Just something I thought of while watching Riders/Defenders of Berk. I know I should be working on Lost or This is War but like I said, cursed writer's block prevents me from it. It just decided not to mess with my Hiccstrid roots. Takes place during Race to The Edge after Stoick gets Skullcrusher. Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. Dreamworks does.

Chapter 1: Downed Dragon Rider

Hiccup let out a loud sneeze, which he smothered in the sleeve of his tunic. Toothless raised his head from where he was eating and looked curiously at the eighteen year-old. The boy's cheeks were flushed pink, a stark contrast to the rest of his face, which was pale. He looked tired. Well, he had been up half the night writing about things he had discovered while looking at the Dragon's Eye. Toothless had tried to get him to sleep, but he had refused. Eventually, Hiccup had fallen asleep at the desk, his head resting on his arms. Toothless, his eyes now showing concern, nuzzled his rider's side. The teen looked up from his work on the glider and patted the Night Fury on the head.

"I'm alright, boy. Just a little tired," he lied.

Toothless looked at him skeptically, but returned to his breakfast. Hiccup blew out the breath he had been holding, relieved that his dragon wasn't being as stubborn as he was. After he had eaten something himself, he walked downstairs, glad that his father was back on Berk and not here to nag him. Stoick the Vast knew his son too well. Hiccup's "I'm fine, don't worry" routine wouldn't work on him. He mounted his dragon and the two took off to the arena they had built. The others were already there.

"Hey Hiccup. You know you're late, right?" Snotlout teased.

"Yeah, sorry. I fell asleep a little late last night," he replied.

Astrid looked at him strangely. She could tell something was up. Her friend did not look right. Hiccup saw her staring.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" she replied. "You look like you spent the night on a glacier instead of your warm room,"

"I-I'm fine," he lied, turning his face away from her.

Astrid wasn't buying a single word, but she let it go. Hiccup would tell her if he wasn't feeling a hundred percent, right? But she would keep an eye on him. Just in case.

Hiccup was sure he could make it through the day without letting anyone know how bad he felt. His head was pounding. But as the day went on, he could tell Astrid was catching on. Toothless wasn't convinced either. Luckily, the others weren't as perceptive. They didn't know his every move. As they flew, he muffled a sneeze in the sleeve of his tunic, followed by a series of coughs. That was when the nausea began. Astrid could tell he needed to rest, so she made the excuse of lunch, which the others had no problem with. But of course, Hiccup barely made a dent, pushing the food around the plate with his fork. Suddenly, his stomach began to churn. He stood and lied, saying that he had forgotten something at his house. He didn't make it halfway there before he turned and threw up into the bushes. He breathed a sigh of relief that he had made it far enough away before someone saw him. Until…

"Yeah. You're perfectly fine," he heard Astrid say sarcastically. Standing with her was Toothless. The two had followed him!

"Uhh… I can explain," he said, voice quivering.

"Explain all you want. From your bed," she said.

Despite the argument she received from Hiccup, she dragged him back to his house and made him rest. The others helped out too, with Fishlegs going back to Berk to get help. The twins made sure he had plenty of cool water while Snotlout handled the dragons. The last thing Hiccup needed was for the dragons to be loud and disruptive. Meanwhile, Astrid stayed by his side, taking care of the downed rider.

"Why didn't you tell us?" she asked, soaking a rag in cold water and dabbing it on his forehead.

"I didn't want to ruin your fun. Besides, I didn't want everyone to make a big fuss over nothing," he murmured weakly. His emerald green eyes were glazed with fever.

"Hiccup, this isn't nothing. What if you had been flying and you passed out from the fever? You and Toothless would have been seriously hurt. And how do you think we would have felt, how we feel, if you were hurt and we didn't know. And if you had fallen and been hurt, it would have been something we could've prevented. It's something we did prevent. You should be able to come to us when you aren't feeling well or you have a problem. Injury and illness are things you should never keep to yourself, no matter how minor," she reprimanded. She was about to continue when she noticed that Hiccup's eyelids were drooping. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Astrid," he apologized sleepily.

"It's okay babe," she whispered, laying her hand on his forehead and brushing his bangs out of his face with her thumb. He drifted off under the soothing motion. She kissed his forehead and continued cooling him off. He slept soundly.

Stoick and Fishlegs landed in front of Hiccup's house, medicine in hand. Stoick rushed up to his son's room, but he stopped short at the sight in front of him. Hiccup was sleeping peacefully. Astrid had fallen asleep too, her hand resting on Hiccup's. Stoick grinned and left the medicine on the desk, and snuck quietly out of the room, leaving the two exhausted teens to sleep.

End

Author's note: MY OTP SHIPPING FLUFF SIDE IS TAKING OVER MY BODY. PLEASE HELP ME!

Hiccup: (exasperated) Oh Gods…