Nine: A New World.

Astrid was honestly astonished at how quickly he had accepted the offer and she had expected a little more in the way of argument by the young man. Her eyes widened in shock.

"I-I do?" she mumbled and he grinned.

"What happened to the confident soccer star I met last time?" he teased her gently and she giggled.

"Well, her sassy friend just shocked her and removed the power of speech!" she retorted. "I expected you to say no, to be honest!" He managed a small smile.

"I like to surprise people," he said. Usually in a bad way. No-stop! You can't think like that all the time…that only means that Bella is right… "And I think I could do with a few weeks away from Berk." She leaned forward.

"What about your job?" she asked with concern and he shrugged.

"As I told you, I can work over the internet just as well-as long as I get some time and space to concentrate," he explained. "I have some jobs I'm working on that just need me to concentrate. I just need to speak to my boss…but I'm sure he's aware that I seem to be the fiancé of the most famous woman in the Archipelago so I'm sure he'll cut me some slack…" I hope. Accepting this, she nodded.

"I guess you need something to do while I'm training and playing…"

"Though he would be expected to attend your matches," Heather pointed out. "He can sit with me in the box." Astrid nodded. "Also…he only has what he's standing in," she pointed out. Frowning, the blonde turned her gaze on Hiccup and he gave a self-conscious laugh.

"Ah…complicated story," he said quickly. "Had to get out of the apartment in a hurry…because Bella really wan't happy that I was seeing you." In fact she would have been furious if she had known…so I didn't tell her. Catching the edge to his voice, she looked at him and inclined her head.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. "Do you want me to speak to her, to explain…"

"NO! Thor, no…" he shouted urgently. Then he forced himself to relax. "That…really wouldn't help, Astrid. Sorry-but if you speak to her, tell her anything, I can guarantee it will be all over the papers. Helheim, she already threatened to tell them lies about me…" Heather frowned.

"What lies?" she demanded. "Hiccup-is there something we need to know?" Her voice hardened. "What secrets do you have? Are you gay?" His eyes widened.

"NO! Definitely not!" he said and then realised what he had said, for he knew Heather was gay. "I mean I don't have anything against gay or bi people but…for me it's girls all the way. Sorry."

"Don't be. Girls for me as well," the raven-haired girl smirked and then grew more serious. "Paedophile then?"

"ARGH! No no no no no!" His eyes glittered. "I mean-why would you say that?" he protested. "That's just so…horrible! How could you even think…?"

"Well-she must have something on you," Heather said sternly and even Astrid was leaning forward, her eyes focussed on the auburn-haired man. He felt his gut clench in anxiety and he stared at his knees.

"Not really…but she was my girlfriend and she could play the wronged party," he sighed. "And we were together for three years so she obviously has embarrassing stories about me…um…yeah…"

Heather frowned.

"What sort of embarrassing stories?" she pressed. "Cross dressing? Sexual fetishes? Impotence? Some weird kinky stuff?" Astrid watched Hiccup cringe and turned absolutely scarlet all the way to the tips of his ears.

"NO!" he squeaked. "Absolutely no! Thor no! I-I'm not…oh Thor, why is this happening?" Astrid folded her arms.

"Leave the poor guy alone," she told her friend. "I'm guessing some nasty innuendos about your sexual performance-something spectacular to embarrass me and him and make us pay for humiliating her." Hiccup nodded urgently and then covered his face with his hands. And then he sighed.

"And this is where you decide I'm not worth the effort and end it…" He paused. "Sorry." And he leaned forward, running his hands through his hair and finally lifted his head, his eyes glittering. "It's not like I asked for any of this-and I wanted to set the record straight immediately but you wanted not to spoil your Mom's party…and then you went away to play soccer and left me to be stalked by journalists and be teased by my workmates and face a furious girlfriend and now-because I have said furious girlfriend-you're just dumping me." He rose. "Thanks. I mean-you dumped me once already so I really expected nothing else." And he turned to the door.

"Hiccup-wait!" Astrid said, shocked at the sudden reversal. "I never said any of that!"

