#rtte era

“Are…you okay?” Fishlegs said hesitantly. The rest of the team fell silent, awaiting Hiccup’s response. 

Hiccup coughed, swigged some water, and coughed again before croaking, “I don’t think I can talk much more. My throat–” 

Astrid leaned forward, eyes widening. “Is it worse? Should we fly and get Gothi? Are–” 

“Astrid!” Hiccup rasped. “Really! It’s just allergies. Nothing I can’t handle.” He drank some more water, grimacing as he swallowed. “Darned pollen.” 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Snotlout said around a mouthful of chicken. “You look kinda red.” 

“It’s the fire,” Hiccup said wheezily. “That’s all.” 

“I might be wrong,” broke in Tuffnut, “but I’m pretty sure fires don’t do that to people.” He gestured at Hiccup, who shot him a glare, then resumed eating his fish. “But what do I know?” 

“Nothing,” snickered Ruffnut. “Nothing at all.” 

“You take that back!” Tuffnut growled. There was a brief spat between the twins, until Astrid loudly cleared her throat and they went quiet. 

“Look, I’m telling you guys I’m perfectly fine,” Hiccup said hoarsely after a moment. “I just need some tea and a good night’s rest, is all.” 

The rest of the team traded worried glances. “Hiccup, I think–” began Fishlegs, as at the same moment Astrid leaned to touch Hiccup’s arm. 

“I said I’m fine!” Hiccup snapped, causing his friends to jerk back in surprise. He stood up, a scowl crossing his face. “Stop worrying about me!” He turned and began stalking up the hill towards his hut. “Come on, Toothless.” 

As the black dragon slunk apologetically away from the rest of the group after Hiccup, the team exchanged looks again. 

“Gosh, I hope he’s not sick,” Tuffnut said, his brow furrowing as he finished off his fish. “I mean, it’s probably just allergies like he said, right?” 

Astrid looked over at the small figure trudging away from them up the hill, his dragon walking worriedly at his side. “I…hope so,” she mumbled. “If Viggo’s men decide to attack and Hiccup is sick–” 

“Hey! We held ‘em off before,” Tuffnut said. “We can do it without Hiccup. He’s not that cool.” 

Snotlout waved a chicken leg in the air, earning an offended look from Tuffnut, who pulled his pet chicken closer. “Personally I think we would be fine without the ‘Great Hiccup’,” he said confidently, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the last words. “It’s not like he’s super necessary, you know?” 

“Then why do you look so worried?” shot Fishlegs. 

“I’m not worried! I’m relieved that maybe we won’t have to deal with Hiccup’s bossiness for a day or so!” 

“Everybody, shut up,” Astrid growled. “This really isn’t something to joke about. If Hiccup truly is sick, we have to make extra preparations, and take care of him.” She scowled at them all. “And don’t go saying we would be fine without Hiccup, or that he isn’t necessary. Without Hiccup, we wouldn’t even be here. Dragon riders wouldn’t be a thing. So just….shut up !” 

“It’s called sarcasm ,” said Snotlout slowly, like Astrid was a child who couldn’t understand what he was saying otherwise. “Perhaps you might have heard of it.” 

“Yes, Snotlout, I know! I know what sarcasm is! How could any of us not know, not when Hiccup–” She broke off, drawing a deep breath. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be getting so worked up, not when we could be down a team member.” She sighed, tightening her grip on her mug of hot chocolate. “I’m just…worried.” 

“Aww, Astrid is worried for her pookie poo,” Ruffnut said teasingly. Tuffnut and Snotlout snickered. 

A split second later, Astrid’s hot chocolate had made its way onto the unfortunate Ruffnut, and Astrid was tossing her mug angrily to the ground. “He’s not my pookie poo,” she hissed. “I will kill anyone who disagrees.” 

“Geez, calm down,” said Tuffnut. “She was just teasing.” 

“That’s just the problem! None of you are taking this seriously!” Astrid massaged her forehead with her fingertips, then stood. “You know what? I’m going off to bed. See you all in the morning.” 

The rest of the team watched her storm away. “Guys,” said Fishlegs in his best lecturing voice, “I think maybe you went a little too far with the ‘pookie poo’ thing.” 

“Oh, really? You think so?” Snotlout rolled his eyes sardonically. “Come on, though. You gotta admit it was funny.” 

Fishlegs scratched under Meatlug’s chin, looking doubtful. “Okay, yes, it was funny, but I don’t think Astrid wants to admit that it’s true…. It just made her angrier to hear someone say it out loud.” 

“Wait.” Tuffnut stared at Fishlegs in disbelief. “You mean to say that Astrid actually thinks of Hiccup as her pookie poo? Like, for real? You’re not pulling my leg?” 

Fishlegs squinted at him in disbelief, and Ruffnut wheezed, “Haha, pulling your leg– hahaha— cause Hiccup only has one – hahaha–” 

As the twins dissolved into uproarious laughter, Fishlegs put his head in his hands. “Oh, Thor,” he groaned. “I think Astrid was right.

<><><>

Astrid was up by dawn the next morning, dressing quickly and stepping out into the cool air. After feeding Stormfly, she walked around to see if Hiccup was anywhere nearby. He was usuall the first one up, so he should be around. However, she didn’t find him down by the dock, or at the forge. In fact, after a careful search of the entire outpost, she realized that he was not outside at all. He always left a note at the forge if he went for a flight on Toothless before anyone was up, but there hadn’t been one, and Toothless’s saddle was still hanging on a peg on the wall. With sudden panic clogging her throat, Astrid half-sprinted, half-stumbled up the hill to Hiccup’s hut and burst through the door. 

The hut was completely silent, with an eerie stillness coating the atmosphere. Astrid saw Toothless curled up on his sleeping platform, his eyes trained worriedly on Hiccup’s bed. Upon Astrid’s entrance, the dragon raised his head and released an anxious mooooooooooowwww.

“I know, bud,” Astrid said as she hurried past the dragon, leaning over Hiccup’s bed. Hiccup was buried beneath his blankets, mumbling something unintelligible. “Hiccup!” Astrid tugged the blankets off his head. His eyes were closed, and he was flushed and sweaty, his hair plastered to his forehead. “Hiccup!” Astrid repeated, grabbing him by the shoulders and giving him a vigorous shake. “Hiccup, wake up!” 

“Hoozewaffle,” Hiccup muttered darkly, rolling over in his sleep and ignoring her. Astrid bit her lip, then reached out and shook him again.

“Hiccup! Hiccup, come on, you gotta wake up!” Please wake up! “Hiccup!” 

“ Snargfoofen ,” Hiccup insisted vehemently. His eyes flew open a moment later, and he stared up at Astrid with bleary perplexion and a slight hint of unrecognition on his face. 

“Whazzz wrrrong?” he slurred, still half-asleep, before sneezing like a chipmunk and closing his eyes again. 

Concern thrummed in Astrid’s chest as she knelt beside Hiccup’s bed. “Hiccup, you’re sick. Can you tell me how you’re feeling?” 

