Chapter 6: Making It
Hiccup gasped and let out a shout of panic when he noticed Astrid slouch forward in the saddle, her head resting on Stormfly's neck and her hands going limp from the handles. He instantly pulled on Toothless's saddle, urging his dragon closer to Stormfly and Astrid, hoping to get the girl off before she fell.
What happened? What had she hidden from him?
He got near enough to grab her hand, and as soon as he had he dragged her off the dragon and into his arms, holding her close to his chest but being careful not to jostle her broken limbs. She let out a little groan- much to his relief. At least he knew she wasn't too deep in unconsciousness, perhaps just teetering on the brink.
"Astrid? Astrid, come on please- talk to me…" He begged, turning her head and pushing the bangs out of her face. She moaned again, her breath huffing against his palm.
"Hic…" she murmured, arms lifting heavily to wrap about his torso loosely. "I-I think somethin' 'appened… m'leg…"
He was shifting her position in an instant, trying to catch sight of her legs. The one was still wrapped about the knee in bandages, while the other… the other was dead weight, as though she had no control over it. He reached down and gently pulled at her leggings, searching for any signs of a puncture. Sure enough, he found a small fist sized blood stain right below her knee, an obvious sting from a Speed Stinger…
"Oh no… Astrid…" he whispered, turning back to stare into her half-lidded eyes. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"No time." She stated, her voice coming stronger now. She struggled weakly to sit up, so he helped her till she was no leaning against his chest instead of his arms. She sighed heavily, her eyes sliding shut and her head resting against his chest. "I just want to go home."
"Berk?"
"No… home. The Edge…"
Hiccup nodded and leaned forward, holding onto her even tighter for fear of her slipping and falling. He pressed down harder on the pedals, Toothless zipping even faster, Stormfly doing her best to keep up.
"Don't worry, Astrid. We-we're gonna get you home, alright? And get you taken care of." He pressed his lips to her forehead, earning a grateful sigh of relief from the girl. Her lips passed lightly against his neck, sending shivers and chills of excitement racing down his spine.
"Just… hang on, we're almost there…"
…
After almost four hours, Dragon's Edge finally came into view- and Hiccup had never been so relieved in his life.
Astrid had drifted off to sleep, resting peacefully in his arms for most of the trip. Both Toothless and Stormfly were huffing and puffing for breath, finding themselves utterly exhausted from the fast-paced flying they'd set for the entire four hours. But neither slowed signs of slowing- even when the Edge came into view. They both understood that they all needed rest, aid, and help, and the only way to get that was by flying as quickly as possible till reaching their destination.
"Hm, we almost there?" Astrid murmured. "Kinda… chilly."
"Again?" Hiccup asked in concern, not liking how cold she kept saying she was, although her forehead still radiated with heat. He wished he had a blanket, or jacket… or something to give her, but found he had nothing to offer but his own body heat, so that's what he gave, pulling her closer to him and trying to wrap his arms about her in the best way possible for breaking the wind.
"We're just about there, I can see the Edge now." Hiccup soothed, gently running his hand up and down her arm. "Just about there."
"Hm, good." Was the simple reply. No fighting, no arguing, not even her normal stubbornness… and that had him concerned.
It was long past dark when they landed on the platform outside the clubhouse- the only signs of life being the flickering of torches and the warm glow emanating from the clubhouse's depths. Hiccup didn't wait for someone to realize they were there, as soon as Toothless's paws touched the wood, Hiccup jumped off, stumbling with a pained shout when weight pressed down on his injured and sore left leg.
"Huh?" Came a sound from inside the clubhouse. Scuffling, then the sound of pattering feet sounded before the door was cranked open, revealing a surprised looking Fishlegs.
"You guys are finally-!" Fishilegs' voice trailed off into a gasp when he noticed the condition all four were in, his eyes widening and his hands shaking. "Thor!" He squeaked.
"What is it, Fishy?" Tuffnut asked, coming up behind him. His eyes also widened, as did a smile. "Wahoo! Hiccup finally got hurt? About time-"
Hiccup glared harshly at the Thorston- or as hard as he could in his currently exhausted state. He leaned against Toothless heavily, Astrid still cradled in his arms and his head spinning from the strain it pressed against his weary body. His eyes fluttered shut, relief filling his being that he was finally home… and that they would be well taken care of.
