Hey there! Here's hoping that you are all doing well. From here, things are going to gain momentum. I'm sorry for the long hiatus but I hope that I will be finishing this story soon. I promise I won't disappoint.
~Enjoy!~
Alvin and Eret watched as Hiccup and Stoick entered and left the hospital for the next couple of days. Each day they reported their observations, even if it was the same. They sat in the cluttered car as they continued their monotonous activity.
Lowering his binoculars, Alvin gave out a frustrated sigh. "This is too much."
"What?"
"They're not doing anything interesting," Alvin grumbled. "Just normal family things. Coming to check on their kin, go about their day, check on their kin, eat dinner, go check on their kin. I'm going crazy!"
"Maybe it's a little boring but at least we're getting paid to do very little."
Alvin nodded as he grabbed a few chips. "True, but I wish there was something interesting to watch. It's like watching a boring soap opera."
"A what?" Eret asked.
"They were popular before your time." Alvin waved his hand as if swatting a fly. "The point is these are normal people."
"Agreed," Eret nodded. "I don't see how they are a threat."
"We're being paid to watch, not ask questions."
Eret nodded as he took the binoculars from Alvin and watched the Haddocks leave the hospital and head home. He started the car and followed them once down the familiar roads once again.
Snotlout struggled to put his jacket on in the hospital room. His body was stiff from lying in the uncomfortable bed for several days, not to mention being attacked. He stood up and slowly walked out of the room towards the door and saw his parents signing some papers at the nurse's station.
"Hey, Snotty!"
Snotlout yelped as he jumped, groaning because his muscles hated the sudden movement. "What the heck Ruff?"
Ruffnut just laughed as she patted his back. "You jumped so bad."
"Well, yeah. I wasn't expecting anyone here except my parents."
"True," Ruff nodded. "That's why I did it. I never miss an opportunity to make you jump."
Snotlout just stared at her. "Where's your other half?"
Ruff blinked for a second. "Oh! You mean Tuff? I don't know. Probably doing something that will get him killed."
"Shouldn't he be at school?" Snotlout asked.
"Like I said, doing something that will get him killed."
"Shouldn't you be there?"
Ruff shrugged. "I ditched. Hiccup wanted to come but his Dad said that he missed enough school and Astrid's Dad is being a butt so she's at school too. So, I'm here for both of them."
Snotlout smiled. He was grateful for the support from his friends. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."
"Hey! What are friends for?"
Snotlout began to walk towards his parents but his leg muscles weren't ready for so much activity let alone holding his weight. Snotlout held out his hands to brace himself for contact with the floor but he never hit it. Looking behind him, he saw that Ruff had grabbed him around the torso and stopped his fall. "Thanks," Snotlout said as she straightened him.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. My legs feel like Jell-o though."
"Welp," Ruff sighed. "You're an invalid now so I'll help you to the car." Ruff grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, putting her free arm around his torso to help him out of the building.
He never thought that he'd be helped out of the hospital but Snotlout was secretly grateful. He smiled as Ruff concentrated on the path ahead of them. Something about her made him a bit nervous being held by her, a feeling that he couldn't quite place. When she turned to look at him, he smiled even wider feeling his ears getting red.
Spitelout caught up with the two and opened the back door and helped Ruff get Snotlout into the car. Once in, he could feel his body relax now that his muscles weren't trying to keep him moving. He suddenly felt a breeze brush over his skin, making him open his eyes and see that Ruff had entered the car as well. He looked at her in confusion but he didn't have to open his mouth to get an answer.
"Your dad thinks I should help you get into the house," Ruff explained. "I guess he doesn't mind me skipping school."
"He kind of thinks it's stupid considering my athletic abilities."
"Ah!"
Once his mother entered the car, the four drove home in silence. Snotlout laid his head back, wanting to fall asleep but decided to hold it off until he got into his bed. After a while, he felt like someone was staring at him and opened his eyes to see that Ruff was squinting at him.
