NightStormPhoenix - the suspense is killing everyone! Well, except me.
YaAz97 - I almost did leave this chapter off for a day to have you all twisting but... I'm too happy to have updated daily for a fortnight. If I had updated weekly... this fic would only be on chapter three right now!
DyingSunlight - even if they did see each other... who said they'll make up?
BrawlerGamer - that thought has definitely crossed Dagur's mind. Throk is one of the boss guys, yes!
MidwestMexican - I'm still staying under my rock until your explosives are safely locked away.
-HTTYD-
Astrid had been left feeling a little torn between relief and disappointment at Hiccup being absent from college. She didn't want to see him.
But at the same time, she did.
Heather was hovering in her kitchen, wanting to go off to meet Justin but not wanting to leave Astrid.
"Go. I'm fine, and one of us should be happy. Don't make me push you."
"I'm off today, don't worry sis. Me and Astrid will paint our nails and lift some weights."
"Are you sure?"
"Go before I change my mind and give your boyfriend a new reason to move besides dog walking."
Clearly, Dagur approved of Heathers choice in men more than he did Astrid's. He hadn't wasted time asking if they were a thing, and seemed fairly happy about it. Then again, Justin was the dictionary definition of 'gentle giant'. Astrid still reckoned it would be a while before he was up to coming over to meet her family.
Heathers parents were out on 'date night', Astrid's own mother on inventory night so dhe wouldn't be home until late (apparently... Astrid suspected otherwise). So when Heather left to spend the afternoon/evening with Justin, it was just Astrid and Dagur.
"So... shall we get the nail polish, or how about a couple of beers and a few hours on the PlayStation?"
Feeling the dull throb in her stomach, Astrid shook her head.
"No alcohol, I need painkillers."
"Are you al... oh, is it that time of the month?"
Dagur was thankfully one of those guys who didn't blink about it as Astrid nodded, fetching the first aid box and filling a glass with water while Astrid popped pills out of the blister pack.
"Hmm. How about hot chocolate instead?"
"Definitely."
While Dagur was fiddling with mugs and making warm milk, Astrid mused that at least her period had waited until after the whole sex-fest with Hiccup. At least there had been no times she had to say no to sex because of mother nature. They perched on bean-bag chairs in the living room, mugs to their sides and controllers in hand. Astrid sipped at the warm drink, humming in pleasure.
"What is that? Caramel?"
"Uh, butterscotch apparently. I didn't choose the powder, is it alright?"
"It's amazing. I need to get some."
Taking another hearty swallow, she felt the warmth curl up in her stomach and even seemed to ease her cramps. Turning her attention to the game, Astrid had no idea what was going on except it involved beating Dagur's animated character to a bloody pulp.
"Take that carrot top!"
"You're on Valkyrie!"
They both pummeled at the plastic buttons, repeatedly splattering the tv screen with each others blood and trading insults. They went through another two hot chocolates each, which left Astrid feeling pleasantly warm and melty inside. Dropping the controller next to her, Astrid sank deeper into the bean bag and sighed happily.
"Feel better little sis?"
"I do. Thanks Dagur."
"My pleasure. I'm still totally hoping I can punch whoever made you sad, but-"
"What makes you think its a who?"
Dagur sighed, rubbing a hand through his perpetually scruffy red hair.
"Well... there was the whole thing with Haddock and you kissing, and then you were all super happy but now you're really sad. Especially when Heather mentions Fishlegs, like you're missing something."
He was usually so... surface, with poor impulse control and a well known temper that Astrid often forgot Dagur could be as observant as Sherlock bloody Holmes.
"I know you wanna break his face, but... if you hurt him, you hurt me Dagur. Just because we aren't... whatever it was anymore doesn't change that."
Dagur held out an arm, letting Astrid feel a solid arm - twice the breadth and far more firmly muscled than Hiccups - around her as he gave her a cuddle.
"Not even a little one? Practically a love tap?"
Astrid growled.
"Dagur!"
"Alright, alright. But if you change your mind, let me know. Just say the word, I mean it."
Astrid chuckled, staying cozily nestled in the comforting brotherly embrace. Dagur fell silent, letting her soak in the comfort and warmth. She could almost have fallen asleep like that, the intermittent theme music of the games main screen filling the air.
