Behind the mask

One of the gang

Heartbroken and in shock, Hiccup didn't speak for the rest of the afternoon, remaining silent on the couch, staring at the wall. Astrid had sat by him, holding his hand and feeling him trembling. She had been shocked by his Mom's devastating pronouncement and the coldness with which she had spoken to him. She knew she would have been utterly crushed if her own Mom had been so distant and hostile...and it seemed Valka's rejection had broken her son. In the end, despite Martin's protestations, Toothless had been bought into the sitting room and had finally got through to the boy by whining pathetically. Hiccup had blinked and finally leaned forward, tousling the ears and sighing.

"Yeah, bud...I guess I just don't deserve to be loved," he murmured and then flinched as Astrid fist firmly met his shoulder.

"You donkey!" she told him shortly. "You are loved!" He shook his head.

"Actually, I don't think I am," he said quietly.

"By me!" she told him firmly and he looked up at her sharply. "By me, Hiccup! I love you!" His emerald eyes widened and he gasped.

"You...you...oh Thor, your father will kill me!" he said quickly. Astrid collapsed on the couch, laughing.

"Technically, he's your father for the next few weeks," she giggled.

"Again creepy in a living-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-marrying-your-sister sort of way," he said sarcastically. "I think my brain may melt getting my head around this. Can I just carry on calling him Mr H?"

"Martin will suffice," the man said, entering the sitting room. "Ingrid told me what happened. Are you okay, son?" he asked. Hiccup stared at him and shook his head.

"No," he admitted. "Not sure I will be for a while either. I...made a promise to protect Mom and I seem to have utterly failed. She's with Alvin...and she won't even see me." He swallowed, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He hadn't wept, just run over the conversation a thousand times, searching for any way he could ever have hoped to reach a different outcome and keep his mother.

"Hiccup, you know you are welcome here with us as long as you want," Martin reassured him. "And I want you to stay. Just...make sure Toothless is back in the kitchen after dinner, okay?" Hiccup nodded with a  wan smile.

"Yes, sir," he said as Toothless switched on his puppy eyes and Martin groaned.

"That dog..." he groaned.

"I'll order him to stop being cute, sir," Hiccup said with a small smile. "Though he doesn't really listen to me either."

Martin left the room with a snort, muttering something which sounded very much like 'sounds like a daughter of mine...'

oOo

At the end of the week, the Team was heading for Meathead via the long bridge across the straits. Hiccup had resigned himself to being alone at home on Friday evening as the Team and Cheerleaders headed out-but he was in for a shock on Friday, when Astrid presented him with a small rucksack as they scrambled into Snot's car on the way to school. Hiccup stared at it and investigated, finding a thick packet of sandwiches, a large Berk Vikings Football shirt and traditional horned Viking helmet. His emerald eyes flicked up in shock.

"Um...Astrid?" he asked.

"You're coming," she said firmly.

"I-what?" he exclaimed. She laughed.

"I'm not leaving you behind,"she told him. "Last time I lost sight of you..." She paused and he nodded, hearing the inflection in her voice. She hadn't spoken about it but he knew that she had been horrified at his injuries. And worse...she had heard the whole recording of the beating...