A Hiccstrid Story | When worlds collide

Girl Talk (Take Two)

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Hiccup worried as he and Fishlegs walked the girls back to their dorm.

"I'm fine, Hiccup." Astrid rolled her eyes. "You can stop worrying about me now." She chuckled.

"I never stop worrying about you." He shrugged. "That's just the way it is." He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Call me if you need anything. Okay?" He turned to leave but found himself pulled back.

"You really think I'm gonna let you get away with that?!" She rose a brow at her auburn-haired boyfriend. He rolled his eyes playfully before kissing her softly on the lips.

"Better?"

"Yup, now you can go." She teased.

"Remember, no stress." Hiccup reminded as he slowly backed away.

"I know, I know. The more worked up I get, the more it will hurt. Just go already." She chuckled.

Astrid waited for Hiccup to disappear from view before joining Heather in their dorm room, closing the door behind her.

"So, do you wanna talk about that crazy painting?" Heather wondered as she tidied her books away.

"Actually could we just talk about anything else? Please." Astrid station led herself on her bed, crossing her legs and gazing out of the window, she had come to discover that she could see Hiccup's dorm room window from hers.

"Sure, but first, I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest with me." Heather sat herself on the edge of Astrid's bed. "Do you want this baby?"

"Yes," Astrid said almost instinctively. She looked away nervously and let out a sigh. "And no."

"What do you mean?" Heather remained silent awaiting a deeper explanation.

"After the crash, the doctors said I may never have kids. Hiccup and I had only been dating for a week so I was too afraid to tell him." Astrid explained. "But, then a few months later, his little cousin Harley came to visit." She stated.

"What happened?" Heather wondered.

"The second she walked through the door, she jumped into his arms. They cuddled, they played dragons, they made waffles, he even told her a bedtime story. And when the day was over, he had this huge smile on his face, like he wished every day could be just like that."

"So, you decided to tell him?" Heather guessed. Astrid nodded.

"He was so sweet and supportive. We talked about it and we decided we wanted to finish college, get jobs, get married, then have kids. How did it get so backward?" She sighed.

"These things happen, Astrid. Life doesn't always go to plan. There are going to be obstacles. But, the important thing to remember is that you can get through them together." Heather advised.

"I guess."

"But you still didn't answer my question." Heather diverted the conversation.

"I'm just not ready, Heather." Astrid sighed.

"For the baby?"

"For any of it," Astrid explained. "Apparently I have a form of High blood pressure, which is why I keep passing out and having panic attacks. I also have this other condition that I can't pronounce, which is why my morning sickness has been around the clock..."

"I'm sensing there's more?" Heather wondered. "What about the cramps?"

"I have some, internal damage, from the crash. It's pretty much healed but the bigger the baby gets, the more it's gonna hurt." Astrid explained. "Those were Ethan's exact words."

"Astrid, you were curled up on the floor, practically crying in pain. How could it possibly get worse?" Heather worried.

"I wasn't crying!" Astrid defended.

"That's not important." Heather chuckled. "Astrid, I know you're not ready. But like it or not, it happened."

"I know. I just don't understand how Hiccup can be so calm about it. With everything going on in his life right now, I don't know how he's dealing with it all." Astrid told her.

"Yeah, I don't think he's handling it as well as you think," Heather stated hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

Heather let out a sigh. "Okay, He's gonna kill me for telling you this, but in the hospital, when you passed out, he came to fill us all in. He had a panic attack."

"Wait. What?" Astrid looked at her in confusion.

"It was a pretty scary one too." She explained. "Astrid, he's scared. I think he's just trying to stay calm because he doesn't want you to worry about him when you should be focusing on yourself. But mostly I think he feels guilty. He's been watching you fall to pieces, and you can tell from the look on his face that it's tearing him apart."

Astrid thought intently for a second before hopping off the bed, grabbing Heather's arm, and rushing out of the room, not saying a word.

The girls made their way to room 312 Helheim hall. Astrid knocked on the door continuously until Hiccup finally answered the door.

"Astrid? Are you okay?!" He wondered. He let out a feminine yelp as her fist collided with his arm. "What was that for?!"

"You had a panic attack, and you didn't think to tell me?!" Astrid scowled, charging into the room, shortly followed by Heather.

"Sorry, Hiccup." She shrugged apologetically.

"It wasn't that big a deal." He explained.

"It was a panic attack!" Astrid emphasized.

Heather silently gestured to Fishlegs, calling him out of the room.

"Hiccup, if something happens, I want to know about it. Especially something like that!"

"I just got a little overwhelmed, that's all." Hiccup explained.

"Hiccup, you have known me, forever. And you know it takes a lot to scare me. But, this time, I'm really scared." Astrid fought back a tear or two. "For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to do next and I hate feeling so out of control! But, you're here walking around like you have everything figured out, and I don't understand how."

"Astrid, calm down." Hiccup tried to soothe her.

"No! Not until you tell me the truth!" She demanded. Hiccup let out a sigh.

"I'm terrified."

Astrid let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and raced into Hiccup's arms, holding him tightly and burying her face deep into his hoodie.

***