Work Text:
Hiccup could do nothing as Astrid drew her axe and pointed the double blades at Viggo’s throat. They’d captured the chief of the Dragon Hunters, and he was now tied up in their clubhouse, about to be questioned by the Riders. They had said they wouldn’t hurt him, but Astrid seemed to have other ideas.
“Astrid, what are you doing?” Hiccup came over, put a hand on her arm, but she threw it off. Anger emanated from her in hot waves.
“You stay away from Hiccup,” Astrid growled.
“My, my, quite the fierce one, aren’t you?” Viggo looked from Astrid to Hiccup. “You got yourself a good woman.”
“Shut up.” Astrid pressed the blades to his throat. Hiccup hoped to the gods that she was just using it as a threat. They needed him alive. “You won’t go near him. You won’t touch him.”
“Darling, my hands are tied.”
“Don’t call me that!” Astrid looked ready to slap him.
“Astrid, enough,” Hiccup said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I think he gets the point.”
“Well, I don’t.” Despite that, Astrid pulled her axe away. “I see the way he looks at you, Hiccup.” She turned to him, putting her back to Viggo. It was safe to do now that he was restrained to a chair. “I hear the way he talks to you.”
Hiccup blushed fiercely. He had hoped that no one had noticed that. There was shame there, shame that was just between him and Viggo.
Hiccup took Astrid by the hand and quietly led her away from the Dragon Hunter Chief. He put two hands on her shoulders once they were out of earshot.
“Look, Astrid, I appreciate it. I really do. But it’s fine.”
Astrid shook her head. Hiccup was now sure that some of her anger was directed at him. “It’s not fine. You hate it. I know you do.”
Hiccup pursed his lips, silently nodded. “Okay. Okay, I do hate it, but there’s nothing we can really do about it.”
Astrid twirled her axe in her hand, deftly avoiding Hiccup with the blades. “Maybe if you let me-”
“No,” Hiccup interjected. “We need him alive.” He kissed Astrid on the forehead, hoping that would quell some of her anger. Besides, he wanted to show her his gratefulness for how she wanted to protect him. He wasn’t going to lie: he felt unsafe with Viggo here on the Edge, despite him being their prisoner. But with Astrid around, Hiccup knew no harm could come to him.
“Fine,” Astrid said moodily. She glanced back at Viggo. “I just hope you’re right about this.”
Hiccup took Astrid’s free hand in his, mostly to comfort himself. “Me too.”