Chapter 7: As long as we're together
Waking up from such a deep, restful sleep was so relieving to Astrid's achy body. She gradually came back into the real world, her ears catching the familiar sounds of morning, the cackling and cawing of birds and dragons as well as the faint sounds of quiet voices, probably the gang outside the hut.
Her eyelids fluttered open slowly, and she stayed still for a moment to allow her sight to return to normal. She blinked again, staring out from under her eyelashes at the morning lit room.
Across the room the table had been shoved aside and instead there was a makeshift cot, where a curled-up figure lay. Astrid instantly recognized the mop of unruly auburn hair that was visible peeking from the blanket against the pillow, and knew with relief that Hiccup was still there. For a fleeting moment she'd been worried he'd gone back to his own hut… for what reasons she was unsure. Having Hiccup there just… comforted her. It reminded her of that night several days ago where Hiccup had also stayed with her, when she'd become blind. His presence was comforting, for she knew that as long as she was with Hiccup, surely nothing bad could happen to her.
She took in a deep breath before taking up the strength to push herself up to lean against the wall, once again noticing how she was still dressed in Hiccup's slightly too large shirt. She fingered the fabric as a smile touched her lips, her heart blossoming with a feeling of security and happiness. Even though she was banged up, as was Hiccup, things seemed to be at a joyful stage for the two lovers.
She looked up again, glancing out the door at the world outside. The sun had risen several hour ago, and she guessed it was around nine in the morning. She sighed in content, leaning back gently against the wall while trying to position herself comfortably- although with a broken rib that was proved difficult.
There was a small cough from the cot against the wall, and her head whipped in its direction as soon as she heard the noise. The shape under the blankets shifted, then Hiccup rolled over completely, the blanket pulling down from his face so that he was blinking owlishly at her. He stared for a moment or two, their gaze meeting and never breaking.
He grinned before lifting a hand and ruffling his hair, running it down his face in a sleepy gesture. She laughed quietly, frowning when the small motion tugged at her chest.
"You okay?" Hiccup rasped, voice a bit more nasally then normal from sleep.
"Mhm, how're you feeling?"
"Better."
She nodded and pulled the blanket up about her lap, once again playing with the hem of her borrowed shirt. She coughed nervously, wincing in pain at the unsmart choice of getting the point across of how… well, awkward the silence was becoming.
There was more ruffling of cloth, then she heard the thump of medal against wood. She looked up, eyes landing on Hiccup who was sitting up on the edge of the cot, blinking blearily at the fire. His hair was an absolute mess- even more so then normal, and his cloths were rumpled and untidy. He was dressed in a clean red shirt and pants, for the first time in a long while he didn't have a bit of armor on him either.
Astrid's eyes gazed down at his prosthetic, then she caught sight of his right foot. She couldn't help but stare, blinking when she realized she'd never seen Hiccup's… foot before. Heh, strange… even if it still had a sock on it, it was strange to see something other than his boot and prosthetic. When he wore his boot, it was even with his prosthetic, just sorta blending the two together. Now though, that he was in nothing but his pants and a sock, the difference was painfully obvious. It made he realize just how much of his leg was actually missing. Not that it bothered her at all, it was just new to see such a difference- or more like realizing.
"What is it?" Hiccup mumbled, rubbing a hand against his forehead and eye. She hurriedly glanced up at his face, smiling at his half-lidded expression.
"Nothing." She replied. "I just don't think I've ever seen your foot before."
"Huh?" He looked down, smirking when he noticed what she meant. "Oh, yeah… um, something wrong with it?"
"No!" She replied quickly, flushing slightly when she realized how… how flustered she sounded. "Um, I just… kinda noticed."
He eyed her in slight confusion, before shrugging and getting to his feet, limping slightly without the added height of his boot. He moved to the table, hissing as his injured leg bumped against the wood. "Do you need anything?"
She realized she was thirsty, but it wasn't so terrible that she needed a drink right away, so she shoved the desire aside. "No, I'm fine."
Hiccup sighed- in contentment or drowsiness Astrid wasn't sure. He looked over at the sleeping Night Fury curled in the corner, a soft smile twitching at the corner of his mouth in a way that made Astrid herself smile. Hiccup then glanced at her, eyes filled with a color of green Astrid had only seen a handful of times, most of them being from the last couple of days.
"Watchya thinking?" She asked with a little laugh, tilting her head to one side in question.
"I'm just thinking about… about how lucky I am." A smile tilted Hiccup's mouth. "I have you, Toothless, lots of friends…"
"Mhm…" Astrid nodded, mentally ticking each item off in her head. "Yes? And you've only come to realize that now?"
"No… just taking time to appreciate it full force." Hiccup said quietly, "Four years ago… none of this-"
"Don't even think about that." Astrid interrupted fiercely, leaning forward while her hands clasped together. "That's the past. Behind us. None of it happened, and-"
"I know, I know…" Hiccup rambled, hands wildly running through his hair. "It's just… it still amazes me. That I'm here- you're all here, with me… you guys trust me and I just feel like- I let you down and…"
"Hush." Astrid huffed, feeling slightly angered by his thoughts. "We're all here, Hic, and we're not about to leave either."
"Really?" He turned back to her, blinking as his eyes seemed to glisten. Was he crying?
"Yes." She said insistently, not a hint or trace of doubt in her tone. She trusted him, believed in him in every way.
"Even after what happened yesterday? I… I was so stupid." He growled the last part, more to himself then to her. She bit her lip and desperately wished she could stand up and shake some sense into that thick skull of his.
"I distracted you." She reminded, brightening at the memory of the kiss. "It was my fault, not yours. Or- it wasn't really either of our faults. It was more… Viggo. Ryker. The Hunters."