She heard an engine cut off nearby outside, quashing the usual happiness she associated with the idea of Hiccup pulling up on his bike. Lots of people had engines. In cars. It might even be Heather coming back. She heard a door knock nearby and revised that thought; maybe someone ordered a food delivery.
Then she heard quick footsteps, one slightly heavier than the other and her heart did a little skip. Hiccup walked like that. The steps seemed to come closer, halted, then Heather's door knocked.
"Not expecting anybody... Well, nobody who doesn't have a key anyway. Weird."
Dagur stood up, walking purposefully over to the front door and opening it without bothering to look through the peephole. Astrid was about to scuttle across the floor and investigate, but she didn't need to.
"What are you doing here? I thought I made myself clear."
The voice that answered almost floored her.
"I'm looking for Astrid. She's not at home, is she here?"
Hiccup was here!
"No. Go away before I feel less nice."
Astrid got up before he chased Hiccup off, watching his face brighten as soon as he saw her.
"Dagur, stop it. I'm here. What do you want?"
His dorky, lopsided smile still had the damned effect of making Astrid weak in the knees, looking to all intents and purposes like he couldn't be happier to see her. It hurt.
"I'm here to apologise. I know that it's long overdue, but... I want to explain myself. If you'll listen."
"Don't do it Astrid! I'm not gonna play nice if he hurts you again."
Dagur's words actually made Hiccup's smile falter, like the reminder he hurt her was problematic. He had seemed pretty damn fine until now. Astrid ought to say no and focus on getting on with her life...
But he wanted to talk. That's what she had wanted - answers. Maybe she could get some closure.
"Alright. We can talk. Dagur, let me make my own choices, please?"
Dagur growled, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
"But he's a dick. He made you sad. I am obligated as your big brother to hate him."
Hiccup turned to Dagur, addressing him directly.
"You're right. I did hurt her, and believe me I hate myself for it. But at the very least, I owe Astrid an explanation. If she's still hurting after, I'll present myself to you for whatever punishment you want to dish out."
Dagur blinked in surprise, then huffed suspiciously.
"That alright with you little sis?"
Feeling a little like they were doing a "hush now the penises are talking" thing didn't help Astrid's already slightly turbulent mood, but it meant nobody was trying to kill anybody. Yet.
"Alright. Come on, my house is empty. Dagur, if I need you, I'll text you. Promise."
"You had better."
He hugged her, glared at Hiccup and dragged a finger across his throat menacingly.
"I'm watching you Haddock."
"Noted."
Astrid felt oddly wrong-footed by Hiccup right then, which had never really happened before. He looked awfully happy and she was feeling very few things even close to happiness. He followed her to the street under Dagur's watchful eye, but Astrid had a thought occur to her.
"Take that round the back, you're in my moms space."
"Oh, sure."
Astrid used the minute she had for a bathroom trip, needing to change her pad and pee and anxiety about whatever Hiccup might say not helping. Then she had to climb out of her window and help smuggle Hiccup in again, which felt a little too much like the sneak-in date for her and, cursing her hormones, Astrid felt tears threaten. Hiccup couldn't tell in the dark thankfully, following her up the ladder to land in her room.
"This doesn't mean anything" Astrid made sure to note as she locked her door "but I don't want to explain this to my mom."
"I didn't come here to try and get you into bed Astrid. I really honestly came over to apologise. I understand if you don't want anything to do with me, my behaviour was reprehensible and awful and I can't change that."
"You said you owe me an explanation" Astrid sat on her bed, pulling her knees up to her chest like she could physically shield her heart from him "so explain."
"Can I sit? Just here at the edge?"
Astrid nodded, watching him do his best to sit on the very edge of the bed. He just looked at her for a minute, the scrutiny somewhat uncomfortable.
"Right. So... Major thing first. I told my mom about you. Us. Not that there is an us, I know but-"
"You told her?"
"Mhmm. Turns out she already knew. More on that later. I know this is going to come across probably childish to you, but I realised that as happy as you made me, I couldn't have kept it going without my mom being on board. I felt guilty, and I put that on you, I lashed out and that was... probably one of the worst things I'll ever do."
Astrid didn't really know what to say, so she stayed silent and let him speak.
