=Normal POV=
(Thursday, 2/28/19-11:30 am)
(Berk, Archia Isle)
(Hooligan High School)
It appeared the arrangement Hector and Astrid made back at the beginning of January was perfect for them and anyone involved, like their families and the company merge, which was more than underway now. The new central hub was in the city, it was being fixed up, rewired, and organized. For now, all the workers of the two companies that would go to the central office of the merged business were staying in their offices on Berk. Not everyone was required to transfer buildings, but those who wanted to, and approved, were welcome to move. The friends were somewhat aware of the situation between Hector, but not in great detail. The parents of the two believed everything was going as it should be for married after seven months. Hector and Astrid kept their hookups out of the apartment, out of respect. It was done at the other person's place, if they were alone, or in a hotel using disguises. Sometimes, rarely, in the car, but only if it was in an abandoned place where they couldn't get caught. Hector and Astrid kept up on their appearances, played the roles of husband and wife, and did well in school. Hector still worked for Glenn at the garage, but would be leaving soon since now, he was eighteen and his father was going to have him in the company full time, aside from school hours.
Right now, it was lunch hour at school and the friends were all sitting together. Hector and Astrid were next to one another, eating their food and everyone was chatting softly. Most of the conversations were about careers, or work, that school was almost over in four months.
"Oh, how'd the interview go the other day, Astrid?" Heather inquired.
"Really good, I think. I owe your brother for taking me since Hector was working and my car is misbehaving again," Astrid groaned a bit. "Wait, how'd you know I had an interview?"
"Thank your husband," Heather chuckled as Astrid eyed her, confused. "He's the one who asked Drew to take you when you were mad at your car for misbehaving again."
"Oh…Um, thank you, Hector," Astrid stated gently.
"Mmhm. You're welcome," Hector then took a bite of his sandwich, thumbing a message to someone. Astrid couldn't see who, but she guessed it could be anyone. "Hope you hear back soon and get it," He finally added.
"So, we doing anything tonight for your birthday, cuz?" Syrus wondered gently.
"Uh, sure. But I got other plans at 8 pm with a couple of work pals," Hector stated. Astrid wondered what he meant. Was it really work friends or a hookup with some girls who wanted to give Hector a birthday fucking. Astrid supposed it was none of her business, but she'd end up at the apartment by herself after Hector left to go have fun since she didn't make any plans for sex tonight. In Astrid's opinion, Hector seemed to get it most days out of the week and there were some nights that he didn't even come home. Astrid knew she couldn't say anything to them because this was the agreement to only act married, but they were separated and stuck living together for the act.
"No problem, we'll head out around 7:30 then. Usual stuff? Pizza, wings, chips, dip, soda? We'll all bring something and come over for 4-ish? If that's okay?" Flynn offered.
"Sounds good. My parents aren't celebrating till Saturday, with the in-laws too. Dad wants to make his announcement about my future…Well, guess it's his since he's planning it for me," Hector rolled his eyes.
"Still mad about at them, aren't you?" Madison said lightly.
"How many times have I said I am not going to forget or forgive the fact my future was literally taken away and planned according to someone else's desires…" Hector remarked. "Yes, I'm still mad." He went back to replying to the multitude of messages he was getting.
"Who is messaging you that much, your dad about the thing work thing?" TJ wondered.
"Just a couple out of district friends, but yes, my father is among them and reminding me that I'm eighteen now and get to start the other part of my future that I wasn't given a choice in…" He rolled his eyes, not caring about the display of annoyance he felt towards things. Astrid was trying to figure out what everyone was talking about. What work thing involving Hector and his father? What other future thing that he didn't get a choice in. Astrid knew the arranged marriage was one aspect, but what was the other.
"Am…I the only one who doesn't know what we're talking about anymore?" Astrid decided to ask.
"You don't know that Hector is going to be taking over the merged company in June after graduation?" Heather blinked as Astrid shook her head, shocked. Hector was leading the company? Taking over?
