BackStabbed (HTTYD FanFic)

The Truth

After taking short breaks, and 4 hours of hard work, it's now dark. Heather ended up falling asleep on the desk, and Astrid left to go read. Hiccup looks over at Heather, who has managed to doze off on the desk amid my work, Hiccup quietly thinks to himself. "Looks like Heather's out like a light. Guess all that work took more out of her than I thought." "Hiccup thought to himself, 'I could wake her up, but I'd rather save myself a punch.' Hiccup contemplated and decided to let her stay asleep. 'Yeah, it's probably wise to save myself from a possible punch. I'll just finish up the tail repair without disturbing her. She can wake up on her own later.'" Hiccup finally finishes Toothless's tail and decides to check on Astrid, leaving Heather to continue sleeping. 

-Hiccup Gets up from his seat and walks down the hallway to the bedroom where Astrid is-

Hiccup quietly enters the room and finds Astrid sitting on the bed reading, her expression contemplative. "Hey babe, I'm finally done." Astrid looks up at him, a mix of exhaustion and relief in her eyes. "Really? You got Toothless's tail fixed now?" "Yep, and the sleepyhead over there left me hanging to finish it by myself." Astrid giggles. "Typical Heather." Hiccup's expression yawning and tired as he asks. Should I wake her up? I'm kinda scared too. Astrid smirks, enjoying his fear of waking Heather. "Oh, you're scared to wake her? Why's that? Scared she'll punch you In the face?" Hiccup's face changed from sleepy to scared. "Yes, why wouldn't I be? You and her have serious anger issues, especially when it comes to sleep or other small stuff. So yes, I am scared I'm going to get beat up." Astrid feigns offense, putting a hand to her chest in mock indignation. "Hey, I do not have anger issues. I'm a perfectly controlled and composed individual." Hiccup brings up an old memory to claim his statement. I remember one day when I stayed the night at her house and woke her up to ask a dumb question. The next morning, my face was red. 

Astrid chuckles. "Yeah, Heather can be a bit of a ball-buster when she's woken up unexpectedly. I've seen her clock plenty of people for waking her too early. But hey, you asked a dumb question, you can't really blame her." But jeez, her hands are so soft, yet her punches feel just like yours." Astrid smirks, her competitive side coming out. "So, you're going to compare Heather's punches to mine? I'll have you know my punches are perfectly calibrated for maximum impact." Hiccup's tone turning into sarcasm. "YEAH I KNOW, THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO PAINFUL!! "Astrid grins, her ego on full display." "But that's what makes it so effective. I've spent years honing my fighting skills and practicing my punches. They're finely tuned weapons, perfected for taking down my opponents." Hiccup's tone sounding a little bit more serious. "You better have that same spirit. Dad warned me that the dragon hunters may be back soon." Astrid's attitude quickly gives way to seriousness at the mention of the dragon hunters. "Ther dragon hunter? Are you serious? They're planning another attack? We need to be prepared and ready for them this time. We can't let them take us by surprise again." Hiccup keeping his serious expression. "Trust me, we won't!"

Astrid nods, determination in her eyes. "You're right, we won't let them catch us off guard again. We've got more training, more experience, and more determination than ever before. We'll show those dragon hunters that they picked the wrong island to mess with this time." "I think I'm going to wake up Heather now. It's getting late," Hiccup says. Astrid smiles, realizing it is getting pretty late. "Alright, good luck waking up sleepyhead over there. Just remember, Heather can pack quite the punch when woken up suddenly." Hiccup smiles back, I'll be fine. 

-Hiccup gets up from the bed, walks out, and makes his way to his studying room-

Hiccup speaking in a very low calm tone. "Hey Heather wake up." (No Response) Hiccup nudges her. "wakey wakey, eggs and bak..." Heather groans and shifts in her sleep, the nudge finally starting to rouse her from her deep slumber. After a few more moments, she finally opens her eyes and gives Hiccup a bleary-eyed glare. "Heather surprisingly doesn't get mad and speaks to me in a nice, calm, sweet tone instead of punching me." Heather blinks a few times, her eyes adjusting to the light. She gives hiccup a sleepy smile. "Good morning. Did you need something?" Hiccup nods, smiling at her tired confused expression. "Oh, no I was just waking you up because you fell asleep through the project." Heather nods, her memory slowly returning to her, as she yawns. "Right, we were working on Toothless's tail, weren't we? Guess I dozed off. Sorry about that." Hiccup reassures Heather* "It's okay. Do you think you can make it home? If not, you can just stay here tonight. We don't mind." Heather thinks for a moment, considering the offer. "Yeah, I think I might take you up on that offer. I'm feeling pretty exhausted, and I'm sure I'll make it back without falling asleep midway. If you're sure you guys don't mind, I'd appreciate the chance to stay here tonight."