"I didn't really have friends growing up, and my dad's attention was quite often dependant on me doing what a typical boy of Viking ancestry should. My mom was always there, nurturing what she called my 'tender soul' and taking me on nature walks to see wild animals. She taught me to draw. I just... I couldn't deal with the fact I was falling in love and couldn't tell her. I should never have taken that out on you-"
Wait. Astrid's brain finally kicked up.
"Hold up. Backtrack. Falling in love?"
Hiccup twisted to look at her more earnestly, face open and honest.
"Astrid, you are the sun in the sky and I didn't realise how dark my life had been before you. I and that terrifies as much as thrills me. I didn't mean a word of what I said that night, and if you want my whole life story I will tell you everything I can remember. If that's not enough, I'm sure my mother can supplement with embarrassing childhood memories and photos. I will do whatever I can to prove what you mean to me, to prove how sorry I am."
Half of Astrid wanted to declare she loved him too and forget anything had ever happened.
The other half of her knew if she let him off that easy, she would always be unsettled.
"You want to prove something to me?"
"Whatever I can."
Astrid searched for something that she could ask of him, the idea coming to her almost immediately.
"Alright. Go and see your dad."
"I... what?"
"I'm not saying he's a perfect dad, I'm not saying you have to forgive him or even see him more than once. But I would give anything to be able to see my dad again, and I want to see that you appreciate what you have."
His brow furrowed in thought, but his face cleared a minute later.
"Alright. I suppose I could always brag about my new job to him."
"New job?"
Hiccup nodded, smiling.
"Mom knew about us. She figured that if something happened and we were caught out by college, I would need a new job. She sent my engine and bike designs to Dragon Wheels, the company who made my Night Fury, and that's where I was today. They offered me a job on the spot. If the college fires me, I start earlier. If they don't, I start in August. Either way, I won't be a teacher come summer."
Astrid was a little stunned, she couldn't deny it.
"Your mom did that so you could date me?"
"She wants me to be happy. She encouraged me to try and fix things with you, because me being unhappy for her sake was just not on for her. My mom landed me my dream job, they want to pay me to draw and build bikes! How great is that?"
There it was, that light and exuberance Astrid had practically fell in love with the first day she sat in his class watching him bounce around excitedly talking about engines.
"Very."
An awkward silence fell, Hiccup obviously waiting to see if she had more to say before he said more.
"Do you want me to leave now?"
Astrid deliberated, eventually shaking her head.
"Take off your jacket and shoes, then come here."
Hiccup hastened to comply, the feeling of his arms around her again as she let him lay next to her more soothing and comfortable than Astrid had dared hope for. He brushed a kiss over her forehead, nuzzling at her hair and making a soft sound of contentment.
"Sweet Freya, I missed you so much Astrid."
"Hush. Thinking."
He fell silent, arms not moving from where they were around her. Astrid wasn't really thinking much, her mind blissfully quiet for the first time in days. He smelled like outside and leather and oil and her lungs seemed to settle in relief that his familiar scent filled them again. Knowing she was completely, disgustingly weak for him, Astrid pulled away.
"You should go before I let you off easy."
Hiccup didn't waver, nodding and slowly withdrawing his arms from around her as he sat up. Astrid tried not to notice how much she ached to have them back.
"Completely understandable. Could... would you mind if I kissed you goodbye?"
She wanted to say he couldn't, but gods she needed it like she needed air the second he asked. Astrid simply nodded, feeling him reach out to cup her face with both hands, thumbs caressing her cheeks before he pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her lips. Astrid's whole body seemed to thrum with a gentle but insistent pulse of at last, finally.
"Thank you. Should I go present myself to Dagur for a beatdown?"
"Tempting, but no. You should go though."
Hiccup nodded, hands slow to come away from her face like he could hardly bear having to stop touching her. He turned to the window, then seemed to remember something and reached in to his jacket.
"I should thank you really, you were the inspiration for one of their favourite designs of mine."
He handed her a folded piece of paper, which Astrid opened up to find a drawing of her all biker-style, complete with a hefty, streamlined motorcycle in blue and white with some interesting yellow spikes coming from the chunky front, yellow-gold flecks making the whole body pop.
"I inspired a thing called Stormfly?"
The drawing really was amazing, with attention to the most miniscule details - Hiccup had even put all the mixed over-and-under knots of her hairbraid in.
