Twenty Six: Reluctant Celebrity

Life suddenly became busy once they arrived home and the ruckus from the Ron the Viking interview began to settle. Hiccup had insisted on accompanying Astrid to the match the afternoon after the interview, straight after he was released from hospital and definitely against doctor's orders. Wearing a brown beanie to cover his stitches, he, Heather, Dagur and Mala had cheered the Valkyries furiously as they hammered the Bog Ladies five-nil. There had been more than a few cheers from the home crowd when Hiccup had appeared outside the HABS box and he had waved shyly and nodded self-consciously before the attention had turned back to the team. This time, the other HABS had ignored him but he had no longer cared, for he had people with him that made the match a pleasure to attend. And as usual, he had sneaked into the back of the Press Conference and waited for Astrid...and this time, they had nodded to him and kept their questions on the match. In recompense, Astrid had beckoned Hiccup up and whispered a request-and when he had agreed, they posed for a few pictures for the sports journalists and had made a short statement which had sent normally tough football reporters home with huge grins on their faces and immense feelings of satisfaction in getting one over their society column colleagues.

Hiccup had been bombarded with queries from work from everyone from the Managing Director to canteen lady Frida and he had assured them all that he was alright, though his conversation with Gary turned into a lively debate about the new aileron design for the aircraft they were working on. Stoick had stayed in one of the hotels in town and had spent the day being shown around Archi by Astrid and Hiccup and then they had invited him back to the apartment for lunch. He had been suitably impressed because even he didn't make the large and impressive space feel crowded.

"I love the view, lass," he commented thoughtfully. "Reminds me of old Berk Harbour...though I miss the mountains..."

"That's true," Astrid agreed. "I mean, my runs here are so flat...but back home, I'm lucky if I run about ten yards which aren't on a hill..."

"That's Berk," Hiccup agreed. "I mean my times here are much quicker because it's flat but I miss the challenge of running round the Upper Town." Astrid glanced at him: he had been coy about his running but she resolved to go out with him and see just how good he was. Stoick chuckled at them.

"I believe you may be in trouble, son," he commented. "I recall that Astrid is rather competitive…" Hiccup started laughing.

"Not much…" he sassed. "I mean, she could turn brushing your teeth into a competition."

"It's always a competition!" she reminded him smugly. "Competition is the very essence of life!" Stoick sniffed.

"That as may be… but…what's cooking?" he asked and Hiccup grinned, walking to the kitchen and opening a bottle of wine.

"Lemon and thyme roast chicken, baked potatoes, cabbage with cheese sauce, bread sauce, stuffing and gravy with Asgard Mess to follow," he said as Stoick stared in shock. "Don't worry, Dad-I'm doing the cooking...and Milady-you have your own pudding this time!" he teased her. She gave a smile and sipped her Pinot Grigio.

"I'm still stealing yours," she replied and he pressed a hand to his heart with a wounded expression.

"And here I am, a poor beaten-up guy and my beautiful girlfriend is still stealing my dessert," he said dramatically. "Woe is me..."

MEOW!

"Okay, bud," Hiccup said with a grin as Toothless leapt straight up onto the kitchen counter. "And you can steal my chicken. But no cats on counters, remember?" The little black cat gave a purr, sat down and pointedly licked his paw. "And...still no love for the beat-up Viking..." he sighed. Astrid paused and wrapped her arms around him, tilting her head back so she could pull him into a kiss. His arms closed around her warm shape.

"Better?" she asked as she pulled back.

"Much," he sighed as she slipped from his arms and refilled her wine glass. He walked to the oven and peered in at the roasting bird.

"Can I help?" she offered and didn't miss the two Haddock men sharing a worried look. "I promise not to try to cook anything," she added to their obvious relief.

"If you could lay the table?" Hiccup suggested and she grinned and nudged him aside to get to the cutlery drawer.

The meal was excellent and everyone had seconds, followed by a perfect replica of the dessert that had inadvertently started the entire adventure. As she had promised, Astrid did indeed steal part of Hiccup's dessert-though she pointedly fed him some of her own in recompense-and neither she nor Hiccup missed the delighted look in Stoick's eyes at the gesture of genuine affection. But it was only as Hiccup went to the bathroom that the Mayor leaned towards the blonde soccer player.

"Thank you," he said genuinely and she stilled.

"Um...for what?" she asked, warily. In all honesty, she didn't feel that she had done anywhere near enough to help Hiccup through his troubles and she was blaming herself a hundred times over that she had missed the clues that he was actually being abused by Bella. The Hiccup she had known had always had some confidence issues, with being bullied for his size and the fact that he was the polar opposite of his impressive father, but he had sassed his way through and had borne most things with astonishing bravery. And she should have realised that something pretty catastrophic had happened to tear away that quiet confidence that had been growing towards the end of Senior Year and reduce him to what Bella had made of him.

"You were kind to him," the Mayor said, the lighter grey strands in his bright red hair and huge beard catching the sunlight that filtered through the window. His eyes were thoughtful though as he toyed with his wine glass. "You know, I should have guessed. I knew there was a problem with that woman but I never for one moment considered that she would be abusing him like that. I mean...I never struck him as a child..."