"What?"
"I was deciding if you fell asleep or if you just died on us or something," Ruff relaxed. "Knowing you, you would just drop dead on us."
"Hey!"
"What?" Ruff laughed as she punched him in the chest making his gasp. "I'm joking."
Snotlout put a hand on his chest a rubbed where she hit him as he watched her look out the window. He could feel his ears getting red again but now his cheeks were burning as well. He turned to look out the window as well, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. As they turned the corner, the answer came to him and his eyes widened with shock.
Oh, no.
Hiccup closed his locker and headed off of the school campus. He dodged the overexcited student body as they screamed through bull horns reminding everyone of the Homecoming Dance later that evening. He could care less due to everything else going on. Snotlout being attacked and almost dying, the game only a few hours away, his dad working on getting ready to announce his candidacy, and Dagur being on campus to play their team.
I wonder how Dagur's doing since his sister died. I wonder how he'll play. I hope he isn't going for blood. Hiccup shivered at the thought of any of his friends getting hurts tonight; especially Snotlout. Hiccup was against Gobber putting Snotlout on the team for Homecoming but he proved that he was well enough to play and in all honesty, Hiccup liked how happy it made his cousin to be back on the team. Lost in his thoughts, he almost missed his name being called.
"Hiccup! Yo, H. Master!" Tuff called.
He careened toward him with such great speed that Hiccup thought that he would crash into him but it didn't happen. Tuff went from speed to stand still in a split second and stood in front of him. "What's up Tuff?"
"I'm in big trouble, H. Master."
Hiccup's eyes went wide. "What are you talking about?"
"Ok. So I lied. I'm not in trouble. We are in trouble."
Tuff looked down the hall and motioned with his hands. Hiccup followed his line of sight and watched as Fishlegs walked around the corner sheepishly and approach the two. Hiccup's face dropped in shock and confusion and the two blond boys stood in front of him. "Hey, Hiccup," Fishlegs waved.
"What trouble could you two possibly be in?" Hiccup asked. "Fishlegs, you never break the rules."
"Rules?" Fishlegs asked.
"Oh, no, H. Master," Tuff clapped Hiccup's shoulder. "You misunderstand. We're not in trouble in the typical, Thorston sense. We're in trouble in the dance sense."
Hiccup cocked an eyebrow. "I-I don't understand."
"I was asked to the dance the other day," Fishlegs explained. "And I don't have a tux to wear."
"And my sister, don't know what came over her, just told me that she bought tickets for the two of us. I hadn't planned on going so I don't have one either."
Hiccup looked back and forth between Tuff and Fishlegs. Smiling, he chuckled, "So why do you need my help?"
"We need a third opinion," the two said in unison.
"Third opinion? On what?"
"On tuxes," Fishlegs twiddled his thumbs.
"What?" Hiccup asked. "Why come to me?"
"Well, your dad is the Governor and you must have some experiences in wearing tuxes and know what to look for," Tuff explained. "And being that I've never worn a tux in my life and will probably burn it when I'm done, I'd be no help to Fishy."
Hiccup sighed as he looked at Fishlegs' pleading look. "Alright, I'll go with you, but we have to be quick. We need to be back in time for the game."
The three got into Hiccup's car and headed into town. Along the way, the three discussed their hopes and predictions for the game. Tuff hoped that someone would get injured while Fishlegs hoped that they won by a landslide.
"What about you, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked. "What are you hoping for?"
Hiccup shrugged as he pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. "I don't know. I would be awesome if we won, which I think we will based off practice, but I would like to avoid any injuries."
"You're no fun sometimes H. Master."
The three headed towards the small tux shop and entered. "Does Snotlout already have one?" Fishlegs asked.
"Yep," Hiccup nodded as they began scanning the racks. "When he was able to support himself, he went and rented one."
From behind a curtain, a man walked towards the three boys. "Can I help you gentlemen?"
"We are looking for a tux," Tuff said.