"You brightened up my dark and stormy world. You can keep that if you want."
Hiccup went for the window after replacing boots and jacket, smiling softly at her the whole time he was climbing down until he was out of sight, then when she leant out of the window to watch him go he turned back up and smiled at her.
Her phone buzzed on her bed, but Astrid waited to see him vanish through the gate before she turned back to look at her phone.
"You look like an angel, all glowing and that blonde halo of yours."
Despite all her efforts to be angry and righteously resistant of him, Astrid felt her resolve weakening. Damn him.
Still. She had managed to give him something to prove he was serious, which had almost been her throwing sense to one side and kissing him stupid. Which she still wanted to do. Astrid had never been so thankful she was a no-go zone for a few days, may well have done more than kiss him. Thank you mother nature.
Hiccup took himself home feeling light and glowy. He knew they weren't magically fixed and forgiven and back together, but Astrid had let him hold her, kiss her, apologise to her. He was daring to hope.
His mother was waiting for him when he got home, searching his face for a hint of how his evening went. He left her wondering for a few minutes as he went to change, coming out and flopping ungracefully on to the sofa so he could rub ointment into his leg.
The suspense began to get to her, her curious face becoming mildly irate with his silence as he tried not to snicker.
"Hiccup?"
"Yes mom?"
His voice quivered with suppressed laughter, practically giving him away as trying to wind her up.
"How did it go?"
"How did what go?"
"Hiccup Haddock, I am not above grounding you."
That did it; Hiccup burst out laughing. That only served to frustrate his mother further, which prolonged his amusement. He laughed until it began to hurt, slowly calming down with a few stray giggles escaping.
"It didn't start great. Astrid wasn't home so I tried Heather's house, because it's like four doors down and I know Astrid spends a lot of time there. Naturally, Dagur answered the door."
"That being the one who attacked you before?"
Hiccup nodded, resuming working the ointment into his scarred limb.
"Astrid was there, and called him off shall we say. Then she let me talk, and she listened. I don't know what surprised her more, that I had told you about us or that I had a new job suddenly."
He pushed Toothless and his dribbly-mouth away as the dog got too interested in the smell of ointment, not wanting drool in place of muscle relaxant.
"And?"
"And she said if I wanted her to trust me properly again, I had to do something for her."
This was the bit Hiccup didn't really want to tell his mother about, but he had misjudged her before. Maybe he should give her potential reaction the benefit of the doubt.
"Do I dare ask?"
"Nothing like that! No, she... she told me to go see dad. I must have mentioned that I've not seen him since I moved in with you. She lost her dad years ago, and said she wants to see that I can appreciate what I have by being the bigger man about it. Just once, if he's still being a total nightmare then she'll be happy with the fact I tried."
Valka sat silently considering that, quiet for long enough that Hiccup started to feel awkwardly worried and went to make tea to fill the gap. When he placed the steaming cup in front of her, his mother seemed to jolt out of it.
"You ok mom?"
"I just realised the thing I was upset with your father about for years is exactly what I've done."
"Not at all! You've never tried to stop me seeing him. Dad hasn't tried to get hold of me since he sacked me, and that's on him. Unless you're gonna stop me now..."
"No, you go see your father if that's what you want son."
Hiccup sighed inwardly with relief at her earnest, genuine tone.
"Thanks. I'm thinking of calling Gobber first, maybe go for a drink with him and get a gauge on how dad's doing. Then maybe asking dad to go see gramps with me. Odin knows we should before he forgets us completely, I've just been letting time get away from me lately."
Valka smiled, sipping her tea.
"That's very mature son. I think it sounds like an excellent idea."
"Good. So... I'll go heat up some leftovers for dinner? Then I ought to start planning what to say to the college."
"I'm behind you one hundred percent son. I was worried for your future, but now that's solved I'm just hoping you'll do what makes you happy."
Hiccup stood up to head to the kitchen, finding long thin arms wrapping haphazardly around his torso as his mom hugged him, squeezing with that "ooooooh" sound she used to say meant she was squishing the air out of him. Hiccup drew in a breath, pushing his chest and stomach out and puffing his cheeks up. She fell about laughing, then kissed his forehead.
"Love you son."
"Love you too mom."
-HTTYD-
*peers out from under rock* safe yet?