"You didn't have to," he replied, staring at the door. "I mean-not only have you suggested the most humiliating, horrific and insulting things about me, you dumped me without a backwards glance once-so why not again? Except this time, I'll probably have to hitch hike back to Berk…"

"But…"

"She took my wallet so I couldn't do anything but go to work and come back," he said tightly then shook his head. "Look, I told you that you didn't want me…though you could at least drop me at the ferry port…" Astrid's eyes narrowed.

"Hiccup-what aren't you telling me?" she asked. He spun round.

"Lots of things," he said. "My favourite colour. How many times I saw 'How To Train Your Dragon' at the movie theatre-really, that one is pretty unexpected. My best time for 10km. My alias on Berkbook. And the fact that my girlfriend has a volcanic temper, is controlling and extremely self-centred and devious." He paused. "And would want to make me pay for humiliating her." The women shared a look and Astrid frowned.

"Are you okay?" she asked and he jumped, then nodded.

"Yeah-she can be pretty possessive and has a pretty sharp tongue," he admitted. "And she hates not getting her own way." Astrid rose and walked carefully to him, approaching him like a skittish horse, with Stoick's words rolling around her memory. Carefully, she rested a hand on his and felt him taut as a bowstring.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," she told him gently. "I don't want you getting harmed just for my financial benefit. Is Bella a problem? Is she a threat?" Emerald eyes flicked up to meet the wide blue gaze of Astrid Hofferon, alike and unlike Bella's blue eyes. And as she gently held his hand, he really truly wished he had spoken to her before Graduation and he sighed. Was it wrong that he wanted to be with her, that his escape to be with her was like his wildest dream? And that he was willing to play along with this charade because this was the best adventure in his whole life…and even pretending to be engaged to Astrid was worth the heartache.

He smiled.

"I want to," he admitted and allowed himself to be pulled onto the couch beside her. Heather folded her arms.

"Okay-so we'll need to keep an eye on Bella," she said, making a mental note. "You are not to have any further contact with her."

"No argument here," Hiccup replied. Ever. Nope. Never want to speak to her again.

"And we need to find you some clothes," Astrid added, eyeing him up and down. He blushed. "Not that you aren't cute, Hiccup-but you can't wear those clothes all the time…" He shrugged.

"Um…again, no argument…though I just need another pair of jeans and some more T-shirts and…"

"And you know that isn't going to happen, right?" Astrid smiled, taking his hand. "Look, I run a fashion line and we need to have you at least dressed reasonably…"

"Define reasonably," he challenged her.

"No mayonnaise on your shirt," she pointed out and he glanced down, seeing the small spot on his shirt. His shoulders slumped.

"Sorry," he mumbled as she squeezed his hand.

"It's not a criticism," she said more gently, realising he felt horribly self-conscious about his situation. She was still worried about the Bella issue and knew there had to be more to it than he was letting on…but she was already feeling guilty, because it was obvious their relationship had broken down catastrophically. And her qualms resurfaced: she was still using Hiccup and she wanted to make sure he had a say in what happened. "So what do you like to wear?" He shrugged.

"Um…jeans, T-shirt, shirt," he murmured.

"Blue or black?"

"What?"

"Jeans," she gently pushed. "Regular or…"

"I prefer black…or brown," he admitted.

"And shirt?" she asked. "Button down?" He shrugged. "Colour?"

"Well, Bella always makes me wear white…" he admitted. And then he looked up into Astrid's encouraging blue gaze. "But I know it really doesn't suit. I prefer greens, cream, red, brown…" She smiled.

"Long or short sleeves?"

"Long!" His tone was panicked. He couldn't let her see his burns-or his bruises. "Um yeah…long sleeves. Kinda self-conscious here…" She squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"Nothing to be self-conscious about," she told him gently. "Okay-anything else? Shoes?"

"Tend to wear boots," he admitted.

"We can get some footwear," Heather agreed.

"Okay-and anything else we may need," Astrid decided, seeing his discomfort at the conversation. "You ready to go out?" He stared at her.

"Um…out?" he repeated. She nodded.

"Yeah-we're going shopping," she told him.

