Normal POV
"Are you going to finally ask her out or are you just going to sit down there looking like a lovesick puppy?" Hunter asked.
Hiccup managed to crash back into reality when he heard his older brother's voice. He blinked a few times to realize he's been staring at his crush, Astrid Hofferson - which he has been doing for the whole class period.
This was Hiccup's 5th block PE class. Today was Friday, and that meant it was for the students to dedicate their 60 minutes of their lives exercising or at least doing something productive that will make them sweat and exhausted. In Hiccup's case, he was slacking off and admiring Astrid Hofferson playing volleyball with her friends.
"Look, bro," Hunter sighed and sat down on the bleachers next to him, "If you have nothing to do other than staring at the girl of your dreams, then come on and play football with me and your classmates." he pointed to the field next to the volleyball court.
Although this is a Junior's class, Hunter was only here because during this period was his Teacher's Academy class - where he helped out the PE teacher for the first time this semester.
"Nah, I don't feel like playing." Hiccup said, waving a hand to him.
"But you love playing football."
"Well not right now." Hiccup replied.
Hunter huffed in frustration at his younger brother's stubbornness. Sure yeah, as siblings they've been more than brothers to each other. The two were best friends and were really close. But right now, Hunter's been annoyed by the fact that Hiccup hadn't made a move to ask Astrid out.
Hiccup always thought she'd reject him because she was liked and known by many people, kind of making her popular. There are girls who had crushes on the auburn male, but none were as great as Astrid. It was only her that caught Hiccup's eye.
And then there's Hunter, who watches as Hiccup's love for her unravels and blossoms. In fact, he's had a crush on her ever since the start of Freshman year for him. Astrid was the new student that time, and coincidentally, Hiccup was assigned to show her around the school.
Back then, Hiccup was still the awkward, shy introvert that always stuttered and needed Hunter the whole time to guide him. However now, he's finally gained confidence and got out from his comfort zone that he's been hiding in. He also found himself growing more taller, almost passing 6 feet. Just a few more years and he'll probably be the same height as Hunter, or probably even taller.
"It's not really hard, you know." Hunter said. He jumped to his feet, "Just stand up, walk to her, ask if she's free tonight, and if she says yes-"
"It's not that easy, OK? Look at her! She's Astrid Hofferson, there's a low chance she's going to say yes to me." Hiccup exclaimed, hiding his face with both of his hands.
Hunter rolled his eyes, "You're just overreacting. There are dozens of girls that like you, what makes you think she won't be like one of them?" he asked.
"That's because she isn't." Hiccup pointed out, "Astrid is...Astrid. No one is like her. She's intelligent, hard working, invincible, beautiful...you don't see any girl like that everyday." he said, hunching his shoulders in misery. "I bet she doesn't even know I exist."
"You do know that you were the first one she talked to when she came here." Hunter retorted, proving his point that Hiccup was just being a little - maybe a lot - dramatic.
"Ugh," Hiccup looked up to glare at Hunter. The older brother shot him a mocking smirk, "You don't get it. She's not going to like me back!"
Hunter gave him an unamused look, "And what makes you think that?" he asked.
"She barely knows me, we don't talk to each other, there are a lot of guys that like her - thankfully she rejected them because they were kind of a bunch of jerks - I'm getting crowded with girls I don't even know - which Astrid is going think that I'm some sort of...dreamboat for girls and I won't have time for hee if we ever become friends, and the list goes on and on..." Hiccup said.
"Hiccup," Hunter sighed. He crossed his arms, "As your brother, I'm happy to help you with your...love life. You acting like a stalker to Astrid is getting old and creepy."
"I do not stalk Astrid." Hiccup glared at him.
"Well you're beginning to." Hunter said. Hiccup wanted to say something back, but he couldn't. "Exactly." he said. "Trust me, Hiccup, she'll love you! Come on, what girl wouldn't? You're just as intelligent as her, you both like to do sports, you love dragons, and so does she. Maybe if you'll introduce yourself to her, she can get to know you better and we both know where that can lead to."
Hiccup shrugged, "Yeah but still...you're not always right. A-and you giving me advice about this is becoming weird." he said. He turned his attention away from Hunter, looking back to Astrid. He saw her spike the ball to the opposing team, winning her own team a point.
Hunter clicked his tongue, "There's no getting into that oversized head of yours, is it?" he groaned.
"Nope."
Hunter stayed quiet first before coming up with a solution. "You know what?" he asked Hiccup. Hunter didn't give him time to respond. The younger auburn male yelped when Hunter grabbed his arm, yanking him up to stand. Now on his feet, Hunted walked forward, with Hiccup locked in his grip.
"Hunter?!" Hiccup asked in disbelief. "What are you doing?" he tried to pull his arm away but Hunter was stronger than him. A few students near saw them, curious on what was happening. To the students, Hiccup and Hunter were look-a-likes, except that Hunter's hair was more shorter, and his eyes are blue.
"Something I should have done a long time ago."
Hiccup panicked, "Wait...what are you going to do?"
"Getting you a date with Astrid."
His emerald green eyes widened, "What?!" Hiccup cried, "No..no, no, no, no, no!" he tried to walk the other direction, but Hunter didn't let go.
