Whumptober 2021

#15) Too Close for Comfort- HTTYD

Prompt #15- Feed a cold, starve a fever. HTTYD, set right after RTTE S4E3 "Midnight Scrum"

Hiccup grimaced as the edges of his sleeves brushed his raw wrists. Only a couple days had passed since he'd been manhandled from thug to brute to bounty hunter and every part of him still ached. His hand trailed up toward his neck, running over bruised flesh. Even in the solitude of his own clubhouse Hiccup flushed. Being led like a dog on a leash to Ryker was near the top of his list for 'most humiliating experiences of his life.' And that list, unfortunately, was extensive.

Groaning quietly Hiccup sat down heavily on his bed. His stump protested the movement, the site raw from both Savage ripping it off and the last (terrifying) bounty hunter's grip when he and Hiccup had rolled over the cliff.

Gently Hiccup removed the prosthetic. With the pressure gone the pain in his stump dimmed instantly. Scooting back on the bed he set a pillow under the stump and eased himself onto his back. He felt too warm but brushed it off as exertion. There'd been a lot to do at Berk before returning to the Edge, getting kidnapped (multiple times) or no. Plus sleeping meant nightmares...

Hiccup shook his head. He needed to stay busy, needed to avoid thinking about everything. To confront the fear and helplessness-

Shivering, Hiccup boxed away those thoughts. He needed a nap, that was it. Being so tired meant he wouldn't dream, right? And why was it so hot? No matter. Sleep... then maybe he'd open a window. Just before he drifted off he could have sworn he heard Toothless' anxious croon.

The boat bobbed up and down in the waves, too small to cut through them like a proper Viking ship. Flying on Toothless had cured Hiccup of having a weak stomach, but nausea churned full force in his gut. It might have been due to the drugged dart though. The man in the bow said nothing. His dead-eyed stare made Hiccup feel less human than he ever had in his life.

His wrists and head throbbed. Whenever he shifted his leg, his stump joined the aching. Savage had really lived up to his name.

The masked bounty hunter said nothing. Hiccup didn't initiate conversation either. Eventually they reached Ryker's meeting island. Agony flared in Hiccup anew when his failed escape attempt left him with a bruised neck and chain leash. He stumbled after the masked bounty hunter, shame heating his cheeks.

All too soon they emerged in a clearing.

Ryker stood grinning on the bluff. His mouth moved but no words sounded. He gestured to someone on his right and another bound figure stumbled into view. A woman with blonde hair.

'No, no, no!' That didn't seem right but terror overtook Hiccup's thoughts. Dirt and blood streaked Astrid's face and hair. Bags lay heavily under her eyes. She stood slumped against the Hunter holding her, as if his grasp were the only thing keeping her upright.

A choked noise wrenched out of Hiccup. He tried to reach for her, but the chain around his neck tightened, keeping him immobile.

"As-As-Astrid!" The desperate cry fell from his lips.

She didn't look at him. What had they done to her? How had they gotten her when Viggo had put the bounty out on Hiccup's head? When his friends had been safe on Berk? Any terror for his own life paled in comparison to the fear of what had already happened and was about to happen to Astrid.

Lurching forward left Hiccup gasping and choking. He couldn't reach her.

Ryker smirked at Hiccup's distress. "Thought you might appreciate the merchandise. She and the natter will fetch high prices. Though..." Ryker dragged the word out, his smile stretching too wide on his face, "Viggo might want her for his own spoil of war."