Tuff Love (A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction | Astrid x Tuffnut)

"We're just really good friends!"

"Do you like Tuffnut?" Helda asked.

Astrid stammered. Tuffnut even looked interested in her answer.

"It sure looks it!" Helda said. "You were giving him the sweet eye plenty of times today," she said, winking cheerfully.

Oh, Thor, Astrid griped to herself.

"Astrid, everyone saw the duel." Snoutlout mused. If Tuffnut had decided to settle his claim over Astrid with Hiccup like Vikings did from years ago, it was clear that Tuffnut was serious about her. "It's not like you can hide it from us anymore. Have you two kissed yet?"

"That's none 'a yer business!" Ruffnut sniped. Astrid showed Ruffnut a glance of appreciation for saving her life from Snoutlout's torment.

Hiccup cut in, "Snoutlout, this is no time for...being yourself." From the suspecting eyes on Tuffnut and Astrid, Hiccup figured that none of them knew the true answer to Snoutlout's presumption, and he was glad for it. He could only take so much humiliation in front of his friends in one month.

"Too personal?" Helda asked Astrid. She thought that speaking about Tuffnut as common ground with Astrid would make Astrid see that she was friendly. She realized Astrid was more sensitive than she thought, and she immediately felt guilty.

"No, it's okay," Astrid said. To everyone's shock, she mentioned, "we're...we're actually just good friends!" Astrid then grinned to Helda, who looked more understanding.

"What do you mean, Astrid?" Fishlegs said, looking suspiciously at Astrid. She wasn't fooling anyone.

Ruffnut saw that her brother was truly bothered, because similar to the time she had lost his mace after using it for a parachute, he didn't mumble a word. Instead, he sat there beside Astrid, with his hands suddenly to himself, and he focused at a single point on the table.

"'We're just friends?'" Tuffnut grunted, glaring at his unknown fixation.

"Well, we are, right?"

Tuffnut scoffed in a voice that sounded fatigued.

Astrid growled. She slammed her hands on the table, jolting everyone and her forner fiancee. "I panicked! Everyone's staring at me! What am I supposed to say?!"

"Oh, I dunno! We're not 'just friends'?!"

"Let up on me a little! I'm not used to this yet!"

Tuffnut, growing more irritated by the moment, asked what Astrid possibly meant by "this". It sounded to him like she was describing a new disease.

Astrid instantly grew hot. He still wasn't listening to a word she was saying. "This! Us!" Astrid fumbled. "You!" She threw her arm furiously towards him in display.

"If you didn't wanna come with me-ya coulda just said so!"

Astrid gasped slightly. Tuffnut and Ruffnut both sounded terrifying when truly angry. She knew she had seriously upset him.

"Easy, bro," Ruffnut, in direct earshot, warned. She didn't care if he yelled at her, but she didn't like him yelling at Astrid, even though she knew Astrid had thick skin.