"I can just go to Berkmart," he said. "I mean I always buy my clothes there and…"

"And Berkmart hasn't reached Archi," she reminded him with a smile. "Just let me get changed and we can go out. Heather-a word?" And they rose, whispered a few words and then Heather left, leaving Hiccup sitting on the couch as Astrid vanished into the bathroom. The shower started running and he sat back, resigning himself to a long wait. "Make yourself a drink!" Astrid yelled from the shower. "The kitchen has everything, I think…"

Rising stiffly, he looked around, for the first time properly taking in where he was. Astrid's apartment overlooked the redeveloped docks and the vista was spectacular, so for a moment, he stared and just enjoyed the view, his hands suddenly aching for a pencil or some charcoal to draw. He wondered if he could persuade her to splash out for some drawing materials…and then realised he needed to get a draughting table for his work, wondering where he could fit it that wouldn't appear to clutter this showroom apartment. Then he turned to the kitchen and found it did indeed have everything he could want-every appliance, perfectly clean and almost certainly unused. There were coffee pods and tea bags and many other drinks so he used the brand new and unused coffee machine and made himself an excellent espresso before he sat down again.

Idly, he glanced at his phone and winced: there were a stream of texts from Bella:

[10:00] WHERE ARE U?

[10:02] WHERE ARE U?

[10:03] YOU NEVER ARRIVED AT WORK.

[10.05] WHERE ARE U?

[10:06] WHERE ARE U?

[10:12] I AM GOING TO BREAK YOUR HAND WHEN I GET HOLD OF YOU

[10:14] WHERE ARE U?

[10:17] I MISS YOU BABY

[10:18] WHERE ARE U?

[10:21] RING ME

[10:22] DAMMIT IT YOU BASTARD RING ME

[10:23] RING ME

[10:24] RING ME

[10:25] WHERE ARE U?

[10:26] RING ME

[10:27] RING ME

[10:30] IF YOU ARE WITH THAT BITCH I AM GOING TO THE PAPERS

He dropped the phone and deleted the texts…then blocked her number. He found he was shaking, unsure what he could do or say in the face of such venom. And then the door opened behind him and he glanced up-to see Astrid walking towards him. She was barefoot, wrapped in a towel with her damp hair coiled around her flushed face. But her eyes were sparkling and she was smiling and for a moment, he could think of nothing else.

"Um…wow…you're absolutely stunning…and that isn't creepy at all…" He grimaced and hastily turned away but she laughed and walked over to him, taking his hand and smiling.

"Hiccup-it's no biggie," she reassured him. "If we're to share an apartment, you are going to see me in a towel…or lycra…or my nightwear…" And she giggled as he blushed more.

"And I may well die of embarrassment here," he mumbled. She squeezed his hand.

"Don't be," she reassured him. "Look-you can stay in the guest bedroom. There's plenty of room, privacy and the chance to have your own space." She could see him visibly relax and she smiled. "And you won't see anything which could cause your death!" She winked and then headed into what he guessed was her bedroom and closed the door.

"And I could possibly be more pathetic?" he groaned. "Thor, if Bella could see me…"

She would make you regret lying to her, running away, daring to disobey her orders, daring not to answer her texts…Thor, if she didn't actually kill you, you would be doing well…

But she would punish you…

He looked at his phone and up at the door…but a sick sensation was growing in his gut. He thumbed the screen open and rapidly dialled his bank, navigating impatiently through the menu until he was through to an adviser.

"Hello-BerkBank-this is Sigrid. How can I help you today?" the female operative said. He took a deep breath.

"This is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. I have an account with you and I need to block my cards immediately." There was a pause.

"I will need to take you personal identification number and account details," Sigrid said briskly. Swiftly, the young man recited the details and waited for the woman to verify them. There was a pause as she inspected his account details. "Okay, what can I do for you, Mister Haddock?" she asked cheerfully.

"I need you to block my cards immediately," he said firmly. "I think my ex-girlfriend has taken the cards from my wallet and been using them without my authorisation…"

"Hmm…it says here there is a note on your credit card account about unusual usage," Sigrid read, her clear voice concerned. "It seems that the card-which you hardly use, has been maxed out this morning." He took a deep breath.

"And my bank account? What is the balance?"

"Four dollars and three cents," Sigird read.

"There was three thousand four hundred and eighty three dollars and thirty nine cents yesterday," he said hollowly.

