Hello guys! Thank you for the reviews!
I decided to post short chapters (approximately 1500 - 2000 words) because it is the only way for me to update regularly.
I hope you like this chapter! :)
Chapter three
The chestnut haired boy and his blond classmate were standing in front of each other shifting from foot to foot. The former was waiting for the girl's response fiddling with the edge of his sweater, the latter screwed up her eyes in the useless attempt to figure everything out herself.
"Could you be a little bit more precise? What do you mean by 'you won't like the curing process'?" Astrid finally mumbled looking at the boy's confused face.
"Erm… I have to lick your cuts" Hiccup mumbled sheepishly.
"What?!" the girl yelled.
"To heal them!" Hiccup wanted to step closer but Astrid stretched her hand to prevent him to do that.
"No!" Astrid shook her head starring wide eyed at the boy.
"No?!" the boy was puzzled. For some reason he did not think that she would decline his help.
"NO! And don't come closer!" Astrid furrowed her brow crossing her hands on her chest.
"Dragon's saliva…" Hiccup started explaining not moving forward to show the girl that he respected her private space. "I mean, my saliva helps to heal the slits… So, I was thinking… You must be in pain now, and I can help you!" he smiled shyly trying to look friendly.
"Did you hear me? I said NO! You… pervert!" the blonde was disturbed.
"Pervert? Me?" the boy pointed at himself slightly annoyed. "Listen, Astrid, I only want to help you! By tomorrow morning your back will be killing you! And it will be too late to ask me for help"
"How could you know that?" the blonde sniffed discontentedly.
"I know that because… it happened before" Hiccup looked down observing his sneakers, and Astrid saw that smile disappeared from his face. "Once I scratched a man… and nothing good came out of that… Please, let me help you!"
Astrid was hesitating. The pain was increasing every single minute and she finally made a decision.
"Ok!" she gave in. That dragonboy is persuasive. It is what it is. So, what shall be shall be.
"Great!" Hiccup beamed with delight and two teens stared at each other.
"So" the boy was the first one to break the silence. "You will have to… take your T-shirt off" he said in a low voice struggling with the inappropriate grin that refused to leave his face.
Hiccup was viewing the stairs while the girl was undressing. He shifted his gaze and saw the photograph with Astrid, her father and an unknown blond woman that was supposedly…
"That's your mother?" he asked taking the photo from the shelf.
"Mmm?" Astrid turned back to see Hiccup holding her family portrait in his hands. "Yeah… She… she is in coma…" the girl's voice trembled "after the accident… That's why I'm living with my dad now" the girl sighed and pushed her bangs off her face putting her T-shirt on the couch.
"She is very beautiful" the boy whispered loud enough to be heard.
"Thank you" the compliment made her flush. They told her that she looked almost like her mother. She took beauty, thick blond hair and bewitching blue eyes after her. "And your parents? Are they?.." she did not know how to finish the sentence.
"Alive? Um… Yes and no" Hiccup frowned putting the picture back on the shelf.
"How could that be?" Astrid wondered skewing at her unbidden guest.
"That's difficult to explain. I'll tell you later. Maybe…"
"No! You didn't get it" Astrid grumbled. "You take care of my cuts, tell me… whatever you wanted to say and then we are never talking again!" the girl emphasized the word never. In spite of being lanky and unsociable Hiccup still was rather handsome, but she did not want to take the risk of being eaten or torn into pieces by his dragon self. "If you want to tell me something do it now!"
"That's you who don't understand the gravity of the situation!" Hiccup objected offended by her words. Of course, such a beautiful girl will never look at a dork that turns into a dragon. Who wants a boyfriend that sheds his scales?
"Y-you may start" Astrid stuttered folding her arms on her chest to hide it from the boy's view.
Hiccup slowly turned to see his crush sitting on the stool in the middle of the living room. He approached the girl with resolute step and calm face though his guts twisted nervously several times.
