New prompt! Homeless Hiccup x Homeless Astrid.

Currently rated T for themes not including sex! I know, shocking. That might go up but if it does it'll be clearly signposted.

On we go!

-HTTYD-

Hiccup stared into the cracked, spotted mirror of the public toilet, running a hand over his scruffy stubble. He couldn't often afford to spare money for the batteries in his year-old electric shaver, but it meant he didn't scratch his itchy face until it bled if he could shave. Cursing sensitive skin that had yet to toughen up against either the elements or his facial hair, Hiccup rinsed as best he could and, while he was there, used the bathroom and filled his water bottle from the sink.

Then it was back outside. He didn't like sitting around, only did it when he was so hungry he could barely walk. Or if he met up with his friends. Checking the straps of his backpack, Hiccup set off walking. He was grateful his shoes were quite hardy, really. Had been bought for hiking before...

Swallowing, Hiccup shook off those memories and let his legs guide him. He knew the whole city - where best to get food thrown out by supermarkets and restaurants, the spots least likely to get attacked while he slept. Every spot that let homeless folk get hot water or even clean water, the swimming baths that let them get a shower cheaply so long as they respectfully cleared off without a problem.

Then there was the library that had a box of books homeless folk could come in and swap with. He knew the laundrette that would let him wait when he washed and dried his clothes so long as he was quiet. Anywhere that free food was available, though Hiccup did his best not to go to many of those, so someone else could eat.

He worked for his food where possible - volunteering at the soup kitchen got him a wash and two square meals for the day, while he helped ensure dozens of others got to eat too. It was nice to put his kitchen skills to work for a good cause. Some of the other people there often even slipped him a few pounds, which Hiccup spent on things he could share where possible.

"Hiccup!"

Having been walking aimlessly, Hiccup noticed his aching legs and that he'd ended up under the abandoned railway, where several homeless folk congregated to sleep. It was relatively empty - the weather was mild today, many folk probably out begging or in some cases, stealing for survival. Their sleeping bags and some backpacks sat in certain spots, but Hiccup wouldn't dream of touching them. He didn't leave his stuff anywhere though, just in case. Desperation drove people to some painful things.

"Hey Tuff" he slipped his bag off his shoulders, sat on the cardboard Tuff indicated "how you doing?"

"Ok. Ruff is off... working."

Hiccup frowned, knowing Tuff hated that his sister insisted on doing things for money so they could survive.

"Ah. Well, I have crackers and peanut butter, plus I just got water. Lunch?"

"You sure?"

"I had a good day yesterday."

Peanut butter was a saving grace for many of his fellow transient folk. Cheap and filling, came in small tubs that fit in their bags and didn't go off. He and Tuff shared a few crackers dipped in peanut butter, and after a drink of water Hiccup settled against the wall to flip through his book. He'd read it a few times, but it whiled away the hours while Tuff took a nap cuddling his ragged chicken toy - he didn't sleep well at night, preferring to stay awake making sure his sister was safe.

"Hey Hiccup!"

He jumped, not aware Tuff had woken up.

"Yeah?"

"There's one of those charity things for us to go to next week. Teeny told me, I just remembered."

"Ok. Thanks Tuff."

"I hope there's soup. And somewhere to give Chicken a bath."

Hiccup smiled, knowing that Chicken was just one of those things. Tuff had had it since he was fourteen, and despite losing his family other than his twin sister, he still had it some six or seven years later. Ruff came back mid-afternoon, sporting a bruise across one cheek and clutching a bottle of own-brand mouthwash as she dropped down with a supermarket bag in her other hand.

"Oh. Hey Hiccup."

"Hey Ruff. You want something to eat?"

"Whaddya got?"

Hiccup handed over the peanut butter, holding out a box of breadsticks since he knew Ruff didn't like crackers. She rinsed her mouth and spat green alcoholic liquid away, then started crunching the proffered food. Hiccup dug through his bag, finding he had a little tube of cream to help her cheek in his battered first aid box. He refilled it at the walk-in clinic sometimes - the people who worked there thought he was sweet to try and help his fellow homeless folk with bandages and antiseptic for the injuries that came part and parcel with living on the street.

"Here you go Ruff."

She took it wordlessly, an unspoken agreement not to ask how she got hurt so she wouldn't resist the caring offer. Hiccup screwed the cap back on his peanut butter, tucked it back in his bag and Ruff pulled out a few boxes of powdered soup and paper cups. There was a battered camping kettle next to the firepit everyone would congregate around, and as several of the others who 'lived' down there came back, they shared hot soup and warmed their numb hands around the fire.

It wasn't a warm home with loving parents, but it was a damn sight better than a shop doorway alone where they'd probably get beaten up by passing drunks. Hiccup would probably move on tomorrow so someone else could warm up and share some soup. The ones down there who drank - Hiccup didn't, but he could understand why they did it - even stayed on one side, respecting the ones who didn't.

They were just people. Down on their luck, stuck in ruts or in bad situations, but they probably wouldn't survive without each other. Hiccup had always been scrawny, but in the year since he ended up on the streets his ribs and hips had become razor sharp against his skin. If Tuff hadn't found him shivering in the rain and dragged him over to the railway spot, fed him hot soup and did something he and his sister called a 'Thorston sandwich' to warm him up, Hiccup mightn't have lasted.