“Ssssssick?” He groaned, flinging one arm dramatically over his face, before suddenly sitting bolt upright, his eyes wide as sleep cleared from his face. “Wait, I have to– it’s daybreak?!” he croaked, staring at Astrid in horror. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? How could I have overslept??” In a panic, he threw his blankets off and tried to get out of bed, but was stopped by a burst of coughing. 

Astrid placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back onto his pillows and covering him again with the blankets. “Hiccup, you’re sick. You can’t do anything today.”

“But there’s so much to plan, I don’t–” His face wrinkled, and he sagged backwards, a massive sneeze shaking his body. “I can’t–” AAAACHOOoo. “Viggo could–” AAAACHOOOO. “We need–” AAAAaaaAACHOOOOO. “Uuuuuughhhh.” Hiccup sniffled miserably, sinking into his pillows with a groan. 

“See? You can’t do anything today, okay?” Astrid reached out and felt his forehead– it was alarmingly hot beneath her wrist. “You’ve got a pretty bad fever. Let me go get Fishlegs, okay?” 

Hiccup blew his nose vigorously in a handkerchief. “Okay,” he said stuffily.  

Astrid threw him one last worried glance, then headed towards the door. Toothless moved over to Hiccup’s bed and dropped his head on the boy’s stomach, resulting in an oooooooof from Hiccup, who sneezed on the dragon a moment later. Astrid shook her head and slipped out of the hut to find Fishlegs. 

Fishlegs’ hut was relatively silent as she approached it, save for the massive snores emanating from it. Astrid couldn’t tell whether it was Fishlegs or Meatlug doing the snoring as she pushed the door open, and after a moment realized it was a combination of both. Fishlegs was hanging half-off of his bed, one arm resting on Meatlug’s head. Astrid walked over to him and leaned down.

“Fishlegs!” she yelled directly in the boy’s ear. 

“AAAAAAAAAH!” Fishlegs shrieked and jolted awake, limbs flailing wildly. He relaxed upon seeing Astrid. “Thor, Astrid, what was that for? Can’t a man sleep in peace?” 

Astrid rolled her eyes. “Look, Hiccup’s sick. He’s got a pretty bad fever, and I think his throat is probably still hurting him. What can we do?” 

Fishlegs rubbed his head, nose wrinkled in thought. “Well, he needs to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. He should rest, of course, and if someone can sponge his face with a wet cloth every now and then to cool him down….” He paused, ticking off items on his fingers. “Oh! Steam, too, to help him breathe; and tea for his throat.” 

Astrid nodded. “Okay. Rest, liquids, steam, a cold cloth—” 

“I can make the tea,” offered Fishlegs. 

“Right. I’ll wake up Snotlout and tell him to boil some water.” Astrid dashed out of the hut without stopping to thank Fishlegs, who yawned before going to prepare the tea. 

After several difficult moments in which Snotlout wouldn’t wake up, Astrid finally dumped a pitcher of water over his head. “Idiot! Wake up!” 

Snotlout opened one eye, looking offended, then sly. “That anxious to see me again, huh, Astrid?” he smirked. 

“Shut it! I need you to boil some water.”

Snotlout stretched, looking confused. “Why?” 

“Because Hiccup’s sick, and he needs steam. Also bring some to Fishlegs; he’s going to make tea for Hiccup.” 

“What about you?” Snotlout said grumpily. “Are you doing anything?”

“Yes, of course!” Astrid scowled at him. “Now go! Boil the water!” 

“Okay, okay! Don’t fuss!!” Snotlout climbed out of bed like an old woman and, muttering to himself, grabbed a pot and left his hut. 

Astrid, in the meantime, filled a kettle with water and brought it into Hiccup’s hut. She poured some into a cup, then went over to Hiccup’s bed, where the boy was curled in a shivering, sniffling heap. Toothless moved out of the way, and Astrid knelt by the bed, holding the cup to Hiccup’s lips. “Drink,” she ordered. “You need fluid.”

Hiccup swallowed the water, making a face. “Your throat?” Astrid asked. Upon Hiccup’s nod, she hummed in sympathy. “Fishlegs is bringing you some tea that should help with that. How’s the breathing?”

“Not great,” croaked Hiccup. “My nose is all stuffed up, and there’s this horrible pressure in my head too.” He coughed. “I feel awful.”

“Snotlout should be in soon with some boiling water,” Astrid murmured, “so you can breathe better. I’m sorry you’re sick.” 

“It’s fine,” Hiccup rasped, blowing his nose. “I’d rather it be me than anyone else.”

Astrid dipped a cloth in the kettle of water and pressed it against his forehead. “Yeah, well, I wish it was anyone but you,” she said, then, when his green eyes flickered to her in surprise, she quickly backtracked. “In case Viggo attacks, I mean. It would be a bad time for him to do so.”

“Yeah,” Hiccup mumbled. “It would, wouldn’t it?” He sighed, causing Toothless, who sat attentively to the right of Astrid, to moooow softly. Clearly he was worried about his human— and so was Astrid. So far, Hiccup was looking more flushed. If Fishlegs and Snotlout didn’t show up soon, Astrid might just cut their heads off with her axe. 

The thought made her smile a little. Astrid glanced over her shoulder at Toothless, who sat with his tail curled around his feet and a miserable expression on his scaly face. He yowled faintly, his pupils dilating in distress. 

Hiccup rolled his head to look at Toothless. “Hey, bud,” he said softly, stretching out one arm with his hand open. Toothless wiggled with excitement and thrust his nose into Hiccup’s palm, making a series of anxious sounds as he looked up at his human. “I’m fine, Toothless,” Hiccup murmured, scratching under Toothless’s chin before dropping his arm in exhaustion. His eyes fluttered closed. 

Astrid bit her lip and sponged his forehead again, exchanging a glance with Toothless, who nuzzled against her in worry. “It’s okay,” Astrid whispered to the dragon. “He’s in good hands.”

Toothless didn’t look convinced, especially when Snotlout and Fishlegs burst in noisily a moment later. Snotlout carried a steaming pot of water, and Fishlegs bore a gigantic mug filled with what Astrid assumed was tea. The two were arguing loudly about whether or not Snotlout had actually boiled the water, and Astrid glowered at them viciously. “Guys! Could you maybe shut up?” she hissed. 

The two boys’ eyes widened, and they glanced at Hiccup before stopping their arguing. “Sorry,” Fishlegs apologized. “I, uh, I made some chamomile tea with lemon and honey. It should help your throat a lot.”

“Thanks,” Hiccup grated, taking the mug Fishlegs offered him and taking a long sip. In the meantime, Snotlout set down his pot of hot water, and Astrid fanned the steam towards Hiccup with her hands. 

Snotlout grabbed a chair and plopped into it, putting his hands behind his head. “So, Hiccup. How ya feeling?”

Hiccup glared at Snotlout over his mug of tea. “Obviously I feel amazing,” he said in a stuffy voice. “Fantastic. On top of the world.” He rolled his eyes. “Geez, how do you think I feel?”

