=Normal POV=
{Thursday, May 12, 2022-3:30 pm}
(Berk; Haddock Manor)
"Okay, so what are we working on today?" Astrid asked upon reaching the weight room with Hiccup. It had been about a week since the two of them confessed their feelings to one another, but also where Hiccup told Astrid he wasn't ready for another relationship just yet. Finals were upon them coming Monday the 16th, so this weekend would be spent doing any makeup work or studying to prepare. This was one of the final steps in Senior Year. The rest were Prom on June 3rd, and lastly, Graduation on the 18th of June. Their time at Archian Preparatory was coming to an end, and boy, what a year it had been for all of them. What started out as two groups of friends as enemies turned into one pack of pals, minus one who had taken off after severe embarrassment. The former popular crew had integrated nicely to Hiccup's friends; Hiccup and Astrid could say that the remaining five were mostly forgiven.
"Takedowns and pins," Hiccup informed. "It would be crucial knowledge if you need to hold someone until police arrive,"
"Couldn't Stormfly do that for me, as you did a few weeks ago?" Astrid wondered.
"That's one way, but you should always be prepared with another in case the first fails. It goes back to you needing to know basic skills if you were alone with no help," Hiccup explained. Astrid nodded, understanding. "A takedown or pin can be effective in getting the upper hand to keep fighting, or a way to escape,"
"Okay, how do I do it?" Astrid inquired.
. . .
{4:15 pm}
Hiccup taught Astrid the easiest takedowns and pins in a fight situation. Hiccup would show Astrid at what points she would be able to pull it off; then demonstrate how it would be done. When Hiccup thought she was ready to try it; she would use the moves on Hiccup to get him down on the ground, then pinned. Hiccup also made sure to show Astrid when it was best to get someone down and run for it as an escape because someone bigger and stronger than her could break free before help arrives; then she could be in more danger.
"Well done! Very impressive, Astrid," Hiccup praised as he saw Astrid work with the stand-in dummy human, which was now on the ground with Astrid holding it down in a pin. Hiccup taught her combo moves too; things to use one after the other and not give the attacker a minute to reciprocate. Hiccup had taught Astrid how to block, dodge, turn herself to make sure she didn't take a full hit; he did whatever he could that would help her if she needed to fight to defend herself and he wasn't around. These moves were used to set up for forcing someone to the ground, and or holding them there.
"Really? I did okay?" Astrid asked.
"Beter than I expected you would on the first day," Hiccup smiled. "And not bad for picking it up within an hour," he added as he helped her up and she fixed the dummy.
"What now?" Astrid looked at him.
"Now you do it with a real person," Hiccup said.
"Hey, guys," Thuggory greeted while Hiccup and Astrid turned to see the friends entering.
"Sup?" Hiccup asked.
"We were bored," Snotlout informed.
"So you came here?" Astrid blinked.
"Always do," Hiccup chuckled. "Well, find a spot and relax. Astrid and I are just wrapping up today's training session," he enlightened.
"What were you just saying about doing it with a real person?" Astrid wondered as she looked at him while the rest were finding a seat out of the way. Hiccup stepped towards her as he pulled the necklace with his wedding bands on them off and handed it to Dagur to hold on to. "Wait…No. No no no no…Hiccup, no. I'm not fighting you…" Astrid said quickly.
"You have to," Hiccup said. "You've seen how I fight, and all the people I've gone against whether they be one or several at one time. I've taught you the fundamental basics that I started with and have since expanded on over the years," he started.
"B-But…" Astrid tried.
"If you can't beat me; you don't stand a chance with a possible attacker who won't be showing you any mercy. I've told you, sometimes you only need to fight to get away. If you can get me on the ground and pin me; then I'll consider your training done," Hiccup informed as Astrid bit her bottom lip.
"And if not; we continue training…Don't we?" Astrid asked.
"That's how Gobber trained me; until I could beat him," Hiccup nodded. "It's not going to be a full fight; I know you're not ready for that yet. This is just me throwing you in scenarios to see how you get yourself out of them…" he offered. "I just wanna see where you're at without me coaching your responses," Astrid looked down a bit. "If you don't think you're ready, say so,"
"I-I'll never know if I don't try, right?" Astrid looked at him. Hiccup nodded to her. "Alright…I'm ready…" Astrid nodded.