"Most of it was transferred this morning as well," she read. "The correct authorisations and PIN numbers were used."

"But it wasn't me," he protested. "I was on a plane to Archi…I couldn't have made the transactions…" Sigrid sighed.

"I don't doubt your word, sir-but the transactions were made using your PIN and so are valid. You are expected to keep your PIN secret so if you were careless enough to allow someone to know your secret Personal Identification Number, you are liable for the money…"

"But it was all taken fraudulently!" he protested wildly, feeling his gut churn in utter terror. All his savings had been in that account. "I've been robbed!"

"You will need to file a complaint with the police and then the Bank may consider waiving the credit card bill…which currently stands at two thousand five hundred dollars and nine cents," Sigrid told him. "But we cannot retrieve the transfers-because we are not permitted to just take money from other accounts without authorisation. We can approach the account holders on your behalf and suggest that they return any monies they have received in error…"

"But they are under no obligation to do that, are they?" he checked, his voice cracked with anxiety. "And since the account is almost certainly that of my ex-girlfriend, I really can't see her returning the money!"

"You really need to make a complaint to the police, sir," Sigrid said. "Any standing orders or direct debits against your account where there are insufficient funds will be declined and will incur a twenty dollar charge. Any unauthorised borrowing in excess of your pre-agreed account overdraft limit will incur a twenty dollar charge. I suggest you make sure there are enough funds in your account."

He took a quick breath.

"Cancel all my cards and change the PIN as of this minute!" he said firmly. "I have informed you that the transactions are fraudulent so you need to make sure that no more are allowed."

There was a pause and the sounds of keys tapping.

"All done," Sigrid reassured him. "Do you want new cards sending to your usual address?"

"NO!" he said urgently. "No-can I collect them from the Archi Branch?" There was a pause.

"Of course," Sigrid told him cheerily. "It's all recorded on your account. You just need to attend in person with a valid photo ID. The cards will be ready in 48 hours."

"Thanks very much," Hiccup said. "And…can I change my address on my account to my previous address?"

"Is that…Dragehus, Night Fury Rise, Upper Town, Berk?" Sigrid checked and he nodded then recalled she couldn't see him.

"Um…yeah…my Dad's home," he admitted.

"And done," Sigrid said. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?" He sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"No-thank you," he said and hung up, staring at his phone in despair.

He had escaped Bella and agreed to stay with Astrid…but in the meantime, Bella had taken all his money and made him penniless. And the only way he was going to get it back was go to the police and admit what she had done…and maybe betray, once and for all, how pathetic and worthless he truly was.

"Sorry-took longer than I thought," Astrid said, emerging from her room. He looked up and his jaw dropped: she was in a pair of simple boot cut blue jeans, a pale blue blouse open at the neck, a wide brown belt around her hips and brown ankle boots that had just enough heel to being her just to his eye level. Her hair was braided as usual, the gold shining in the sunlight streaming through the windows. "Are you okay, Hiccup? You look worried…"

He smiled and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

"I'm-I'm fine," he told her quickly, standing. "Um…you look great!"

"Thank you," she said cheerfully. "You're not looking bad yourself!" She took her hand. "Okay, ready to go shopping?"

He nodded…but inside he was cringing.

"Of course," he said cheerfully. But I have no idea with what. Because thanks to Bella…I'm penniless!

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. For those of you who are supportive-many thanks and enjoy the story. There are still going to be fiancé and misunderstanding issues in the story-don't worry!

For those of who who don't find this to their taste or are accusing Hiccup of being weak or pathetic (paraphrased)-domestic abuse affects males as well as females though less frequently. It crosses all social strata and ages. It is extremely under-reported and embarrassment and shame feature largely among those victims who do eventually admit it happens. The public response is frequently less supportive than a female victim would expect-from being disbelieved to being scorned as 'unmanly' or weak.

Abuse is abuse, no matter who perpetrates it-and perpetrators can be of both genders, as can be the victims. If you are a victim, there are support services available. I apologise for any triggers which will occur throughout he remainder of the story.

I strongly recommend 'You are Loved' by Writer for the Tylwyth Teg which addresses similar issues and is an excellent story.