Hiccup sighed and turned away, and that was enough for Astrid to dig up enough strength to push herself up till she was standing. That idiot, why couldn't he just- for once in his life- BELIEVE HER?
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third!"
He covered his head with his arms, giving her a short glare. "I said that using my full name doesn't change anything!"
She tottered uneasily on her feet, her leg still slightly numb from the Speed Stinger poison and her other unable to bend given to the tight wrappings about her broken knee. She hissed in frustration, leaning heavily against the bed posts in attempts to hobble towards her stupid boyfriend.
"Hiccup, listen before I come over there and hit you with my crutch." She grabbed the piece of wood from against the bed and held it up threateningly, Hiccup's eyes widening in realization.
"Uh… Astrid what're you doing out of bed?" He asked, concern clearly written on his face as he stumbled to his feet, rushing to her side to help her. She gave him a halfhearted thwack with her crutch, wondering how in the archipelago Gothi did it so easily.
"Trying to talk sense into you!" Astrid grunted when Hiccup pushed her back onto the bed, he settling down to sit beside her. She glanced at him, his bangs obscuring her vision from his face- much to her frustration.
"Sorry." He murmured, his arm going to wrap around her shoulders. She willingly leaned against him with a tired sigh, absolutely fed up with him and his lack of self-esteem.
"Just stop pushing yourself down, Dragon Boy." She whispered, nuzzling her nose against his neck. She heard and felt Hiccup's breath hitch slightly at the movement, which caused Astrid to smile slyly.
"Evil-" Hiccup started, before his lips suddenly found hers, and she found herself melting against his side, head craned at an almost uncomfortable position although she payed that no mind. What was more little discomfort if it meant… this?
She pulled away slightly, blinking up into his warm eyes. "You okay then?"
"Mhm… I am now." He replied simply, leaning in for another kiss.
"LOOK WHO'S FINALLY AWAKE!" came a shout from the doorway, causing the lovers to break apart abruptly. Astrid snapped her neck in the speaker's direction, an angry glare and a set of flushed cheeks at the ready.
Oh no… it was Heather.
And boy was she smirking.
"They finally up?" Came Snotlout's whiny voice from somewhere past the doors. Heather was shoved aside as Snotlout and the others made their way through, each looking interested- all except Fishlegs, who looked slightly concerned.
Heather's eyes darted from Astrid's face down to her hands, and Astrid noticed too late how Hiccup's fingers were still wrapped tightly about hers… she hastily pulled away, skootching further down the bed as her face flushed red.
"Hm, how do you two feel?" Fishlegs asked gently.
Hiccup cleared his throat awkwardly, while Astrid just looked away, afraid that her crimson face would give something away- more so then what had already been shown.
"F-fine… I think… Astrid?"
"Yep." She replied, voice a little too high pitched and enthusiastic. She gave them a smile- one that she was sure looked unconvincing.
Snotlout eyed the two in confusion, while the others looked absolutely oblivious- all but Heather, who was smiling madly.
"Well, I just wanted you to know that Snotlout and Fishlegs are heading to the Defenders to take care of whatever it is they needed help with- while the twins and I stay behind to make sure you two rest." Heather explained as she shoved the others towards the door. They all looked confused- and even slightly annoyed at the rush, while Heather just grinned stupidly as she continued pushing her friends outside.
"Proceed." She stated before cranking the door back into place.
Hiccup heaved a sigh before flopping backwards, landing with a small thunk against the wall. "Thor, why can't they just-"
"Heh." Astrid choked on her amused laughter, lifting her unbandaged hand to hide her smile. "How… how about you help me to the table? Then we can get something to eat."
"Hm? Oh- oh right!" He jumped to his feet, gently holding onto her arm and pulling her to hers as well.
At Astrid's little grunt of discomfort, Hiccup was quick to question. "Sorry! S-sorry, did I-"
"No, I'm just sore." She reassured, patting his arm in comfort as she fumbled for the crutch. "Okay, how's this gonna work…"
"Here, put it under your arm like this, on this side-" Hiccup explained, then helped position the crutch in the right place. "I have a lot of experience with this…"
"Oh, right." She laughed quietly, leaning against the stick in testing. "Yeah, okay… good."
He stepped away, hands held out above her arms should she need suddenly need help. She leaned forward, giving a little hop and feeling quite embarrassed by the meager amount of floor she covered.
"This is harder than I thought."
"You should've seen me." Hiccup laughed, wrapping an arm around her back and helping her move forward. "It took me a week to get used to it."
"But you only had the crutch for a week."
"Naw, I had picked it up again a couple of times afterwards… when it ached worse than normal."
She looked up at him, leaning slightly into his arms before sighing contentedly. "Thank you, Hiccup."
"Mhm…" Hiccup murmured back, pressing a quick kiss against the top of her head. "And thank you, Astrid, for understanding-"
She tilted her head, and pressed her lips against his, cutting off the last words.
It was good to be home.
END
Thanks for reading! Sorry this has taken… what, two months to finish? I feel so terrible about that…
BUT- with the upcoming Hiccstrid week starting on Monday (the 12th) I'm gonna try and do something special. *winks* I'm going to try and do a reaction series, where people react to Hiccstrid being together Post RTTE season 4. *wiggles eyebrows*
But anyways, THANK YOU again to everyone who's followed, faved, reviewed, and read this story! You're all amazing, and I love you all! And a big thank you to SweetWritingIsMyLife for requesting this! :D
Thanks again, till the next story, have a great weekend! ;) :D
Tootles!
-Kat (FanWriter02)