Hello again readers! Here's another interesting chapter for you. I hope you like it! It gets a bit...well, you'll have to read it to find out. ;)
ENJOY! XD
His workbench usually helped him calm his mind, the tinkering helped his jitters and anxiety but tonight, for some reason, it wasn't working. Even the music that usually relaxes him wasn't working. It frustrated him to no end, which made the whole situation worse. Maybe he was anxious because his mind kept reeling about the threat his father told him about.
Maybe it would have been best if he didn't tell me. Hiccup shook his head, realizing that it was the smart move to tell him because now he was on alert. He made sure that the door and windows were constantly locked, made it so that no one could pry them open, even put up some static cameras that alerted him to motion inside the home, but even those security precautions didn't make him feel better.
He felt like a prisoner in his own home, in his own town; checking in with his father every morning and evening, Gobber coming by and giving him tips on self defense, his friends never leaving his side whenever he did leave the house. Not that he wasn't grateful but he did miss his alone time. He even contemplated bringing Toothless home as extra security because anyone who saw a wolf in the house would immediately be deterred right?
Hiccup sighed, feeling a tightness in his chest, his throat drying up, and his eyes stinging from tears welling up. Everything was just so stressful at the moment and he just wanted a break from it all.
Guilt ate at him for hiding the truth about Astrid's situation from the authorities but he respected her wishes to not say anything. He took some comfort in knowing that she would come to him if it got too bad. Stress grated on his nerves knowing that someone was threatening his father and using him to try and get under his skin. The final game was around the corner and all the players were anxious which made practice tense and, in turn, made him tense since he had to work harder to keep order. Not to mention the stress from midterms coming up before the winter break, his prosthetic chafing his stub making it painful to walk half the time due to the dry weather, and then guilty for liking Astrid when his cousin was-
Hiccup dropped the engine part he was working on and just clenched his hair in his hands as he took several deep breaths to calm his nerves. Just focus on the part. Block everything else out. He gingerly picked it back up and began to focus on the hunk of metal; however, he felt a shiver go up his spine making him shudder, forcing him to spin around quickly as he dropped the engine piece again.
He held his chest as he took in deep breaths. "Astrid, you almost gave me a heart attack! You could have at least texted me you were coming over." Once his heart rate was back to normal, his mind began to notice something odd about his friend. "Um...are you alright?"
"Never better," she sighed with a sing-song voice, continuously smiling at him.
"Right," Hiccup chuckled skeptically. "What's with the heavenly tone?"
"Maybe I'm in heaven," she giggled as she took a step towards him.
Hiccup cocked an eyebrow as he took a step back. This is so not like her. "Astrid, you're not acting like yourself tonight. Are you sure you're okay?"
Before he could blink, Astrid was centimeters from his face, her legs on opposite sides of his own, and her arms on opposite sides of his body, forcing him as far against the edge of the workbench as his body would go, making his lower back sore. He could clearly see her eyes now, shocked by how dilated they were, worried that she was drunk yet he didn't smell any alcohol on her breath.
"Um...A..Astrid what are you doing?"
"Something I should have done a while ago," she whispered softly as she leaned in closer to him.
Hiccup's heart began to pound in his chest. He knew what she was trying to do and under normal circumstances would allow her to proceed but these obviously weren't normal circumstances. He leaned back as far as he could before he physically pushed her away but he wasn't entirely quick enough as he felt her lips brush against his briefly, sending an electric shock through his body.
His body was littered with goosebumps at the very brief contact and he so wanted to re-engage but his mind told him otherwise. Hiccup looked at Astrid as he held her at arm's length, trying to understand what in the world was going on. "Astrid, no. You and Snotlout are together. I couldn't-"
"We're not together anymore," she interrupted as she knocked one of his arms away and grabbed the back of his neck to pull him closer to her.
He wriggled free of her grasp and grabbed her wrist, holding it out in front of him. "When did that happen?"