"I think he knows that," Hiccup rolled his eyes. "This place only has tuxes." Hiccup turned to the associate and smiled. "They've never worn one before but I think I got it. I'll let you know if we need help."
"Take your time gentlemen," the associate nodded and went back to his work.
Hiccup looked through the different racks and pulled a few off for Tuff and Fishlegs. "These should fit. Go ahead and try them on."
The two went into the changing rooms and began to try on their sample tuxes. "Um, Hiccup. All of these don't fit around my shoulders or arms," Fishlegs said.
"Mine are a little too long and baggy," tuff added.
"Hold on," Hiccup called as he went back and mental adjusted his measurements. "Here," Hiccup added them the new suits. "Try these."
Hiccup waited for about a minute before Tuff flew open the door and struck a pose. "Do I look awesome of what?"
"Stand normally and I'll tell you," Hiccup rolled his eyes again. Tuff relaxed so that Hiccup could look the suit over. Hiccup liked the way it looked on him. It accented his shoulders nicely, it looked nice buttoned or unbuttoned, and the pants didn't bag or drag putting the look together nicely. "It's perfect Tuff. I think we found your tux."
Tuff pumped his fist as Fishlegs walked out of the dressing room. The two watched as the boy hunched his shoulders even more than usual. "Fishlegs? What's with the stance?"
"It's the top, Hiccup. I'm afraid that if I relax my shoulders, I'll rip it."
Hiccup walked over and tried lifting the collar a bit but it wouldn't move. It was flush to his skin and the fabric looked extremely strained. "Go ahead and get out of it. The good thing about this store is it lets you mix and match. People are not built like mannequins." Hiccup walked around until he found a jacket and shirt that looked big enough for his large friend. "This should work better."
Hiccup turned around to talk to Tuff but he was gone. He figured that he was back in the room changing into his original clothing. A minute later, Fishlegs walked out of the room. Hiccup smiled at his friend, seeing that he was standing normally and that he was donning a small smile. "How do you feel?"
Fishlegs moved his arms around and did a few bends at his waist. "It feels good. Not tight, not loose. How do I look?"
"Come see for yourself." Hiccup guided Fishlegs to a large mirror. "See?"
Fishlegs' smile got brighter as he turned his body different ways to get a better look. "Do you think Julie will like it?"
"So she's your date?" Hiccup smiled. "I think you'll knock her dead." Another figure in a tux appeared in the mirror. "Tuff. Where have you-What are you doing with another tux? If you're looking to actually purchase one, that one is a little long for you."
"Oh, H. Master," Tuff chortled. "It's not for me. It's for you."
"What? I don't need one."
"If you're going to the dance you do."
"But I'm not going to the dance," Hiccup reminded.
"Didn't they tell you?" Tuff laughed even more. "You're signed up to work concessions."
"I didn't know you signed up Hiccup," Fishlegs smiled.
"What!" Hiccup exclaimed. "I didn't."
Fishlegs looked at him confused. "No, you didn't," Tuff agreed. The two boys turned to him waiting for an answer. "I did."
"Tuff!" Hiccup cried. "Why would you do that? What if I had plans after the game?"
"Do you?"
"No, but that's-"
"Then you shouldn't have a problem," Tuff interjected.
"I don't think that's the point," Fishlegs tried to help Hiccup out.
"Why did you do that?" Hiccup asked calmly.
Tuff shrugged. "I figured that I'd have someone to hang with. If my sis wanted to go then maybe there's someone she wanted to go with or she's just going to give Astrid some company. The point is I'd be alone at a dance I really don't want to be at. The only possible person I'd be able to hang out with would be Fishy but that's only if his date goes sour."
Fishlegs looked a bit panicked at the thought of things going wrong tonight. Hiccup placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "I sure it won't. You're a sweet guy." Fishlegs relaxed and smiled. Hiccup turned back to Tuff and sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll go but don't sign me up for things unless you ask me first."
