Chapter 9: Storm front

Astrid was in bed, staring at the ceiling as the downpour of rain pounded against the roof of her house. Flashes of lightning brightened the sky only to be shortly followed by rolling thunder. She had been unable to sleep since she had left the window where she last saw Hiccup. She stared at the clock that was on her nightstand, the time flashing to be 1:04 AM. She sighed and got out of bed and decided to walk over to her window. She leaned her head against the window, feeling the cold outside air just ever so slightly brush against her skin. After a few minutes, she picked her head up and walked over to her nightstand, picking up the phone connected to the charger. As she opened the lock screen, she noticed that there were notifications from Heather, Tuff, and Fishlegs. Slowly one by one, she read the messages.

She read both Fishlegs' and Tuffnut's messages first. Both went into detail how they felt terrible about what happened at the party. However, she formed a small smile where Snotlout woke up a few minutes later after Ruffnut desperately tried to wake him up. After noticing that everyone was staring at him, Snotlout and Ruffnut went to the hospital to have Snot's nose reset. Astrid chuckled to herself as she imagined Snotlout crying his eyes out as the doctor forced his nose back into place, while Ruff was holding his hand. She began to laugh harder when she realized Ruff said Snot was a prime example of what she believes to be a man. However, her laughter stopped only seconds later when she remembered the words that Ruffnut spoke earlier.

'Astrid this is all your fault…'

Astrid began to cry again, tears forming in her eyes as the image of Snotlout and Ruffnut's sloppy kiss played again in her brain. She dropped onto her knees, unable to stop the flow of tears, and unable to stop the shadow that was beginning to cast over her heart.

'It's all my fault, I caused this. I LET THIS HAPPEN! I could've been bet-'

She stopped herself as an echo played in her mind.

'Just remember that you aren't alone…'

She gasped and remembered the car ride home, how much Hiccup had brightened her mood, and how he was able to take away her pain, even if it was just for a short moment. With small tears still leaving her eyes, she was able to smile and let the shadow that was slowly eclipsing her heart disappear. Once she had recovered, she then decided to do something that was completely new to her. She sped down the stairs and grabbed her hoodie before walking out the door. As she walked to her destination, she didn't even feel a single rain drop as they hit her body…

'HEY WE GOT A PULSE ON HIM! BRING OVER MORE MEN TO MOVE THE WRECKAGE!'

Hiccup woke up in a confused state. He remembered the blinding light, the car speeding at him, and the sound of a firetruck horn. As Hiccup opened his eyes more and more, he saw the car in front of his completely destroyed. The two front tires of the opposing car were completely off the car, with the bolts shredded and the break disc twisted into an impossible to make shape by human hands. The rubber on one tire was completely torn apart, bits scattered across the road. Both gasoline and oil were leaking from the now destroyed engine and fuel lines. Before he could examine the opposing wreckage, a hand grabbed his shoulder and a voice was heard. However, a ringing in Hiccup's hear kept him disoriented and Hiccup stared off, not noticing the sound of an ambulance making its way towards him…

Hiccup woke up in a cold sweat with his skin pale as a ghost. He turned to his left and found Toothless at the side of his bed with a concerned stare. He gave a weak smile as he grabbed his beloved pet and held on tight. Toothless began to whimper, sensing his best friend's discomfort, but Hiccup just continued to pet him until he stopped. Upon pulling away, Hiccup was able to finally use his voice.

"I'm ok bud, I'm ok. I'm sorry to have scared you Toothless. You can go back to bed and sleep now. I'm gonna go downstairs and get something to soothe my nerves."

Hiccup got up and started to walk downstairs, with Toothless behind him. However, before exiting the room, Hiccup turned to look at his wolfdog and gave a look that said "Get some rest please, for my sake." Toothless then slightly bowed his head and whimpered, before he made his way back to his own bed.

Hiccup sighed and walked to the bathroom before walking downstairs, as he realized all too well that the temperature in the house was way too hot for his current mood. He changed his shirt to a red sleeveless shirt with the logo of The Forge on it and also put on a pair of basketball shorts. As he walked down the steps, he pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the social media from the game. He smirked when he came across the school's post of Astird's game winning goal and her team photo. The smile on her face was bright and made his heart filled with warmth. However, his face changed when he saw Ruffnut's. All the warmth left his heart as he remembered the scene that unfolded in front of him at the party. The tears streaming down Astrid's hurt face, the cocky smirk his cousin and Ruffnut had, until he wiped his cousin's smug look with a shot to his face. Hiccup closed Instagram as he reached over to the fridge and grabbed a pitcher of iced tea. He poured a glass for himself and took a sip.