"Don't even dare to look all over me or I'll hit you!" Astrid warned shifting on the stool feeling uncomfortable with the boy who was examining her exposed back. Men never saw her like that before and the thought that it was the boy who never took an interest in her made her even more anxious. Everybody liked her, but not him, and she was afraid that her current state would only make him disgusted. Astrid did not know why, she wanted to look perfect when he was near at hand.
"I would never dare! You absolutely don't know me!" the teen stated and stooped to have a look at the girl's back. "Oh, damn!"
"What? What happened? Is it as bad as it feels?" Astrid's usually calm and restrained voice gave way to some yelps.
"No… It's… not" Hiccup held his breath. "One slit is already… skinned over" Three long slits were red and seemed to be torturing the blond queen bee, but the forth one that was not that deep and long had already healed. The boy took the liberty to run his fingers over that very cut on the perfect soft skin and swallowed hard. Now that area was light blue and had several tiny scales on it…
"Your hands are cold!" Astrid exclaimed feeling tingles down her spine.
"My hands aren't the point; your temperature is high because of the cuts. You'll feel better as soon as they are cleaned" Hiccup explained.
"So, let's start!" she ordered impatiently. Boy's closeness made her feel uneasy. "The earlier we start the sooner it will be over"
"Are you tired of my presence?" Hiccup asked slyly and laughed.
"Are you flirting with me?" the girl winced, but as soon as she realized that Hiccup was unable to see her fake emotion she relaxed her face.
"No! No! Of course not!" her classmate denied turning red.
"Good!" Astrid's face was the same shade of red, as she wished that was not true.
"Good" Hiccup grumbled disappointed with the girl's reaction to his words. "Ready?"
"Uh-huh" Astrid nodded irresolutely and then laughed when the boy's tongue touched her skin.
"I didn't know that you were ticklish!" he smirked.
"I am not" Astrid protested wishing she could punch him hard at that very moment. If her classmates knew she was ticklish she would never know where to put herself.
Hiccup traced his tongue up the first cut and pain momentarily reduced where he touched her. "Wow! It really works!" the girl admitted that she felt much better.
"One is done, two more are left" Hiccup was pleased with his endeavors to cheer the girl up.
"I thought there were four of them" Astrid looked at the boy in wide-eyed astonishment.
"The fourth is already... Well, it doesn't need my help" he muttered unsure whether he should tell her that her human skin was turning into the dragon.
"Ok. That's even better" She wanted to persuade herself that the whole process was disgusting but was unable do that. Astrid was sure that she would never let anyone else, especially Snotlout, do that. Then why did she let him do that?
"Done" Hiccup said quite content with the result. Cuts were pale now and Astrid seemed rather relaxed. "You won't even have scars"
"Thanks" the blonde smiled feeling relieved. She put on her T-shirt and turned around and stroke her savior's arm.
"Ouch! You promised not to punch me!" Hiccup almost yelled at her.
"That was for leaving those awful marks on my back!" Astrid said quite content with herself.
"Ok, then it's fair, but I helped you and I deserve a reward not a punch! Don't you think so?" the boy winced rubbing his aching arm.
"Of course! And that is for your help" Astrid hit him again hurting his left side this time.
"OUCH! What the?.. Why are you always so rude?!" he screwed up his face.
"Now tell me!" the girl ignored Hiccup's remark preparing to listen to him attentively.
"Tell you what?" he pretended he did not understand what she was talking about.
"Tell me everything! What did I see yesterday near your house?"
Hiccup hesitated for a while. If he tells her now there is a possibility that she will never talk t him again. It was obvious that she preferred to suffer alone, and that meant she would not ask him or anyone else for help after she would learn about her future transformation.
"I'll tell you next time" Hiccup could be stubborn when he wanted.
"There is no next time. Now or never" she could be stubborn too.
Suddenly the light switched off and two teens were in the complete darkness. Only heavy breathing was breaking the silence of the room.
"Oh, I knew that house sucked" Astrid growled standing up.
"Shhh!" Hiccup hissed grasping her arm. "We are not alone here"
Please review and follow! I really want to know what you guys think about this story!
Next update is on Wednesday. Maybe earlier if I finish the next chapter of "How to tame…" faster.