Hiccstrid - Sprinkle Some Jealousy In The Mix

Chapter 3: Figure It Out

     "So...what's the plan?" Ruffnut asked, dangling from a beam in the ceiling.

"I've got the Book of Dragons; I was thinking that it could help us." Astrid suggested from her chair before sighing. "Why does this always happen to me?"
"A better question: why them? Why Tuff, why Snotlout, why Fishlegs, why Iver?" pondered Hiccup, pacing in front of the dining table.

"Maybe it's back for revenge?" Heather tapped her chin, sitting across from Astrid. "You said Mindbenders are intelligent, right? Maybe it really is the one you fought before and it wants revenge."

     "But we didn't hurt it last time!" Astrid protested, biting her lip in thought.

"So what did happen then?" Heather shot, clamming up Astrid and freezing Hiccup. The two turned coral pink and avoided one another's gaze. Ruffnut rolled her eyes and swung up, sitting on the beam. She spoke in a bored tone while picking at her nails.

"Basically, Hiccup got hypnotised while saving Astrid so he got all warrior-protective over her and then we tricked the Mindbender into giving us the cure. The end."

"Maybe it's angry that it got tricked?" Sigrun, who was leaning her arm against the back of Heather's chair, suggested.

     "Even if it is," Hiccup coughed, clearing away the blush from his face. "We still have to get the cure again."

"Except we won't be able to." His blonde companion countered, indicating to the page the Book of Dragons was on. "Not in the same way, at least. The Mindbender is pretty quick and won't fall for the same trick twice."

"Any weaknesses?" Sigrun grasped for straws, eager to fix the mess.

"It says...." Scanning through the chapter, Astrid deflated. "That the Mindbender is only vulnerable during sleep, only we can't get the cure if it's asleep." Hiccup ruffled his chocolate hair, finally sitting on a chair (that just happened to be next to Astrid's).

     "Now what?"

"Why don't we try talking to them?" Sigrun pondered. "Try to bring them to their senses?"

"That won't work." Defied Ruff, flipping down back to Earth. "They never had any sense in the first place."

"Argh!" Hiccup slammed his head onto the table, sinking it in his folded arms; everyone stared at him.

"Hey, it's not that bad." Astrid soothed. "I mean, it's not like they're deadly or anything."

"They're still..." The brunet's mutters trailed off as he sighed.

"Yeah..." She agreed, resting her chin on her knuckles. Sigrun, meanwhile, was deep in thought.

     "Um....guys? How long will it take for the....'Astrid admirers' to write a poem?" Everyone's eyes widened as they realised just how much time passed.

"Well, they couldn't have seriously done anything in such a short time.....right?" Heather hoped, pleading for it to be true.

"Kinda makes you wonder what type of poems they'll write, huh?" Ruff had an unnerving sly smirk stretching across her face. "Maybe they'll write about how strongly they love Astrid or how pretty they think she is..."

"Let's not think about that." Hiccup cut in sharply, sending a glare her way; she just shrugged, the smirk still evident. Silence followed as everyone tried to collect their thoughts.

     Crashing through the quiet, a boisterous pounding echoed through the room. Petrified, green and blue eyes all slowly turned to the door. It was quiet. But then the knocking continued. Standing up, Hiccup glided to the door, his footsteps as hushed as a Boneknapper's roar. The knocking only became louder and more random in rhythm as each second passed. The sound was starting to hurt Astrid's ears as she followed after him. 'He's really taking this seriously,' Astrid mused, watching his back. Once he was close enough, she squared her shoulders and prepared herself for the worst.

     "Agh!" Suddenly, the door slammed open and knocked Hiccup's head, throwing him down. She was just about to go to him when a suave voice interrupted her worrying.

"My sweet, sweet Astrid."

A/N: I am so sorry for the short chapter! I don't like them myself but the outline I have for this only needs this much so bear with me please. We'll definitely have some jealousy in the next chapter and I'll try to upload it early.