Hello! So, it's been a hot minute since I've uploaded anything but then again it's also been a hot minute since I've written anything! Ya gorl started uni and moved cities and is now An Adult TM (technically) but also doesn't have any wifi at home - but anyways, onto chapter 18, in which Astrid is not a morning person, Hiccup is a comedic ledge and Gobber is the best!

Trigger warning for violence/injury/blood and mentions of homophobia!

Chapter 18 - Home

It still baffled Astrid how different a place could look by night compared to how it did by day. There was something about the narrow, empty streets of Berk drenched in moonlight that made her feel calm like no other place she'd been to before. Not even back at Puffin Point she'd felt this kind of serenity.

Astrid unlocked her front door and took a deep breath at the sight of her dark and empty flat. It smelled like home. She'd left a place she'd called home out of habit and had arrived in Berk with an odd sense of belonging as soon as she'd set foot outside the bus station into the busy street. She hadn't ever been able to explain it, but something about this place made her feel like she wanted to stay - so she had done just that and made Berk her home.

And despite everything that had happened to lead her here, she'd never regretted it. Her keys landed on the small table next to the entrace, followed by her phone and wallet. Her shoulders were aching as she painstakingly shrugged out of her jacket, the crammed-up three hours of sleep on a frail metal bed she'd got now properly announcing themselves. Astrid grimaced and rolled her shoulders back and forth a couple of times before she peeled herself out of her clothes, threw them into a corner and put on her pajamas. She forced herself to a trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face and then - finally - dragged herself back to her bedroom. She'd be able to catch a couple hours of sleep before work. Another three, maybe. Three and a half if she was really lucky and fell asleep right now immediately.

The song she'd set as an alarm tone got gradually more annoying with each and every passing morning. Today, the very thin line between 'strong annoyance' and 'burning, all-consuming hatred' had been finally passed. Astrid forced her eyes open and angrily glared at her phone, only to find the display telling her it was 7 am as if it was mocking her.

"Shut up," she growled into her pillow and hit snooze, turning back around and cuddling into the warmth of her blanket. Why was it that beds were only ever this comfortable when you had to leave it within five minutes?

Said five minutes passed. The alarm went off, once again. Astrid hissed and tried to fight the urge to press the snooze button a second time. She failed.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the cat section."

Astrid's face lit up at the sound of the voice behind her and she turned around, to find Hiccup grin at her, hands in his pockets. She mirrored his expression and decided to play along.

"And are you looking for something specific, sir? Anything I can help you with?"

"Oh yes, actually, now that you mention it - I was looking for my girlfriend. About as tall as you, blonde hair, breathtaking blue eyes-"

His voice trailed off as Astrid, now laughing lightly, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. Hiccup chuckled into the kiss and pulled her in by the waist, flush against him and found that he still couldn't stop smiling, even after days of having kissed her for the first time, somehow still not believing his own luck as his other hand gently cupped her face.

After a few seconds Astrid suddenly pulled back, a frown on her face but a glint in her eyes, her hands stilled on his chest now.

"Hang on - was that another asthma joke?"

Hiccup's grin told her everything she needed to know, so she rolled her eyes and kissed him again.

"So - fancy some non-cardboard ice cream?" she asked after they'd parted (and remembering they were still very much in public), grinning up at him.

Hiccup frowned, smiling apologetically. "Actually, I just dropped by to ask if you're free tonight and would mind cutting my hair? Technically I'm still on my shift, just took a little break."

"Oh," Astrid paused, her expression slipping for a moment, but then shrugged and smiled again. "Sure. I'll be home, just drop by whenever you can, yeah?"

"Amazing," he grinned and pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thank you."

Her hands rested on his chest again as Astrid got on her tiptoes to be on the same level as him. "Anytime. Now go, the city of Berk needs you," she quipped, maybe a bit more dramatically than her smile would make you think. Hiccup rolled his eyes but leaned in for a last kiss and hugged her shortly.

"I'll see you later."

Hiccup was still grinning to himself, warmth deeply settled in his chest as he lightly pushed the door of the common room open.

"Hey guys, sorry I-"

He stopped abruptly as he saw Snotlout and Gobber, huddled together on the sofa. His cousin sat there, completely motionless, his head buried in his hands. The other fireman was speaking in hushed tones. Within a heartbeat Hiccup was at the sofa, his eyes searching Gobber's.

"What happened?"

The older man's eyes were dark, but he didn't speak. Instead Snotlout pulled his hands away from his face, almost mechanically, gaze still cast on the floor.

Hiccup's blood froze when he saw the bloodied bruise across his cousin's chin and cheek, his nose crimson red with not-yet dried blood.

"Oh, my God," he breathed out and sank down onto the floor next to him. "What happened?" he repeated, urgently.

Snotlout turned his face away again, baring his bruised cheek.

"Scott, what happened?"

There was an edge to Hiccup's voice now, and finally Snotlout turned to face him and spoke, his eyes dark.

"My Dad."

