Bruises: When Hiccup accidentally agrees to an ice-skating competition with Snotlout, he finds himself in a tough spot. How can he skate with only one leg? But when Astrid offers to help him out, maybe things won't go too badly after all. Requested by Plasma-energy-virus.

Bruises

"Come on, Hiccup!" Astrid pleaded to her friend. "Come skating with us. It's a perfect day for it—nice and cool, Freya's Lake is completely frozen, and we all have ready-made skates! It'll only be for a bit. Hiccup, come on…"

The fifteen-year-old looked up momentarily from his work in the forge. He was tinkering with Toothless's tailfin—it had iced over in the cold weather earlier, and he was trying to fix the fabric so it would be stronger and work better in freezing temperatures, like today. "Astrid, I can't," he said, shaking his head, then returned to his project.

"Save it, Astrid," said Snotlout. He leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed. "All Hiccup wants to do is play around with hot metal!"

Hiccup shot his cousin a look. "It is not 'playing around with hot metal'—it's called blacksmithing!"

"Same thing, different name!"

Astrid tried to fight back her frustration. Did boys have to fight about everything? "That's not the point, Hiccup," she insisted. "The point is that there's no reason why you can't set your work down for a couple of hours and come skating with the rest of us… Fishlegs and the twins are already down there, and they're waiting for us to arrive."

"Astrid, you know I can't skate," said Hiccup. "For two reasons. One, Toothless needs his tailfin." He gestured to his Night Fury, who was sitting attentively in the corner of Hiccup's room in the forge. "And two…" His gaze trailed down to his prosthetic leg.

"Well, we're not going to do any fancy skating," Astrid added. "Just, you know… slide around a little. Maybe have a snowball fight. Shove each other over. Typical stuff for us."

Hiccup pursed his lips, his eyes avoiding Astrid's, and focused on Toothless's tailfin. "I can't," he repeated. "Go on without me. I'll be fine here."

Astrid sighed, but even from the few months she had spent with Hiccup, she knew that he could be the stubbornest boy she'd ever known. "Fine," she said. "But if you change your mind… you know where to find us."

"I know."

After a moment, Astrid slowly left the forge, casting one more glance back at her friend. But she didn't press any further. Snotlout, however, stayed standing inside of Hiccup's workroom, looking annoyed, then contempt.

"You know," he began snidely. "I think I know the real reason you don't want to skate."

Hiccup, distracted with his work, decided to humor Snotlout. "And why's that?"

"You don't think you can win against me."

"That's—gods, Snotlout, are you off…"

"Am I?" Snotlout challenged. "Or are you just scared? Scared that you'll lose?"

Hiccup, irritated, shook his head. His interest in the conversation was fading fast, and he began to tune the other boy out. "You know that's not the case."

"Oh yeah? Well, prove it! Hmm... how about we have a skating competition—next Freyasday. Just between the two of us. Freyasday a week from now. And that's when we'll see who's really the best, once and for all."

Hiccup, who had long since stopped paying attention to what Snotlout was saying, murmured, "Yeah, fine," in hopes that that would get his cousin to leave.

Snotlout was a bit surprised. "So—you accept?"

"Sure," Hiccup muttered absentmindedly. Where was that rod he had made…

Unbeknownst to Hiccup, Snotlout smiled, then swaggered out of the room. He had this in the bag. Meanwhile, Hiccup continued to work, completely unaware of what he had just gotten himself into.

"So," Astrid said spritely, coming up to Hiccup the minute he entered the Great Hall for breakfast. "You ready?"

Hiccup rubbed his temples, confused, and exhausted. He had been up late last night finishing Toothless's prosthetic and had only slept for a few hours. "Ready for what, exactly?" he yawned.

"The skating competition, of course," Astrid replied like it was obvious. "Snotlout told us all that you agreed to participate in that stupid thing. He must've really gotten on your nerves for you to accept that challenge. I was surprised when I heard that you had actually agreed to compete. Yesterday, you were completely adamant about not skating with the rest of us."

Hiccup's mind reeled with this new information. "What… skating competition… wait… that's what Snotlout was talking about yesterday?" He groaned, slapping his forehead. "Oh, gods, no… I didn't… of all the times I had to be distracted…"

"What are you talking about?" Astrid asked, crossing her arms. "You did agree to Snotlout's challenge, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I did," Hiccup confessed. "But I didn't mean to. When I was talking with Snotlout, I was so preoccupied with working on Toothless's tailfin that I was just saying 'fine' and 'sure' to anything Snotlout said in hopes that he would go away so I could work… I never thought that he'd do something like this." He straightened, then looked around the Great Hall to find his cousin in the seats. "I'll have to call it off, then."

