✧･ﾟ: *HTTYD Oneshots✧･ﾟ:*

Battle Scars

Astrid traces the bruise blossoming across her abdomen. Surrounded by older markings, It was ugly dark purple, large and tender, it curved around from her navel and up her side. It looks worse than it is, Astrid thinks, ignoring the throb as she twists to see how far around her body it goes, the burst of pain when she pokes her side. Nothing serious. Just a bruise.

A large, painful one, but still just a bruise. Nothing broken, probably. 
She’s had a lot worse. Fought with a lot worse. She was a Hofferson for Thor’s sake! She could handle a slight bruising!

Astrids fingers moved to a different markings on her abdomen, a scar. One of many, the young viking seemed to be covered in them. Most of them were due to injuries in battles, some even from dragon raids before Hiccup even met Toothless. In fact, she still had a burn mark on her forearm from a piece of flaming debris that had hit her when a monster nightmare set fire to a building she was next to. 
Another burn on her hand was a result from the stables getting struck by lightning when she became temporarily blind. 

A lot of the other scars were results from her own stubbornness, she had to admit. 

There was an arrow mark on her leg from when she blocked the dragon root arrow from hitting Stormfly. There were claw marks, old worn scrapes from numerous blades throughout the years, one severe one was a huge sword scar wound that ran from her left shoulder to her kidney region on her back. Astrid could remember so clearly how she’d received it, a hunter caught her ondle a slight bruising!
ff guard, it hurt like hell, and Hiccup wouldn’t leave her side for a week. 

A part of her hated the scars, she loathed each time she removed her armour and apparel, a visual representation of damaged goods, something in her head spited.

It was hard to believe that people found her attractive, harder to believe that her boyfriend found her pretty, he wouldn’t think so if he saw the damage her body had collected over the years. She would do nothing but embarrass herself in anyone saw the scars. 

It’s only fun if you get a scar out of it, her mother’s voice rang in her head,
Astrid cringed just thinking about it. She stared down at her almost bare torso, her fingers tracing the newest addition to her body of blemishes. 
She didn’t even need to tell anyone she was currently injured. Besides, does a bruise even count as an injury? 

The true viking in her said ‘no’, a single bruise was a fool's definition of an injury. It doesn't even hurt that much. As long as she takes care to move more slowly, sleeps on her back, doesn't breathe too deep. A few days, a week at most, and she'll be fine. 
She swung around when she heard the door creak. 

“Astrid?” 

Hiccup didn’t even bother knocking, as he was too impatient and worried to do something as simple as knock. 
Astrid immediately held her shirt up to cover herself, not in a way to conceal her half naked form, she still wore her chest bindings, but as a way to hide the giant bruise and other scars that would definitely prompt unwanted questions from the one legged viking. 

Surprisingly, her boyfriend wasn’t the least bit fazed by her bareness, but more to the fact that she was definitely hiding something. 
“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you about what?”

“The massive bruise covering most of your torso.” 

Astrid went silent. Hiccup let out a sigh and moved forwards putting up a hand in surrender when she flinched at his approach. 
She pulled away when his eyes lingered on the bruise for too long. She pulled her tunic closer to her, desperate to hide herself and tried not to wince when it pulled on her tender skin and sore muscles. “It’s just a bruise.” 

“Just a-“ Hiccup breaks off with a frustrated sigh, running his hands through already mussed hair. 

“Just a bruise? Astrid, you could’ve at least told me-” She closes her eyes when his voice stopped suddenly. 

His eyes were glued to the giant lesion that ran over her shoulder and down her back, it was visible no matter how hard she tried to cover herself. 

Astrid's body, Hiccup discovered then, was littered with scars. He would’ve expected a warrior like his girlfriend to have at least some battle scars, but the amount on her pale bare skin was alarming to the one legged viking. He looked up at her face, her head turned away. “Astrid?”

“I wish you knocked.” She mumbled, still not looking at him. She seemed self-conscious, which ultimately scared him even more, Astrid was not one to be humiliated by her appearance. 

“Astrid, what’s wrong? You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” She snapped, rather harshly. She didn’t mean it, but her mind was racing and emotions clouded her sense of control. “I’m just ashamed.” 

Hiccups voice came out softer, more sad, “Why on earth would you be ashamed?”

Her gaze lingered on him before letting out a tired sigh. “I don’t know, I just don’t like them.”

He stayed quiet but looked at her as if asking for permission before he leaned over, and examined the scar on her shoulder. She flinched when his fingers made contact with her bare shoulder, she relaxed slightly when rested his free hand on hers. 

 “You shouldn’t have to feel scared about showing me these kind of things,'' he whispered as he traced the lines on her body. “I would never make fun of you.”

 “I know.” She mumbled as his hand reached a scar on her abdomen. 
He was silent for a moment, carving each scar into his memory. The second largest mark was located on her side, underneath her right ribcage. 

“I remember this one.” He mumbled aloud. “Ryker, right?”
She nodded quietly.

“I don’t remember it being this big...”

Astrids hand reached down to trace the wound herself. In a distant voice, as though she were remembering the moment, she admitted quietly, “It hurt. A lot.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You werent the one holding the sword, don’t be sorry.” There was a trace of humour in her tone, making Hiccup calm a bit. He looked back down and memorized more of the scars and burns. 
“You’re so beautiful.”

“No I'm not.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at her. Standing straight, he moved a strand of hair behind her ear, and whispered sincerely, “Yes you are.”

“Why?” She looked up at him with a confused stare. “I look vandalized.”

“You look beautiful, Astrid. No matter what, I'll always think so.”

She raised an eyebrow, and hesitated, “Scars and all?”

He chuckled. “Hey, I'm missing a foot and yet, somehow you're my girlfriend.”

She chuckled slightly at that, and leaned to rest her forehead on his. “I love you.” She whispered, running her thumb along his knuckles. 

Hiccup moved away and pressed his lips onto the scar on her shoulder. “I love you too.” He mumbled onto her skin. 

Astrid let out a breathy laugh and sniffed. “I’m sorry if I was being dramatic.”

“You weren't, and don’t apologize. I'm so happy you trust me enough to see you like this.” She nudged him slightly with her fist at his suggestive tone. 

She pulled her tunic over her head, smiling up at her boyfriend thankfully. 
He spoke again. “We’re gonna have to do something with that bruise, though. Maybe I should take you to see Gothi..”

She chuckled and rested her head on his shoulder. “Tomorrow. Right now, I just want to stay here. With you.”