"Halloween," she breathed as she tried to get closer to him again.
"Okay," Hiccup nodded slowly, trying to take in the new information. "But you're acting strange. I can't in good conscience go along with this if you're not in your right mind. You don't know what you're doing."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Astrid stated as she threw him off balance with a yank backwards to break free of his grip and then immediately lunged forward again to kiss him. But he was quicker and moved his face to the side, her lips landing on his neck instead.
But that also didn't help the situation. She began to kiss up and down the side of his neck, each contact leaving a warm spot and goosebumps to litter his body again. He shuddered under her, not wanting her to stop but tried to move away nonetheless. "Astrid," he breathed. "Please, stop." Another kiss right under his jaw caused his eyelids to flutter close at the pleasure she was giving him with the soft kisses.
"Take me."
His eyes snapped open. He tried to turn his head to look at her but only got a face full of her blonde hair. "Wh...what?" His heart began to pound harder as he waited for clarification. He had a pretty good idea what she was referring to based on their current predicament but he wanted to make sure. "T..take you? W...where?"
"Take me to your room," she mumbled into his neck.
Her words vibrated into his neck adding another layer of goosebumps on his skin as he shuddered again, feeling his knees beginning to weaken. "N...need to stay over again tonight?" he asked as he pushed her away from him once again, her hands clawing at his shirt to pull him back to her but he stood firm.
"No silly," she giggled as she continued to fight his locked arms. "Well, yes, but I don't want to sleep." She laughed again at his flabbergasted expression. "Don't look so scared, Hiccup. It's not like having sex is the end of the world."
Hiccup's eyes went wide. She said it. She actually said it. Oh, man. "Astrid...you're not thinking straight...something is wrong."
"Nothing is wrong," she said as she smacked his arms away again and leaned in close to him. She began to run her hands up and down his torso, once again causing goosebumps to sprawl across his skin and his heart race even faster, if that was even possible. "For the first time in my life, I am following my desire to the end. I want you so badly."
She leaned forward so far that it threw Hiccup's balance off again and forced his hand to grab her waist to remain upright. That's when he felt it, the bump on her lower back. He turned his head to look down at where his hand was touching her exposed skin, nearly avoiding her kissing him again, and saw the bruise. The perfectly round purple bruise with the white center and a small puncture hole.
He quickly scanned the rest of her body, completely ignoring her lips now kissing his collarbone, and noticed that there were faint bruises starting on her upper arms. They almost made the shape of a hand print and realization struck him. "Astrid, did someone grab you before you came here?"
"What a couple of assholes," she kissed into the crook of his neck. "So rude."
"Oh, god," Hiccup cried softly. He began to panic, trying to find a way out of this situation but he also felt anger starting to rise in his chest. First they attacked Snotlout, almost killing him, and now his best friend? Were they purposely targeting him? If they were, what assholes. And if they weren't, it made the coincidence even more infuriating.
Astrid needed help to get the drugs out of her system before they did any real damage to her but she had him pinned against the workbench and was pretty determined to kiss him into submission. He straightened briefly, an idea coming into his head.
"You win," he whispered in her ear. God, this feels wrong.
Astrid stopped mid-kiss and looked up at him with confused eyes. "What did you say?"
"You win," he repeated as he put a finger under her chin to lift her head up to his eye level. "Luckily, I just washed my bed sheets this evening. They should still be warm." He watched her dilated eyes sparkle in excitement and a broad smile spread across her face, internally cringing at leading her on.
"I knew you'd come around." She pushed herself away from him, allowing him to stand upright, before grabbing his hand excitedly. He led her out of the garage and into the house but instead of the bedroom, he brought her to the kitchen. He saw her give him a confused look and his heart began to beat nervously again. "This isn't your room."
"Nope, it's the kitchen," he said, trying to sound funny. "I'm getting us some water. Sex is a very active...um...activity. Don't want you to get dehydrated halfway through."
"Fair enough."
