~~**~~Hey everyone! I'm sorry it took so long for me to come up with some new material for this story! I just sort've lost inspiration, we all know how THAT goes^^; But, though sloppy, I've come back with a few more pieces to get the story going again! It's taking me a few chapters to get my groove back and learn the feel for the characters again, bare with me, but I'm slowly figuring it out and it's WONDERFUL to have the boys back^^ lol Anywho! Nothing but a little catching up to do in the next few pieces, nothing but a little language as well (I'll ker-PORN! next time I post stuff, promise ;3) Everyone please enjoy, and forgive me again! Enjoy!~~**~~
-"All aboard, hit the road, all the bullshit, can't be ignored..."-
His body was numb again. The vague feeling of animal skins and furs brushing against his form, an idea of a suffocating warmth encasing him, and the disgusting scent of medicinal salves closing off his throat. His throat...it burned and itched...Tuffnut choked on a cough, wheezing and sputtering as he attempted to suck in air.
"Oh stop whining, you're fine. Again." Something struck his chest with a loud thump and he groaned, rolling his head from side to side as the clouds of unconsciousness ebbed away into the bright fire light of his home. A heavy presence sitting on the edge of his mattress helped him to identify the voice, his mind still a little foggy on what was going on. He groaned a second time, dropping a lead weight hand over his brow, shielding his eyes from her and the too bright light.
"Gods, I hate waking up to you." He grumbled the words, his voice scratchy and itchy against his throat. He coughed, trying to get the feeling to go away, trying to swallow but finding only cotton and thick air wrapped around his tongue.
"Feh, and I hate cleaning up after you. Of course, I didn't do much but take care of your sorry ass THIS TIME. Hiccup did most of everything THIS TIME." He blinked behind his hand, that was right. He had helped Hiccup out. Actually he didn't remember much of the helping out part...all he remembered was getting fed up with watching Astrid emasculate Hiccup in front of the gods and everyone.
"How far did I go?" His sickness, he had to contain his sickness. He pushed up on his arms, spots dancing before his eyes as his heart suddenly took to slamming against his ribcage. What had he done to Hiccup? What had his sickness done to Hiccup? Panic overtook him, his injured body and addled mind working him into a frenzy out of normal for him.
Ruffnut just shook her head, flattening her hand against his chest and lightly pushing at him, attempting to drop him back to the pillow. "You just gave Astrid a good knock on her head. And you almost took out her kidney, but no worries, she's fine and about ready to get back into the ring." She furrowed her brow and glanced over her shoulder at him, listening to him huff and puff through gritted teeth and lidded eyes as he continued to try and push himself off the side of the bed and around her. "Lay down, dunderhead, I said everything's fine." This time she twisted her body towards him, forcing him back into the pillows with both her hands.
He snarled but she slammed a fur down on top of him, trapping him beneath it and baring her teeth in a grin. "You're too weak to fight me off at the moment, Tuff, so you can sit still and listen to what I have to tell you or I'll strap you in." He took a breath, unsteady and shaking, his heart too tired to keep up the fight. Tuffnut blinked up at her, taking in another breath through clinched teeth, wishing with all his might that he could bitch slap that teeth baring grin she was giving him right off her face.
"Hiccup...tell me about Hiccup..." Was that a whimper in his voice, or a snarl? She canted her head to the side, smirking before sitting back up again, tossing a braid over her shoulder with a soft thump. She gave a small shrug, continuing to look like the cat who got the cream.
"Your little Hicca?" Without warning he swung at her, striking her in the ear so hard she fell off the side of the bead with a surprised yelp. He dropped his fist back to the mattress, huffing air through flaring nostrils, vision winking with red as he attempted to blink it away. No one said that name, no one. Ruffnut slowly pulled herself back up on the bed, eyes wide as she stared at him in stunned upset, one hand lightly covering her now bleeding ear.