Hiccup's heart stopped for a second, a curse escaping his lips.

"Fishlegs and I have been texting," Snotlout's voice was hollow as he spoke. "Dad must've got to my phone while I was in the kitchen.

Hiccup's eyes grew wide, his heart painfully seizing, already know what exactly had happened and - more imortantly - why it had happened.

"Shit."

Snotlout nodded grimly and shrugged slightly. "Next thing I know, he's screaming - things and he-" he stopped, his breath hitching in his throat as he fought the fresh tears that were gathering in his eyes. "Threw me out."

The moment the tears were spilling over, he hid his face in his hands again, his shoulders starting to shake violently. Hiccup and Gobber exchanged a short look and a wordless conversation, and then Gobber abruptly got to his feet, his expression grim. There had only been a limited amount of times Hiccup had seen his uncle this furious, and yet dangerously quiet, his fists clenching and opening again as he stood in the middle of the common room. His voice was shaking with held-back rage as he spoke.

"I'm gonna go and pack a few things for you, son. You're staying with your uncle and me."

Hiccup opened his mouth, the words 'Let me go with you' on the tip of his tongue, but Gobber just held up a hand and added, "You're staying here. That bastard wouldn't dare to pick on someone his own size, I'll be fine."

Hiccup gave up quickly, knowing there would be no deterring Gobber in a moment like this, so he nodded firmly and sat down next to Snotlout.

"You're on call response until I get back," Gobber added, addressing Hiccup once more. The younger man nodded a second time.

"We're here," he said, maybe more to Snotlout than to Gobber and slowly, carefully as to not to startle his cousin, laid an arm around him as he silently shook with quiet sobs. "We're here."

"I got you some tea."

Hiccup carefully set the steaming mug down in front of his cousin, who had gone back to staring blankly at the floor in complete motionlessness.

He'd let Hiccup tend to his wounds, and the young man had been relieved none of Snotlout's open bruises had required any stitches. He sat back down next to him and after a moment of silence, quietly said, "Don't let it get cold."

Almost automatically, Snotlout reached out and took a sip from the hot beverage, clutching it tightly with both hands as he continued his staring contest with the floor.

Hiccup knew he couldn't force him to talk about anything that had happened. But right now, he wasn't even sure if it was a good idea to even go as far as ask.

Several minutes passed.

"I'm not a piece of shit, am I, Hiccup?" Snotlout's voice was hollow when he finally spoke to the ground. "Just because I'm bi. That doesn't make me a bad person, does it?"

Hiccup's heart broke a little. "Of course not," he said, his hand back on his cousin's shoulder. Snotlout shook it off reluctantly, tears gathering in his eyes again.

"So why did he say that?"

"Say what?" Hiccup probed gently, now keeping his hands away.

"That I'm not his son anymore," Snotlout choked out, eyes desperately glued to the floor. "Why would he say that?"

"I don't know," Hiccup admitted a moment later, his heart aching for his cousin who looked so young and afraid. Looking at him now, the burly young man who carried himself with confident bravado seemed more like a little boy, cowered together to make himself as small as possible. Fragile. Snotlout seemed fragile right now, and Hiccup didn't know what to do.

So he let him cry, let him lean against him and cry into his shoulder until his tears had subsided and his breathing had calmed down again.

"Do you want a sip of water?" Hiccup asked once Snotlout's shoulders had stopped shaking. The dark-haired man wiped his nose with his sleeve and nodded, almost sheepishly. Hiccup nodded and carefully got up and went into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water.

Upon his arrival he found Snotlout staring down at the ground again, resting his chin on his hands now. He shortly looked up as he heard Hiccup enter and tried a small smile.

"Thanks," he muttered as Hiccup handed him the glass and quickly emptied it, now for the first time realising how thirsty he was.

They sat in silence for a while.

"It's like I came to my senses, you know," Snotlout said then, his head in his hands again. "After what you said. About not saying anything. Fishleg's amazing, I'm not the only one who sees that. So what if somebody else does - say something. And then he'd fall for that person. Not me. So I-" he paused, still not looking at Hiccup. "So I texted him again. And we've actually agreed to meet up, after my Friday night shift. Proper dinner as well, restaurant and everything, no alcohol this time."

With this, he finally looked at his cousin, shooting him a small, unsure ever-faltering smile. Hiccup returned the expression and gently nudged his shoulder.

"See, knew you could do it," he paused for a moment, then his grin widened. "Look at you, going to candle light dinners with the guy of your dreams."

Snotlout let out a weak laugh, pretend-pushing him away lightly. "Alright, don't get too excited. Just because I took your advice doesn't mean it was very good, okay?"

"Sure, Snot, whatever you say," Hiccup grinned, making him bark out another hesitant low laugh.

"Shut up."

Gobber returned with clothes and a dark expression.

"Right," he let the pile of clothes fall onto the coffee table and turned to look at the two younger men. "I've phoned Stoick, you can sleep on the sofa until we've cleared the spare room out for you."