That was what inspired him to try and help others wherever he could - he couldn't do much, but everything Hiccup didn't need just to survive was shared with others.

As the flames embers died out that night, Hiccup stared at the ragged picture clutched in his hands while the twins fussed around with their sleeping bags. He missed his mother so... uncle Gobber too. And his dad. Or who his dad had been before.

It was hard to miss him so much after the four years Hiccup spent living with a ghostly shell of the man he once called father.

Tucking the photo back in its waterproof bag, then inside his coat, Hiccup tugged on his gloves, curled up with his head pillowed on his rucksack and a foil blanket slung over him. The days were mild but the nights could be fierce. Hiccup had given his sleeping bag to someone else when winter was over; he could survive without it. Luckily, he seemed inordinately resistant to common problems like pneumonia and viruses.

Nightmares plagued almost everyone. Hiccup's were of his parents. They started happy, memories of warmth and love, pets and family celebrations. Then it became crashing metal, the smell of blood. A funeral procession that even then, Hiccup remembered the smell of alcohol on his fathers breath. It had never improved. The man never got over the loss of his wife, his closest friend. Hiccup had come home from college to find his father missing. Still remembered that knock on the door saying they'd found him, the cold settling in his gut.

He jerked awake crying, but if he woke anyone, they didn't complain. He wasn't the only one. Tuff was still awake, watching over his sister. Held a pocket tissue out to Hiccup silently, patted his shoulder when Hiccup sat up to clean his face.

"It's ok Hiccup. We all got our demons."

They woke with the early morning commuter rush, cars and traffic jams and people shouting obscenities at the huddled masses just trying to catch some Z's. It happened. Hiccup bade the twins goodbye for the time being, promised to hook up with them at the charity day and packed his stuff together, heading off to find a bathroom, maybe treat himself to a cheap tea and toast from the early morning breakfast vans.

Just another day.

Astrid woke with a groan, body stiff from curling up tighter and tighter against the cold night air. So far, her spot behind a rotting fence on the abandoned lot of a burned down building was proving at least to stop her waking up with a creep looming over her. But it had zero protection against the cold; Astrid wouldn't be able to stay there forever if she wanted to keep all her limbs. And her life.

Cold was always ironic for her, since Astrid's nightmares, day and night, were of fire. Heat. Burning.

Shivering as her scars ached, Astrid hastened to pile up her scant belongings and start walking. Sitting made her a target. Even weeks on the street accumulating dirt and smelling less than fragrant didn't seem to slow the steady stream of leering men who eyed her like meat and offered her food or shelter in return for 'a favour'.

Astrid wasn't that desperate yet.

Although she had to admit, the women she had encountered in that line of work were usually perfectly lovely to her. A couple gave her food or told her where to go get warm, chatted to her between 'working'. One had sat in a church with her as it rained outside, the two young women sharing a thermos of coffee and their life stories, only to never see each other again. Life on the streets was a strange place.

Star - one of the working girls - had let Astrid on to a charity event for homeless folk, designed to put them on to other places that helped with accommodation or food, sometimes giving away free stuff like sleeping bags and warm clothes. Whatever it was, Astrid could probably use the help.

Stomach rumbling angrily, she just hoped there would be food. It had been three days since the weekly bread and soup handed out by a group of lovely old ladies and their children, and Astrid hadn't managed to get anything else since besides a doughnut and some water from one of the working girls, Candi. She could get water in a public bathroom of course, though it was questionable on drinking quality.

Shrugging on her backpack, Astrid tugged her coat tighter around her and set off toward the community centre recommended to her by Star. It was a couple of miles, but the possibility of food was a strong lure. There were several other people hanging around outside, and it started to open just as Astrid got there. The stream went in, and she lingered back.

Astrid hadn't been homeless that long. These people probably deserved help way more than her. Even if she went in, they would just say she didn't need help yet. Rapidly talking herself out of even going in to find food, a voice interrupted her mental dialogue.

"Hey, you're new here aren't you?'

She turned to the voice, saw someone lingering at the doorway in a tunic-length jumper and black jeans. He wasn't filthy like her, had obviously shaved in the last week or so. Maybe he worked there and didn't recognise her face.

"Uh. Y-yeah."

He had a warm smile. Kind green eyes. Held out a hand far warmer than hers.

"I'm Hiccup. Yes. Really."

Astrid took his hand, shook it briefly.

"Astrid."

"Well Astrid, why don't I show you around?"

"I-I uh..."

"How about you come in and get something warm to drink? Your hands are cold. If you want to go after, then no problem."

Friendliness was a rare experience for Astrid. Even before she ended up on the streets. This... Hiccup guy seemed sweet enough, and he couldn't exactly insist on some creepy 'favour' surrounded by lots of other people.

"Ok."

"Cool. Come on in."

Oh it was warm in the centre, and the smell of coffee and soup made Astrid's already rumbling stomach practically try to eat itself in anticipation. Hiccup smiled, winked and led her to join the queue for the food counter, pointing out the different spots around the room.