Hiccup sighed to himself as he snuck the box of Tylenol from the medicine cabinet and placed one tablet in Astrid's glass, giving it a few swirls to help it dissolve. His hands shook in anticipation as he handed it to her, hoping it wouldn't take long for the Tylenol to take effect. He wasn't sure how long or far he would be able to take this charade.
"Once we've finished our drinks, then we can go upstairs."
"I can't wait!"
She chugged the water, leaving about a quarter left at the bottom and smiled at him, her eyes never leaving him. He felt her look him up and down, as if undressing him with her mind. A part of him kind of liked the idea of her imagining what he looked like under the cloth but another part of him didn't like the predatory look she had in her eyes. Maybe under different circumstances, he would have thought it enticing but in her current state, she was like a wild animal with no control.
He flinched as she started to get up but then the smile on her face relaxed, then her entire body relaxed until she was slumped against the bar counter she was sitting at.
"Oh, thank god." He released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and took a few deep breaths to calm his shaking body. Hiccup wanted to curl up in a corner somewhere and just disappear for a few hours as he tried to wrap his mind around what just happened but he pushed his anxiety onto the back burner and walked over to Astrid's sleeping form.
Gingerly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and then the other under her knees and carried her over to the couch so she could rest more comfortably. He stood over her for a few seconds, observing her relaxed face, wondering what to do. Pulling out his phone, he began to dial the authorities but then stopped, realizing that wasn't the best option and instead called Fishlegs.
As the phone rang, he walked over the bar and began to wipe up the water that had been spilt when Astrid dropped it as she fell asleep. Worry began to plague him with every ring, hating the idea of constantly calling until he answered.
"Hiccup?" answered a groggy voice.
"Sorry to call so late but I need your help."
"What's wrong?" Fishlegs yawned and stretched audibly.
"I need you to come by and pick up Astrid and take her to the hospital."
There was a quiet pause on the other end. "Astrid is at your place?"
"Yep, she's here now. I think she's another victim of those goddamn drug attackers!" He slammed his fist on the counter, his anger finally boiling over. He hated whoever those people were. Hated that they were hurting his friends, his family, and his home.
"Whoa," Fishlegs muttered. "Relax, I'm coming now."
"Sorry for swearing," Hiccup apologized calmly, slowly unclenching his fist. "It's just been...interesting."
"What happened?"
"Well, she surprised me in the garage, not the first time mind you, but then she just...lunged at me!"
"Lunged?"
"Yes, lunged. Her eyes were extremely dilated and I thought she was drunk at first but no alcohol."
"What did she do after she lunged at you?" Fishlegs asked as he started his car.
The question made Hiccup blush and his stomach knot as he remembered the kisses she planted up and down his neck and across his collarbones. God, he wanted to feel her lips against his skin again. Her lips were warm and electric, sending tingles and goosebumps everywhere. He had never felt so...alive.
"Well...she...uh...well...she wanted to sleep with me," Hiccup stammered, rubbing the back of his neck and tugging at his hair.
"She what!" Fishlegs exclaimed, almost hurting Hiccup's hearing. "Did you say sleep with you?"
"Yes! Sleep with me. As in sex!" Hiccup cried back, completely embarrassed for the both of them.
"You make it sound like that's a problem. Is it a problem?" Fishleg prodded.
"If she just wanted to be held, I wouldn't be freaking out this much."
"That you're okay with?"
"Well, because we've slept in the same bed before but that's not the point."
"Then what is the point?"
"The point is, she was completely out of control. I had to trick her into thinking I was actually down for it so I could slip her a Tylenol to knock her out."
"Seriously? Tylenol? It worked on her? That stuff isn't potent at all."
"I wasn't going to give her anything more potent than that. Who knows how the drugs in her system would react. Besides, Tylenol knocks her out quickly. I knew she didn't need much."
"You seem to speak from experience," Fishlegs pointed out.
Hiccup heard the front door open and close with Fishlegs appearing in the kitchen within seconds, his chest heaving up and down like he had run the entire way.
