HTTYD: You Don't Know the Meaning of "Nice"? (Hiccstrid)

Chapter 41

Astrid's P.O.V.

I walked about the coffee shop and did my usual routine, not stopping long enough for Hiccup to pull me to the side. He stayed for my entire shift. Watched me. Tried to talk to me from across the Cafe. Took numerous orders in hopes of keeping me at the table. And finally, I was in the back room, leaning my throbbing head against the freezer as Mark and Crimson tried to get me to clock out.

"Oh, just subtract this time from my pay," I moan as the coolness of the door leaked across my mind, "Or clock out for me." Crimson pried me away from the steal door and put her hand to my forehead as I leaned my head on her shoulder.

"Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed, ripping her hand away, "You are burning up, come on!" She and Mark grabbed my arms and pulled me to the main Cafe where Hiccup was waiting by the door.

"Uh, what happened?" he asks as he took my weight from the shop's owner and manager.

"She has a fever. Take her home, keep her in bed and don't let her come to work tomorrow," Crimson tells him and as he starts to walk me out, I saw Jess staring at me with concern. I wave to her, to tell her I'm okay, before following Hiccup to his car.

"I told you not to run in the rain," he says as he drives us home.

"I've done it countless times, there must be a bug going around or something," I tell him as I leaned back, "or maybe it's food pois-" I broke off with a gasp as I remembered how fowl the muffin I had, earlier, tasted. "Stop the car!" I scream and Hiccup pounds the breaks before I get out and run back to the Dragon Wing. "Mark! How many muffins have we sold?!" I shout.

"One, to you, why?" he asks, his voice saying he was thinking this was part of my fever.

"Throw the rest out, don't sell anymore!" I snap, rushing to the muffin cabinet. I pause to puke in the garbage can before ripping the pastries out of the cabinet and throwing them away.

"Astrid, what's going on?" Crimson asks as she comes from her office.

"Food poisoning. Muffins. Dead," I said, no idea where the last word came from. I got the last crumb out of the cabinet before Hiccup pulled me back to the car. This time, I let him drag me home. When we get there, he tells me to go to my room and lay down before going to the kitchen. I obeyed and flopped onto my bed with a tired sigh. After a few minutes, he come in with a mug and a bucket. He gives me the cup and puts the bucket at the side of the bed before sitting next to me.

"So we missed your appointment," he says slowly.

"Reschedule?" I ask as I took a sip of the soup that was in the mug.

"Tuesday, 8:30," he says.

"Then that means we can't have a repeat of this morning," I say out of no where.

"What if I push it back to 10:30?" he asks hopefully.

"No, Hiccup. We can never have a repeat of this morning," I say, not meeting his eye.

"Why not?" he asks in a quiet voice.

"Because...we wouldn't survive a week. I'm worried that if it happens again, we'd become a couple and...a bunch of other stuff that I won't bore you with," I say, brushing a bang behind my ear. He then pinches my chin and tilts my head to face him.

"Bore me," he says. Then, I noticed that his lips were getting closer to mine. And closer. And closer. Our lips connected and I swallowed before he massaged my lips with his. I wanted to pull away but I couldn't. It was like when I was cutting myself, but a much deadlier circumstance.

"Hiccup," I mumbled as I turned my head away.

"Why are you trying so hard to resist me, Astrid?" he asked as he took the mug and put it on the nightstand. "I know you've grown feelings for me since you moved in," he finishes as he gently pushes my back to the mattress. I paused as he slowly bent to suck on my neck.

"Hiccup, no. I can't. Okay? I, can't," I tell him as I try to push him away. He pulled back before looking into my eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were hard with thought.

"Then I'll help you," he says after a long pause.

Hiccup's P.O.V.

Her eyes clouded with confusion. It was the only other emotion they held besides dread. "What do you mean?" she asks.

"I'll help you with whatever you can't do. We'll go slow. As slow as you need. As slow as you want. I won't force you into anything. You'll have free will over everything I ask you to do. I'll never hurt you. I'll give you a reason not to drink. Don't think I didn't know you went to the park to have beer that night," I say and she sighs, her eyes hard, yet soft, with regret.

"Hiccup, you don't get it. I can't commit to a relationship where you go to sleep one night and that could be the last time you see me alive," she says, tears in her eyes. My chest was swelling and my gut was churning while my mind did flips and spins. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Don't be. You can't control how people treat you," I say with a soft smile. I plant a lingering kiss on her forehead before standing up. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning," I say quietly as her eyes slip closed.

"Goodnight," she says, her voice barely louder than a whisper in the wind. I slip out of her room and silently close the door. 

As I walked to the kitchen, I wondered what was wrong with me. I used to be this dashing young man, who could woo any girl he saw. He didn't care about anything. He went out with seven girls a week, broke a new heart everyday. He had girls on his tail wherever he went. Astrid wouldn't have effected him. But...now, I'm a sucker who can't even get her to share her feelings with me. They don't even have to be for me, they can be about anything. She can tell me how she feels about Snotlout and I'd be happier than a five-year-old on Snoggletog. I'm starting to wonder if I should even try for her anymore. I dropped out of the bet; I could get my old life back; there's nothing holding me back...right? I wonder if she's ever been conflicted like this.