Snotlout huffed. “I was just trying to be nice!” he said defensively. 

Hiccup grunted into his mug. 

Fishlegs sat on the floor beside Astrid, staring intently at Hiccup. “Is….everything good?” Astrid said warily, glancing at Fishlegs. “I mean, am I missing something or—”

“No, sorry, I was just trying to see if there were any more symptoms. You know, bloodshot eyes, incoherent babbling, blood.”

“Blood?!” 

Fishlegs held up his hands. “ Joking.” 

“Incoherent babbling? Why would that be a symptom? Hiccup always incoherently babbles,” put in Snotlout. 

“Says you,” scoffed Astrid. She glanced at Hiccup, who was still drinking his tea, and then back at Fishlegs and Snotlout. “He should probably rest after this. I think maybe you guys should go in a minute…”

Snotlout gave Fishlegs a sly look, then leaned forward and said brashly to Astrid, “Oh, so you can get some alone—”

Fishlegs lunged towards Snotlout, clamping a hand over his mouth, and grinned a little too widely at Astrid. “We were just leaving!” he said cheerily. “You just rest, Hiccup!”

“Thanks,” croaked Hiccup. He finished off his tea, watching as the two boys stumbled out of his hut, Snotlout muttering about how Fishlegs always ruined his fun. When they were gone, Hiccup glanced at Astrid. “You don’t have to stay, you know,” he said hesitantly. “I…I’ll be all right.”

Astrid reached out and took the mug from his hands, setting it aside, before soaking the cloth again and pressing it to his forehead. “I don’t have to,” she said, trailing off a little and not meeting his gaze, “but I want to.”

Hiccup stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable, and then smiled softly. “Okay.”

Astrid cleared her throat, setting the cloth aside and fanning a bit more steam at his face to help clear his sinuses a bit. “I think you should probably try to go back to sleep now,” she told him. 

“What, after you woke me up?” Hiccup smirked at her, his expression quickly morphing into a grimace as another coughing fit blossomed in his lungs. When he had finished hacking, he pulled his blankets up over his shoulders. “I guess you’re right,” he said with a yawn. “I do feel really tired.”

“Be prepared for me to make you drink a ton of water when you wake up,” Astrid warned him. 

He gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Noted…...I might not drink…it all…..” His voice trailed off, and he nestled into his pillow, his breathing evening out. 

Astrid busied herself by filling a mug with water for when he woke up, then with scratching Toothless’s chin for a few minutes in an attempt to reassure him. Toothless eventually curled up, still seeming anxious but content to rest for a bit, and Astrid sat on the floor by Hiccup’s bed again, drawing her knees up to her chin. She watched the sleeping boy worriedly, but he was dozing peacefully, a small smile etched on his face. His breathing was a little raspy, but no more than before, thankfully. 

Astrid sighed, studying Hiccup’s face for a few moments before leaning her head against the side of the bed. She closed her eyes, praying Hiccup would be all right and that Viggo wouldn’t decide to attack anytime soon, and that everything….would be…just……..fine……..

<><><>

“Are you sure we should go back?” questioned Snotlout, looking at Fishlegs skeptically. “When we were there like, an hour ago, Astrid almost bit our heads off. I’m not exactly thrilled about going back.” 

“Gosh, I’m glad I wasn’t there,” put in Tuffnut, who, together with Ruffnut, was polishing Barf and Belch’s scales. “Astrid is scary.”

“She wasn’t scary!” Fishlegs said. “She would have been if you had said that thing I stopped you from saying—” he narrowed his eyes at Snotlout— “but I think she was mostly just worried about Hiccup.” He frowned. “And Hiccup could probably use some more tea for his throat, and some moral support from his team! Am I right?” He glanced at the rest of them for confirmation. 

“The only support Hiccup wants right now is Astrid’s,” Ruffnut snickered. “I doubt he wants us.” 

“Of course he wants us!” Fishlegs retorted, looking hurt. “We’re his best friends!”

“Yeah, and Astrid is his best best friend. He doesn’t—”

“Guys! Let’s just go, okay? Either way he needs more tea, and probably some food.” Appearing more confident, Fishlegs trotted into his hut, returning a few moments later with a mug and a satchel. “All right. Mount up and let’s go!” 

“We’re bringing our dragons?” said Snotlout incredulously, even as he climbed into Hookfang’s saddle. 

“Why not?” Fishlegs climbed onto Meatlug, waiting until the twins had mounted Barf and Belch, and then the four of them lifted into the air and flew towards Hiccup’s hut. 

“This is gonna be so fun,” grumbled Snotlout as he pushed open the door. “I mean, it—”

He trailed off, staring in disbelief. Hiccup lay snoozing in what looked like an extremely uncomfortable position, twisted half off the bed. Astrid was leaning against the side of it, sound asleep, with Hiccup’s hand resting limply against her cheek. Toothless lay watching them curiously, his tail flicking, and upon Snotlout’s entrance he lifted his head, snuffling the air. 

Snotlout wheezed, slapping a hand against his thigh. “You guys gotta see this,” he choked. “You gotta—”

At Snotlout’s exclamation, Astrid’s eyes fluttered open, zoning in a moment later on Hiccup’s hand against her face. Her gaze then traveled upward to his head, which was a little above her, and then over to the rest of her friends and their dragons, who stood in the doorway trying to suppress their laughter. There was a moment in which Astrid appeared to be processing all that was happening, her eyes wide and darting from face to face, and then—

“EEEEYYYAGHH!!” Astrid bolted upright with a shriek, accidentally whacking herself in the face with Hiccup’s hand. That, in turn, woke Hiccup up— he blinked sleepily at the upside down faces of his friends before twisting back onto his bed. 

“Hah! Uh! Hi— hi guys! Um hi— N-nice to see you all, I-I— I was just—” Astrid gulped, looking frazzled. Her hair stuck out in every direction. She coughed awkwardly. “I was, um, just—”

“You fell asleep ,” jeered Snotlout. 

Hiccup, who was blowing his nose, froze, glancing first at Astrid, then Snotlout. “You fell asleep too, Astrid? Are you feeling all right?”

“I feel fine! I just closed my eyes for a moment, a-and I didn’t sleep so well last night so I guess I was tired—”

“You didn’t sleep well? I bet I can guess who you were thinking about,” Ruffnut giggled. 

Astrid flushed, running a hand over her frizzy hair before getting to her feet and shoving water at Hiccup. “Okay, all of you just— shut up, okay? Hiccup, drink your water.” Astrid stormed across the room to grab the tea Fishlegs had brought. “Why are you all here, anyway?”

Fishlegs tapped his fingertips together, looking awkward. “Well…I thought Hiccup could use the moral support of his team—”

“That’s a really nice thought, Fishlegs,” Hiccup said froggily. “I appreciate that.”

Fishlegs beamed, glad somebody was grateful for his efforts. “Have you eaten anything today?” he asked. 