"Thanks for coming." Hiccup said as he hung up the phone and led his friend over to Astrid. Without being prompted, he picked her up bridal style and began to carry her away. "I would take her myself but the doctors are going to ask questions about what happened and the police will get involved which would include telling her father and I just can't risk it."
"I understand. What do you want me to say?" Fishlegs placed Astrid in the back of his car carefully and strapped a seatbelt over her unconscious form the best he could.
"Say you were headed here for an all night study session when you saw her staggering on the street. You pulled over to see if she was alright and she collapsed."
"Sounds easy enough."
"Now, there is a large bruise on her lower back," he pulled up the hem of her shirt just enough to show Fishlegs and placed it back down. "And some finger sized bruises on her upper arms. She mentioned some men grabbing her and I think she was injected with that unknown drug concoction that almost killed Snotlout."
Hiccup hated how his voice betrayed him towards the end of his sentence. He wanted to remain calm and collected but his voice cracked forcing Hiccup to stop talking abruptly. His esophagus felt like it was being torn to shreds, his eyes burned with tears, and the muscles in his entire body became sore as he fought to hold back the need to break down and cry.
"Hey," Fishlegs placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She's tough. She'll be fine. I'll call you when I get her to the hospital. You're not alone in this."
"Thank Fishlegs," Hiccup smiled weakly. He was grateful that he had someone to lean on for times like this but he still felt completely overwhelmed. He watched as his friend backed out of the driveway and disappeared down the street within seconds finally allowing himself to collapse.
He didn't care how violent his drop was, he didn't care that his tailbone would be cursing at him in the morning for the sudden contact with the cement, he didn't care that the wind had picked up and was starting to blow the new fallen snowflakes onto his skin; all he care about was just letting go of everything he was holding back.
Hiccup brought his knees up to his chest and hid his head in his arms as he just let himself finally cry. All the fear, anxiety, nervousness, terror, stress, and any other feeling he held back he just let out. He was so afraid for Astrid not just because of the recent development but because of her father's abuse towards her and he felt trapped, hating her father for abusing her and hating himself more.
Then the fear of being threatened by unknown assailants bubbled up to the surface, despite his constant promises to his friends and family that he was fine, finally admitting he was scared to death for his life. But he wouldn't let his father know, he wouldn't let his friends know, he wouldn't let Gobber know; call it pride, independence, ego, but he wouldn't let them worry about him. Not when there were more important things going on in the world.
Hiccup felt the last tear fall from his face, his shoulders no longer so heavy after releasing the tension he held, and he looked up to see the snowfall had become heavier. He stood up and began to walk inside to close the overhead door. Anger was the only raw emotion left in his system and he swore a few times and kicked a sandbag nearby to relieve some of it before heading up to his room and waiting for a phone call or text from Fishlegs.
It was another boring stake out for the two men as they sat in the car for the umpteenth time watching and waiting for something to happen but their target was just...unproblematic. There was nothing interesting to catch on film, nothing to send back to Drago to use against Stoick, nothing that would indicate a dark history.
"This family is too clean," Alvin muttered under his breath.
Eret blinked in surprise as Alvin seemed to read his thoughts. "Maybe they are that legit," he shrugged. "Makes our job harder but they could really be honest people."
"Bullshit!" Alvin grumbled. "No politician is clean, especially when they have been in the public eye for as long as Stoick has."
"Stranger things have happened."
"Yeah," Alvin scoffed. "Like the Easter Bunny being real. Come on Eret, you've been in the business as long as I have, you should know that there's no such thing as a clean politician."
"I'd like to remain positive that the world isn't complete shit."
Eret hated this job more than anything but he had to stay to protect his family. Why did his curiosity get the best of him? Why couldn't he just let that stupid story go and just move on to a different one?
Integrity. That's why.
