Chapter 6

Hiccup woke up the following day with a lazy yawn. He nearly rolled off his small bunk when Toothless grabbed him as he was hopping down his. "Whoa take it easy sleeping beauty." Toothless mumbled as he shoved Hiccup back on the cot.

"Uwhaaa…" Hiccup cracked open an eye. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," Toothless mumbled as he took off his top and started his morning exercise an hour or so early. His tattooed back muscles flexed as he did push-ups while Hiccup tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"You know, you should really think about bulking up." Toothless suggested between push-ups. "A scrawny fishbone won't last long in here."

"HEY! I got muscles!" Hiccup retorted.

"Yeah you got some muscle but no six pack." Toothless teased. "Your girl would probably like that." He winked at Hiccup.

"I doubt that." That statement earned a scoff from Toothless.

"I'm serious," Hiccup said. "Astrid's the sporty one. She could have had any jock or weightlifter as a boyfriend if she wanted."

"Then why she choose you?" The question wasn't asked in a condescending manner but Toothless was definitely curious.

"She once told me that she'd been around bulky guys all her life." Hiccup shrugged. "I guess the macho athletic type lost its appeal to her."

"But why you?" Toothless asked again. "How did you two meet?"

Hiccup let out a chuckle. "That really brings me back. You know, it all started with a visit to the school infirmary."

"You really are a trouble magnet aren't you." Toothless raised a brow as he looked at Hiccup, having stopped mid-push up.

"It wasn't my fault really."

"So…"

"Soooooo…." Hiccup let out a nervous laugh. "Okay, so dad encouraged me to try out for the soccer team. But I only became the waterboy in the end." Hiccup shrugged at this. "I was carrying several towels on the field when the girls' field hockey team was practicing."

"Ooooh" Toothless stopped what he was doing and sat down cross-legged on the floor. "She played?"

"Astrid was the captain."

"So waterboy and hockey captain." Toothless laughed. "What an odd pair you made."

"Tell me about it." Hiccup mumbled. "So I was walking around the field and Astrid was dealing with some Hockey politics."

"There's politics in hockey?" Toothless asked while cocking his head to the side.

"In High school hockey there is. At least that's all I know about it." Hiccup shrugged. He was really glad his Highschool days were behind him.

"So what happened?" Toothless asked more like an eager puppy than mob enforcer.

"'K. So I'm walking along the field and Astrid has this dispute with a girl that wants her captain spot. They are fighting it out and I'm none the wiser." Hiccup told his cellmate. "Next thing I know I get hit on the head with a projectile that ended up giving me a concussion."

Toothless quirked an eyebrow as Hiccup continued. "When I wake up I'm in the infirmary with Astrid sitting by my bed. She tried to apologize numerous times cause she hit the ball way too hard and it struck me." Hiccup told him. "I honestly don't remember much about that. I think my mind might have short-circuited or it was the concussion but at that moment I thought she was as beautiful as a Valkyrie." Hiccup now blushed. "I ended up blurting it out too."

Toothless tried to stifle a laugh as Hiccup said "We ended going on our first date a week later."

"That is soooo cute." Toothless gushed and Hiccup really had to wonder if the hard exterior was just a front for the hopeless romantic. "Highschool sweethearts!"

"After High School we went our separate ways a bit." Hiccup told him. "I went to study architecture while Astrid decided to go to community college to study journalism."

"Why community college?" Toothless then asked as he was way too perceptive. "I'm guessing she was very athletic. Wouldn't she have gotten a full ride scholarship to any university?"

"She did…" Hiccup mumbled. "But…."

"But….." Toothless coaxed.

"Her parents died when she was a kid and her uncle Finn was her last relative." Hiccup told the man. "He got diagnosed with a terminal illness in her Junior year. She decided to stay in Berk and take care of him."

"Oh…. I'm sorry to hear that." Toothless said and wished he hadn't pried.

"Don't be. Finn Hofferson was a good man, and I admire Astrid for sticking with her family when times got rough." He told Toothless. "It's one of the things I admire about her."

"One?" Toothless quirked a brow as he tried to lighten the mood. "What are the other things?"

"Well, she's selfless, she's driven. She's one hell of a kisser…" Hiccup blushed at that while Toothless smirked. "And she got hell of an aim with a curling iron and axe."

"I'm sensing another story there." Toothless teased.

"Uhm...well...ah…." Hiccup blushed as he remembered the 'curling incident'. "Maybe…." But before anything else could be said alarms started blaring all over the prison.

"What's going on?!" Hiccup asked as he stood up from the bunk. This wasn't a normal siren. Red siren lights flashed in the hallways as the inmates were getting rowdy.

"It's a riot!" Toothless said as he was familiar with this.

"RIOT!" Hiccup's went up an octave."What do you mean riot?!"

"Just keep your head down." Toothless advised as he put on his top again. "The guards won't hurt you if you aren't involved. The cell doors have automated loc-" Toothless was interrupted from his explanation when all the cell doors in the block slid open with loud clangs.

"That isn't normal," He mumbled.

"You don't say," Hiccup added.

"Now is not the time for sass." Toothless told him as he peered outside the cell. Numerous inmates had gone outside onto the catwalks and were riling up the others. "This isn't normal at all." He then turned to Hiccup and said "You watch my back. We should find the others."

"What happened to staying put?"

"That only applies if the whole cell block wasn't in an uproar." Toothless muttered as they slid out. "Someone must have overpowered the guards and taken control of the prison."

"That would be bad…."

"That would be very bad," Toothless said as he spotted Hookfang on the level below. "Right now there is safety in numbers. This doesn't look like an ordinary riot."

"That does not make me feel any better!" Hiccup shouted.

"Just think of it as a good story to tell your girl later." Toothless retorted as they were making their way through rioters, trying to reach Hookfang and Barf and Belch. They were on the third story stairs when Toothless stopped, causing Hiccup to crash into him.

"You!" Toothless shouted over the chaos as he saw the person standing in front of him.

"Me!" The other said with a hint of smugness.

Hiccup peered over his shoulder to see a muscled man blocking their way.

"Uhm…. hello?" Hiccup said with uncertainty.

"Why, hello Hiccup," The muscled man greeted offhandedly.

"How did you know his name?!" Toothless was immediately on guard as he tried to push Hiccup behind him. "Why would the Red Death know his name?" Toothless asked again as the other just chuckled.

"I always try to know the names of the people I'd be killing." The other man shrugged as Toothless let out a low growl while Hiccup gulped.