Astrid gasped. “ Thor !” she cursed. “I didn’t think of that, I—”

“Astrid, it’s okay,” rasped Hiccup. “You’ve done a lot for me already.” 

“Don’t worry, Astrid, I already thought of it. I brought some food for him.” Fishlegs held out the satchel he’d brought. “Some bread and dried fish.” He paused, considering. “Have you eaten either, Astrid?”

She shrugged. “I guess I kind of….forgot.”

“Well then, eat some of it too,” Fishlegs ordered. 

Hiccup and Astrid did as Fishlegs said, as the rest of the gang made themselves comfortable. “We should figure out a schedule for who sits with Hiccup,” said Fishlegs. “Astrid’s already done a lot, so we should give her a break.” Ignoring Astrid’s sound of protest, he continued, “I can do it next, and then maybe Snotlout?”

“Guys,” Hiccup interrupted, looking exasperated. “I’m not dying. I just have a cold. It’s not that serious.”

“But—” began Astrid. 

“Really. Fishlegs is right, Astrid. You should take a break.” Hiccup drank some of the tea he’d been brought, then broke into a coughing fit, followed by a violent sneeze. He lay back, massaging his forehead with his fingers. “Oh, Odin.”

Toothless roared gently, crawling up to the bed and resting his chin beside Hiccup’s head. “Hey, bud,” said Hiccup fondly, scratching the dragon’s chin. He glanced at the others. “See? I have Toothless to take care of me. I’m fine. You guys don’t wanna hang out with me all day, do you? You could get sick yourselves.”

“That’s true,” whimpered Snotlout, as if he hadn’t thought of that before. He pulled his shirt up over his nose. “Guys, we could all be breathing in his germs right this second. Probably not a great idea to hang around.” 

“Well…yeah, I mean, probably not.” Fishlegs shrugged, acknowledging this. “I guess we probably should go.” 

“What, and miss the opportunity to get sick?” Tuffnut drew a long breath, an appreciative look on his face. “All those germs. So awesome.”

“You’re weird,” Ruffnut scoffed. 

“Yeah, but we already knew that,” her twin responded. They burst into snorting laughter, head-butted, and then got up and went over to Barf and Belch. 

“Well, we’ll check in on you later,” said Fishlegs, looking back at Hiccup. “Try to rest.”

“Thanks, guys,” Hiccup said, blowing his nose and watching as they trailed out, one by one. He glanced over at Astrid, who stood beside his bed, looking uncertain. “Astrid? You should go, too.”

“But I—”

“Actually, would you mind patrolling the Edge for a bit? Just to check that nothing’s going on.” Hiccup gave a raspy cough and took a drink of tea, green eyes fixed on Astrid. “Will you do that for me?” 

Astrid sighed. “Okay. I guess so.”

Hiccup nodded. “Thanks.”

Astrid reluctantly went to the door and opened it, giving Hiccup a halfhearted wave. He smiled back, but she heard him blowing his nose as she closed the door and went off to find Stormfly. 

<><><>

Hiccup said he was feeling a little better that evening, and sat on the grass outside his hut with Toothless, watching the sunset and doodling in his journal. Astrid, who felt like maybe she should back off a little, worked on trimming Stormfly’s talons, glancing every now and then towards the small figure up on the hill. There was a heaviness in her chest she couldn’t quite describe, but she ignored it, resolutely blocking it from her mind. 

When she had finished with Stormfly, she climbed on the dragon’s back and went for a last patrol around the Edge, hoping also to clear the fogginess in her head. There was nothing unusual to be seen, so at last Astrid landed and headed to check on Hiccup a last time before she went to bed. 

He was still outside, coughing a little and making notes in his journal. A slight chill was settling in the air, and with a bit of concern Astrid said, “You should go back inside. It’s getting damp.”

Hiccup quickly closed his journal on her approach, his gaze flicking to her face. “Ah, yeah, you’re right,” he answered, getting slowly to his feet and stretching. “It’s just so nice out here.”

“How are you feeling?” 

“Mm…still better than earlier. I guess I’ll see how tomorrow is.” He shrugged. “You haven’t felt sick at all, have you?”

“No, no.” Astrid scuffed the toe of her boot across the ground. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” Hiccup hesitated, his journal clutched in one hand, before stepping forward and giving Astrid a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for all you did today,” he said softly in her ear, placing one hand gently on her arm. “I really appreciate it.”

Astrid’s mouth opened, but no sound came out, and then Hiccup was gone, the door of his hut clicking softly closed. Astrid gathered her jaw off the ground after a moment, then smiled a little to herself and walked dreamily off towards her own hut. Hopefully Hiccup would be completely better by tomorrow. Then maybe they could go for a flight together, or a patrol, or maybe go fishing, or axe-throwing, or just hang out....

The stars were shining softly as Astrid entered her hut, and at that moment anything seemed possible. 

<><><>

“—rid.” 

Someone was speaking to her, a muddled underwater sound, and Astrid scowled, clamping her pillow over her head and rolling away from the voice. “Go away,” she mumbled groggily, still not fully awake. 

“Astrid!” the voice persisted, and she felt something shake her shoulders. “Astrid, Hiccup’s worse. He’s not responding to anyone.”

“WHAT?!” With that, Astrid flung her pillow to the floor and jolted awake, eyes wide. “He’s unresponsive?!” 

She found herself staring into the alarmed face of Snotlout, who clearly expected her to impale him or some other such thing. “Um,” he said after a moment, “yeah. His fever has gone up, he’s coughing really bad, and his breathing is super raspy. His eyes look really weird, too. Kinda glazed. Like Hookfang when he’s eaten too many fish, heh—”

“Why wasn’t I woken up sooner?” Astrid said frantically, shooing Snotlout from her hut so she could change. “How could I have slept in?!”

Cursing herself, she quickly got dressed, then bolted out of her hut, mounted Stormfly, and flew to Hiccup’s home in a flash. She burst inside to find everyone else already huddled around Hiccup’s bed, looking grim. Toothless had been exiled from the hut, having been so worried he accidentally trashed Hiccup’s hut with his anxious movements. 

“Astrid,” greeted Fishlegs cautiously. 

“What— what does he have? What is he sick with?” Astrid fell to her knees beside the bed, squeezing between Ruffnut and Snotlout. “I thought it was just a cold!” She stared at Hiccup. He was tossing feverishly back and forth, mumbling incoherently. His eyes were closed, and a dark red flush suffused his face beneath his freckles. His forehead was sweaty, with his hair sticking to it, and the rest of his visible skin was unnaturally pale. 

“He’s been like this since I got here an hour ago,” Fishlegs said. “And he’s been throwing up really bad, too. I don’t know why he’s worse. He was feeling better yesterday, right?”

“That’s what he said,” Astrid answered, panic forming a lump in her throat. She grabbed for a cloth and a bucket of fresh water someone had brought, dipping the cloth into the water before using it to sponge Hiccup’s face. As she did so, she glanced anxiously at Fishlegs. “Has he spoken to you guys at all?”