Hiccup responds with a comfortable and caring tone. "Of course not, whatever you need. Just let me know okay?" Heather smiles, grateful for his kindness and hospitality. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. I'll try not to be too much of a burden, And if I need anything, I'll definitely let you know." Hiccup gives Heather a pillow and blanket* Heather gives him a warm smile. "Thanks so much for letting me stay the night. You're so sweet for this, really." Hiccup gives a small blush, feeling almost proud of himself for being an awesome, sweet, and caring friend. Heather smiles at Hiccup's blush, her tiredness forgotten for a moment in favor of teasing him. "Well, well, look at that. The big tough, dragon trainer blushing from a simple compliment. It's almost too adorable to handle." Hiccup saying in a playful tone. "Better stop before Astrid gets jealous again." He chuckles.* Heather laughs, enjoying the playful banter. "Oh yeah, I forgot about Astrid. She's probably already rolling her eyes and getting jealous that I'm getting your attention instead of her."

-Meanwhile, Astrid thinks to herself In the other room* -WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING HIM SO LONG!!!-

Hiccup walks out of the room before saying goodnight to Heather* "Goodnight, And thanks again for letting me stay. Sweet dreams."

-Hiccup quietly shuts the door and makes his way back to the bedroom-

Astrid's expression is a mix of curiosity as she observes Hiccup entering the room. "Hey, what took you so long?" Hiccup quickly informs Astrid that Heather is staying the night. "Oh, sorry. i was just talking to Heather, she's gonna stay the night. She's pretty beat from earlier." Astrid grins, her competitive side resurfacing. "I'll bet she didn't even fight you about it, did she? She just accepted the offer and cozied up?" Hiccup corrects Astrid. "No, she- I mean she kinda denied but- Yeah! I guess she did just take up on the offer hehe. Hiccup feeling completely tired and exhausted, he plops down on the bed, next to Astrid. "Oh my thor I cannot wait to go to sleep, I'm so- Yawns* I'm so tired." Astrid holds Hiccup's hand, her grip a little firm but gentle. Her voice is soft and contemplative as she asks Hiccup a question. "Can I ask you something about Heather? It's something that's been on my mind for a while now." Hiccup not really caring, he turns onto his side facing Astrid's direction. "yeah?" Astrid takes another moment collecting her thoughts before continuing. "It's just... I've noticed lately that Heather seems different. She's acting more relaxed, more open and vulnerable than I've seen her in a while. It's like... she's letting her guard down more in front of us, especially around you." 

Hiccup's face shows confusion. "Really? you think so?" Astrid nods, her expression thoughtful and curious. "Yeah. I mean she's still her usual badass, kick-ass self most of the time, but there's just something different about her lately. Like she's not as closed off or guarded as she normally is, it's hard to describe, but it's definitely noticeable. And I can't help but wonder if there's a reason behind it." Weird* Astrid nods, still clearly intrigued by Heather's behavior. "Yeah, it is weird. She always has her walls up, you know? Never lets anyone in, let alone show any vulnerability. But now she's just... well, she's just being more open and genuine, especially around you. It's not like her normal behavior at all." Hiccup shrugs. "maybe she's becoming more of a relaxed person who knows?"

Astrid considers your words, a hint of skepticism on her face. She still seems a little uncertain about Heather's sudden change. "Maybe. But it's just so sudden, you know? And it's like... she seems more open with you than she does with anyone else. I've known her since we were kids, and she never let her guard down this much before."

Hiccup thinks to himself for a minute. "She does seem kinda clingy around me." Astrid nods, her observation supported by Hiccup's agreement. "Yeah exactly, She's like..... glued to you recently. Always wanting to be near you, always wanting attention from you. She's never been like that with me, or anyone else for that matter." I mean, it's Heather. "If I know anything about our past growing up, it's that I think she liked me." *Astrid raises an eyebrow at your words, a hint of surprise on her face.* "Wait... what do you mean 'she always liked you'? Didn't you guys always fight when you were kids?" Hiccup nods. "I mean, she always had a big crush on me, and I think she might still do?" *Astrid stares at you for a moment, completely speechless. It's clear that she's having trouble wrapping her head around the idea that Heather could have had a crush on you all those years.* "I... I had no idea. I mean, I never saw any signs of that. She always seemed so focused on being tough and strong, like she didn't have any time for relationships."