Astrid suddenly looked nervous, a strange expression for her usual fearless face. "Um… well… that's another thing…"

"What now?" Hiccup asked in despair. Surely, his bad luck had run out by now…

"You see…" Astrid hesitated. "Snotlout told the entire village about the competition."

Hiccup frowned. "So?"

"Well… they're… they're really excited about the race. Like, over the top. And you know how ecstatic the village can get when they like something. I don't think you can back out now," said Astrid, wincing. "And the others Riders, too… we were pretty eager to see you skate, as well. I don't think Ruff or Tuff will let you slip out of this one."

Hiccup face-palmed for the second time in five minutes—maybe a new record. "I really have to do this, don't I, then?"

"Yeah," Astrid admitted.

"And I'm going to lose," he said miserably.

"What—no you're not!" Astrid tried to sound encouraging but was aware of how false her words sounded. "You're a fine skater, Hiccup. You'll win. Of course, you will."

Hiccup shot Astrid a dark look. "Sure, sure…"

Oh boy, was he was going to lose.

As the days went by, Hiccup knew he couldn't avoid the skating competition any longer, so he began to practice. Of course, he didn't go out in the middle of the day where everyone could see him fall. He took to going out at night, where the only things that could laugh at him were Toothless and the occasional falling snowflake. It was easier that way, and when he fell, he didn't feel quite so embarrassed as he would have for failing in public.

Eventually, there were only two more nights till the competition—sooner than Hiccup would've liked, and he was displeased to know that he had hardly improved with his skating. He wished he had a teacher who could help him out, but there was no way he would go for help. No one except Toothless even knew about his nightly trips to Freya's Lake, and he wanted it to stay that way.

Still; there was also no way he was going to win. And that was hard to admit because getting back at Snotlout was always some sort of victory.

While Hiccup practiced his skating on Freya's Lake (well, tried to practice his skating on Freya's Lake), Astrid was taking a late-night flight on Stormfly. The Riders had been training intently all day, and both she and her Nadder needed some time to relax and settle down. The air was sharp and a bit difficult to breathe in, and heavy clouds surrounded the pair, but Astrid didn't mind those obstacles. Soaring above Berk on the back of a dragon was one of the best feelings she had ever experienced, and the weather wasn't about to stop her from doing it. When had it ever?

As she and Stormfly soared around in the skies, Astrid looked back down on Berk, as she often did. She smiled at the sight, taking in the warm lights from the huts that seemed to offer reassurance and protection from the cold. It was a sight that comforted her. Her gaze wandered away from the village and into the forest. She and Stormfly were about to head over Freya's Lake. With a pang, she was reminded of Hiccup's unfortunate situation. She pitied him because she knew that, even as much as he denied it, having a prosthetic made it hard to walk around—much less, skate. Astrid wasn't even sure if Hiccup was practicing. She never saw him at the lake. And without practice, he would surely lose… unless he had help, that was. But she knew that Hiccup would never ask for assistance unless it was a life or death situation. So he had doomed himself to a certain defeat.

She squinted down at the lake—and was stunned to see someone skating on it! Well, not really skating. Just sort of stumbling around, and occasionally tripping. It was a curious sight that made Astrid halt Stormfly in the air so she could get a better look at the person. With a sinking feeling, she believed she knew who it was.

It was Hiccup.

Hiccup had come out here to practice alone, in the middle of the night where no one could see him fall. After a moment, everything clicked. Hiccup had been practicing these past few days—but by himself and late into the night when the area was clear. It hurt her heart to think about how alone and frustrated Hiccup must've felt, and how ashamed he was for failing. In a heartbeat, Astrid made a decision.

She would help him. No matter what Hiccup said, she would help him. They were friends. Best friends, perhaps. And didn't friends help each other out? She didn't have too much experience with the term 'friendship' as she preferred fights to meaningful talks or sentimental things—but then again, Hiccup had even less involvement with having friends than she did.

Whatever the case, it was worth a shot.

Silently, she nudged Stormfly's sides to get her dragon to fly down to Freya's Lake. She soon arrived on the edge of the ice, and Stormfly managed to be so quiet that Hiccup didn't even hear her land. His back was to Astrid as he tried pushing off on the lake. His prosthetic scraped against the ice, smoothly at first, but it was soon caught in a bump, overturning Hiccup and causing him to crash down. He lay flat on his back for a minute, seeming to not have the energy to get back up. He groaned, clearly aching.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "I guess it took you this long to realize that you're not a winner. You're just what the village said you were before… useless."

Before she knew it, Astrid had jumped off of Stormfly and took a step on the frozen lake. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, you are not useless," she said bitterly, hating the word that had caused Hiccup so much pain for fifteen years.