"Good," Hiccup said as he watched Astrid close her eyes and take a breath; in that time, Hiccup snuck up behind and locked his arms around her arms and mid-section. Astrid tensed quickly; then narrowed her eyes as she threw her head back into Hiccup's face and his arms loosened. Astrid brought her elbow into his stomach to force him back more as she moved a few steps ahead and brought her arms up to defend herself. "Not bad, and nice job with throwing your hands up to defend. Now tell me why you did that instead of running?"
"In case there was another attacker hiding, or the first person recovered quickly and charged for me," Astrid replied. Hiccup nodded as Astrid lowered her hands and smiled a bit. However, Hiccup dashed in and knocked her down onto her back.
"Never let your guard down. You expect the battle to be fair; it will never be fair!" Hiccup scolded.
"What! What did I do?!" Astrid looked up at him surprised, and a bit scared at his tone.
"Just because you land a few good moves and get back doesn't mean you get cocky. Sure, maybe another attacker doesn't emerge, but you lowered your hands and left yourself open to being assaulted again," Hiccup got down to pin her arms over her head and sit on her waist, and then he moved his hands around her neck but didn't apply pressure."And from this position, you can be choked or pinned. Do you understand me? You could be kidnapped, raped, or killed because you thought you won," Hiccup reminded.
Astrid frowned with a huff. How could she have been so stupid to make a rookie mistake after the weeks of this Hiccup had been going over with her? Hiccup got off her and offered a hand to help her up. Astrid stood once more and kept her head down.
"I-I'm sorry…I thought the battle was over…" Astrid said.
"It's never over until help comes, you knock them out, or find a way to keep them in one place defenseless," Hiccup reminded. "Aside from being pinned because you lost sight of your objective, you still didn't know if your attacker had a weapon," Hiccup pulled a toy gun from behind him and squirted her with a little water in the chest. "Could have been killed," he added. "My rules of fighting are never to underestimate your opponent, never let your guard down, and always expect the unexpected,"
Astrid nodded to him. "I won't let it happen again," she affirmed.
"Ensure that you don't, because next time; it might not be me you're fighting, and you could end up dead as a worst-case scenario," Hiccup stated. "Want to try again?"
"I do," Astrid nodded. Hiccup lifted the gun once more, aimed for her head. Astrid moved left as she threw her hand out to grab Hiccup's wrist and turn it until he dropped the weapon. Hiccup's right fist came around as Astrid blocked it with ease before hooking her leg behind Hiccup's to force him to the ground. Astrid hurried to pin him, but Hiccup lifted his legs to lift her up and make her go over him, landing on her back. Hiccup went to pin her down and struggled with her hands to keep him from getting her hands down on the mat.
"Come on, Ast; I know I taught you how to get out of this…" Hiccup pushed. Astrid knew she couldn't push Hiccup back; he was too strong for her, but she did remember what Hiccup told her about fighting someone stronger than herself. Astrid let her arms drop causing Hiccup to lose his balance and fall forward. Astrid brought her head up to bang into Hiccup's; then she adjusted her leg to wrap around Hiccup's and flip him down under her, quickly pinning his hands above his head. Astrid was panting as she stared down at Hiccup, who was breathing hard too. "Good girl," he smiled.
"I-I did it right?" Astrid asked, still not letting up on him.
"Nailed it," Hiccup nodded. "You remembered what I told you about not fighting it, but using it to your advantage," he added. "And well done on the reversal,"
"Now what. Should I get off you, or are you gonna surprise me again?" Astrid asked.
"Oh, I'd love for you to get me off," Hiccup teased. Astrid's cheeks lit up red as she brought her knee up and got him between the legs until he forced her back and curled up a bit.
"Pervert!" Astrid screeched.
"Worth…It…" Hiccup managed as Astrid backed up and folded her arms over her chest with a huff at Hiccup, who laughed a little. As soon as she turned her head from him, but Hiccup kicked out his legs to knock Astrid on her butt before he threw his leg over her and pinned her down. "And that's called tricking your opponent. What did I just teach you? Never underestimate who you fight…There's a bunch of perverts out there who would pull the same move, and some guys will take a shot to the nuts to get out of a pin and turn it back on you,"
Astrid sighed. "I'm never gonna get this…" she closed her eyes.
