Riders of B E R K

Part 36: Man up or stand down

I woke when Hiccup tried to turn over, fell out of bed and dragged the covers off completely. I groaned and unsympathetically tried to haul them back on while he floundered on the floor. It didn't work because he was completely tangled in the sheets so I sighed and sat up.

"Hogging the blankets already, I see," I commented dryly.

"Maybe you should get a double," he shot back.

"Hey, Dragon Boy-at least wait until we've been dating a week before moving in with me!" I teased him. He lay back and paused.

"So...five days to pack, eh?" he murmured with a smile. I threw a pillow at him.

"You're not that cute, Dragon Boy!" I scoffed. He sat up at gave me his best puppy eyes.

"Aren't I?" he asked with a smirk. He really did have stunning green eyes and when he wasn't totally angst-ridden, he was pretty damned hot. But the sight of a grown man making puppy eyes at me just made me burst out laughing and he joined in, collapsing forward. "Okay, I surrender," he chuckled, then ran his fingers through his auburn hair-not only messy but now officially wild. Then he offered me a hand. I caught it and he pulled me close and pressed a light kiss on my lips. "And good morning, Milady."

"Morning, babe," I murmured. It was actually a pretty nice way to start the morning. I glanced at my com: it was time to get up anyway. "I suppose we ought to make a move..." His fingers gently stroked across mine as he continued to hold my hand. He looked serious.

"I really am sorry," he sighed. "I was utterly Useless yesterday." I shook my head.

"No-you were still pretty awesome in uncovering the traitors and fighting Dagur and Dogsbreath," I commented, "but you weren't thinking straight and that is dangerous." He nodded.

"You said something that I really need to act on," he admitted. He slowly got to his knees. "'Man up or stand down'. My father is in a coma. My Uncle is dead. Gobber hates command. Gothi has never commanded except in the infirmary. And I have the next highest rank. So, like it or not, I have to step forward and keep the Base going." He winced as he got to his foot, then strapped his prosthesis on. "I'll be back in half an hour, if you want breakfast?" I nodded. "And wear your uniform: we need to demonstrate that everything is normal." I smiled.

"Yessir!" I grinned and ripped off a textbook salute as he limped to the door and turned back to me for a second.

"Astrid? Thanks," he said as he left.

He collected me bang on time-and he was showered, shaved and his hair was as neat as it could manage-still choppy and a little wild. He looked pretty neat-I suspected he was in his best clothes-skinny black jeans, dark green button-down shirt, black waistcoat, black boot-and I felt underdressed in my uniform. But he grinned and chivalrously offered me his arm, which I accepted with a smile and he walked me down to breakfast.

The other Riders were there, subdued at the loss of another of their number and I could feel the impact of low morale on their group. The twins were talking normally, not bickering and even Bucket and Mulch seemed to have lost their good humour. Fishlegs looked on the verge of tears. Hiccup insisted we sat with them and we slid in at the end of the table, nodding to them and tucking into our meals with gusto. I passed Hiccup my toast and he grinned and bit in, nodding thanks as I concentrated on my eggs and bacon. The other riders were looking frankly disappointed that we appeared to have patched up our differences: a soap opera would have been much more amusing, I guessed. Hiccup patted my arm and then rose and limped to a solitary figure sitting to one side of the Mess, toying with a plate piled high with an untouched breakfast.

I watched Hiccup quietly sit down opposite his cousin and speak quietly and calmly. Snotlout was by turns snarky, angry and sad and throughout, Hiccup was calm and passive, allowing his cousin to exhaust his emotions on him, pour out his feelings to someone who could possibly understand. Finally, he leaned forward and stared into his eyes. He spoke for a couple of minutes, quiet words I didn't pick up but which made Snotlout stare at him, wide-eyed. And then he nodded.