"Thank you, Gobber," Snotlout mumbled, a strange mix of relief and shame written over his face. "I'm really sorry for-"

"And you're not finishing that sentence," Gobber interrupted him sharply. "There's nothing to feel sorry for, son. You're welcome to stay at ours for as long as you need and want." His expression softened with every word he spoke, and finally, Snotlout smiled up at his mentor, the shame slowly vanishing.

"Thank you," he repeated, louder this time and - for the first time in hours - got up from the sofa, looking a bit sheepish. "Now I just need a toothbrush."

"I've got a spare one in my bathroom locker," Hiccup offered, relieved at the sight of the smile on his cousin's face at his words.

"Right - it's settled then, I'll get a bag for your things," Gobber decided, rubbing his hands together and giving Snotlout a quick pat on the back before he left.

Snotlout sat back down next to Hiccup, smiling softly to himself.

"Love that guy," he said, weakly pointing to the spot where Gobber had just stood. "And you too, by the way. Never said that, I think. I know I'm always acting like … you know."

"Like you're fearless and untouchable and don't need anyone?"

Snotlout snorted, side-eyeing Hiccup sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, more or less."

Hiccup shrugged lightly and grinned. "It's okay. Thank you for saying it. And I'll be here for you, okay? Whenever Gobber and Stoick are maybe a bit too much - so maybe after, I don't know, two three … hours or so - you can come crash at my place, yeah? We'll watch those Keanu Reeves movies you like so much."

Snotlout looked at him, and for the first time this evening, felt completely calm and only grateful.

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

(Not to be dramatic or anything but I'd walk through fire to protect these guys)

Also here's a little extra something for you as a little apology for my long absence!

Astrid peeked down the hole and found Hiccup's face grinning up to her.

"That was incredibly hot, but I'm not gonna do that," she called down.

Her boyfriend smirked at her. "I thought that was exactly what you wanted to do. At least ten seconds ago."

"Well, I changed my mind," she shot back, watching him raise both eyebrows. "Suddenly sliding down this 3-meter pole doesn't seem ALL that desirable to me."

"What're you doin' up here, lass?" another voice suddenly cut through Astrid's lament. She sighed and screwed her eyes shut. Great. More witnesses. At least she had been able to trust that Hiccup would only tease her about this whole thing in private.

"Astrid wanted to know how long it actually takes to slide down our pole," Hiccup answered for her, a smug grin on his face. Astrid scowled at him.

"Shouldn't you be actually sliding, then?"

"I'm working on it, Gobber."

"Oh my god, is Astrid scared of heights?" another voice cut in.

"Scott, if you don't-"

"Astrid 'I'm not afraid of spiders, the officially most horrendous and disgusting creatures on earth' Hofferson is scared of heights, oh, this is the best day of my life."

"Come on, guys, cut her some slack!" Hiccup interrupted his cousin from the lower level. His gaze and voice softened as he found Astrid's face.

"Astrid, come on. I'll catch you. It's okay, I got you."

Snotlout burst out laughing. "You? A humanoid noodle? Catch her?"

"Yes, Snotlout," Hiccup replied calmly, now spreading his arms as he returned his attention to his girlfriend. "Just hold on tight and wrap your legs around it. Then you can soften your grip and i'll be right down here to catch you, okay?"

Astrid tried taking deep breaths, in and out. Looking at Hiccup her heart had calmed down a bit. "Okay," she sighed. "Okay. I'm doing it."

He nodded, smiling slightly.

Astrid firmly wrapped her hands around the cold metal, took one last glance down at his face, then she screwed her eyes shut and jumped. Her legs went around the pole almost reflexively.

Inch by inch, she started to move and crawled down, Hiccup's reassuring voice fading in and out through the mist in her head.

"You're doing great. You're almost down. I'm gonna grab you and then you can let down, okay?"

Then, in the matter of mere seconds, she was brought back in when his arms wrapped around her waist.

Astrid let go and felt him pull her against his body, muffling her shriek in his shoulder, her legs now around him instead of metal.

"Got you," he breathed, his hand smoothing circles over her back.

Astrid gave herself three more seconds buried in his frame, then she exhaled and pulled back, her legs finding solid ground again.

Hiccup was beaming at her.

Her hands had fisted in the material of his shirt.

A hand came up to brush her fringe out of her eyes.

"Told you I'd catch you."

It was then that Astrid started laughing. She laughed and laughed and dropped back into his arms, making him stumble back a little.

Hiccup's arms went back around her shaking form as he pressed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Hey, Astrid," Snotlouts head appeared at the hole above them. He paused as he saw her laugh into his chest and frowned at Hiccup. "You guys gonna come up again or are you just gonna camp in the garage?"

Hiccup grinned. "I think we'll take the stairs this time."

Hope you enjoyed it! (Also, just a head's up, I have no idea when I'll update next, because I am a ball of stress with very little free time, but know that I'm not abandoning you or this story! Thank you for reading and sticking with me!