"Though others certainly did," Astrid growled. Stoick nodded.

"He confessed about Snotlout after he graduated-and he told me that you had stood up for him and shamed the popular kids into re-evaluating their behaviour," he mused. "And I hoped that he would get a new start when he entered College...but I guess he was down because he had lost his best friend. And then he met her..."

"I am sorry," Astrid sighed. "I was stupid and selfish. I should have kept in touch...but it was easier to be involved in something so new and exciting. I mean, we were training and travelling all over the islands...and then I made the National Squad and that brought extra training and travel...and suddenly six months, a year had gone by. And then it just felt...stupid...that I had left it so long..." Stoick sat back and smiled.

"Children," he chuckled.

"And maybe if I had...she wouldn't have got to him," she sighed. But Stoick shook his head.

"Hiccup is his own man," he said. "The little boy I looked after and loved and treasured as the last remnant of his mother had become the fine man you are engaged to. And I am so glad he has you-because I know you will care for him and allow him to be the person he is meant to be. Can I trust you to do that?" She smiled.

"You can rely on me," she said.

oOo

Suddenly Hiccup was in demand and he found himself invited on a network radio show to discuss the unspoken issues of male partner abuse...and though he felt profoundly uncomfortable, because he still felt he had pretty much let everyone down, he agreed. Astrid had been proud of him as she listened from the car with Cami as he answered the questions honestly and painfully, describing his experiences and how it had affected him. The host had been supportive and careful and the psychologist also sitting in on the discussion had offered him counselling-which he had gratefully accepted.

Archipelago Daily Report had also asked him back to repeat the cooking segment in his own right and after checking with Heather and Astrid, he had accepted, making Yak Mince samosas with spiced cumin potatoes and tarka daal. This time, Tora the host had used carefully-screened viewers' questions through BerkBook and it had made for an interesting discussion that had bolstered his confidence and more or less made him a spokesman for other men in the same situation.

But he had been shocked when Heather and Dagur had turned up when Astrid was in training one day and requested that they could have a discussion with him. Fresh back from his run and still damp from the shower, he had warily invited them to sit down on the couches and had made everyone coffee-though Dagur's was decaffeinated since he found it had less effect on his moods. And then he had quietly sat opposite them, expecting them to tell him the arrangement was over and he was being sent back to Berk.

"I want to apologise," Heather said without preamble. He stared.

"Um...why?" he asked her pointedly. "I mean...I get you only consider me some guy who you used to go to school with and I know you're only concerned about how this affects Astrid but..."

"I was wrong," she said clearly, her green eyes candid. "I am Astrid's Agent-but I'm also her friend." She sighed. "When she moved to the Valkyries, she asked me to come as her BFF because she knew I would look out for her. She knew you were going to be an engineer and she couldn't ask you to give up your dream just to arrange press conferences and do boring contract negotiations while she lived hers..."

He stared at her. What she said made some sense and Heather hadn't wanted to go straight to College. In fact, Dagur had told her that she had done a modular MBA through Archi University over the first couple of years, making sure that she was equipped with the skills to protect her friend. And though he would have been heartbroken that Astrid was leaving Berk, would he have deferred his course?

Almost certainly not...but we could have still be friends...

"And you know, I think the way I treated you just brought home how I had stopped really seeing Astrid as a person, but a job," she said honestly. "And I was more concerned about the success of her business, of making money and protecting her image and reputation than of her being happy. Because she is happy with you, Hiccup. She smiles, she looks forward to getting home, she-she's regained the spark that I think has started to dim. She was so brisk and efficient...but I'm not sure she was happy. And now she is."

"And..." Dagur prompted her, his expression stern.

"And it only took my Deranged brother to see it," she sighed. "He pointed it out in lots and lots and lots of detail after that TV appearance. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time about Bella. Because you did warn us about her...and yet I just blamed you for it all. It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault."

"I know," Hiccup said tonelessly. "But you were her friend and you were there for her when I wasn't. I guessed you would just tell her to dump me and that would be it..." Both siblings stared at him for a moment-then burst out laughing.

"My sister Astrid wouldn't give up someone she loved just because someone told her to!" Dagur laughed, shaking his head. "In fact, that would make her more likely than ever to hang onto you."

"Okay, stubborn. Get it..."

"Notwithstanding that she actually loves you," Heather told him. "And you've given her what I never could-love, home, family. She's my friend...but she'll never see me that way...and I don't really see her that way either."

"Who are you and what have you done with Heather?" Hiccup asked sarcastically. "I mean, have you spoken to Astrid?" Heather nodded.

"She said to speak to you and what she did depends on you," she admitted. "And if you say that you can't forgive me...she said..."

"That she would end Heather's appointment as her agent," Dagur finished. Eyes wide, Hiccup stared at him and then he shook his head, his eyes trailing back at the raven-haired girl. Dagur had taken her hand, his expression concerned-but Hiccup knew that both would accept whatever he decided.

