Hiccup lead Astrid through the mall until they got outside a bookstore. He thought he'd taken enough turns to confuse her. He took the tie off her eyes and put it in his pocket before she tried to run off. "Where's the exit?" she asks.

"That's what you'll be going no where near anytime soon," he says before grabbing her wrist and almost literally dragging her farther into the giant collection of stores.

"Hiccup, I'm not kidding. I'm really uncomfortable in malls!" Astrid says, trying not to raise her voice in desperation as she attempted to pull free. Hiccup pauses and looks at her to find her eyes were constricted and shining with fear and discomfort as she gazed around.

"Well, sorry to do this, but we need to get you looking like Top Girl again," he says before pulling her into a beauty salon.

"No, no, no, no! Not this place! Please!" she begs as she tries to run back out. Hiccup steps in her path and wraps his arms around her before taking her to the front desk, sighing in annoyance as she tries to twist and break away

"Appointment for Astrid Hofferson?" he says and the lady types something before smiling at the two teenagers.

"Debra will be right with you," she says and Hiccup nods before making Astrid sit in one of the waiting chairs and standing in front of her to make sure she doesn't try get away. The blond girl was looking at her lap as she crossed her arms, trying not to look around as memories flowed through her mind. She was about to be consumed with grief but thankfully Hiccup breaks her from her thoughts before that happened.

"Astrid?" he asks softly and she lifted her gaze to look at him. He was crouching in front of her, a look on his face that Astrid couldn't quite read. "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice sounding worried. When she looks down again, he lifts her chin to make her meet his eye. He could feel her muscles tense under his touch, but he knew that they've been tense ever since he could remember. Before he moved, before she was home schooled...she'd always been under stress. He felt like it increased lately and hopefully, after today, he could get her to tell him why. Today, he just wanted her to relax. "Astrid, I want you to look me in the eye," he says softly as he sees her looking at his forehead. She hesitates before her eyes shift and they lock gazes. "I want you to do nothing but relax today. Okay? Debra is great, she's not gonna hurt you, you just have to sit back and let her do her thing. I promise it'll feel great," Hiccup tells her.

"What'll feel great?" Astrid asks.

"Astrid Hofferson?" a lady calls before Hiccup could answer. The pair looks in the direction to see a woman with brown hair and blue eyes, her name tag reading Debra.

"Hello, Debra," Hiccup says as he takes Astrids hand and leads her to the woman.

"How are you Hiccup?" she asks with a smile.

"I'm fine, but not the one that needs your help. Take good care of her," Hiccup says, turning Astrid over to Debra. "Meet me in the food court when you're finished," he quietly adds to Astrid before lightly kissing her cheek and making her cringe as he left the salon. He got Astrid's size from Calica so he had some shopping to do.

Astrid's P.O.V.

Why can't he just keep his lips to himself?! I follow Debra into a room that had a massage table, massage chair/nail station, hair and make up station, mud bath, and an annex type thing that worked as a steam room. It was a pretty big space for a mall store. "Why don't you go behind the curtain and put this on," Debra says, handing me a robe. I take it and do as she said. "What kind of massage would you like?" Debra calls from the other side of the curtain. 

"Uh, do you do suction cup therapy?" I ask before hearing a bunch of clinking sounds.

"Yup," she says after a moment. I walk out from behind the curtain and she points to the table. I undo the robe and lay on my belly before she folds the article of clothing over my legs to reveal my back, down to my hips. I feel the coldness of the oil as she spreads it over my skin, preparing it for the suction cups. "Have you had this before?" she asks.

"Yeah, a few times," I tell her, trying to do as Hiccup said and relax into the therapy. "Do you know Hiccup?" I ask as I feel her place a cup on my shoulder blade.

"Yeah, we talk," she says, her voice revealing a smile.

"Are you his mother?" I ask and she chuckles.

"Oh, goodness no. I could never create some one as sweet as him," she says, affection shining from her words.

"Then may I ask how you know each other?" I ask her, turning my head so my cheek was pressed to the head rest.

"Well, his mother use to come here and she brought him. He was the sweetest little boy in the play area we have for moms who need a break. I used to work there when I wasn't treating her. She disappeared when he was about three. No one knows where she went or what happened to her. I became friends with his dad and Hiccup's been visiting me once a month ever since. Well, except when he was at boarding school, of course. So, how do you know him?" She asks.

"We went to school together before boarding school. Then, I was home schooled for five years and he got back 2 years after me. Ever since then he's been the most annoying little twerp in high school. Even more annoying than his cousin, which I always thought was impossible," I tell her to hear her chuckle as she tightened another cup on a muscle that was torn or something. I hiss air through my teeth in slight pain.

"Too tight?" Debra asks worriedly.

"No, it's just a soar muscle," I tell her.

"Well, I know he might seem annoying to you now, but he's just trying to help you," she tells me as she starts the sliding technique.

"By torturing me with unwanted make out sessions?" I ask and could tell she held back laughter.

"He...helps in strange ways...I'll give him that. But he knows what he's doing," Debra tells me.

"Would you happen to know what his dad does?" I ask.

"He's the mayor," she says casually.

"The mayor?!" I breath in shock. Why did the mayors son have any interest in me?!

"What about your parents?" she asks, bringing me back before I slip into madness. Although, I didn't like my new thoughts much better.

"My dads the PE coach at the elementary," I tell her, afraid she might tell Hiccup if I told her the whole truth, "And my mother was an accountant." I was blinking away silent tears as my eyes stung.

"Was? Did she get fired?" Debra asks. I pictured the flames of the crash, on the TV screen, as they dragged my moms body from the plane, half burnt.

"In a way," I tell her, using all my will power to not choke on my words.

"Hm, well, I hope she finds work soon," Debra says as she starts to take off and rearrange the cups on my back.

"Fun fact, she used to come here. She and I had just...girl days in this place. We'd get make-overs and our hair done, maybe a massage, depending on how money was... I miss her," I add under my breath.

"Were you satisfied with the outcome?" Debra asks.

"Oh, most defiantly," I tell her before she chuckles and releases the last cup. Wow. Forgot how good it felt to remind the body of the shoulders.