He sighed deeply and loudly as he slumped in his seat, waiting for something to happen, watching the minutes tick by in silence. Eret was about to doze off when something caught his eye. He sat up and squinted through the windshield to see if he actually saw this and it wasn't his imagination but the movement was still there.
"Hey," he smacked Alvin on the chest, jolting him into a sitting position. "Isn't that the blonde girl from across the street?"
Alvin squinted in the direction he was pointing and noticed the girl too. She was staggering from side to side, her steps uneven and choppy, and her expression was happy but distant. "Is she drunk?"
"I have no idea," Eret shrugged. "This isn't her normal behavior right?"
"Not from what I've- Hey, look! She's heading to the Haddock residence."
"Why?" Eret was now curious. Could it be that something interesting was going to happen? "Come on. Maybe this will be our ticket out of here!"
Eret and Alvin quietly exited the car and ran around the side of the house to peek through a small window attached to the garage. There they saw Hiccup working on some sort of part for an engine but dropped it on the workbench in surprise to see the girl there. Unfortunately for them, the window was pretty thick and they had a hard time hearing the two.
"Quick! Get the camera out and start recording!" Eret urged.
Alvin held the camera up to the window as they watched the two teens interact in the garage. They both gasped in surprise when the girl lunged at Hiccup, knocking him against the worktable and pinning him. "Is she trying to kiss him?"
Eret was at a loss for words and just nodded instead. He had sensed some sort of connection between the two in all the time they had been spying on the boy but he didn't think it was...sexual. "This is it! What a blackmail! Stoick's son is having a secret affair with his cousin's girlfriend. Perfect!"
"I'm afraid not," Alvin shook his head. "The two broke up at the Pumpkin Patch last week. They just happened to break up right where I was hiding."
"Damn it!" Eret whispered. He disgruntledly leaned his head on his fist as he continued to watch them when something donned on him. "Then why is he pushing her away? If I were a few years younger, I would totally take the opportunity and kiss her. She is very attractive."
"I'm not sure but he seems to be quite freaked out."
The girl kept grabbing at him to pull Hiccup closer to her but he kept denying her what she wanted. The whole scenario was very confusing to the men observing, cursing the thick glass of the window. Suddenly, they both seemed to relax, the girl's eyes going as wide as possible and euphoria crossing her face as she followed Hiccup out of the garage.
"What the hell was that?" Alvin asked.
"Where are they going?" Eret craned his neck to see which direction they went. Jumping down, he carefully looked into every window, minding the tools and roots that littered the back walls, until he saw them in the kitchen. "They're here." Hiccup was pouring water into two opaque glasses, one he added in a pill of some sort which he then handed to the girl.
"Once we've finished our drinks, then we can go upstairs."
"I can't wait!"
Eret and Alvin looked at each other in surprise. Were the two of them actually going to get down and dirty tonight? "I have to give it to him, he has some game."
"He put something in her drink," Alvin pointed out. "This night could still give us some blackmail fodder."
"You really think he roofied her drink?" Eret asked. "He doesn't seem like that kind of a guy."
"Look for yourself," Alvin pointed.
In the kitchen, the girl dropped her glass onto the counter as she fell forward, completely knocked out. "Holy shit! He did!" Eret exclaimed quietly.
"Oh, thank god," they heard Hiccup sigh as he placed his glass on the counter and walked over to the girl, picking her up and placing her on the couch nearby.
"Get the camera ready again," Eret smacked Alvin again.
"Don't tell me what to do!" he snapped as he pulled up the video option and pressed record.
Eret had mixed feelings about standing by doing nothing as he watched a girl get raped. He had women in his life that he cared for greatly and would hate to hear about someone doing that to them but this was his job now and he couldn't interfere. This absolutely sucks.
But nothing happened, to both the men's surprise and disgruntlement, instead Hiccup pulled out his phone and called someone as he walked back to the kitchen and cleaned up the spilled liquid from the girl's glass.