"Of course she doesn't know, Heather. She wanted nothing to do with the business, so her father keeps it out of it unless she needs to be part of something…Like events, and this forced marriage." Hector retorted. "It's nothing she needs to worry about, so I haven't told her that after I graduate in June, I'm taking over as the newly merged company as its CEO." Hector glanced at Astrid. "After this weekend, Astrid, my father will be having me work with him at the office, learning how to be CEO. I won't work at the garage anymore," He informed her. "And then I'll take over in June, legally." He added.
"I think your dad hoped that you'd work beside Hector when he took over, family business type of thing," Roxanne mentioned.
"I've never really been into the business thing," Astrid admitted.
"It's fine. You don't need to worry about it. I'll take care of the business, you just take care of the apartment since I'm going to be busy and around less," Hector told her firmly.
"Okay, I can do that…" Astrid nodded.
Hector sort of made an under his breath snort and mumble that Astrid couldn't handle it before, and didn't believe she could when he was busier. Everyone else continued chatting a bit about whatever came up. Hector was still texting between eating and responding to his friends. Astrid caught a few glimpses of the names for people who were messaging him, some were male names, and Astrid assumed those were people from work or other male friends to people who attended school in other towns, or the main city. There were messages popping up from Dad, and then Astrid saw the most texts from female names. The names Astrid saw were Rose, Selena, Bri, and Liv; she didn't recognize any except Bri, that was probably Briana Grayson, the daughter of their landlord. Astrid knew that Hector, in the past, tutored her. Some of these girls had to be ones Hector was sleeping with, Astrid saw the peeks at the messages about when u free? That was all Astrid needed to see to know Hector clearly had many hookup girls available when he wanted to get laid. And the curious part was that there could be more girls, and these were just the ones he was talking to right now.
Truthfully, Astrid kept feeling a twinge of jealousy at how easy Hector could get it. That these girls reached out to him often. It was really none of Astrid's business, but still, she was curious to how good Hector had to fuck these girls for them to be wanting to hook up most of the week if he was available. Astrid wondered if she'd ever meet any of these girls, but she figured that was unlikely. It was part of the agreement; they were separated and had to keep these hookups private and out of the apartment. They had their own separate lives aside from acting with those who could possibly spill that Hector and Astrid were sleeping around with other people. In the last month or so, Astrid only hooked up a few times, and it was with her ex, Tristan. It was usually at Tristan's house when his parents were out, or in one of their cars in an abandoned spot. They didn't use a hotel because Tristan refused to sneak around in a hotel just for them to have sex.
And because she was worried about getting pregnant, Astrid wouldn't let Tristan cum inside her even with the condom. Astrid wouldn't do vaginal sex with him, only anal and it had to be protected and if he was about to cum, he had to pull out and do it in the condom, on her stomach. Astrid didn't care about giving hand and blowjobs, and she didn't care about being fingered or eaten out. Astrid, when she couldn't hook up with Tristan, sometimes resorted to masturbation if she got turned on. There were times she kind of wished she could ask Hector if he'd help her out, but ever since that argument last month, Hector made it clear that they only had to act married with their parents and in the public eye. Sex, obviously, wouldn't be happening in either of those settings. For everything else, they were separated. The friends knew Hector and Astrid argued, but not about what. The friends knew Hector and Astrid agreed to stay married and technically separated, living in separate rooms, but not about the hookups with other people.
Hector said the only time he and Astrid would have sex again as if they needed to keep up the act and eventually have a child to pacify their parents. Astrid suspected Hector would be watching her cycle closely, involving ovulation tests to know when she'd be fertile so they could only do it once to achieve pregnancy. Astrid knew she screwed up with Hector, and that was her own fault. There was a small part of her that wanted to maybe up her wife game, and show Hiccup that she wanted to try and make things work with him. It would take a lot of work to prove it and Hector would have to be willing to forgive her, and also willing to try again, with both of them working together to make the marriage successful. But right now, Astrid didn't know if it would be good to push things when they just made the agreement that they had in place.
The sound of the bell ringing drew Astrid from her thoughts, she saw her friends and Hector getting up to toss their garbage away. She moved to do the same. "We'll see you guys tonight!" The friends informed, getting out and leaving Hector and Astrid behind. Their classes were far closer than the rest, so they didn't have to rush to make it on time before the next bell.
