HTTYD Oneshots

Rough Nights with Old Wounds (NSFW-ish)

Takes place sometime during Race to the Edge, maybe a little bit before. Hiccstrid is about 18

It was around 1:30 in the morning when Astrid heard it. The familiar scratching of metal against wood—or more specifically, Hiccup's prosthesis against the wood of her house. Still half asleep, her mind suddenly filled with a million questions, mostly about what he was doing here at such an ungodly hour of the morning.

Astrid woke up fully when she heard the not-exactly-graceful thunk that meant Hiccup had tumbled in through her bedroom window. What was out of the ordinary was the muffled curse she heard him utter under his breath. Such obscene language rarely issued forth from Hiccup's mouth, and when it did, it usually meant something was wrong, very wrong.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked softly, rolling over in bed to face him as he stood up. She sat up a bit, supporting herself on her elbows so she would not fall backwards. The blankets fell slightly when she sat up, showing her breast bindings. Astrid rarely slept in nightclothes during the warmer months, and since there had been no late-night attacks recently, she didn't feel the need to sleep in anything but her undergarments.

"Sorry," Hiccup said quietly; Astrid's parents were asleep in the downstairs bedroom, only separated from the couple by a wooden floor. If they awoke and found the two teens alone in Astrid's room at this hour of the night, no matter what they were doing, they would be in for it without a doubt.

"It's one-thirty in the morning," Astrid said, sitting up a little more as her exhausted mind and body protested being woken from their peaceful slumber. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was a bit accusatory, but still retained the soft volume.

"I-I'm sorry, Astrid, I didn't mean to wake you..." He too maintained the low volume, but something in Hiccup's voice made Astrid's demeanor change drastically. He sounded strained, like he had been holding back sobs for the past few hours. The light from the moon shining in through the window provided Astrid with just enough light to see Hiccup's face from where she lay on the bed. He looked as distraught as he sounded, with a wetness to his slightly flushed cheeks that only confirmed he had been crying. His body language also conveyed distress, from the way he watched his hands mess with each other to how he leaned a little too much on his right side compared to normal.

"Hiccup...what's wrong?" Astrid stood and walked over to Hiccup, careful to avoid the creakier floorboards. She was unashamed to be so scantily clothed in front of him—for he had seen much more than her undergarments many times before—but he still kept his eyes off of her, probably due to whatever it was that was bothering him this time.

"It's...I'm sorry, I just...I should go...Sorry I woke you..." He turned to the window, but seized up when he took a step with his left leg. Astrid caught him before he hit the ground, and immediately knew what the problem was.

"It's your leg again, isn't it?" she asked gently. She mentally slapped herself for not realizing it sooner. "The phantom pains?"

Hiccup sighed heavily and nodded. "They haven't stopped for hours..."

Astrid didn't need to hear anything else. She helped Hiccup up then let him lean on her as they walked to the bed. She helped him sit down then knelt in front of him, her eyes on his leg.

Hiccup and Astrid had been dating for around three years now. She was well-accustomed to just about everything leg-related that Hiccup had unintentionally thrust upon her. This was not the first time he had come to her for relief from his painful phantom twinges, nor would it be the last, so any and all hesitation was absent as Astrid's slender fingers gently undid the straps of his prosthetic. Hiccup flinched a little as Astrid slid the prosthetic off; the movement of the artificial limb had started another round of the ghostly twinges, and Hiccup shifted his position so he could lay back in Astrid's bed.

Astrid sat on the edge of the bed, resting Hiccup's shortened limb in her lap. She started to massage the stump gently, her fingers pressing against the sensitive scars in a way that was oddly relieving for Hiccup. He closed his eyes and sighed, focusing on Astrid's hands rather than the occasional twinge from his phantom limb.

Normally when Hiccup came to Astrid's house in the dead of night looking for relief from phantom pains or nightmares, the two of them used a different, more intimate cure for the annoying twinges. Astrid glanced up at Hiccup as she lightly trailed one hand up the inside of his thigh then back down towards his stump, asking a silent question. Hiccup just shook his head. "Not tonight," he whispered.

"Okay," Astrid whispered back. Hiccup's refusal of her request generally meant there was something else weighing on his mind, but if he didn't want to talk about it, then she wouldn't press the matter. Besides, Astrid knew that whatever thoughts were haunting Hiccup's mind would eventually come out on their own, whether he wanted them to or not.

"It's just...all coming at once," Hiccup said softly. Astrid raised an eyebrow, about to ask what he was talking about, but Hiccup kept talking before she even had a chance. "I mean he won't just drop it! He keeps pressing the issue on me and I don't know what to--fuck!" Hiccup swore under his breath as a particularly intense twist hit him and he tensed, nearly pulling his leg out of Astrid's grip. 

Astrid crawled up and lay beside Hiccup, resting her head on his chest. She knew the more intense pains came at the beginning and end of the episodes, so they were bittersweet. "Your dad bugging you about being chief again?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said through a sigh as the pain dulled. "It's funny, before he would never even discuss my taking over as chief. Now he won't drop the subject. It's annoying as shit."

"Makes sense. You are the heir. You knew it was bound to happen eventually. We all did."

Hiccup fought back a laugh. "Everyone assumed he'd adopt Snotlout before even considering claiming me as the rightful heir."

"Like Snotlout needs a bigger ego." Astrid rolled her eyes.

Hiccup snickered softly. "You make a fair point. But still...I'm not ready for this. I want my freedom. I'm still a teenager, I don't care if I'm older than when my dad took over."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"As if I can even get a word in. It's more like he talks, I listen. Our conversations are very one-sided."

Astrid shifted her position so she could look Hiccup in the eye. "You know you can always talk to me. I'll listen no matter what you're going through."

Hiccup smirked and lightly pecked Astrid's lips. "I know. I appreciate it."

Astrid smiled and snuggled against Hiccup, waiting until he fell asleep before closing her eyes. Nights like this were rough at times, but she planned on staying with Hiccup for a long time to help him through it. She'd always be there, even if some people wouldn't.