"Sorry to call so late but I need your help," Hiccup spoke again. "I need you to come by and pick up Astrid and take her to the hospital. Yep, she's here now. I think she's another victim of those goddamn drug attackers!"
They jumped in surprise at the boy's angered tone and physical pounding of the countertop as he swore. The entire time they had been observing him, he had been calm and quiet, never angry.
"Sorry for swearing," they heard Hiccup say calmly. "It's just been...interesting. Well, she surprised me in the garage, not the first time mind you, but then she just...lunged at me! Yes, lunged. Her eyes were extremely dilated and I thought she was drunk at first but no alcohol."
Eret looked at Alvin nodding. Same initial assessment but completely wrong. They saw Hiccup get uncomfortable as he continued to speak to the person on the phone.
"Well...she...uh...well...she wanted to sleep with me," Hiccup stammered, rubbing the back of his neck and tugging at his hair. "Yes! Sleep with me. As in sex! If she just wanted to be held, I wouldn't be freaking out this much. Well, because we've slept in the same bed before but that's not the point. The point is, she was completely out of control. I had to trick her into thinking I was actually down for it so I could slip her a Tylenol to knock her out."
"Fuck!" Alvin cursed under his breath. "Just Tylenol?"
"I wasn't going to give her anything more potent than that. Who knows how the drugs in her system would react. Besides, Tylenol knocks her out quickly. I knew she didn't need much."
"Like I said," Eret huffed. "Unproblematic!" They heard a car pull up the driveway and the front door slam as Hiccup hung up the phone. A big blond boy ran in, face red as if he was running, and had entered the kitchen. "Who the hell is that?"
"I think it's one of the boys on the football team," Alvin said.
"Thanks for coming," Hiccup sighed as he led the other boy to the sleeping girl. The blond picked her up bridal style and began to carry her away. "I would take her myself but the doctors are going to ask ques…"
Hiccup's voice trailed off as he got out of hearing range. The two men scrambled as quickly as they could to the front of the house to try and catch any more of the interaction but were met with a car quickly pulling out of the driveway and careening away.
"God damnit!" Eret stomped his foot. "Nothing is going well for us tonight."
"When does it ever?" Alvin huffed. "I'm going back to the car. It's cold out here."
Eret stood by the house for a few seconds longer before heading back as well. He suddenly stopped and turned around when he heard a loud 'thunk' in the driveway. He was grateful that the Haddocks refused to chop down the trees because they were the only thing hiding him from the teen in the opened garage, not that he would notice him.
Hiccup was sitting on the perimeter of the garage, the overhead door wide open, with his knees up to his chest, his arms on his knees and his head resting on his arms. The boy's shoulders were shaking and he was pretty sure it wasn't the icy wind that had picked up causing that since he heard a soft sob weakly travel to his ears.
After a good minute or two, the teen lifted his head and stood up, wet streaks on his cheek evident, as he made his way back inside. Before the overhead door closed completely, Eret watched the boy kick the wall as he swore in frustration.
The man went back to the car and sat in silence for a few moments, mulling over what he witnessed. He was angry, yes. Angry that the Haddocks were cleaner than a germaphobe's hands but he was also feeling...sympathy. Hiccup obviously cared for the girl but his final reaction was interesting.
"What's on your mind?" Alvin interrupted.
"I think there is something going on."
"What do you mean?"
"The boy broke down in the garage after you left. The expression in his eyes when he finally looked up was...exhaustion. Like he was at the end of his rope. Like he had finally reached his breaking point and the dam was let loose."
"So?" Alvin shrugged. "Why does that indicate that something is going on?"
"The fear in his eyes as he pushed her away, the way he knew how to trick her to get her inside, the fact that he knew what medication knocked her out, the way he got angry and frustrated once she was out, these all indicate a close relationship. I mean, why would she throw herself at him if they were just neighbors, that makes no sense."
"True," Alvin pondered. "Maybe all this time they have been having a secret affair."