"Should I expect you home tonight after you go out at 8 pm?" Astrid wondered.
"Haven't decided if I'm staying out or coming back to the apartment yet," Hector said. "I won't call it home. Home is where you're happy, and I'm not there. In fact, I'm happy anywhere but there," He added. "I'll see you in either class or by my car at the end of the day to drive you since your car isn't ready yet…"
"What was wrong with it this time?" Astrid questioned.
"Glenn is still running over it, but safe to say that your car may be at the end of its life with what we're seeing so far," Hector told her. Astrid groaned.
"Great…" Astrid sighed. "And I don't have the money put away to get a replacement," She muttered.
"We'll fix what we can, but it is an old car, Astrid. It's a 97 Pontiac, in 2007 it was ten years old. We're in 2019 now, it's twenty-two. I'm surprised it's still running…" Hector said while they exited the cafeteria together.
"It's probably gonna cost more to fix than it would be to get something else…" Astrid mumbled.
"Relax, alright. I've worked with cars since I was ten with Glenn. We'll do what we can to keep it running. Just hope you get this job, and start putting money away." Hector informed, then he leaned in to give her a small kiss on the cheek before he broke off to get to his next class.
Astrid sighed, she knew it wasn't going to be easy to chat casually with Hector when it was just them. Granted, they were in school, no one was really paying any mind to them. Hector still have her a small piece of affection in case people were watching. Neither one of them put it past their fathers to have people watching them. Classmates, and teachers. Astrid didn't waste time after Hector walked off, she moved to her class next and sat down with a heavy sigh. Right now, she hated everything about her life and could use going home and taking a nap.
. . .
(2:30 pm)
Somewhere in the last two hours since lunch ended, Astrid wasn't feeling well. With the day over now, Astrid used the bathroom before making her way outside to the student lot and finding Hector against his car and texting on his phone.
"Sorry for making you wait, Hector," Astrid stated as she walked up to him.
Hector lowered the phone and slipped it away. "It's fine. Ready to leave?" Hector inquired. Astrid nodded to him as they got into Hector's car, and buckled up. Soon, they were on the way back to the apartment.
. . .
(4:00 pm)
(Haddock Apartment)
There had to be a few stops on the way to the apartment, such as the gas station and also the store to grab a few basic things for their place. It was agreed they'd go shopping on Sunday for the next week or two. Once at the apartment, Hector and Astrid tidied up for their friends to come over, then got started on some of the homework due for tomorrow. Astrid, though, did her homework in her room while Hector was in his office. When the clock hit four in the afternoon, Hector set everything to the side and replied to a few messages from his parents and Glenn. Hector let out a sigh and prepared to leave the room for the party over his birthday with friends that would be coming soon. As Hector opened his office door, he saw Astrid coming out as well, but something was different about her exit because it was quick as she went right to the bathroom. Hector saw Astrid looking panicked and a hand over her mouth, he knew what that generally meant. Astrid got in the bathroom, shut the door and it wasn't more than a few seconds later when Hector heard the vomiting start.
Hector checked the time, if Astrid was sick, he needed to message the others not to come. Astrid may have been a bitch to him in the last seven months of marriage, but he knew it sucked to be sick, and sometimes, you needed help. He should find out first, probably. Hector went to the bathroom door and knocked twice with his knuckle. "I'll be out in a sec!" Astrid called.
"It's only me, Astrid, and don't rush. I saw you hurry in there to puke; I'm asking if you're okay?" Hector questioned.
Astrid seemed to cough and take a few breaths. "I-I think so. Just came out of nowhere," She responded finally. The toilet flushed and then the sink water ran.
Hector didn't like the sound of that. "You got hot lunch today, possible you got food poisoning?" He asked when it went quiet.
"I only got the turkey and cheese with mayo and lettuce, water bottle, and fruit cup…" Astrid replied, opening the door and leaning against the frame looking miserable.
"Are you sick?" Hector wondered, checking her forehead with his hand and wrist. "Little warm, but I don't want to call it a fever. Experiencing anything else?"