“He opened his eyes once or twice,” Fishlegs responded, “but he didn’t say anything. We tried talking to him but he just looked confused, and then passed out again.”

“Yeah. He’s being a real airhead this time,” Snotlout said, making a weak attempt at a joke, before he sighed heavily and looked at his feet. 

Tuffnut leaned over his sister to look at Astrid. “When his eyes were open, they were suuuper creepy. Kinda like a Whispering Death’s. All white and cloudy— no pupils at all—”

“No, he had pupils,” said Ruffnut, “his eyes were just really weird.”

“Not gonna lie, this is giving me massive Asia fondue to the time Hiccup almost died as a kid,” Snotlout remarked casually. 

The rest of the gang stared at him in horror, not bothering to correct Snotlout’s misspoken words as their minds flooded with memories of the circumstance he had just brought up. When he was a child, just seven or eight years old, Hiccup had caught a disease that was going around the region. For two weeks he had battled the sickness, and none of Berk had known whether he would live or die— it had seemed as if it would be the latter. Eventually, though, the frail boy had pulled through, although it took a while for him to fully recover. 

Snotlout was right. This was highly reminiscent of that time, although back then none of them had associated much with Hiccup. 

And this time, it was worse. Astrid could tell that the fear burning in her own chest was not unique to her— from the looks on the others’ faces alone, she knew they felt it too. 

“I’m sure he’ll be okay,” Fishlegs said in an attempt to be cheerful. 

None of the others responded. Astrid reached out and gave Hiccup the gentlest of shakes. “Hiccup,” she said, quietly at first, then louder, “Hiccup!” 

The boy mumbled, his brows furrowing, and grabbed wildly at his sheets, his head rolling back and forth on his pillow. “No,” he muttered, his fingers tensing. “Please.”

Astrid swallowed, glancing at the others. “A nightmare, do you think?” she whispered. 

“A fever dream, probably,” Fishlegs said. “So yeah, basically.”

“He needs to wake up.” Astrid tapped Hiccup’s chin with her finger. “Hiccup! Hello! Wake up!”

“I don’t think that’s gonna work,” said Tuffnut. “You gotta really try.” 

“Tuff, what—”

Tuffnut gave a bloodcurdling yell, leaned forward, and booped Hiccup on the nose. 

“That wasn’t any better than what Astrid did, dummy,” Snotlout scoffed. “Booping his nose isn’t gonna do anything.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you try something, Mr —”

“Wait, no!” Astrid leaned forward. “I think he is waking up!”

Hiccup’s eyelids were fluttering madly, a distorted grimace crossing his face. “No,” he whispered softly a final time, before his eyes opened just a crack, then widened fully. Their leafy green color was dull and faded, glazed over in an eerie sheen. Hiccup’s eyes moved over each of their faces in turn, confusion and unrecognition mingling on his countenance.

 “Hiccup?” Astrid said gently. “How do you feel?”

“Astrid—” Fishlegs said warningly. 

Astrid didn’t listen, instead reaching out and touching Hiccup’s hand, which rested atop his blankets. “Hiccup,” she repeated. “Are you okay?”

He stared at her, his gaze hollow. She felt his hand trembling beneath her palm. His lips parted slightly, not a shred of recollection on his face. He didn’t remember her. He didn’t know who she was. That realization was more crushing than anything else that could have happened, and Astrid faltered, withdrawing her hand. 

“He doesn’t know who I am,” she said haltingly. 

“It’s the fever,” Fishlegs replied. “He’s delirious, I think.”

Astrid swallowed, unable to tear her gaze from the green eyes that didn’t recognize her. Hiccup returned her stare, his facial muscles clenching in concentration, before he abruptly rolled his head away, his lashes fluttering shut again. He began to mutter vaguely, sweat shining on his forehead.

Fishlegs locked his fingers together, his thumbs fidgeting back and forth. “I think maybe we should go to Berk and get Gothi,” he said anxiously. 

Astrid’s stomach lurched. “It’s that bad?” she whispered. 

Fishlegs didn’t reply, instead glancing at the twins and Snotlout. “Ruffnut and Tuffnut, would you guys go with me to Berk? I should go so I can say what Hiccup’s symptoms are, and there might be medicine and stuff to transport too.” 

“Cool by me,” Tuffnut answered, getting to his feet. “Come on, sis.” 

Fishlegs stood up as well, turning towards Astrid and Snotlout. “If he wakes up, make him drink some water,” he instructed. “And wipe his face every now and then with a wet cloth to cool him down. Don’t let him get up, okay? And remember– fluids. If he keeps throwing up like he was earlier, he’s gonna be really dehydrated.” 

Astrid nodded, glancing at Fishlegs for a brief moment. “Safe flying,” she said haltingly. 

“Thanks.” He hesitated, looking at Hiccup, and then added, “We should be back in five to six hours. Hold on till then.” 

“We will,” Astrid answered softly. 

The door to the hut swung shut with a resounding thud , and Snotlout and Astrid traded a long look.

“So uh….” Snotlout cleared his throat, casting a glance towards Hiccup. “Maybe I should patrol for a bit while they’re gone. Just for peace of mind that Viggo isn’t attacking, you know?” 

Astrid stared at him, feeling suddenly grateful. While there was reason to scout around, she knew Snotlout was mainly offering to patrol so that Astrid had an excuse of being alone with Hiccup. Because Thor, she needed it. Just to reassure herself that…just to reassure herself. 

“That would be great, Snotlout,” Astrid murmured quietly after a moment, looking away so she wouldn’t betray her emotions. “Thank you.” 

“Of course,” Snotlout replied. “You can always count on the Snot!” Grinning, he backed away, slipped out the door, and was gone. Astrid heard him telling Toothless to calm down, and then there was silence. 

Astrid sighed, shaking her head. He really could be a sweetheart sometimes, although usually she just wanted to strangle him. But he did have his moments, she’d grant him that. 

She reached for the cloth and sponged Hiccup’s face again, accidentally waking him up. Remembering what Fishlegs had said, Astrid snatched up a mug of water and brought it to Hiccup’s lips. “Hey,” she said gently. “I need you to drink this. Can you do that for me?” 

Hiccup stared at her, his forehead wrinkling. A violent cough rasped in his lungs, and he gasped for breath, sucking in air desperately before looking at Astrid again. His eyes were still clouded with fever, but silently he accepted the cup and drank from it, draining it dry. Astrid refilled it and offered it to him again. 

Hiccup dutifully took a few more gulps, then looked at Astrid, his breath rattling. “W-who are you?” he said shakily, slowly, as if he wasn’t quite certain. “I…I can’t recall your name–” 

Astrid’s fingers tensed. After a moment she responded, “I’m Astrid. Do you remember me at all?” 

He shook his head faintly, his lips trembling. “I– your face is familiar but I don’t…I don’t….” He trailed off, another cough seizing his thin frame. 

“That’s okay,” Astrid quickly soothed him, resting a hand on his arm. “You’re sick. It’s just affecting your memory a little bit.” 

