Cleaning Up the Dust

Since I wanted to end on a good note, this is the B VERSION. Please do not get confused.

It seemed forever for things to get back to normal, but in actuality, the cogs of the world were up and running again. Astrid didn't admit it to anyone, but she occasionally missed Camicazi's pranks and her cheerfulness. Occasionally. She didn't know whether or not she wanted someone to take over Camicazi's old desk so she wouldn't have to see it sitting empty or not.

Because of his self-induced illness, Hiccup did not show up for work for those two weeks, probably because he was having antibiotics pumped into him like a water-run mill.

"Serves him right," Astrid fumed one day as she worked. "That's what he gets for not listening to me." It was only when Fishlegs came to fix her computer did Astrid even realize the date.

"Merry Snoggletog Eve!" he greeted her, enthusiastic as always.

Astrid blinked at her desktop calendar. Surely it couldn't be that late. It was.

"What are you going to do on your day off tomorrow?" Fishlegs asked, clicking into weird text boxes on her computer screen.

Astrid tried to pretend like she had remembered that she had tomorrow off. "My mother is going to call and demand that I spend Christmas with her like she does every year – more leftovers!"

"Oh, that's great! All done," he announced. "Personally, I can't wait until New Year's. All of the computers are getting new software, and then I'll be able to fix your computer by remote access."

While Astrid couldn't share his love of computers, she wasn't heartless. "That's great. Merry Snoggletog!"

Fishlegs beamed. "Merry Snoggletog!" Someone yelled from the break room about a coffee pot that created pureed beans, and Fishlegs bustled off to help.

As Astrid was leaving the office later, Snotlout called after her. "Hey, Astrid! Want to buy me a coffee?"

"Over my dead body!" she yelled back, turning around so he would be sure to hear her. In doing so, she didn't see where she was going and crashed into a person, sending him or her to the floor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" was her first reaction before she realized that it was Hiccup. Her second reaction was "You idiot!"

"Ow, ow, ow," Hiccup moaned. "I just got out of the hospital, Astrid. Why are you trying to put me back in it?"

"I didn't. It was Snotlout. Hey, Snotlout, look what you made me do!"

She could hear Snotlout's grumbling and whining from twenty yards away. Since Hiccup looked pretty pitiful on the floor, she helped him back to his feet, dusted him off, and propped his crutches up underneath him.

"You know," Hiccup complained, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Astrid snorted. "Yeah, right. And I'm the chief of police."

"Shh!" Hiccup hissed. "Don't tell Stoick. He'll be out of a job." Astrid elbowed him.

"Ooooh!" Snotlout's voice drifted to them from where he was skulking by a soda machine. "Love in the lobby!"

"Snotlout!" Hiccup loudly hissed back. "Would you please?"

Like the responsible adult she pretended to be who didn't stay up until four the morning reading crime show fanfictions, Astrid ignored Snotlout. "What are you doing here? Don't you have tomorrow off, too?"

"Yes." Hiccup straightened his jacket. "I came to see you."

"An advance!" Snotlout cooed, jamming an arm up the soda machine's dispensing compartment. "How sweet!"

"SNOTLOUT!" Astrid and Hiccup yelled at the same time. "Stay out of it!"

As they exited the rather crowded office building, Hiccup stuttered for a bit, trying to recollect his thoughts. "I came to see you," he finally managed, then clarified. "To thank you. For what you did. Talking me out of it, I mean. My head has felt much better."

"Well, I was either that or arrest you," Astrid replied cheerfully. "Glad to be of service."

"Too much paperwork, right?" Hiccup remarked wryly.

Astrid nodded sagely. "Twelve sheets. All for a dog getting stuck in the mayor's window."

"I don't want to know how the dog got stuck there."

Astrid sidestepped one of the decorative Snoggletog trees that had been set up around town. "I'm pretty sure the twins were involved, but there's nothing to confirm it."

"They're expanding their horizons for explosions." After a few minutes of comfortable silence strolling down the wintery sidewalk and slipping on snow, Hiccup cleared his throat. "Um. I was wondering."

"Yes?" Astrid prodded. He hadn't even gotten the words out, and he was already as red as a Snoggletog beet.

"Gobber's met a woman – Anna Marie is her name – and he's taking her to dinner tonight,except he wants me to come along and meet her because I'm like his godson or some other relation, and I really don't want to sit there for two and a half hours watching them stare into each other's eyes, so would you please, please, please come with me?"

"Oh." At first, Astrid was taken back. "Gobber has a girl? I thought he was all set to be a bachelor for life."

"So did I," Hiccup said miserably. "So did I."

"Sure. I'll go for moral support. But it had better not be the burger joint down the street, eh?" she poked him in the arm.

"No," he was quick to assure her. "He went all out for his sweet Anna Marie."

"Good. So what time-" Her question was cut off when Hiccup unexpectedly shoved something wet and cold down the neck of her coat one handedly. A snowball.

"That's cold!" she squealed. "Hiccup!"

"Got you!" he crowed.

"That was pretty tricky of you – for a boy, of course! There will be consequences!" she warned. Sharing in Camicazi's line together. They would remember her and move on.

But for now, Astrid had to get her revenge for the puddle of cold dripping down her back.