"HiccUP. Tell me about HiccUP." He snarled the pronunciation he wanted her to use, narrowing his eyes at her as he fisted his hand amidst the folds of the furs, threatening and reminding her that he wasn't as weak as she seemed to think he was. She slumped onto the side of the bed again, taking in slow breaths of air and trying to blink away what he was sure was a sharp pain and harsh ringing. They had both been boxed in the ears so many times growing up it was a wonder one of them wasn't deaf, leat alone both of them.
"You sorry sonva'bitch...why the hell should I tell you after a stunt like that? I was trying to help you! AGAIN, dammit!" She slammed a fist down on the mattress, sending a bouncing vibration beneath him, failing to make him blink.
"Because I SAID to." He bore his teeth at her, snarling in rage as he mentally debated on whether or not she needed to be struck another time for good measure. She snarled back, whipping her head away from him and folding her arms over her chest, wincing only once at the shot of pain her ear sent down her side. He decided to give her a moment, gripping at the furs in attempt to keep himself from raising his hand against his only caretaker and informant.
She heaved a put-upon sigh, dropping her arms to her lap and cupping her fingers over her wounded ear, wiping at the blood trickling down the side of her face. "Hiccup's fine...he's been here everyday...AGAIN. He's worried about you and probably would be right here on your ass if I had let him linger for dinner, but I was sick of taking care of his skittish little ass." She waved him off lightly with her free hand, refusing to look at him now.
He took a breath as well, closing his eyes as he tried to recall the sum of the past few days. Without even realizing it he had infected the boy. No matter how hard he had tried to avoid it, he had infected his favorite little viking. A tremor rocked his form, pain welling in his chest to the point of making him wonder if it would burst. Ruffnut glanced over her shoulder at him again, reaching out to place a hand on top of his own, surprising him into flinching and opening his eyes. Immediately he took in the concern spread over her features and that pain welled into a softness he didn't realize he possessed.
"Astrid wanted to kick you out of the village...She said you weren't stable and were a threat to us all in the way you were to her..." He looked from her, focusing on a small hole in the planks of the flooring. She rubbed at his hand, her thumb brushing over a whelped scar he had owned since his early childhood. The motion made him realize his sister was becoming more the feminine viking she was supposed to be, though still a hellion in battle, she was starting to gain the aspects of a woman in need of a husband.
"She tried to get Hiccup on her bandwagon, most of the village was on the fence about it...but, Snotlout joined in the fray where Hiccup wouldn't." He felt the weight of his brow as it furrowed in anger at her words. Betrayed by a man he once thought a friend. Granted, not a best friend, but someone he had been willing to go into battle with. "Tuffnut, it was horrible...they were out for your blood." He couldn't remember the last time her voice had been this soft. No, he could. When their father died. She had fallen asleep in his arms that night, whimpering for him not to tell anyone that she had cried. He completely understood.
He rolled his gaze to face her again. She almost looked like she was about to cry again, her cheeks splotched with red, eyes rimmed in shadows, thin lips swollen with worry. "Thought you said things were okay..." He gave her what he hoped was a slightly comforting smile. She laughed softly, nodding her head and rubbing a finger beneath her nose and patting his hand. This time he squeezed back.
"Th-they are...Hiccup talked his dad out of doing anything drastic. They're talking over your punishment now, but they already sent Hiccup to tell me that you weren't going to be sent out. That makes everything okay in my book." He sighed and shook his head, lifting himself up off the bed and pushing into sitting position with a grimace. Gods his head was throbbing. He reached up to touch his temple, finding that half of his head wrapped up in bandages. He frowned at her, but she only shrugged.
"Gobber had to get you off Astrid...so he struck you upside the head...twice." Tuffnut nodded slowly, rubbing at his ear and temple with a flat palm and hefting a sigh.
"Ruff, listen, I don't know-" Something struck the door hard, sending her whipping her head around to face it with calculating eyes. He narrowly avoided her braids, leaning back with surprised eyes before looking to the door as well. The knock came again, the iron latch lifting before the sound even died out. Ruffnut's entire body tensed, her grip on his hand tightening as though it were holding her war hammer instead. Tuffnut watched her nostrils flare and eyes narrow even farther, he supposed she was still waiting on someone to come take him away.