"Those guys are handing out sandwiches and socks to go. Over there is a list of homeless hostels and shelters and the prices for the night, which you can take with you. I think they also have sleeping bags if you need one of those. The nice man over there has tokens for the local laundrettes to do a wash and dry. Then over there are the sign-up sheets for emergency housing lists."

Hiccup pointed each station out, then once they got their soup and roll he led her to where they could sit and eat. Astrid burnt her mouth in haste to drink the soup at first, spluttering slightly before deciding the not-scalding bread was a safer start.

"Do you work here?"

Oh gods now she was blurting stuff out. Astrid shoved bread in her mouth to silence herself.

"Me? Gods no. I've just been around the block a couple times now and didn't recognise you."

Surprised, she swallowed thickly.

"Where's your stuff? Or do you really go out with no coat?"

"Oh. No. My things are there with my friends" he gestured to two twin... boys? girls? Astrid couldn't quite tell "I tend to get too warm in layers and so I took off my coat. Plus it'll feel warmer to put ur on when I go back out."

Astrid kept telling herself to shut up and not offend the nice man who was being helpful, but her mouth kept running.

"How is that even possible? I'm always cold."

"Probably my Nordic blood. Or that I'm just weird."

Chewing sparingly at her bread, Astrid looked down at her soup. Hiccup pushed his roll across to her. Astrid shook her head and pushed it back.

"I can't take your food."

"I insist. I eat pretty good all things considered. You're new at this, aren't you?"

Astrid nodded solemnly, trying to resist but Hiccup was insistent on giving her his bread.

"T-thanks."

"No problem. You drink coffee?"

She nodded again, pulling off small chunks of the donated bread in case he wanted it back.

"Ok. I'm gonna go get them, if anyone bothers you just go sit with the twins. I promise they are super nice. Crazy, but nice."

Astrid hunched in on herself, drinking the soup now it had cooled to a temperature that wouldn't scald her mouth. Even as she sat, her eyes strayed to where Hiccup was in the queue for coffee. The server obviously didn't want to hand him two, but he indicated Astrid and she tried to wave in agreement. He returned with the two drinks in paper cups and a winning smile.

"There you go. He thought I was trying to get extra for me but I said you weren't done eating."

"Why are you being so nice to me? I don't have anything to give back."

Hiccup looked at her strangely for a minute, but he didn't look angry at least. He sipped from his coffee, then smiled gently.

"Because I've been there, and someone else's kindness saved my life. I guess all I want you to do in return is pay it forward some day, when you can."

"O-ok. Thank you."

He effectively followed her round, not obtrusive but ensuring Astrid got as much out of the centre as possible. Astrid ended up with a new sleeping bag, socks and a sandwich tucked into her bag, and Hiccup even gave her gloves to keep her hands warm.

"Oh. I have something else for you."

Hiccup delved into his backpack, came out with a bizarre headcover that combined a beanie hat with a woollen 'beard' that covered the lower half of her face.

"What's this for?"

"Well. It's warm. Also, I get the feeling you get a few unwanted advances, and this will hide that pretty face of yours. Can't hide your eyes, sorry."

"D-don't you need it?"

Gods, she couldn't stop stammering because someone was showing her basic kindness. Astrid hadn't realised how out of touch she was with decent people after years without them.

"Nope. I have the real thing... sorta. And I have a hat that fits better."

He gestured at his stubbled face, smiling. Astrid felt a little silly, but it was warm and soft and if it lessened the creeps, it was worth feeling daft.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

After insisting Astrid sign up for the emergency housing list she wasn't convinced she deserved to be on, Hiccup even offered to show her where he slept safely from time to time. Astrid was initially hesitant, but he mentioned they often lit fires and the promise of warmth was too alluring.

"Ruff. Tuff. Meet Astrid."

They were as friendly, if 'crazy' as Hiccup had said they would be. Took Astrid with them to a spot under an abandoned railway to bunk down, shuffled up to make room for her. They were all eating the sandwich they'd been given earlier, perched on sheets of cardboard as Hiccup told her about how the twins had saved him early on.

"Thorston sandwich?"

She asked, unsure when she had last spent a whole day full, most of it warm.

"Masters of heat conservation!"

"Did you guys get tokens for clothes washing?"

"They only gave us one because they thought we were the same person."

Hiccup produced his, handed it over to the twins without question.

"I don't need it. You guys take it."

"Wow! Thanks Hiccup!"

Astrid felt out of place with these people who had clearly bonded over life in the harsh elements with nowhere to go, but Hiccup had already made her promise to spend one night there, to test out her new sleeping bag. Bundled up with gloves, new warm socks and the daft hat Hiccup had given her within the confines of her sleeping bag, Astrid was warmer and comfier than she could remember being in a while.

In the dying light as the fire burned down, Astrid saw Hiccup pull something out of his coat, smile sadly at it before putting it back and curling up under a silvery foil blanket. He glanced over but Astrid closed her eyes, not wanting him to feel she had intruded on such a private moment. She closed her eyes and fell asleep faster than she expected.

-HTTYD-

This is only a short. I will control myself.