"Oh Thor, what happened?" Fishlegs' voice was close, and Hiccup felt the weight leave his arms- he must've taken Astrid. He struggled to open his eyes and protest- for a moment forgetting that it was Fishlegs taking her into his arms.
"Fish…" Hiccup murmured, slouching further against Toothless's neck. "Speed… Stinger…"
"Her leg, I see it Hiccup. Don't worry we'll- Snotlout! Come here and help Hiccup inside!"
Toothless crooned and nudged Hiccup's arm in concern, licking his hand while trying to inch his way to the clubhouse in attempts to help his rider reach complete safety. Hiccup was too tired to open his eyes and see who it was when arms grabbed his, his right wrapping around someone's shoulders and another arm wrapping about his waist.
"Thor, Hiccup, do you ever eat?"
Heh, Snotlout. He should've known.
"Yeah, just haven't had a lot the last two days." Hiccup replied, at least attempting to be snarky, but in his exhaustion finding that it all came out in a blurry slur.
"What happened? You look like a mess, so does the dragons and Astrid." Snotlout continued, dragging Hiccup further inside the clubhouse till they reached the table before dropping Hiccup in a chair.
He forced his eyes open and glanced about for signs of Astrid, sighing in relief when he noticed her lying on the only bed in the clubhouse. He ignored Snotlout's glare that clearly stated Stay sitting and instead stumbled to his feet, slowly making his way over beside Astrid and Fishlegs.
"How is she?" He asked quietly, sliding onto a stool beside the bed. Fishlegs stepped back and waved a hand at Tuffnut, who just stared blankly in return.
"The bucket." Fishlegs reminded, Tuffnut's eyes lighting up with realization before dashing off to do as he was told. "Ruffnut?"
The said Thorston turned about from her place on the floor where she was playing with Chicken, her eyes bright with… hm, was that actual concern?
"Yeah?"
"I kinda need you to…" Fishlegs flushed a deep crimson, while Hiccup just blinked at him in confusion. Finally, it dawned on him what Fishlegs was so embarrassed to say, and why exactly he needed Ruffnut's help…
Ruffnut clambered to her feet and dusted herself off, nodding seriously. "I get it, so all you males leave the room immediately."
Toothless was by his side again, allowing Hiccup to wrap his arm around the dragon's neck and limping towards the door. But Fishlegs stopped him, instead pulling him over to the opposite side of the room to the table where Snotlout and Tuffnut were now sitting nervously. "We'll just be over here Ruff, we won't look. Hiccup needs help too anyways."
"Hmph, alright… but if I catch any of you peeking out you go!"
Hiccup slumped back into his chair, breathing heavily and letting his eyes slide shut. He just wanted to sleep… he'd been awake far too long.
"Okay, Hiccup… where are you hurt?"
"Just… just m'leg…"
"Where?"
"Knee…"
"Alright, just… relax… okay?"
Hiccup sighed and nodded, "Sleep?"
"No, don't sleep yet. You're still in your armor anyways."
Oh… right. He leaned back and allowed Fishlegs' to pull up his pants leg, the cold air rushing against it in a painfully sharp wave. It sent his vision behind his lids to spark and flood with a deeper darkness, one that he wished would just take his entire conscious as well.
"Steady, Hiccup." Fishlegs reminded him.
"Mff, tired…" Hiccup muttered, desperately wishing he could drop into slumber.
"Hold on! I just want to- ohhh Thor…"
…
Throb. Throb. Throb… a pulse…
Running through her body, but especially her leg…
She listened attentively, remembering slowly what had happened… somewhere in between Hiccup holding her and pressing that kiss against her forehead she'd dropped off to unconsciousness, and now… by the familiar sounds of her friend's voices, they must be at the Edge.
"Uh… you awake?" Came Ruffnut's voice- surprisingly quiet. Either that or Astrid was still that far away from full consciousness that it came in as a whisper.
"Mhm." She attempted to answer, but found herself unable to form the words. "Hiccup…"
"He's here! Looks about ready to drop dead though-" The sound of cloths rustling followed "Yeah, he might be asleep already."