“My memory,” he repeated, taking another drink of water and looking perplexed. He gave another weak cough, his eyelids fluttering sleepily, before his face twisted in nausea. Predicting what he was about to do, Astrid grabbed a bucket and held it in front of him, and Hiccup threw up into it, then sank back into his pillows with an expression of exhaustion. 

Astrid gave him some more water, and he drank it slowly, his face pale, his eyes dull. Astrid set aside the bucket, and Hiccup glanced at her apologetically. “S-sorry,” he stuttered, his teeth chattering as a chill took hold of him. 

“Don’t be.” She offered him a small smile, hoping to reassure him. 

A sudden breeze gusted through the hut from an open window, and Hiccup shivered even more violently, burrowing under his covers. His whole body shook uncontrollably, and yet another hacking fit seized him. Hiccup coughed so hard his face turned beet red with the effort, and his bedframe shook. When he had finished, he rolled his head across the pillow tiredly, a grimace on his face as his chest rose and fell in raspy breaths. 

“Try to rest,” Astrid said softly, reaching out after a moment of consideration and placing her hand lightly on his arm. He looked down at it, his gaze hollow, before reaching his other arm across and gripping her fingers loosely in his. 

Astrid swallowed, wishing he would remember her but knowing that in his fever he probably wasn’t aware of much of anything. She watched as Hiccup’s eyes closed, his face twitching, before his breathing evened out somewhat and he fell into a restless sleep. 

With a sigh Astrid rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand, anxiety burning in her throat. She hoped that the others would reach Berk quickly, and get the supplies they needed. She hoped Hiccup would be all right. She hoped….

She caught sight of Hiccup’s journal, poking out from beneath his pillow, and moved it to a table behind the bed so it wouldn’t cause any unnecessary discomfort. A scrap of parchment slipped from the pages of the journal, drifting to the floor, and Astrid leaned down and picked it up. She was about to slide it back into the journal when her eyes caught a single word, or rather a name. 

Her name. 

Astrid’s breath clogged in her throat, and she glanced at Hiccup’s sleeping form before grasping the parchment more tightly, her fingers shaking as she brought it closer and peered at the messy scrawl covering its surface. It appeared to be part of a page that had been ripped out somehow, and bore several fragments of sentences that Astrid couldn’t figure out due to their incompletion. But she could see her name, written plain as day at the right edge of the scrap, each letter formed in jumbled, swooping handwriting. 

Astrid ran her finger across the scrap of paper, every part of her being longing to flip through Hiccup’s journal to the page the fragment had been torn from, but after a moment she replaced the fragment in the front cover of the journal, pushing it away. Forcing the thought of it from her mind, she turned back to Hiccup, staring at his face. 

Why are you writing about me? she thought, wanting to wake him up and ask him, but knowing at the same time that she wouldn’t have the courage to go through with it. Astrid Hofferson was unafraid of most things, but bringing her feelings into the light was possibly her greatest fear, and she wasn’t about to ruin her friendship with Hiccup, either. 

Especially not while he was sick, although it was likely he wouldn’t remember the encounter. But still, it was a risk she wasn’t willing to take, so she rolled her lips together and sat in silence by the side of his bed. 

After a half hour or so, Hiccup woke up sick again. After he had emptied the contents of his stomach and drunk a mug of water, he tossed feverishly back and forth on his pillow, his eyes glazed and his cheeks flushed, and an expression of discomfort on his face. After several moments of watching him thus, Astrid said, “Hey. Hiccup. C’mere, okay?” 

He stared at her, not comprehending, so Astrid slid her hands gently under his arms and tugged him over to her, resting his head beneath her chin. Hiccup was quiet, his eyes flicking upwards to look at her, and Astrid ran her fingers through his tangled hair. “You’re okay,” Astrid whispered to him. “It’s okay.” 

Hiccup’s tense body finally relaxed in her arms, and he let out a long, hoarse sigh, his fingers twitching. Astrid focused on his hand for a moment, watching as slowly he moved it upward, finally sliding it into her free hand, which rested lightly on his chest. Hiccup’s hand trembled in hers for a moment, his palm hot with fever, before slowly, uncertainly, he laced their fingers together. Then, before Astrid could fully grasp what was happening, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers lightly. 

“Thank you, milady,” he murmured in a rasping whisper, pressing their clasped hands against his cheek and rubbing his thumb across hers. Astrid’s heart soared. He remembered her! He remembered her…he….

She was trying to collect her thoughts when a soft snore met her ears, and she looked down to see Hiccup had dozed off in her lap, his lashes splayed across his freckled cheeks. Astrid chuckled softly, then, feeling particularly bold, leaned down and cupped his face in her free hand. She was going to place a peck on his cheek or forehead, but after a moment of listening to his slow breathing, decided to risk it and placed the softest of kisses on his lips. His were warm and soft, if not slightly chapped, and she wished that somehow he could return the kiss before she reluctantly pulled away. 

After she had checked that he was still asleep, Astrid again tangled her fingers in his hair, a sigh escaping her as she felt him shift in her lap, his head bumping her chin. She doubted she would have this chance anytime else, so she settled back, enjoying the feel of Hiccup in her arms, a thing that likely would never occur again. 

<><><>

Hiccup stirred a few times in the next few hours, but didn’t wake up until the sun was beginning its journey down the length of the sky. When his eyes finally opened again, they were glazed and unfocused once more, and Astrid swallowed the hope she had harbored that maybe he was finally getting better. 

“Hey,” she greeted him softly, helping him to sit up a little and propping him against her shoulder. “Here’s some water for you.” She handed him a mug, and Hiccup took it, his fingers brushing hers. He drank the water slowly, his gaze wandering to Astrid’s face, where it remained for quite some time before finally he looked away. 

“How do you feel?” Astrid questioned him. 

Hiccup frowned, staring down into the depths of the mug. “Pretty rough,” he said hoarsely after a moment. “Like I’ve been run over by a dragon.”

“I’m so sorry,” Astrid murmured. “Hopefully Gothi will arrive soon with medicine for you.” She peered at him closely, but he didn’t appear confused upon hearing Gothi’s name. Maybe he was still more aware of things now, at least. 

Hiccup took another drink of water, then coughed, a miserable expression crossing his face. “I feel like someone dragged a knife down my throat,” he mumbled, drawing a few shallow breaths. “Or like somebody filled my nose with water.” 

“Would tea help at all?” Astrid asked. 

Hiccup glanced at her, sniffling loudly. “Mm…maybe,” he said doubtfully. He coughed again. “At least I don’t feel nauseous anymore.” 

“And it seems like you’ve returned to your senses a bit,” Astrid added. 

Hiccup started. “Was…was I out of my senses?” he said, alarmed. “What did I do? Did I say anything weird or–” He paused, a flush crossing his face that wasn’t related to his fever. “...I….didn’t, right?” he finished in a small voice. 

Astrid chewed her lip, wondering if he remembered kissing her hand. “No,” she said finally. “You didn’t.” 

