Astrid squirmed as the wipe pressed just a little too hard against her face. "Ow! Hiccup, watch it!"

"Don't squirm then, Astrid. I did tell you this could hurt."

She sighed, and a few moments went by where neither talked before she spoke again. "I have a question. Does my uncle know?"

"Mhm. Yes. I called him while you were unconscious. Your uncle knows where you are, so don't worry about that. I haven't abducted you."

"More worried about your knuckles than that," she admitted as her eyes dipped from his face and back again. "Do they hurt like that?"

The baby wipe pressed to her face stopped moving. "No. Well yes, but I got used to it a long time ago."

"Why's that-oh. Right," Astrid swore under her breath. "Next time you see Snotlout, come find me so I can go kill him."

"Is that concern for me I hear, Hofferson? Won't be soon at any rate. He's on tour in Afghanistan right now."

"Of course, I'm concerned, you're my patient. It wouldn't look good if you got worse in my care."

"I can look after myself, Hofferson. I don't need you staring after me in a bar. I'm not that dependent on you."

She shrugged. "I thought so too. Then last night happened."

"And yet, I dealt with your assailants. I doubt they'll come back so long as I'm around. You're welcome by the way."

"Hiccup," Astrid said, tone stern. "Stop trying to push everyone away, or you'll end up alone."

His face became equally stern. "The people on this stupid fucking island would rather look the other way than help the guy being bullied for little more than existing. Yourself included. With that in mind, why would I want to associate with any of them unless strictly necessary?"

"Because maybe some of us have grown up since then. Others however, still haven't."

She paled in an instant, regretting her choice of words immediately. "Hiccup, wait. Hold on-"

"Fuck you." The wipe he had been using to clean her face was slapped to her hands, which were resting on her lap. This was preceded by him standing and facing her, his expression guarded. "I'm done with this conversation, Astrid. Clean your face yourself since you're so grown up."

"I-I didn't mean you-"

"Oh you did. Now clean yourself up. Your face is a bloody mess. I'm going to bed now. It's late. You can take the couch you're sitting on."

He made to leave, but Astrid grabbed his arm. "I didn't mean like that. Hear me out, Haddock."

He tried to pull his arm away and Astrid tightened her grip. "Stop moving. It's time to stop running away from every little thing I say or do."

Finally, he looked her way with a sigh. "You really ought to have a better filter, but you're right."

"Uh uh. Not good enough. What am I right about?"

"You know damn well what, Hofferson. Not everything is a competition. If I have to learn not to run away from things I don't like, then you need to learn that not everything needs to be won. Do that and you'll push everyone away and end up alone."

"Using my own words against me now?" she said with a weak smile.

"Of course. For the longest time, words have been my only defence. They still are, really."

"Yeah. Well I can say you're skilled at using them."

"I guess. Now, how about another bacon sandwich?"

"Sure. Just after I clean my face. Can you bring me a mirror, please?"

…

The following morning, after a night sleeping on a couch, Astrid wandered into the kitchen to find Hiccup was up and sitting at the table, eating a bacon sandwich with a notepad and pencil in his vicinity

"Morning'" Astrid said, before yawning. "Breakfast?" She asked hopefully.

He glanced up, then swallowed a mouthful of sandwich. "Good morning," he greeted before pointing just a bit to her right, where the hob was, laden with a pan of bacon. "If you want another bacon sandwich, help yourself to the bacon in that pan over there and you can use the kettle to make tea. No coffee, because I hate how it looks or smells or tastes."

"You could just say 'I hate coffee'. Less effort that way."

"Now where's the fun in that?"

Smiling a little and shaking her head, Astrid approached the electric kettle, filling it with water and leaving it to boil. "So what's the notepad for?"

"Drawing."

"People or just anything?"

"People. For instance, last night I drew a guy. Then I drew you, because you were staring. Don't tell anyone."

"I'll keep my mouth shut. That way I keep my favourite patient."

"I'm your only patient. You can't say I'm your favourite yet. There is no one else to compare me to."

"True that."

"Mhm. So question: why were you staring so intently last night? I had no idea I was so interesting."

Astrid was saved from answering as the electric kettle clicked and turned off, signalling it had boiled the water. "I wanted to keep an eye on you. In hindsight, I could have been a lot more subtle."

"Yeah, you could have. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the bar knew you were staring."

"Yeah… well, what's done is done."

"Don't do that again, please. It was quite weird."

"I can unnerve you? I'll be sure to make a note of that."

Hiccup groaned. "Of course you will. Well, I'm going to draw you now."

Astrid blinked at him as he picked up his pencil and flicked through his notepad. "Why?"

"Do I need a reason, Hofferson?"

"Well no I guess, but…"

"Good. Because I don't have one. Stay still for a moment."

"Hold on. I'm going to get a cup of tea. You can draw me sitting down, holding it."

"Alright then."

So Astrid came to be sitting across from Hiccup at the table, a mug of tea held in her hands, warming her palms as Hiccup sketched away, glancing at her face every few moments.

"So Hiccup."

"Hmm?"

"When are you going to address the elephant in the room?"

He paused for a moment, then resumed drawing after glancing up at her. "What metaphorical elephant do you mean?"

"The situation that caused you to lose your leg."

Hiccup put down his pencil and looked her in the eye. "It was an explosion. You telling me you don't already know? That nobody told you what happened? That seems quite unlike Finn."

"He did tell me, but I was trying to avoid that word for your sake."

A breath escaped his lips and his eyes became unfocused for a beat. "I think about that all the time," he picked up the pencil again. "What… what do you want to know about it?"

"We can hold off on this topic if you want."

"No no… it has to be discussed sometime, right? Why not now? Just give me a sec…"

He resumed drawing for a few more moments, then set down his pencil again. "Alright, that's the most important bits drawn. What do you want to know first?"

"Anything. Start with whatever you want."

"Okay."

…

The explosion, as was usually the case for such things, came with no warning.

One minute, Henry Horrendous Haddock III was driving along a dusty road in the heat of the Afghanistan sun.

The next, the land rover under his command was on its side, next to the road in question.

Glass from the windows was strewn everywhere. On Hiccup's clothes, his face and the persons of his passengers - two soldiers and a female operative from MI5.

None of them responded when he called their names. They were likely dead.

Something warm and wet ran down his face from his forehead to just past his lips. He could taste metal.

His head throbbed and he swayed from side to side a little.

Ahead, he could make out gunfire but didn't look. Couldn't look thanks to his headache and the swaying. Whatever gunfight was going on, wasn't yet his business.

He had every intention of intervening, however.

He tried to move, pushing down with his hands for leverage and reaching for the door above his head. Pushing it open, he tried pulling himself out of his seat, but his left leg was pinned, held in place by the warped metal and other materials that made up the car's front section.

And I thought this would be a relatively easy drive back to Camp Bastion. I tempted fate and this is what happened.

"That's enough from me for now. Tell me something about you, Astrid."

"Now's not the time, but hold still."

"Uh-"

She pecked him on the cheek. "That's for finding me last night. And for dealing with those guys. Thank you. You… you did fight both of them, right?"

"I did, yes. Don't worry. They won't be walking around for a while."

She nodded, then quickly made to leave. "Good. Thanks again."