Tuff pumped his fist. "This is going to be awesome! Three bachelors crashing a dance."
"I have a date," Fishlegs reminded.
"Oh, right. Two bachelors crashing a dance!"
"I'm working concessions, you're crashing the dance."
"Yes!"
The air was getting cold in the late dusk sky. People were beginning to see their breath as they filtered into the stadium for the big game. Down on the field, Astrid watched as her peers came in screaming and dressed in school spirit to support their football team. She smiled as she stretched for the upcoming routines.
She continued to look around the stadium until her eyes landed on the familiar mop of brown hair a few yards away. He was holding a clip board and it looked as if he was checking things off. Once he was done, he bent down and picked up a baseball hat and put it on his head which made the ends of his hair stick out in upside down waves. She giggled to herself at the sight.
As she continued to stretch, the team from Berserker High walked onto the field and began to practice a few passes. She switched directions of her stretching so that her back was towards the entering team and Hiccup. She continued to stretch until she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"What's up, Ruff?" Astrid asked.
"You should go comfort your boyfriend."
Astrid looked over at Snotlout to see if anything was wrong, but he looked pumped and excited. "What's wrong with Snotlout?"
Ruff cocked and eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. She tilted her head in a different direction other than Snotlout's.
"Hiccup?"
"Duh."
"Not so loud," Astrid held her hands up to quiet Ruff. "Why?"
"I don't know," Ruff shrugged. "I think Dagur said something to him and now he looks like a lost puppy."
Astrid stood up and looked in Hiccup's direction and did notice an obvious difference in his demeanor. She walked over there and pretended to get a drink from the cooler. Looking around to make sure no one was in earshot, she began to speak. "Are you alright?" Hiccup mumbled something that sounded like a 'yeah'. She turned around and stood next to him to get a better look at his face. "You don't sound alright. What happened?"
"It's nothing really," Hiccup nodded and pretended to show Astrid something on the clipboard. "Dagur just said some things that got under my skin."
"What did he say?"
Hiccup shrugged. "I went to give my condolences about his sister and he just snapped at me."
Astrid looked at Hiccup and saw something in his eyes. He's not telling me everything. She was about to question further when Gothi called for the cheerleaders to gather for a quick meeting. Hiccup gave her a small smile as she said a quick goodbye. That small smile made her insides churn in a way that made her smile.
The rest of the night went as hoped. The night didn't get to cold so the routines were actually enjoyable, no one got too injured on the field, and their team won in a landslide. Overall, it was an enjoyable night and it wasn't anywhere done yet. Now she and Ruffnut were standing in the women's locker room getting ready for the dance that had started.
"I never thought I'd wear a dress," Ruff laughed as she looked down at her yellow sundress. The strapped dress circled her neck and showed a bit of her collar bone. The skirt poof-ed out just a little bit but enough that it accented her figure nicely. "And I know why. This is a bit uncomfortable."
Astrid laughed at her friend. "I like them every once in a while but I definitely wouldn't wear them every day. I feel like a princess." Astrid twirled in her light purple dress letting the skirt fly around her. She was happy that she could wear the strapless dress without worrying about people finding out. Once stopping, she placed her hand on the jewel studded belt that was sewn onto the dress.
"A princess waiting for Prince in Shining Armor?" Ruff playfully nudged Astrid.
"You're not going to stop teasing about this whole situation are you?"
"Nope," Ruff laughed. "That's what friends do."
The two continued to get ready for the dance as they continued to joke and laugh about the game. Once ready, the two walked out of the locker room and headed toward the gym where they met up with Snotlout. When he saw them, his mouth gaped at the two girls who laughed at his reaction.
"What did you expect?" Ruff asked. "For her to look like a troll?"
Astrid watched as Snotlout shook his head and saw his cheeks blush a bit. She was a bit confused by his reaction but it was nice to see him flustered, but something in her gut told her that his reaction wasn't for her.
"No," he responded. "But I didn't expect you guys to look this good."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Astrid teased.