Hiccup looked relieved. “Good. You never know, huh?” He chuckled nervously, then began to cough again. Astrid poured him some more water. 

A sudden commotion erupted outside the hut just then. Snotlout was yelling something along the lines of “get your feet off me, you dumb reptile!” and then there was a muffled thump against the door that rattled the hut. A moment later, the door flew open, and Toothless galloped in, skidding across the floor and crashing into a chair. He crawled up to Hiccup’s bed, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his pupils wide in curiosity. 

“Hey, bud,” Hiccup greeted the dragon weakly, leaning against Astrid as Toothless excitedly sniffed his hands. “Yeah, I missed you too.” 

Snotlout limped into the hut a few seconds later, his helmet askew, with twigs and mud stuck to his clothing and a large scratch across his face. “What happened to you ?” Astrid questioned. 

Snotlout made a face. “Well, we were patrolling, and then Hookfang decided it would be a brilliant idea to dive into a lake to catch a giant fish, and then later we crashed into a thicket because he got scared by a widdle tiny wobin and flew out of control.” He scowled, pulling a branch from his hair. “Honestly, he’s such a scaredy cat.” 

Astrid smirked, and Hiccup gave a wheezy laugh beside her. Snotlout plopped down on a stool, regarding the two with interest. “So Hic,” he said breezily, brushing dirt off his pants. “You feeling better?” 

“I mean….” Hiccup sniffled and shrugged. “Not really. I think maybe the fever could be breaking, though. I feel a little more ‘with it.’” He glanced at Astrid. “Astrid’s been really helpful.” 

“Yeah, I bet,” snickered Snotlout. Hiccup looked confused, and Astrid leaned down, snatched up an old sock that Toothless had discovered under Hiccup’s bed that morning, and chucked it at Snotlout’s face, clobbering him directly in the nose with it. 

“Ew! Gross! What was that for?” shrieked Snotlout, jumping off his stool as if he’d been slapped. 

Astrid glared at him. Hiccup’s gaze shifted between the two in confusion before he took another drink of his water. “You two are weird,” he commented. 

Snotlout snorted and opened his mouth to say something, but Astrid threw a blanket at him and nodded. “ Snotlout is weird,” she corrected. “Not me.” 

“Ha! As if!” Snotlout smirked, leaning forward. “I could mention a few things–” 

“Shut up,” Astrid hissed. 

Snotlout threw her a wink, then glanced pointedly at Hiccup, who stared back, a puzzled look on his face. “Am I missing something?” Hiccup said slowly after a minute, pausing to blow his nose. 

“Nope! You’re not missing aaaaanything ,” Snotlout said in an exaggerated tone. He stood and stretched, adjusting his helmet. “Just a few key things that you may or may not figure out eventually.” He plucked a twig off of his vest. “No biggie, though.” 

“Hm.” Hiccup frowned into his mug, then sighed and shifted against Astrid’s shoulder. “The others are bringing Gothi, you said?” 

“Yes,” Astrid confirmed. “They should be here any minute now, although at this point I think you’ll be fine. But still, maybe she can help you get better faster.” 

“Yeah,” Hiccup agreed, closing his eyes.

Astrid took that as an opportunity to shoot daggers at Snotlout with her eyes, glaring at him so ferociously his own eyes widened in surprise. “What?” he whispered. “I was just teasing!” 

“Yeah, well, you– you shouldn’t. You’re wrong about that,” Astrid whispered back. “I’m…it’s not like that.” 

Snotlout rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure,” he mumbled. “Of course.” 

Astrid was about to say something else, but at that moment the door flew open and Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Gothi, Gobber, and Stoick burst in. “Hiccup!” Stoick exclaimed, hurrying forward and kneeling beside Astrid. 

Hiccup’s eyes opened and focused on his father. He gave a tired smile. “Hey, Dad.” 

“Son. How are you feeling?” Stoick questioned anxiously. 

Hiccup hummed. “Still gross. I think I’m past the worst of it, though.” 

Gothi stepped forward, whacking Tuffnut with her stick and snatching a leather bag from his hands. She raised her eyebrows at Gobber, then began scratching on the hut’s dirt floor with the end of her staff, forming sloppily carved symbols. 

“Eh…” Gobber frowned, placing a finger on his chin. “She says that ye need tae give Hiccup a mixture of the tree bark, herbs, and belches–” Gothi whacked him with her stick. “Sorry, berries– that she brought, and it should settle ‘im right quick.” Gothi scrawled in the dirt again, and Gobber added, “Oh, and he has to take it once every hour along with a cup of warthogs–” Thwack! “Beg yer pardon, water. ” Gobber nodded in satisfaction, and Gothi stopped writing.  

“And….that’s supposed to help him?” Astrid asked dubiously. 

“Yes,” Gobber confirmed. “But don’t kill the messenger if it don’t work.” 

Gothi shot him a glare, and Gobber stepped quickly out of reach of her staff.

Astrid began rummaging in the bag Tuffnut had been holding, pulling out the required ingredients. She and Ruffnut pounded them into a dusty mixture, then poured a helping into a cup of water and handed it to Hiccup. 

Hiccup gripped the cup and looked at it doubtfully. “Er…what does this taste like, might I ask?” He didn’t say anything else, but Astrid could hear his unspoken question. Gothi’s medicines had a reputation for tasting absolutely horrendous. 

Gothi frowned and scrawled something in the dirt. “She says…” Gobber’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “Well, not that I’ll say it aloud. But basically, lad, she says to hush yer yap and drink up.” 

Hiccup shrugged, flinched, and drank the concoction in a gulp. This produced a fresh fit of hacking. Stoick, trying to be helpful, gave Hiccup a giant whack on the back with his hand, which resulted in Hiccup’s eyes bulging from his head and his coughing only getting worse. 

“So….” Gobber scratched his head. “Is that all then? I gotta admit, it’s just a wee bit less than I was expecting.” 

“What…were you expecting?” Hiccup said breathlessly, fighting to draw air into his lungs. 

“Eh, I dunno. I thought mebbe she would extract blood, but I guess I’m not as much of an expert as I thought.” Gobber shrugged, looking disappointed. 

Gothi brightened and wrote something else in the dirt. 

“Ah, she says that drawing blood might help with the frog!” Gobber said excitedly. 

Thwack ! 

“...Fever, I mean,” Gobber corrected himself, rubbing his arm. “I’ll go get some pointy objects!” 

Hiccup made a strangled noise around the last bits of coughing. 

“I think– he’s probably fine,” Astrid put in hastily. 

Hiccup shot her a grateful look. 

“Well, if ye say so. But let me know if the chance should arise!” Gobber twirled his mustache. “Feel better then, laddie. I got to get Gothi back to Berk safely.” 

Gothi scowled at him and hobbled out of the hut in front of him. Gobber gave a last wave, then trailed out behind her. 

Stoick turned back to Hiccup. “Well, son, I wanted to check in on ye. Seeing as how ye’re doin’ fine, I might head back as well. There’s a big meeting tonight I need to be there for.” 

