sirenspull_logs | What's Going On

Entry tags:

What's Going On

Who: HICCUP and ~* Asssstrid *~
When: Sometime after Astrid's arrival
Where: At the Tower Apartments. Outside. Somewhere.
Summary: Late to Astrid's welcoming party, Hiccup tries to make up for it by meeting her at the baseball diamond and its starter apartments. Confusion ensues.
Warnings: THESE ARE VIKINGS. VIKINGS.

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The amount of dishes being brought in from the front always had a tendency to look like they weren't going down. Even if he had gone through ten, twenty of them at a time, there were still more to get to. He knew he had to finish doing them, but this day suddenly became very important to him.

Astrid - the star Viking pupil in his dragon-training class and the girl of his dreams - was here.

In his haste, Hiccup made it a point to fish out the rock from the bottom of the metal sink, yanking off the apron and shrugging into his fur vest as he sped out the back door of Nibbleheim, making up explanations for his departure as the shouts of his supervisor faded behind him, thin legs sprinting toward the baseball diamond and its apartments.

The distance itself was something he forgot to acknowledge ahead of time, causing his epic run to falter, slowing to a stop. But with his type of persistence, he caught his breath and continued running the rest of the way.

Once the diamond was in sight, all Hiccup had to do was look for the blond girl with the axe in her hand. And she did say she was going to climb a tree. So the best way to go about spotting her was to glance at the trees in the area while calling her name. "Astrid?" The boy jogged, taking in a few calming breaths while green eyes darting back and forth. "Astrid! Hello?"

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If there was one thing Astrid hated doing, it was waiting. She wasn't good at it. Granted, she could do it, of course, but it didn't mean she liked it. Usually it made her furious, more than anything else. So, to forget about how much time would pass while she waited for Hiccup, she'd climbed a tree. Now that she'd climbed the tree however, she'd remembered about waiting.

He still wasn't here yet.

Breaking a few branches in her hands, she suddenly found herself frozen at the sound of her name heart skipping a beat out of relief. She'd know that voice anywhere. Hiccup was here. She wouldn't be alone in this crazy world. That thought alone made her rush down out of the tree, swinging out from the bottom branch before she let go, landing gracefully on the hard ground.

"Hiccup!"

So, he had found her after all.

There was a bit of distance between them, so she decided to close it, running at him in a way that would look as if she were going to tackle him to the ground, but instead she simply grabbed him in a tight embrace, squeezing him hard to herself.

"You found me. You're here."

It was the tone of her voice that threw him off. His name was shouted in return, and yet it was nothing like the sharp anger he was use to hearing whenever someone had to get his attention or needed to yell at him for something he had done wrong.

And as he saw the girl coming at him, there was the immediate thought of how this scenario was going to be painful. Expecting the worse, he braced himself for impact.

But this? This was not what he was expecting.

The same effect was present; his ribcage felt like it was being crushed and all the air was cut off to keep him from breathing normally. The way it was done, however, made all the difference. Hiccup wasn't even sure what was going on at this point.

He was being hugged. By Astrid. Who was genuinely happy to see him.

"Um," Hiccup squeaked, "It wasn't...that difficult?"

"What, can you read the signs?" Because she certainly couldn't. She continued to squeeze him, the embrace unrelenting as she rested her chin on his shoulder, fingers digging into the fur of his vest as she began to babble.

"I'm so confused. I mean, everyone gets confused right? But I've never been this confused. I mean, I just talked to a dragon and then Loki of all gods. He doesn't even have a beard! Can you believe that?! And he said that Thor doesn't have a magnificent beard anymore either - just stubble. I thought I was dreaming but I punched myself in the arm to prove myself otherwise. What's going on Hiccup?"

Hiccup blinked rapidly as he tried to recompose himself, his freckled face burning while trying to pull back from the Viking hug. Any longer and he felt like he would black out. "I- oof - sorta remembered some landmarks. The signs I'm still working on!"

The words were easily set aside as he listened to what she had to say, momentarily cringing when she mentioned the Aurican and Loki. That must have been funny to whoever was watching them here in the city.

"Astrid. Astrid." He finally tried prying himself from her, settling his hands on her well-armored shoulders. "I know. I've talked to some of them. Loki and the dragon included." He drew in a breath. "It's...just really hard to explain. But it's not Berk. You already know that, right?"

Luckily for him, when he began to push away she let him do so, releasing her death like grip on him as he put his hands on her shoulders. As she listened she found herself looking rather lost, without even meaning to, studying Hiccup's face as he continued to talk. She focused on green eyes and the freckles beneath them, on his nose and teeth.

