who was, in fact, my wife, passed away from cancer in November, which is the last time I snapped because some people couldn't keep their noses out of my business! No one can replace my wife, ever! I might get over losing her, and I might move on and fall in love again one day, but that doesn't mean someone else will take her place. As for anything else involving Astrid; she has done nothing wrong, so leave her the hell alone!" he yelled.

Without another word, like the first time, Hiccup stormed out of the cafeteria and ignored the attempts of the lunchroom aids, a few teachers who would watch for trouble and step in if necessary, to have Hiccup come back into the room. Astrid felt bad; she knew it had to be hard for Hiccup to tell everyone what happened to Olivia, and he did it to shut down any more rumors starting regarding him and Astrid. After Hiccup left, the room began to resume eating and talking while Hiccup's friends and Astrid just sighed knowing that they probably wouldn't see Hiccup the rest of lunch hour.

. . .

{3:05 pm}

(Student Lot)

Ruffnut and Heather confirmed that Hiccup was in Science Class after lunch ended, and Hiccup was present for Dragon Training too. Astrid and the others noticed right away that Hiccup looked upset and annoyed. And who could blame him? The class went smoothly, and now it was over. Astrid and Hiccup had work tonight, so the two of them were headed to the lot to get to Archia Burger.

"Damn it; I forgot something in the stables. I'll meet you at the car," Hiccup said, then quickly turned the other direction, and ran off. Astrid continued forward on her path and saw Hiccup's Jeep in sight. However, someone ran into her, and she dropped a few things she was carrying.

"Jerk…" Astrid muttered as she knelt down to start grabbing what fell onto the pavement. Seconds later, a green van zipped around the corner and was headed right for Astrid.

"ASTRID! LOOK OUT!" Fishlegs warned. Astrid lifted her head, seeing the van; her eyes widened, and she froze in fear. Moments before Astrid would have gotten hit, and probably killed; a pair of hands fell on her arms and yanked her to the right and out of the way. Still scared, Astrid's eyes squeezed shut tightly as she felt herself falling. However, she never hit the ground.

"Dagur, stop that van!" Astrid heard Hiccup yell.

"On it!" Dagur called back. Astrid felt two arms around her figure and someone on top of her; breathing hard and a bit afraid still, Astrid opened her eyes and looked up to see that she was on the ground and being held by Hiccup.

"Oh, my Gods! Astrid! Are you okay?" Heather hurried over with Minden, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout.

"I-I think…so…" Astrid managed. "Wh-What happened?"

"That van was headed right for you, and you froze in place. Hiccup pulled you out of the way," Ruffnut explained. Hiccup got up and helped Astrid to her feet.

"Hiccup! He's getting away!" Dagur informed, pointing to the male who was trying to make a run for the woods.

"Keep an eye on her," Hiccup said as he gave a whistle and Toothless was at his side almost instantly. Hiccup jumped on his back, opening the tail. "After him, bud!" Toothless shot forward after the person driving the van, and cut him off as Toothless snared, bearing his teeth at the man. "That's far enough," Hiccup glared. Dagur landed on Shattermaster, making sure the male couldn't run anywhere else.

"Snotlout, call your dad. That guy just tried to run Astrid down!" Minden told Snotlout, who nodded and placed a call.

"Dad, someone tried to run Astrid down at school. Hiccup and Dagur have him cornered with their dragons," Snotlout said, then a few moments later. "Got it," then the call ended. "He's on his way with Uncle Al," Adelaide had finally made it to the group as Ruffnut was explaining what happened to Astrid. About ten minutes must have gone by before a squad car pulled up with Alvin and Spitelout getting out of it shortly afterward. Alvin took care of cuffing the male and getting him in the back of the cruiser.

"Astrid, tell me what happened," Spitelout asked. Astrid sighed but began to explain things; it didn't take very long since everything happened so quickly.

"And that's when Hiccup and Dagur cornered the guy until you arrived," Astrid finished.

"Stoick expressed his concerns to me that something like this might happen," Spitelout closed his eyes. This made Astrid remember what Stoick told her; that her parents were killed in a fire that was intentionally set. Something that she would have died in had she been home that night too. Hiccup looked at his uncle Spitelout now.

"You mean people going after Astrid, actively trying to kill her?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes; we're still working on the reasons why, and this could just be a coincidence that isn't tied to-," Alvin began.

"It's not the first time I've been attacked since my parents died…" Astrid said, her eyes closed and head turned away with her hands on her arms. Hiccup's eyes widened a little, shocked and a little worried. If this wasn't the first time, then why hasn't Astrid said anything?

"I feel we should move this to the station," Spitelout informed.

"I'll bring Astrid there," Hiccup offered; he wanted to know about this, and he felt he should go because Astrid would likely need the support. With everyone in agreement, Hiccup and Astrid got in Hiccup's Jeep, then left the lot following behind the cruiser.