Astrid shrugged a bit. "Just…Tired, I guess. Tired and headache…I felt queasy during last period today. Once we got here, I tried to work on homework but ended up falling asleep. I woke up a few minutes ago feeling like I was going to throw up, guess that's what ended up happening." She admitted.
Hector didn't want to ask this, but he had to. "Is it possible you're pregnant?" His voice was serious.
"No. I haven't had sex in two weeks, it was protected…And I also had my period last week," Astrid informed calmly.
"Then you must be getting sick, but it usually doesn't happen all at once on day one like this," Hector considered things for a moment. "Unless you got sick as you finished your period, and didn't realize you were because get tired and headaches on your period, assumed it was attributed to that."
"Guess that's-," Astrid paused, closing her eyes and pushing back the urge to puke again. She took a breath or two, then looked at Hector. "Possible…" She finished.
There was a set of knocks on the door now. "That must be our friends," Hector remembered as he got distracted from the time with Astrid not feeling well. And he couldn't just tell her to go lay down while he partied with everyone. The noise would bother her, and he knew how much is sucked being unable to rest while ill. He couldn't turn away from it, Astrid was still his wife. "Go lay down on the couch. I'll send them home and then take care of you," Astrid was surprised at his words, but instead of questioning anything, she just nodded to him and did what he said. First, though, she changed into more comfortable clothing and then went to lay on the couch as instructed. Hector went to the door and opened it, finding their friends there, and also his parents and in-laws. Hector didn't even question things, he just sighed. "I know it's last minute, but have to postpone the party,"
"What?" Cassandra said quickly.
"Why?" Heather wondered.
"Astrid's not feeling well, she needs to rest," Hector stated. "If she's feeling better tomorrow, or Saturday, we'll do it then."
"She can't just go in the bedroom and we'll keep it down? It's your eighteenth birthday, man," Syrus suggested.
"She could, but she'll likely need help here and there, it's easier if I'm not running back and forth for the party and her," Hector remarked with an eye roll. He heard Astrid coughed a bit and groaned as Hector looked back at her, she was working on laying down slowly in an attempt to probably not upset her stomach. "Me turning eighteen is nothing special, it's just my father's legal ticket to having me work with him. I'm still going to school, still working, still married. Nothing has changed with turning eighteen." He said.
"Oh, my head…" Astrid whimpered.
"I'll bring you some water and aspirin, babe," Hector told her gently then turned back to the group. "She's my wife, she comes first. It's my job to take care of her, so the party will have to wait. Sorry, I'll keep you posted on how she's doing. Have a good night," He went to close the door.
"Wait!" Angela Hofferson said quickly as Hector paused his action. "Is she pregnant?!" Hector just about narrowed his eyes.
"No, she's not. Please don't ask every time she gets sick. When it happens, we'll let you know. But for now, remember that we both said no kids until after high school! Now, good night, for the second time." Then he closed the door and locked it. Letting out a sigh, he relaxed and went to get the things he said he would for Astrid. Kneeling down by the couch, Hector cracked open the water bottle for her. "Here," He held out the two pills. "It's for pain and fever," He added. Astrid sat up a bit to take a drink and then the pills, she swallowed everything together.
"Thank you," Astrid said tiredly.
"You're welcome, now try to rest. I'll leave my sliding office doors open and if you need anything, just give me a holler. I'll make dinner in a bit if you're up to eating." Hector told her.
Astrid nodded to him slowly as Hector set the water bottle back on the table for her, and dimmed the lights some. Hector went to his office again, opening the sliding door that led into the living room, only a bit, in case Astrid called for him. Hector plopped on his futon with his school stuff, he might as well finish it now and then make something for dinner. He wasn't sure if Astrid would eat or not, but it didn't matter. His night was now being spent at the apartment and taking care of his wife, even being that they were separated and he had plans. He meant what he said to the others, Astrid was still his legal wife, and he had taken vows to care for her. If she was sick, she came first, and he needed to take care of her. Hector opened his school things where he left off before and got back to finishing homework.