“I understand, Dad,” Hiccup croaked, scratching Toothless’ head as the dragon nosed his side. “Thanks for coming.” 

“Anytime.” Stoick hesitated, then gave Hiccup an awkward one-armed hug. “I hope ye feel better.” He nodded at the rest of the riders, then ducked out of the hut as well. 

Tuffnut flopped onto a chair. “Well, I’m glad that’s over with,” he groaned. “That flight was horrible. Fishlegs was talking the entire time about a scrape Meatlug has on her paw. And Ruffnut wouldn’t shut up either.” He rolled his eyes towards his sister. 

“Aw, you know you love me,” she jeered, giving him an affectionate punch to the arm. 

Hiccup laughed, then took a long drink of water, exhaling in a long sigh. “Well, thanks so much for doing that,” he said. “It means a lot.” 

“I’m glad you’re getting better, Hiccup,” Fishlegs said earnestly. 

Astrid didn’t say anything, but she fully agreed. 

<><><>

Three days later, Hiccup was fully recovered, and able to sit around the fire again at dinner with his friends. The meal that night was fried fish and potatoes, or at least it was supposed to be. Fishlegs, who had prepared the food in celebration of Hiccup's recovery, burned the potatoes to a crisp and seasoned the fish so heavily it tasted like seawater. However, it was all they had on short notice, so the gang scraped off the fried, seasoned part of the fish and ate the meat instead, which was just a bit better (he had burned the fish too). 

After they had finished eating, Ruffnut surprised them all with mugs of hot chocolate. “I didn’t know you could cook, Ruff,” Hiccup commented as he sipped his hot chocolate and discovered it tasted very good, shockingly enough.

“I didn’t either,” Ruffnut said with a shrug. “Not that this is really cooking, but yanno.” 

“This is amazing!” Fishlegs gushed after taking a long drink, a hot chocolate mustache having appeared on his upper lip. “You should make this more often.” 

“I agree,” Snotlout chimed in. “Especially during winter. That’d be nice.” 

“But it’s so much nicer to have a Thorston sandwich in winter to keep you warm,” complained Tuffnut. “Who needs hot chocolate when you have two hot–” 

“On that note,” Astrid broke in quickly, “it’s getting pretty late, guys. We should probably head to bed so we’re well rested for tomorrow.” 

“Astrid’s right,” put in Hiccup. “We need our strength.” He stood and dumped water over the fire to put it out. Smoke billowed through the air, and the twins, coughing and choking, wheezily said goodnight to the rest of the gang and headed off to their hut. 

Fishlegs finished off his hot chocolate and stood, brushing crumbs off of his pants. “I’ll say goodnight too, then,” he said cheerfully. “See you all tomorrow!” Fishlegs was about to head off, but glanced pointedly at Snotlout. He sat smirking at Astrid and Hiccup, who were trying very hard not to look at each other. 

“Snotlout, doesn’t Hookfang need to be fed?” Fishlegs said. 

“Hm? No, I fed him–” Snotlout caught Fishlegs’ urgent look and jumped. “Oh! Right, I forgot to feed him actually, haha! I’ll, uh, go do that.” He stood up, said goodnight to Hiccup and Astrid, and headed off with Fishlegs towards their respective huts, their dragons trailing behind. 

Hiccup and Astrid remained sitting in silence, staring into the last embers of the fire. Astrid was just getting ready to say goodnight and head to her hut, when Hiccup broke the silence, startling her. 

“So um,” Hiccup said, staring down at his hands. “Astrid…I wanted to say that I–” He paused, his brow furrowing in what appeared to be panic, before his face cleared slightly. 

Astrid looked over at him, hoping he would chalk her red cheeks up to the remaining glow from the fire, and not anything else. Such as the fact that she was sitting alone with him.  

“I…really appreciate all you did. While I was sick, I mean,” Hiccup said awkwardly. 

“Oh!” Astrid stared into her empty hot chocolate mug, her face burning. “I– It was nothing. Really. I was just trying to be helpful.” 

Hiccup gave her a side glance, his lips tilting upward in a smirk. “That’s what Snotlout said.” 

Astrid coughed, slamming her mug down. “So? H-he didn’t mean anything by it, he just…” 

He chuckled, leaning towards her so their shoulders touched. “Well, still. I really appreciate it.” 

Astrid nodded, fiddling with a loose string on her skirt and not looking at him. “I– yeah, of course. Anytime.” She bit her lip, staring out across the moonlit sea.  

There was a long silence, and a breeze blew softly past, rustling the grass and trees. Astrid felt the stillness stretch and swallowed, wishing she could think of something to say. But her mind was blank. 

Beside her, Hiccup examined a scratch on one hand, then darted a look at her. After a moment, he cleared his throat, scooting even closer so their thighs were pressed together. He turned slightly towards her, placing one hand on her knee. “Astrid?” 

“Y-yes?” Astrid stammered, her cheeks ablaze. She glanced at him, tensing up slightly and feeling her heart hammer in her chest like a frightened bird. 

Hiccup considered her thoughtfully for a moment, then smiled gently, reaching out and sliding his fingers under her chin to cup her face. Astrid shivered at his touch, and Hiccup stared into her eyes for a moment, sweeping his thumb lightly across the skin beneath her lower lip. Then he leaned forward, his breath ghosting her lips, his other hand resting on her knee, before he brushed her mouth softly with his own. For a moment all Astrid was aware of was him , kissing her, his lips caressing hers tenderly, his thumb rubbing against her chin, but all too soon it was over. He pulled away slowly, his eyes sparkling at her in the firelight, gazing at her like she was the only other thing on earth. 

“I, um,” he whispered, so close she could feel his lips moving against hers, could see a flush staining his face as he brushed a finger over her cheek, “I owed you one.” 

His hand slid off of her face, and, with a final smirk in her direction, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Astrid to sit in shock by the dying embers of the fire.  

She placed her fingers on her cheek where his had just been, her brow wrinkling in confusion.  

He owed her one—? 

Only then did she recall the kiss she had given him when he was sick. When she believed he was asleep. When really he was still trying to fall asleep. And she had kissed him, and he had known but–

Astrid’s eyes widened in humiliation. He had known for the past three days? And said nothing? She groaned and buried her face in her hands, wanting to sink into the earth forever. 

I owed you one. 

His voice echoed in her head, and Astrid suddenly recalled the gentle tenderness in his eyes right after he kissed her. She gasped softly. 

Maybe…just maybe....

A slow smile spread over her face. 

Astrid kicked dirt over the remaining embers of the fire, called for Stormfly, and wandered slowly back home, towards sleep. 

Meanwhile, Hiccup watched the stars from the upper window of his hut, his chin propped in his arms, a dreamy smile on his countenance. He touched his fingers lightly to his lips, then turned and looked at Toothless, who graaoor-ed softly and closed his eyes.  

Hiccup chuckled. “Me too, bud. Me too.”