Snotlout woke to a sharp, splintering pain that stabbed between his eyes and crackled like lightning through his entire skull. Groaning, Snotlout tried to lift his eyelids and sit up, but he was hit by a wave of dizziness that had him falling back against the thin mountainside grass.
“Oh gods,” he mumbled, lifting a hand to his left temple and hissing at the tenderness he found there. His eye felt a little swollen, the entire left side of his face burning like acid had been spat all over his skin. “What happened?”
He wasn’t sure how he knew that someone was sitting next to him. She didn’t make any noises, and she wasn’t close enough that he could feel her touching him. But he sensed someone’s presence, and it wasn’t Hookfang.
“You tried to kiss me so I hit you with your hammer.” Ruffnut stretched out next to him, sighing as she settled against the grass.
“That seems… a little excessive.” He winced but managed to peel his eyes open and drag them towards her. She had her hands lifted towards the sky, drawing pictures in the murky clouds above.
Shrugging, she sniffed. “I didn’t want to be kissed.”“Fair enough.” After another few testing prods, he groaned. “I think you broke my face.”
“That’s what Astrid said.” Ruffnut rolled onto her stomach, bringing her so close that their arms were touching when she sat up on her elbows. “She offered to go get Gothi, but I told her we’d go when you woke up.”
Snotlout rolled his head to the side, narrowing his gaze at her. Her eyes were a little hooded with boredom, but the thin sunshine made them seem bluer than usual. She had her chin propped on one hand, and she picked at the grass with the other.
“How come you get to kiss me, but I don’t get to kiss you?” He let his arm fall back to his chest, giving up on trying to make sense of the pains at his temple. “Hmm.” Pressing her lips together with contemplation, she stared into the distance. “Dunno.” She shrugged.
Scoffing, he scowled and grunted, sitting up despite the swirling in his brain. “You’re always tackling me, making out with me when nobody’s watching, pulling me behind the barn. But the second I try and be romantic, you beat the crap out of me!”
Ruffnut made a noncommittal noise. Her tongue searched the inside of her cheek, and she frowned at the grass. “I’m not good at being liked.” After a heavy pause, she continued. “You think Astrid’s prettier and cooler, but she’s with Dorkcup, so she’s off limits.”
“I’m not into Astrid anymore,” he protested, spreading his arms at his sides. “I’m into you! You know I’m into you, or you wouldn’t kiss me and stuff.”
“Yeah, well, playing with your dick and being your girlfriend are two different things,” she snapped. She pushed up to her knees so she could fix him in a glare. “You think I want all those leftover cheesy feelings? No thanks.”
He grabbed her by the elbow so she couldn’t get up and stomp away from the conversation, as was her usual habit. “My feelings aren’t leftovers! And I’m not your punching bag just ‘cause you’re the queen of mixed signals.”
“They’re not mixed signals!” She gestured vaguely in front of her. “They’re very clear signals. I want to mess around with you when I want to mess around with you, and the rest of the time, I want to be left alone!”Snotlout felt the skin around his damaged eye pull tightly as he glowered. “But I don’t wanna just mess around.”
“Then what do you want? Holding hands and feeding each other in the Great Hall? Giggling and whispering stupid inside jokes? That stuff’s gross.”
“I wanna be able to kiss you without getting a hammer to the face!” he argued. “You don’t wanna be all cutesy, fine– we won’t be cutesy. But I should get to call you my girl and have some say in when we kiss.”
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes and made a show of letting her tongue loll to the side. Releasing her elbow, he lifted his hand to her cheek and pushed back a whisp of blonde hair. She recoiled. “What are you doing?”
“Just trying to touch you!” he exclaimed in frustration. “See? See! You’re looking at me like I’ve got a knife!”She pursed her mouth, blue gaze sharp. Lifting her shoulder, she rubbed it against her face like she could wipe off his light touch. And maybe he was a little out of it from the blunt force trauma, but he could almost spy a little insecurity in her expression.
His jaw dropped. He pointed at her. “You’re scared!”
Her brows skyrocketed as she gaped. “What– why would I be scared of you?”“You’re scared of letting me like you!” he insisted. “Cause you’d rather hurt me than get hurt! Am I right? I’m totally right!”
Ruffnut scoffed, as if the idea was completely ridiculous, and stood. Brushing off her leggings, she started back towards the village. Snotlout staggered to his feet, ignoring the tilting and swaying of the ground beneath him so he could chase after her. It took him a couple tries, but he caught her hand and pulled her back. She snapped her teeth as if to bite.
“Don’t pretend your heart doesn’t beat fast when I do this,” he commanded smugly, holding her face between his palms. Instantly, that flash of nerves glimmered behind her annoyance. Grinning, he slid one hand lower so he could press his fingers against her pulse point. A quick rhythm fluttered in the curve of her throat, and he laughed a little victoriously.
She hit him on the arm, demanding he let her go, but he just held her tightly and grinned. “You’re gonna let me kiss you,” he told her lowly. He’d press his forehead against hers if she hadn’t probably shattered part of his skull. “Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But you like me way more than you want me to know, and one day, you’re gonna let me kiss you.”
Ruffnut’s expression softened just a little. The grip she had on his wrist only barely loosened. For a mere moment, he got to see that raw and unadulterated vulnerability she was trying so hard to keep hidden.
Then she tore from his hands. Turned on her heel and stormed towards the village. “Well, it’s not today!”Not even a hammer to the other side of his face could get rid of his smile.