"You did have it, Ast," Hiccup chuckled as she looked at him. "You did a great job and pinned me the way I taught you. But I figured I'd take the chance to show you that there are some sneaky moves males will pull. But you still executed the main objective. A knee to the nuts is only going to subdue a guy temporarily; your best bet is to use that, then just punch to knock out or back up out of kick range and run,"
"I'll remember that," Astrid nodded with a smile as Hiccup let up on her arms. Astrid sat up a bit as Hiccup went to get up, then suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled Hiccup down so their lips would meet in a kiss. Hiccup's eyes widened, but he ended up kissing her back. The two made out for a few seconds before the friends saw Hiccup's arms move to hold her waist; then Astrid's leg lock around Hiccup's and flip him over onto his back, now straddling his hips and holding his arms at his sides with her knees. Astrid pulled back with a triumphant grin.
"Oh, you sly little bitch…" Hiccup muttered as Astrid giggled.
"You said to use my opponent's weaknesses to my advantage, didn't you?" Astrid asked. Hiccup flopped back and stared up at her.
"That might be the first time I've ever seen that used in combat, but you know what…I ain't gonna knock it because you managed to distract and overpower me. That was pretty crafty, Ast," Hiccup congratulated as Astrid got off him; then allowed Hiccup to get up. "I think we'll call it a day; you did good,"
"So, no more training?" Astrid asked.
"Well, not today, no. But there is more to work on. While kissing your opponent into submission works on me; it may only fire up another guy to take advantage, which would make your situation more dangerous…So I wouldn't advise you ever to use that on an attacker," Hiccup informed calmly as he started putting things away without looking at the group.
"What's wrong? You seem upset?" Heather asked. Astrid hadn't noticed it until Heather said something, but Hiccup's mood did seem to alter a bit after the whole kiss scene.
"I'm fine," Hiccup replied. Astrid moved closer and hand out to stop him; Astrid saw his eyes and stared at him with concern.
"Hiccup? Is something wrong?" Astrid inquired.
"We'll talk about it later when we're alone," Hiccup stated quietly before moving past her to finish cleaning up, then he got his necklace from Dagur. Astrid didn't understand, but she figured she would later on apparently. "Alright, what does everyone wanna do?"
"Game?" Tuffnut shrugged.
"Sure," Hiccup said as they exited the weight room and went to the Gamer's Paradise to hang out for a bit.
. . .
{8:30 pm}
The friends hung out and had dinner with the Haddocks until 8:15 pm before going to their homes. Runa was sleeping, Gobber was out with some old army buds, and Stoick and Valka were in their offices working. Hiccup was in his Sitting Room, staring out into the backyard while leaning on his small balcony. Astrid was in her were, confused about whatever she and Hiccup needed to talk about. Finally, she received a text and checked her phone.
Hic's Cell[8:31 pm]
Will u join me to talk? I'm in my sitting room.
Astrid took a deep breath as she got up and exited her room to get to Hiccup's sitting/library room. Reaching the doors; she knocked. "Hiccup?"
"Come in, Astrid," Hiccup replied. Astrid opened the door and headed inside to see Hiccup staring outside quietly. Hiccup stood up and turned to face her, then motioned for her to come over and join him. Astrid did so as the two looked out silently. "I take it you don't know why I wanted to talk?"
"Not a clue," Astrid said softly.
"It's about the kiss earlier," Hiccup responded.
"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have done that…" Astrid looked down a bit.
"I'm…Impressed that you thought of something like that to reverse a pin, but like I said; it might not be a good idea against someone else who has the intention of doing whatever it takes to make you do what they want," Hiccup informed gently.
"I understand," Astrid nodded.
"The second problem I had with that move is that it didn't feel right. When we kissed, I mean," Hiccup stated as Astrid looked at him fast. "Now…Hang on; don't take it the way it sounded…I just mean that it feels wrong for us to kiss when we aren't a couple…"
"O-Oh," Astrid blushed a bit. "You're saying that we probably shouldn't be kissing?"