"Well I figured that one out well enough. Berk doesn't have buildings like this at all, and it's a lot colder back home then...here. Wherever here is."

"Canada," he nodded, shrugging a little. "Part of Canada, anyway."

In turn, Hiccup also looked at Astrid's features. He wasn't use to seeing this kind of expression on her, but the whole concept of being taken from the recognizable and thrown into some foreign landscape could do that to just about anyone.

"I'm sure someone probably already told you what Siren's Port is. And how we're not the only ones pulled from our home- our world. I think that's the usual around here."

"They kinda did, yeah...but I didn't really understand much of anything anyone was saying."

She stood there, still staring at his face, focusing on his nose as she did so then. It was small, but not too small. Just the right size.

"So...what do we do now?"

Hiccup tried to laugh, managing a short and awkward chuckle as he ran a hand over his hair. "I-it does get a little jumbled when everyone tells you some things one after the other." Along with forgetting to tell other details when there was concern over health and the Darkness falling fast thanks to the long nights.

That nose wrinkled a bit as he thought, looking away from Astrid for a moment. After giving a soft sigh, he replied. "We do what we usually do." A sideglance. "Survive."

Survive. It was what all Vikings did - survive. They were tough, mean and rough, cold blooded warriors who lived in icy lands and laughed in the face of danger. Surviving was just one of those day to day things everyone had to do if they didn't want to wind up dead, and what Viking wanted to wind up dead? (Unless it was on the battlefield with a sword clutched in their hand.)

"Well, even I know that. Of course we'll keep on surviving. That's kind of obvious."

As he looked away her expression softened ever so slightly. It was strange to think just how quickly her opinion of this boy before her had changed. He'd gone from zero to hero in the span of a few days and that was an accomplishment by any measure.

Gaze trailing away from his face, she let it fall to their feet, both clad in boots. Wait a minute. Feet. Not foot. Where was Hiccup's metal foot? How did he have his real leg back? What was going on?! She felt herself go through a rush of emotions in the span of three seconds - fear, then anger, then uncertainty, only for all of those to be pushed aside as she pointed vigorously down toward his leg, almost shrieking as she pointed at it.

"H-Hiccup! You're leg! You have your leg back! But...But how?! How did you...I don't understand!"

He knew that. It was a thought that kept his line of thinking in check. It didn't hurt to share that sentiment as a reminder of who they were and what they were going through. Something to keep their sanity, in a way - whatever sanity Vikings had.

"Okay. Good." Hiccup smiled, feeling a little more confident due to how smooth the situation had been so far. "Now we just have to figure out- "

Her surprise startled him.

Correction: everything was going so well up until this point. The smile dropped as he almost fell backward, arms waving to maintain his balance. "Huh!?" Eyes darted down at his leg, seeing nothing wrong with it. "What- my leg?? What's wrong with my leg?"

"Well...nothing's wrong with it...that's what's wrong! Or, well, not wrong. I don't understand!" And she moved closer then, bending over to stare right at his leg.

"I don't understand Hiccup...you lost it during the fight with the giant dragon on the island where their nest was. We were all so worried but you finally woke up and were okay then and Gobber made you a metal leg and, well, everything was better. But it doesn't matter! You have your leg back! I'm so happy for you!"

And to show him just how happy she was, completely manic with confusion and happiness, she hugged him again, knocking the two off balance and landing, well, on top of him.

Everything was better? For all he knew, his leg had always been there, the same skinny limb he's used for all his life, unharmed and unchanged. But he feels like he should know what exactly Astrid was talking about. And He should feel good about not having...a metal leg.

But he couldn't.

In the confusion that clouded his mind, Hiccup paid less attention to what was going on in real time, tipping over easily when the girl hugged him once more. The shock from the rough landing shook him, getting his attention span back into gear as he now stared up at his crush blankly.

It took another minute to actually realize that Astrid was on directly top of him.

He also found it hard to move, uncertain of what to do. But as the pain subsided, he chose his words carefully.

"...I don't...even get what's going on right now..."

"Well that makes two of us." Pushing herself up with her hands she came to sit atop of Hiccup, still not really registering the position the two were in. Her head was simply spinning too much to give it any thought at all. She was beyond happy and scared at the same time. There were just simply too many emotions and thoughts attacking her all at once.

"Don't tell me you don't remember. I don't know how you could forget."

"I."

Hiccup felt helpless, more so than he did previously. He wasn't even aware of the compromising position they were in. He was still trying to wrap his head around what had just been said. The furrow in his brow deepened as he shook his head.