"I didn't mean it like that!"
The two girls laughed as Snotlout stuttered then hung his head and mumbled something like 'shut up'. With his head still bowed, Snotlout held out his arm towards Astrid and, to her surprise, to Ruffnut and lead the two girls into the party.
The music was loud and the gym was already warm from all of the bodies dancing in the enclosed space. The gym's large ceiling lights were off but the room was lit by the colored strobe lights, lazers, and the strings of lights hung around the perimeter. Overall, it was an amazing sight.
From the right of them, Astrid noticed Tuffnut waving at them. Walking towards him, she realized that he was wearing a tux and that he wore it well. "About time you guys showed up," he shouted to be heard over the music. "Fishlegs and his date are already dancing."
He pointed towards the dance floor and the others looked in that direction to see Fishlegs twisting, in a tux as well, with a tall dark haired girl. He was laughing and smiling and overall enjoying himself.
"Go Fishface," Snotlout nodded. "Well, let's go Astrid. Don't want him being the only one to having fun."
Astrid nodded, deciding to just have fun tonight. She allowed Snotlout to drag her out onto the floor to dance and she began enjoying herself. Behind her, she heard something about Hiccup and Ruff exclaiming a 'what'. She wanted to know what made Ruff so shocked but she didn't want anything to ruin her fun. Her mind was here and now, she didn't care about anything else. She didn't care if her father flipped about her not being home her normal time, she didn't care about college being around the corner, she didn't care about anything happening in the future. She was only concerned about the here and now.
A few minutes later, the four of them were joined by Tuff and Ruff. The entire group danced for what felt like hours but in reality it was maybe two or three songs. Astrid stopped and turned to Ruff shouting, "I'm going to get something to drink."
"Ok!" Ruff smiled.
Astrid turned and headed towards the concessions through the crowd. It took a while with the room more crowded now than it was several minutes ago but she made it into the gym lobby where cups and coolers stood along with a variety of cookies and crackers. After taking a few cups of water, Astrid headed back into the crowd to get back to her friends.
The song that came on got everyone dancing in large movements, a few she had to dodge to avoid getting smacked or knocked over. She didn't get very far before she missed one of those moves and was thrown backwards. She tried regaining her balance but another body made that impossible and she closed her eyes, waiting for the floor to impact with her back.
Realizing that she was now floating a few feet over the floor, she opened her eyes to see two forest green eyes staring down at her. He had caught her as she fell and now it looked like he was dipping her. "Hiccup?"
"You almost had a nasty fall," he smiled as he lifted her up. "You okay?"
Astrid nodded as she starred at Hiccup. She didn't expect to see him here. He had expressed no interest in coming but here he was, saving her back from hitting the floor. But what his presence really did was gave her a realization about everything regarding Hiccup.
She felt her heart race as she looked at him. His hair was still tussled but it seemed to fit well with the tux he was wearing which really accented everything about him. The glow from the lights highlighted his face, his eyes glowing even brighter than before, his freckles illuminated. She felt a lump in her throat form, her palms getting sweaty, and her stomach churning uncontrollably.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked trying to keep her voice steady. "You said you weren't coming."
Hiccup chuckled. "I thought I wasn't but Tuff apparently signed me up for concessions so here I am."
"Here you are," Astrid laughed. "You look amazing."
"So do you," Hiccup smiled. "You're glowing."
Astrid lowered her head trying to hide the blush crossing her cheeks. "Thank you. I should be getting back," she awkwardly changed the subject.
"And I need to get to concessions," Hiccup nodded. "I hope you have fun!"
Astrid waved at him as he made his way to the lobby and she slowly made her way back to the group. She watched as Fishlegs and his date dance together while the twins and Snotlout continued with their crazy dance moves. She smiled seeing them all enjoying themselves but the new feeling in her gut distracted her.
"What do I do now?" she whispered.
Here we go! Whoo!
Please let me know what you think. I love hearing from you. XD