"But we would have noticed it sooner right?" Eret asked. He was completely baffled. How could they miss such a huge aspect of the boy's life if he was secretly having an affair?
"Maybe, maybe not. It seems that they have people helping them keep, whatever they have, a secret."
"What if it's innocent?" Eret thought out loud. "Should we even be prying?"
"It's our job to pry," Alvin deadpanned. "It's our job to ruin other people's lives. Don't get all soft on me."
"You didn't see what I saw," Eret argued. "The boy looked like he was just hanging on by a thread. If one more thing were to go wrong, he could completely snap!"
"We will continue with our job," Alvin clenched his jaw in irritation. "This girl may be the key to finally getting something on the Haddocks. We will watch them both closely and see what we find. If it will ruin his life, so be it, but if it doesn't, it may be an interesting drama."
Eret kept his mouth shut as he watched the home through the falling snowflakes. That boy needed someone to lean on tonight but there was no one and now he was going to have to wait to hear back from his friend about the girl. A pang of guilt shocked his core and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Damn my integrity. Damn. It!
His bones cracked as he sat up in bed, cursing his body for reminding him that he was getting old. He sat there for a few moments before fully getting up and heading into the bathroom to get ready for another day of governing. As he got dressed, he kept a keen ear out for any alerts from his phone, hoping to hear back from the detective he hired about finding evidence of who left the letter and also waiting for Hiccup to call for his daily check in.
Stoick hadn't had a good night's rest since he received the letter and maybe it was intentional. Maybe the real intent wasn't towards the physical harm of his son but towards the slow chipping away at his sanity for worrying about him. Maybe they just wanted to tire him out to the point he couldn't take the stress of running for senator.
A chime from his phone made him scramble for his phone quicker than a cheetah on his prey and saw a text from Gobber.
Call Hiccup now. He's going to need you.
Stoick began to panic as he brought up his son's contact and called him. His mind went through a whole list of different scenarios as to why Hiccup needed him at the moment and not a single one was good.
The phone kept ringing until it went to voicemail but Stoick hung up and called again. He kept calling until Hiccup finally answered on the fifth attempt. "Dad?"
Stoick heard the distress in his voice behind the grogginess and his panic doubled. "Hiccup! Are you alright? What's wrong?"
"Not so loud," he grumbled. He sounded extremely tired and his voice was rough and coarse like he had been screaming all night.
"Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?"
"Wh..what are you talking about? I'm fine."
Stoick relaxed a bit and let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Sorry for being so frantic."
"It's fine," Hiccup said. Stoick could almost hear the boy smiling at him. "It's nice to know you care."
He rolled his eyes as he shook his head and chuckled. "If you didn't know by now, I have officially failed as a father."
"I know, I know. What prompted the call? Any new developments on the threat?"
Stoick heard the hopeful anticipation in his voice and the light hearted atmosphere they had created in those few seconds dissipated into dread. His son was scared, that much was obvious, and he wanted it to be over so he could live his life, despite the brave words Hiccup spewed. "No, not yet. Gobber texted me saying that you needed to talk. Did something happen last night?"
The other end was quiet for too long and Stoick began to worry once again. He clenched and unclenched his fist several times waiting patiently for him to answer and when he did, he hated the quietness of Hiccup's voice. "Yeah."
He sounded so small and scared with just that one word that Stoick wanted to pack up and head home that instant just to hug his son. "What happened?"
"It was...was...it was Astrid," Hiccup stammered quietly.
Stoick blinked a few times at the mention of their neighbor. It had been years since Hiccup spoke about her since they stopped being friends but to hear her name coming from his lips, and after spending Halloween with her, he began to suspect something was up. "What about her?"
"She was attacked last night. Those drug assholes attacked her."
His eyebrows rose in surprise, not only at another person becoming a victim but at his son swearing. He only heard Hiccup swear in extreme moments of anger and that anger was evident in the boy's chilly tone. "How do you know?"