"Astrid. I never lost my leg."

Shoulders slumped then as she stared at him, any trace of a smile leaving her face completely. Eyes searched his for a moment, still as she sat atop him. It happens without another moment of thinking - her fingers curl into a fist and she slams it into Hiccup's shoulder, eyes narrow as she begins to yell at him. It's an angry yell, but there's something else to it. There's pain laced with the fury of her voice; hurt and a confused sadness that shows clearly in her eyes, if he dares to even look up at her.

"You did lose your leg! You lost it! We were at the dragon's nest - the whole village was and you saved all of us! Just how much do you not remember, Hiccup?" There was another thump to the opposite shoulder, just to keep it even. "Do you remember when I found you hiding with Toothless? Do you remember when you had me hanging from the top of a tree just so you could prove your point to me?"

By now her cheeks were hot. Her whole face was, shoulders trembling.

"Don't you dare tell me you forget the night you took me flying with Toothless. I'll strangle you!"

The fury behind the punch translated itself into an explosion over all of the nerves in his shoulder, forcing a yelp from the boy's mouth as he cringed. It felt like his arm was broken, and considering who just hit him, it wasn't too much of an exaggeration.

The pain then faded into numbness under the yelling, only to flare up on the opposite side in the middle of it all.

Hiccup shut his eyes tightly, staying that way as he bit down on his lip to stave off another pitiful cry, groaning through gritted teeth. The thin frame of his body curled slightly in reaction to all of this, failing to completely lock up in form as he raised his hands up defensively.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Honest!" he gasped. "The last thing I remember is dad shipping out with the others to find the nest! And that was when I was sent to train with you guys...I almost got killed twice because I didn't even know what I was doing!"

Almost. He was going to have to explain that part.

"...The second time when the Gronkle in the ring...and the first time when I freed Toothless from that stupid sling I fired off that one morning." He paused, grimacing at the realization of what she mentioned. "You even know about Toothless- I barely just gained his trust!"

It was Astrid's turn to feel as if she'd been hit by a ton of bricks. There was a twisting in her stomach then as she watched Hiccup pathetically hold up his hands in defeat and squeeze his eyes shut. So many days had passed since the events Hiccup had managed to stutter out. So much had happened and changed since then. She let her fingers uncurl, arms hanging limply at her sides as she sat atop him.

This was unbelievable.

But it made sense, right? In a way something that makes absolutely no sense would make sense. People had told her that all the people dragged here were from different worlds. That would include different times in history too, wouldn't it?

So this boy below her was Hiccup the Useless, not Hiccup the Hero? No, she shouldn't think that way. Hiccup was still Hiccup. He was still the boy she'd learned to respect and even like. He was still her, well, boyfriend of sorts, even if he couldn't remember the night he'd taken her flying on Toothless. Even so, this was a mess. Everything was a mess. Her head was a mess. If only she could punch herself unconscious and be done with the throbbing headache she felt coming on.

She kind of wants to cry, but even the thought of doing so is bizarre in itself. Vikings didn't cry. Only babies did and Astrid Hofferson was anything but a baby.

Biting her lip she settled on a sigh, swallowing her anger, letting it give way for a more chilling numbness. She slumped forward then, forehead meeting his chest lightly, even if every last inch of her felt as heavy as lead. Her words too, held that weight, surprisingly soft considering the tone she'd been yelling at him with just moments ago.

"You have no idea how much things have changed Hiccup. No idea."

And it's the thought that he doesn't know that oddly hurts far more than she thought it should.

Remembering being tossed into the lake after fitting the tail fin on Toothless for the first time was normal for him. That was the last event that took place in Berk before being brought into the Port. All of this information - all of the things he had done as told by Astrid were great. Great and bad, but it still sounded wonderful. Greater than anything he could imagine.

And yet nothing clicked.

This made him feel worse.

It took him a while to relax, muscles still stiff from his defensive position. Hands fell to either side of the Viking, hitting the ground unceremoniously, his body visibly exhaling a heavy sigh. Hiccup stole a glance at the girl, feeling the weight of her words, the weight of her hurt. He didn't understand it fully, but it was present.

He didn't mean to do that.

Again he looked away, trying to mask his own mixed feelings with a dull pang of sarcasm. "Believe me. I wish I knew."

She kept her head rested on his chest for a few moments longer, daring to let her eyelids close. A few deep breaths were taken to even out her breathing, to try and help her find that sense of calm she was sorely lacking. As much as she wanted to punch the living daylights out of Hiccup, she begrudgingly knew that it wasn't his fault. Admitting that though, had been the hard part. It would be so much easier to just make him eat dirt.