After finishing his glass, he heard a knock at his door. Hiccup put down the glass before walking over to the door and opening it. In his doorway was a wet Astrid Hofferson, wearing pajama shorts and a white tank top which was now a tad transparent thanks to the downpour outside. Although she had a hoodie on, she did not have the hood up. Hiccup admired her figure for a moment, as her wet thighs and white shirt had his imagination running a tad wild, not to mention the fact that her shorts perfectly outlined the shape of her ass, which was nice and round due to her personal fitness. Gods was she beautiful, but he had to control himself as the last thing he wanted to do was lose her again.

Astrid's mind was in overdrive from the sight before her. Although she was now familiar of how much Hiccup changed over the summer, she could not help but stare at him regardless of previous views. She saw his well-toned muscular arms glistening with a little sweat, which did not in the least disgust her. After all, she herself sweats often due to her athletic habits, not to mention the fact that she loves a guy who doesn't mind getting a little sweaty. She also found that his leg was also muscular, possibly due to the fact that he had to re-learn how to walk with his prosthetic leg in tandem with his remaining leg, along with his workouts he did after his physical therapy, but both of his thighs were toned and muscular as much as his arms was. From looking at his chest earlier in the week, she knew that the same was said about his chest and stomach. Gods was he handsome, but she forced herself to calm down, not wanting to go down the same path that Cami did. She quickly shook her head to suppress those thoughts and looked at Hiccup's face.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up, but you did give me an open invitation and I didn't want to stay in my house with my thoughts alone."

Hiccup quickly studied her eyes and saw that they were puffy. He gave her a small smile and pulled her into a hug. Astrid's hands gripped the back of Hiccup's shirt tightly, refusing to let him go. Hiccup felt instant regret for leaving her. His gut said that she would want him to be there and comfort her, but Hiccup had second guessed himself and believed that she just wanted to be alone. Seeing her here in his arms shaking, soaked, and on the verge of tears made Hiccup feel like he let her down. After a few minutes, Astrid pulled her head away and formed a small smile. Upon looking at Hiccup, she moved her hand to cup his face and rub her thumb along his jawline. Upon feeling her touch, Hiccup was able to relax a bit, feeling that because she was here now, he could spend his time making it up to her.

"Astrid, you are always welcome here. Come inside please and make yourself at home."

He bowed slightly and moved out of the way. She giggled and walked inside to his hallway/den area. Inside was two large leather sofas and an even larger curved flat screen 4K UHD TV. The walls were adorned with pictures of the scenic views and family portraits and photos. The center table was a dark mahogany and glass table. Astrid walked over and took a seat on one of the sofas.

"Astrid, can I get you anything?"

"I don't want to be a burden, but if you have hot chocolate I'd like a mug."

Hiccup nodded his head with a smile and walked to the kitchen. Astrid looked at her phone and saw a notification pop up. It was a tropical storm warning that would be in effect the entire weekend. This worried Astrid as she did not have enough food back at the house and had to go shopping tomorrow. Not even a minute later, Hiccup came out with a steaming mug and handed it to Astrid. She took a sip and a smile appeared on her face, causing Hiccup's heart to skip a beat. He sat down on the couch next to her.

"You never went to sleep did you?"

Astrid shook her head no and took a long sip. She looked at Hiccup, noting a concerned look in his eyes but had a warmth to them. She felt safer now than she had been in a long time.

"I'm so sorry Astrid."

Astrid saw Hiccup's look turn to one of sadness. She was immediately filled with worry that she had done something wrong. She put down her mug and got up quickly. Tears started to sting her eyes.

"No I'm sorry Hiccup, I shouldn't have come over like this and force you to comfort me, especially after we just made up. Maybe I should just go…"

Astrid sped over to the door and was about to open it, but Hiccup had caught up, grabbed her hand softly but firm stopping her in her tracks. Two tears came down her face, her eyes shut afraid to look at Hiccup. He slowly turned her around. Placing both hands on her cheeks, Hiccup wiped away both tears. Astrid opened her eyes and stared into his.

"Astrid, you are not forcing anything on to me. I want to help you, I want to comfort you. When I dropped you off earlier, I felt sick to my stomach because I left you there alone instead of me staying to comfort you. I hope you can forgive me and if there is any way to make it up to you, I will do it without question."

Astrid was stunned in that moment. All she heard was her heart beating at a fast rate. Her mind raced through all of her thoughts before Hiccup's words until she recalled the storm warning that popped up on her phone. Without thinking, the words came out of her mouth.

"Can I stay with you this entire weekend? There is a tropical storm coming and I don't want to be alone again…"

It took only a few seconds for Hiccup to open his eyes wide, think about what was just said, and give his response.

"Of course M'lady…"

A/N: I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. If you think there are any changes needed to be done for the sake of the characters or a simple spelling mistake, please message me. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to review it.