"Actually…That's not what I'm saying at all," Hiccup remarked, raising Astrid's curiosity. "Look. I've enjoyed all the kisses we've shared, and…I want to keep doing it without feeling as if it's wrong," Astrid's eyes widened a bit. "What I'm trying to get at here is that I-I want to be with you, Astrid,"
"B-But you said you weren't ready to move on yet?" Astrid reminded.
"Olivia will always have a place in my heart, Astrid. But if my feelings for you have come back; then I think that's my heart telling me to move on, so I'm not going to fight it. I know Liv would want me to be happy, and she knew about you and the feelings I had for you before she came into my life. Oddly enough, Liv always believed that you and I might make it back to one another, and here we are. What I'm saying is that I like you a lot. I don't know if I love you or if this will even last…I mean, I hope it does, but for now…I want to be with you and see where this goes between us; how deep these feelings run, and I think the only way to find that is to be together. That is…If you want the same?" Hiccup looked at Astrid now.
"If you're asking me if I'll be your girlfriend, Hiccup…" Astrid began as Hiccup got nervous, but then Astrid smiled at him. "Then my answer is yes, but I think we should keep it on the down low for now? Things are a bit crazy, and it's still new to us after all,"
"I was just going to suggest that," Hiccup replied. "We won't tell anyone, for now,"
"Sounds good," Astrid nodded. Hiccup smiled as he took her hand and pulled her against him. "Are we allowed to kiss now?" Astrid giggled a bit.
"I think it's acceptable and appropriate now that we're boyfriend and girlfriend," Hiccup chuckled as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers; then Astrid returned the action as the two remained there for a few seconds. Afterward; the kiss broke as they held one another and continued standing on the balcony.
"Should we mark today as the one we got together on?" Astrid wondered.
"Well, let's give it a bit since it's new. We're together, but let's not call it official dating yet," Hiccup suggested.
"More of a trial period to test the waters of us possibly being a long-term couple?" Astrid looked up at him.
"Exactly," Hiccup nodded.
"I'm cool with that. So…Test Dating," Astrid laughed a little. Hiccup kissed her again, then the two remained put, enjoying the moment together.
. . .
=Astrid's POV=
{Sunday, May 15th, 2022-11:15 am}
(Archia Isle; Archia Burger)
Around our friends; we acted like friends who had crushes on one another but never acting on our feelings. It's been three days since our unofficial get together as a couple. Friday night was spent with our small gang, but Saturday; Hiccup and I that we'd have a night just for us by watching a movie in the basement since Runa was with Maeva and Bard. During the day, when Hiccup's friends were over; we would text or take private moments together where we could hug, or share a quick kiss. Today, Hiccup and I were going to go to lunch together with our dragons, but first; he was called to handle something at our job, so here we were. I was sitting at one of the tables while Hiccup was in the back talking to Johann and Henrik about some matter that I didn't know the full details on.
There were a few customers in the building right now, and the workers had it under control. I was bored and hungry. I got a text on my phone and checked it.
Hic's Cell[11:17 pm]
Almost dun. Be out in 5.
I smiled some and got up to use the bathroom while texting back.
You[11:18 pm]
K. Using bathroom & meet u in dining room.
I slipped the device away while entering the girl's room. I did my business and went to wash my hands afterward. My phone rang as I lifted it. "Hello?" I greeted.
"Deliver the key to me, and you will be free," a deep voice said.
"Ex-Excuse me?" I asked, a bit scared.
"You have a possession of your father's that I require; a silver key. If you deliver it to me by Friday the 20th; I promise that no more harm will come to you anymore," the male said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about…" I tried quickly, very confused. "I don't…Have any key,"
"Oh, but you do; it's something you always have. I've been watching you for a while. You're living at Berkian Estates with the Haddocks, attending Archian Preparatory, and currently at Archia Burger with the Mayor's son. It would be a shame if something happened to them next," the man retorted.
"Leave them alone!" I demanded, afraid.
"Give me what I want, or I will get them by force, which involves me hurting the people you care about until I get what I want. Understand? If you deliver; I promise on my life; everything stops. A car will be waiting on Friday. Give me what I want, and all of this ends. Oh, and I wouldn't tell anyone about this little chat…" the man stated as the call ended. I checked the caller; it was Restricted, of course. I didn't know what this guy was going on about, and even worse; I didn't know how to handle the current situation.