"Good." Astrid breathed, happy to hear it. He had sounded so exhausted… he needed the rest. She felt strength returning, her limbs no longer feeling heavy (except for her leg, but that was to be expected) and her brain not so foggy. The pain was still there, but it was bearable, and slightly dulled to nothing but that aching throb.
She forced her lids back, blinking against the harsh firelight that lit the room. She turned her head and glanced about quickly for signs of the others, smiling softly when she saw Fishleg's and the other boys taking care of a dazed looking Hiccup, who did indeed look ready to fall asleep at any moment.
"Hey sleepy." Ruff grunted, holding up a sloppily rolled ball of bandages. "What the heck did you do to yourself?"
"Crashed." Astrid glared, slightly offended that Ruffnut thought she'd been the cause for the injuries. What, did Ruffnut seriously think Astrid just… fell of Stormfly constantly-?
Astrid blushed, realizing that… she did do that quite often…
"Anyways, looks like Hiccup knew what he was doing- by what I can tell anyways. Fishlegs said your bones are set correctly, and that I'm just supposed to help you change."
Astrid nodded and glanced down at her cloths, noticing how now she only wore clean leggings and a lightweight green shirt which was slightly too large for her slight frame. She frowned in confusion, wondering where the piece of clothing had come from.
"One of Hiccup's shirts." Ruff supplied. "For whatever reason, you didn't have any of yours in your crate."
"Oh." Astrid said meekly, finding herself flushing with embarrassment… and pleasure. She had to admit, wearing Hiccup's shirt comforted her and calmed her… she liked the way it smelled like him. Maybe… she should ask him if she could keep it.
That thought was instantly out of her mind and her face flushed with embarrassment at the thought.
"Okay." Ruffnut walked over to a cabinet against the wall, tugging the drawers open before pulling out a blanket and tossing it to Astrid, who caught it deftly in her good hand. "There's a blanket. Now sleep."
"Thanks." Astrid grumbled, unfolding the blanket as best she could with only one hand before pulling it over her body, snuggling against the bed and pillow with a contented sigh. "Make sure Hiccup sleeps for me."
"Sure."
Astrid closed her eyes, and was moments away from sleep… when there was a raspy gasp from the other side of the room, and Fishlegs let out a squeaky, "Ohhh Thor…"
Her eyes were wide open in a second and she rolled over to her side, gaze flitting about in alarm until they landed on the black dragon that was skidding across the room to Hiccup's side. Ruffnut was following suit, coming to a quick stop behind Fishlegs and the others gathered about Hiccup.
"What!? What's wrong!?" She shouted, struggling to sit up.
"Nothing!" Fishlegs responded, but his voice was a little too high pitched to be convincing. "Just… um… it's kinda deep. Gonna need stitches."
"Perfect." Astrid heard Hiccup murmur tiredly. "Can I pass out now?"
"Let us get that armor off of you first." Ruff ordered, quite obviously switched in to her motherly mode.
Toothless moved a bit to the side to let Ruff through, allowing Astrid to see the wounded boy they were caring for. His eyes were closed and his breathing steady… but his hair was a mess and his face pale… he looked horrible.
"Hey." He muttered tiredly, green eyes staring at her. "Hm, you look better."
She smiled moving a bit more to her side so she could look at him comfortably. "Wish I could say the same to you."
He gave a halfhearted glare, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Thanks."
Ruff tugged his chest armor, totally forgetting to unstrap the large strap on his shoulder. Hiccup huffed and flipped the strap, sending Ruff flying to the ground with the armor falling against another chair. Astrid couldn't help but chortle in hidden laughter.
"Okay, here we go…" Fishlegs said hesitantly. "Maybe… here, hold this to your nose." He handed a cloth to Hiccup, who took it in his hand before pushing it against his nose. Astrid watched anxiously until his lids slid closed and he slumped back against the chair.
"Goodnight." She whispered, before rolling over, her back facing the small crowd. She sighed and closed her eyes, falling asleep to the sounds of a worried dragon crooning, and soft voices murmuring, yet filled with a sense of security and calm.
Thank you for all the kind reviews on previous chapter! You're all so sweet and each and every one made me feel so much better. :)
Next chapter will be the last, lots of Hiccstrid fluff in the future! :D