But really, if she thought about that, she didn't want to really brutally injure him. Even if he couldn't remember, she still cared about him. Caring, as far as Astrid was concerned however, at least right now, really, really made things difficult.

"Fine. I'll tell you everything you don't know later. When my head stops hurting."

Resigning herself to her own word, she pulled her head up and away from his chest. She didn't get off him though. She would, soon enough, she honestly would. But there was something she needed to be certain of first.

"Tell me something, okay?" Oh and why was this suddenly so hard to say? It was stupid to even need confirmation on...but with her world turning completely upside down, who knew if even feelings would've remained intact. Anything was possible and that thought alone was the most frightening of all.

"You still like me, right Hiccup?"

The simplest of questions made his heart beat faster.

This obviously explained her actions and how they differed between the alpha harshness of her need to win the opportunity to kill a dragon in the ring and her current behavior and physical treatment toward Hiccup here on the cold ground.

He did need to hear everything. Just to make sense of it all. He wanted to. It was too late to pretend that it didn't matter. Morbid curiosity had already settled. And she wanted to know one thing in return.

Cautiously, he turned his head a few degrees to meet her gaze. Another breath was drawn in and exhaled in exhaustion, never taking away the truth in his hesitant tone.

"Yeah. I do."

A trying smile failed and fell lopsided.

"...I always did."

"...Always?"

Well...now that she thought about it, in hindsight, it was pretty obvious. But even back then she'd just thought it was Hiccup being Hiccup. Weird, skinny Hiccup, who always made a mess of things. His answer though gave way to a breath she didn't realize she was holding, but felt all the better releasing. She let a smile fall on her own lips then, although it looked somewhat drained. Relief was evident though - if there was one thing she could be certain of it was this. That Hiccup still liked her. That some things would never change.

"Well, good then." She gave him a half hearted thump with a fist in his shoulder, a lot lighter than the previous two punches had been. As expected she could already hear his whining at the pain she'd inflicted. "That's for freaking me out."

Whatever he was saying in protest, she didn't bother to listen. When Hiccup complained he always sounded the same; there was no point in listening anymore. Impulsive as always however, she leaned down, uncurling her fingers, cupping both cheeks in her hands. Only a moment was spared to study green eyes before she leaned in to give him a kiss, lips on lips. When the contact was broken she sat back up, lips quirked upwards.

"And that's for being here...in one piece."

If he had to repeat himself, he'd feel stupid for admitting it in the first place. But seeing her smile made his fear of another unpredictable emotional explosion subside.

Along with some things never changing, he flinched when she thumped him again.

"Ow. Hey! Twice is enough for one day, don't you think- "

The complaint wasn't fully completed because Hiccup definitely wasn't expecting that to happen.

His whole body felt funny. Warm. A dazed expression took over his features as he shrugged.

"Okay, maybe I can work with this."

"You better get used to it."

It was meant to be a threat, but there was nothing behind it as she finally climbed off him, only realizing now that she'd been sitting on him in a rather precarious fashion, too furious to notice beforehand.

Up she went, grabbing his hands in her own without hesitation or warning, pulling him up off the ground and onto his feet. "Let me grab my axe and we can go." Go where? Well that was the question, wasn't it? Trotting off she picked up her battle axe and made her way back to him.

"Well, are you going to take us to where we're going to live or not? I talked to that lady you live with, or well...she started talking to me. Anyway, she said I can stay with you both but we have to share a room....but I don't think you'll have a problem with that."

Even if the tone was softened, he still felt the original intent of the statement. "Yeeeah, I figured as much."

Being peeled off of the floor, he regained stability, smoothing out his clothing as she went to get her axe. He found it strange that she had it with her, but it was one of those questions related to the Core and its workings.

Of course he was clueless until she mentioned his own living arrangements. "Oh! Yeah. Snow. Yeah, I'm staying with her," he confirmed, nodding dutifully. He then made a face when she assumed the rooming situation, but a moment later he wordlessly relented.

Sharing a room shouldn't be too bad.

There was an eyebrow raised at the face he made when she mentioned the sharing of his (and now their) room, but she shrugged it off as just Hiccup being Hiccup. It wouldn't be too bad. After all, she'd end up with the bed. It wasn't as if she would be losing anything out of it.

"Well, c'mon. Take me there. I want to check it out. I told her I wasn't going to live anywhere without you, so you're both stuck with me."

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Fuu spelling mistakes...

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