"That wouldn't be fair," he said after a long pause, considering her words. "You were the friend that Astrid chose when she left Berk and no one can argue that you have done a good job in protecting her commercial interests...but I don't like how you treated me. I was only here to help Astrid...and though I was running from Bella, I could have refused to come and talk to her. I could have gone home and let Bella trash Astrid in the papers...but I didn't. I went back to her because she was threatening Astrid and I took my punishment for her." Heather's eyes widened. "And you can't tell Astrid because it's not her fault. I made the decision and I knew what I would face, Heather. I did it for her. And though I escaped and made it here to be with Astrid...it wasn't fair that you treated me like an inconvenience. I am a person and I have my own feelings and my own problems-and I deserved to be treated better. You...the way you treated me...was like Bella."

There was silence and Heather gasped.

"But I would never..." she mouthed as Hiccup sighed.

"Verbal abuse still hurts, it still damages you, no matter that you aren't using your fists or your hair straighteners or a cigarette or fire lighter or..."

"Please...enough..." Heather said in a shocked voice. "I...understand. And I am sorry. I never realised..."

"Most people don't," Hiccup said. "And honestly? I didn't want them to know. I didn't ever want anyone to know...but that was the way we could answer Bella. Just...treat me with some respect, okay? You are Astrid's friend...and so am I. We want what is best for her...and sometimes, money isn't the be-all and end-all. Some things are more important."

Heather glanced over to her brother and Dagur gave her a thumbs-up. She nodded.

"I'll...try..." she said. "It's been a long time since there was anyone but Astrid and me calling the shots. But you're right...you're in this and you deserve respect." She gave a wry smile. "Doesn't mean I'll always agree with you, by the way-but I will listen and take your opinion into account as well." Offering a wan smile, Hiccup shrugged.

"All I can ask," he conceded and offered her his hand. "Friends?"

Heather took a shaky breath and then smiled, grasping her hand.

"Friends-and thank you," she said as Hiccup pulled her into a hug.

"Please don't let me down," he whispered and she nodded.

"I owe you," she said quietly. "You can rely on me. Anything you need-I will do my best for you!"

oOo

Astrid and Hiccup had gone running after that and she had been surprised and pleased to find that he was very good and her match. She was fiercely competitive and insisted on sprinting towards the end of the run. Sometimes she finished ahead…but sometimes, he timed his run and caught her napping, beating her in the end. And he never crowed-just gently teased her that hardly anyone got beat by a fishbone….though she suggested being beaten by Hottie McHottie wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Hiccup continued his work quietly and flew to Berk a couple of times, going directly into Berk Aero by taxi to spend the day with the design team and work on the project. His confidence was boosted by the knowledge that Throk had taken out a very comprehensive Restraining Order against Bella, preventing her from contacting him in person, by messenger, by phone, text, social media, email or normal mail and preventing her from approaching Astrid's apartment, all soccer grounds in the Archipelago, Archi island, the Haddock family home, the Hofferson family home and Berk Aero. He knew she was cunning and had been deported from Archi back to Berk on bail awaiting her trial, planning an appeal but there was little chance of success. Especially since Throk had demanded that she undertake a medical supervised pregnancy test and scan to investigate her claims of being pregnant. She had stated that she was wanting to appeal that as well.

He continued to cook for Astrid and was teaching her some basic lessons but in the quiet of the apartment, he was painting as well-though he kept his work secret because he was still horribly self conscious. But as he expressed himself in art, as he captured the woman he loved, the view he enjoyed daily and the people who meant most to him. he slowly began to relax and believe that somehow, he could build a life for himself with Astrid.

A month after the Ron the Viking Show, Astrid and Heather had returned from the Soccer Stadium in a rush and they had burst into the apartment. Looking up from the couch, where he was reviewing his designs on his computer with Toothless sitting on the back of the couch directly behind him, Hiccup glanced up and saw Astrid clearly extremely excited.

"Afternoon, Milady!" he said cheerfully. "What have you been up to?" Her beautiful face lit by a happy grin, her sea-blue eyes twinkling with satisfaction, Astrid almost ran to grab his hands.

"Oh-you know…being nominated for awards," she said excitedly. He rested his laptop aside and smiled.

"Awards?" he asked and she grinned.

"Women's Player of the Year and Sports Critic Women's Player of the Year," she smirked.

"That's amazing!" he said, his face lit by his smile as he rose to his feet and hugged her, swirling her around. "I'm so proud of you!" She hugged him back and gave him a kiss.

"Awards Dinner is next Saturday at the Asgard," she grinned. "And guess who my date is?"

"Heather?"

"No."

"Dagur?"

"Cute. But no."

"Snotlout?"

"Are you kidding? No. And yuk."

"Then who?" Hiccup teased her as she pushed him back onto the couch and smirked.

"My fabulous fiancé, Hottie McHottie," she whispered into his ear.

"Oh Thor," he murmured. "I'm not sure I'm ready for something that public…especially after my last big public appearance…" She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

"I have every faith in you, babe," she reassured him, seeing his green eyes suddenly filled with that lack of self-confidence that was becoming rarer and rarer. "I will be the luckiest girl there to have you at my side." He took a deep breath and then sighed.

"Okay," he said in surrender. "For you, I'll do it…"

"Besides," Astrid smirked, "I have a feeling you're gonna look amazing in a Tux."