"Um...Fishlegs was headed over for a late night study session and found her on the side of the road. He texted me why he couldn't make it and that's how I found out."
Lies. Stoick may not have spent a lot of time with Hiccup but he could tell when his own son was lying to him. He spoke too quickly and his voice got slightly higher in pitch during his lies. Now he knew that there was something else going on. "Do you know if she's alright?"
"Not at the moment," Hiccup sighed. "But when Fishlegs left the hospital this morning, they said she was stable and that they would contact him if there were any changes. Since there has been no text from him yet, I'm assuming she's okay."
"Are you going to see her at the hospital?"
"Yeah. I'll be taking Snotlout to go see her."
Stoick could now hear nervousness begin to lace Hiccup's voice as he spoke about his plan for visiting Astrid. Something is definitely up. I will find out sooner or later. "Alright, keep me updated. I have meetings until 2PM today so I won't be able to talk but text me."
"Always, Dad. Love you. Stay safe!"
"You too, son." He hung up the phone and just stared out into space for a few minutes, trying to come up with a reason as to why Hiccup would lie to him about the circumstances of Astrid's attack but he couldn't think of one.
Another ding from his phone made him look down and see an email from the detective and he eagerly opened it up but the contents weren't good. "No trace of evidence found on the letter. No hair, fingerprints, or microscopic substances to trace the origins of the letter," he read aloud. "Great, just great!"
I hate hospitals. Ruff grumbled to herself but she bared it for her friend. The smell of disinfectant constantly in the air made her feel nauseous and claustrophobic and she prayed that she would never have to stay in a hospital for more than a few hours visiting someone. Staying here would be torture.
She entered the room, not caring about where her brother might have gone, and saw Astrid uncomfortably still on the small bed. Tubes and wires were attached to her body to monitor her levels making her look like some sort of Frankenstein monster wannabe, which, she had to admit, made her look cool too.
Astrid's father was sitting by her bedside but something about his demeanor didn't feel welcoming. In fact, she noticed that he was looking at her as if waiting to scream at her for being in this predicament and it made the whole room feel very stifling.
But Ruff perked up when she saw Astrid begin to stir, her mouth beginning to move as she spoke but the words out of her mouth made her blood freeze in terror.
"Hi...cup. Hi...cup."
Oh...shit!
Her father's expression morphed into surprised anger as he opened his mouth to begin yelling but Ruff jumped in quickly. "High cup," she laughed.
He looked at her, surprised not only by seeing her but hearing her speak. "What?"
"High cup," she repeated as she walked in and stood on the opposite side of the bed. "Yesterday we were talking about why bra companies hadn't made a bra that was designed to lift the boobs but not squish them like a pushup bra." She grabbed her own boobs and lifted them as high as they would go as a demonstration before continuing. "We joked that these bras would be called 'high cups' because they would lift your boobs up-"
"Alright, enough!" he snapped. "I've heard enough." He got up and began to storm out of the room but not before mumbling to himself. "What a weird bitch."
Ruff released her boobs and placed her hands on her hips as she stuck her tongue out at him. "What a weird son of a bitch," she muttered back. She turned her attention back to her only girl friend and smiled gently. "Be careful with your subconscious there, Astrid. You almost gave yourself away."
She pulled up a chair and sat down, holding the girl's hand in her own, dreading the minutes that ticked by that would eventually force her to leave and go to school. Ruff couldn't explain it but she didn't want to leave Astrid alone with her father. The moment he left the room, it felt so much lighter and cleaner and she wanted to keep it that way, thinking it would help her recover faster.
But she knew she couldn't stay all day. She stood up when she had delayed her departure to the last second and smiled at Astrid. "I'll be back after practice with the others. Don't go anywhere."
As she left the room she heard Astrid mumble again 'Hi...cup' and she chuckled to herself. "Girl, you need to admit you have got it bad for that fishbone."
Uh-oh! Things just got interesting! Let me know what you think of it so far. I'm getting excited for the climax! Stay tuned!