Hiccup's head shot up, turning to find the source of Astrid's voice. He quickly pushed himself to a standing position, wobbling at the sudden movement. "A-Astrid. Oh, gods. I was just… I was just trying to…" He trailed off, then sighed in defeat, knowing that Astrid would see right through any lie he gave. "Well, I guess you found me out."

Astrid crossed her arms. "Hiccup… why are you doing this alone? You could've asked me for help. Not even me—maybe Fishlegs, or your father, or another villager."

Hiccup looked down, ashamed. "Astrid, I was called useless my entire life until Toothless and I defeated the Red Death. I just… what if people think I'm useless because I can't skate anymore? I… I can't go back to that…"

"Hiccup." Astrid's voice was soft. "No one cares whether you can skate or not—that's not important at all! No one would ever think you're useless because of that one disability. Look… I don't know about you, but I can't stand to see Snotlout win this race, and then gloat about it for weeks after. Every time he wins something, it's awful, right? So whether you like it or not, I'm going to help you. I'm going to make you be able to skate again. I'm going to help you win."

Hiccup was momentarily taken aback. "But, Astrid, I—"

"No buts," Astrid cut in. "Alright, lucky for you, I happen to keep my skates in my saddlebag, so we're going to start training tonight. Right now. I hope you're ready for Hofferson's Ice Skating Lessons." With that, she turned around to sift through Stormfly's saddlebag and emerged with a pair of skates. Quickly, she removed her boots and replaced them with her new shoes, then stood up and slid onto the ice.

Hiccup looked doubtful as Astrid skated over to him. He would've protested that she should go, but knew his words would fall on deaf ears. "You sure you want to do this?" he asked instead.

"I'm sure I don't want Snotlout to win," Astrid replied. "Now, let's begin…"

For around an hour that night, Astrid re-taught Hiccup how to skate. It was hard work, and frustrating to both of them, but by the end of the time, Hiccup had made more progress than he had achieved the past three nights combined. He thanked Astrid for her help (with a, "Though I probably would've been able to do it on my own."), and the two headed back to the village for the night, both a little more at peace.

Two more nights till the race. Astrid told Hiccup that he would be under her training until the competition was over. Hiccup reluctantly agreed, though, in secret, he was glad to have someone he could rely on.

The second night began much like the first—until halfway through it when Hiccup took yet another fall. But this time, it was different. He was annoyed and frustrated with himself and why he couldn't do the things he easily could manage before he lost his leg. As he lay there on the ice, he found himself not wanting to get back up. His back ached, a sure sign of another painful bruise. He had earned many over this past week, and they covered his whole body. Each time he fell, every one of them screamed in protest.

Astrid skated over to him and hovered above Hiccup's prostrate figure. "You going to get up?"

"I just need a minute. I'm really sore from all of these cursed bruises I get from falling." He winced as he rubbed one on his elbow. "Astrid… I have so many bruises. I've fallen so many times. Maybe… maybe you should just stop trying to teach me. I'm not going to get any better. I'm a lost cause."

"Hiccup," Astrid shot, glaring down at him. "No, you're not. Bruises aren't signs that you're bad at skating. They're signs that you're trying hard. Even if you're black and blue from head to toe, I won't think you're a bad skater. I'll admire you for not giving up, and most importantly, trying."

Hiccup pondered this for a long moment. Astrid waited to see what he would do next. Slowly, but surely, he began to push himself back to his feet (well, foot). He gave a shy smile over to his friend and nodded. "I'll keep at it, then," he said. "Sorry for being so… hard to get along with. I know I can sometimes be difficult to handle."

Astrid smirked back. "I think I can manage."

From there on out, training went a lot better. With Hiccup now willing to learn, and Astrid as his 'teacher', amazing progress was made. Their friendship, too, grew, and during each 'lesson' they would tease or comfort each other under the stars. These nights with Astrid were precious to Hiccup, and he enjoyed them greatly. Even when he crashed down, Astrid always offered a hand to help him up, and Hiccup appreciated this beyond words.

The night before the competition arrived, Astrid trained him hard, hardly giving him any breaks. By the end of the night, Hiccup was exhausted and sweating, even though it was freezing out, but Astrid's coaching had done its job: Hiccup was now as good a skater as he had used to be. Still, Hiccup was unsure of whether he or Snotlout would win. Though Snotlout wasn't the best at skating, he was pretty good, as he seemed to be at everything.

Astrid sensed Hiccup's anxiety as they finished up their last round of training, and wanted to console him. "We may be able to make a winner of you yet," she teased, attempting to lighten his mood.

"You think so?"

Astrid slung an arm around Hiccup's shoulder and led him off of the ice. "Think so? No." She smiled at him, and Hiccup was glad it was dark out so she couldn't see how red his face was at her touch. "I know so."

Hiccup grinned back. "Well, that's good enough for me."

Special thanks to…

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