"Hiccup, don't make me drag you." Hunter said.
"You already are!"
"It's going to be quick, don't worry. It'll be a short talk." Hunter assured him.
"No! Stop!"
Hunter ignored him. This actually made him remember a time where it was time for Hiccup to go to the dentist for the first time. They were really young, and Hunter had to drag Hiccup by the leg to get him into the dentist's office.
Hiccup looked past Hunter's shoulder. His heart hammered in his chest when he saw they were approaching the volleyball court, a glimpse of familiar golden hair appearing in his view. No. He can't. Not like this. He didn't want Hunter to ask Astrid for him.
Nevertheless, he needed to find a way to escape Hunter's grasp. Remembering back then on how he managed to escape last time, an imaginary light bulb sparked over his head.
Hiccup looked down at Hunter's feet.
He hoped it will still work.
...
After kicking Hunter's shin as hard as he could, the auburn male pulled his arm away and sprinted towards the nearest restroom like an award winning athlete almost to a finish line. He felt bad about his actions since he and Hunter had made an oath not to commit any violence to each other since last time they did it almost ruined their brotherhood.
Hiccup slammed the restroom door shut, marching inside. He scanned the room for any students. There was none. Good.
The auburn male sighed, leaning his back on the outside stall door. He met his reflection, staring at himself for a while. What if he didn't do that? What if they made it to Astrid? Hunter would ask Astrid, and if she says yes, then Hiccup would be with her for a date.
Even though he'd be happy for that, he wanted it to be himself to ask Astrid. Not Hunter.
Hiccup just needed time that's it.
...
"AH!" Hunter screamed in pain when he felt Hiccup kick his shin. His hand let go of his brother to apply pressure on the kicked area to lessen the pain. Hearing running footsteps behind him, he snapped his head back to see Hiccup running away. "HICCUP! GET BACK HERE!" he yelled angrily.
He groaned, looking down at his leg.
Hiccup is so paying after this.
Meanwhile, Astrid spiked the volleyball heading her way. Heather, who was in the other team, lunged forward to hit it. Unfortunately for her she was too late, and missed it. Astrid's team cheered, jumping up in victory. They won again.
"Good game, Hofferson!" Heather shouted, standing up while brushing the dust from her shorts.
Astrid smiled at her best friend, "Good game!" Astrid shouted back.
The girls all began to sit down by the bench, drinking water and complementing each other on how great they were when playing volleyball. Astrid walked away to the group to collect the used ball that was at the edge of the court.
The blonde female bend down to pick it up. With the ball finally in her hands, Astrid turned to go back to the group. However, a distant cry of pain alerted her, making her look back behind.
Astrid held the wires of the wall fence surrounding the volleyball court, squinting her crystal blue eyes to see who yelled. There, she could see. It was a tall male with short auburn hair that was cut into a low fade. She's never seen him before, and he was certainly not from her class.
She then remembered he was a teacher aid to Coach David in PE Class. What was his name again? Hunter?
A short chuckle left her mouth when he was randomly jumping like someone hit his leg or something. Hunter stopped performing his jumps, whirling his head around to look for someone. All of a sudden, he and Astrid made eye contact. She expected him to carry on his way, but he didn't.
Hunter stood still, an awkward look on his face.
Astrid arched a brow, waving a hand to acknowledge him. The male from afar waved back at the same manner before turning around to march away. She saw him turn around, probably to look back at her. He did another awkward hi before scurrying out of sight.
OK, that was weird?
She pushed herself away from the fence and walked back to her friends.
That was the first time Astrid saw him.
And when I mean him, I mean Hunter.
Next Day
"So Attempt 1 didn't work." Hunter said, walking with Hiccup down the hallway. The two just got out from lunch.
Hiccup gave him a look, "What?"
"Attempt 1 to get you to ask Astrid out."
"Uh...you're making it sound like some sort of experimental project." Hiccup said.
"You kicked my shin."
"You deserved it."
"What if I kicked you in the shin?"
"Then I'm telling Mom." Hiccup said with a grin. Typical. The younger ones always had the parents on their sides.
"You owe me something for going against our promise." Hunter said.
"Whatever." Hiccup said. "Just...don't do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack."
"You need a little push, that's all. What's it going to take for you to finally have the guts to actually do it?" Hunter asked.
"I need my time." Hiccup said casually.
"Well time is ticking, lover boy." Hunter rolled his eyes, "Senior year is coming, and you're not going to be a Junior forever."
"If I'm lucky enough, I'll at least ask her on a date once." Hiccup said.
"You really are stubborn." Hunter accused.
"Runs in the family." Hiccup shrugged. They stopped by Hiccup's locker.
While watching him take and put books from his locker, Hunter still pushed on, "Hiccup, you need to take my advice. Just talk to her. That'll give you a head start. There's no harm in talking to her." he said.
"I appreciate your help but I got this. I have everything taken care of." Hiccup said.
"Oh really? What are you going to do once you see her? Still going to hide behind lockers until she leaves? That's actually the reason why she doesn't notice you, you know." Hunter said.
Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Anyway...I know what to do. And it's not the just talking thing you want me to do. I can't just all of a sudden walk up to her and just...talk.
I don't want her to think I'm one of the people that likes to flirt with her out of nowhere. Have you seen those guys that got pummeled by her when they treated her in a dirty way?" Hiccup asked. "Astrid needs the respect she deserves."
"Then what do you have in plan?" he asked.
"Something where I can help her?" Hiccup said. "Class work, projects, studying...something that has a reason for us to talk." He emphasized.
Hunter smirked, "If you're so determined and sure that you're right about that, then why don't you help her carry those books she's holding?" he pointed to his left.
Hearing Astrid's name from Hunter, Hiccup slammed his locker to see where she was. His brother was right. Around 40 feet from them was Astrid, carrying loads of heavy text books and notebooks on top.
Hiccup's mind went blank, his legs became frozen, and his heart dropped when he realized he was in the same room as her. His eye twitched, and a strand of hair popped out. He felt alone all of a sudden. He was in a dark room, Hunter wasn't here, the walls were closing in on him, and Astrid was just standing there looking at him.
"Uh...are you going to help her or not." Hunter asked. Astrid was almost close to them.
Hiccup blinked his nightmare away, "No...no I can't. I can't do it I'm not ready!" he exclaimed in worry. He knew Astrid was having a hard time holding all of those books and he was more than willing to help her. However, he couldn't make himself do it.
The auburn male turned to run away as fast as he could like he always does, until Hunter grabbed his wrist. Hiccup whipped his head back, horror written all over his face. "Hunter!" oh gods, not again.
"If you kick my leg again, you are walking to and from school for a month." Hunter threatened.
"Please, you don't understand!" Hiccup pleaded, pulling his wrist away. His heart pounded his chest, the hair on his arms rising when he saw how close Astrid was. "Hunter, let me go! I'm begging you here."
"Nope."
Hiccup panicked more. He struggled to get out of his grip, but Hunter wasn't having any more of this so he had to take matters into his own hands. The auburn male tried to process anything in his brain for a solution. But the only thing that came out was violence!
And violence he shall commit.
Moving fast, Hiccup stomped his heel on Hunter's foot, causing him to loosen his hold on his wrist. To make sure he doesn't go back for him, Hiccup pushed him before running away to gods know where.
Hunter found himself falling back, crashing into someone behind him. He heard the student squeak when he fell on top her. He pushed himself off the ground, hands on the floor beside the student's head. Hunter looked down to who he crashed into.
"Astrid!" Hunter exclaimed. The blonde female blushed under him, her face becoming red. "I am so sorry." he said. He sat up, helping her off her back. His blue eyes looked around them, seeing the textbooks all over the place. "Here let me help you."
"N-no, it's alright I can handle it." Astrid said, not looking his way to avoid him seeing the blush on her face. She still couldn't believe that happened to them.
Hunter didn't listen, picking up the textbooks off the floor. Astrid picked a few of the left notebooks. The two stood up together, a few seconds of silence between them. Hunter looked down at the textbooks and her. He did felt bad she was carrying them, might as well just help her. Darn, if only Hiccup were in his position, he'd cherish every moment he had with Astrid.
"Uh..you need help with these?" Hunter asked.
"No, it's..it's..alright." there was a small faint blush visible on her cheeks, "Here give me, my locker isn't that far away."
"I'm not taking no for an answer, missy." Hunter chuckled, "Come on, show me where your locker is. You look like you've been carrying these the whole day."
Astrid stared at him, another blush creeping on her face. "O-ok I guess." she stuttered. She lead him to her locker, opening it. Once her books were placed inside, she turned to him. "Thank you, Hunter."
He shrugged, "No, problem." he said, "Well, uh, gotta go. I'm going to be late for uh...English." he lied. He meant he was going to find where the heck his brother was to make him pay for what he just did.
"OK. I'll...see you in PE, I guess? Thanks again." Astrid said.
Hunter nodded before leaving. Astrid's eyes didn't leave his back until he was out of her sight. "Huh," she murmured. What was suddenly with Hunter? He's never given her notice before since she was a grade under him.
Nevertheless, a smile curved on her face at the thought of him bumping into her and helping her with her books.
Astrid closed the locker door shut, walking to her next class.
A Few Days Later
It was a lazy Monday, but the students were glad it was finally afterschool. Cars passed and stopped by the front of the school to pick up students, some walked because their houses were near, and some stood in line to wait for the bus.
Astrid sat on a bench, looking at her phone with a frown. Her parents couldn't pick her up. Her Mom was working extra hours at the restaurant she worked, and her father traveled out of town for a business meeting. Ingrid, her mother, told her to ask for a ride from her classmates.
However, her friends were busy with after school activities like cheerleading or clubs, meaning their parents won't pick them up until the next 1 or 2 hours. She can't take the bus since she didn't apply for a form to ride it. And walking was out of the list because her house was miles away, and she didn't do good with the heat.
Astrid sighed, looking down. She had to think of something. There was a project that's due tomorrow she needed to finish, and she's wasting her precious hours still here.
Meanwhile, Hunter and Hiccup were walking out of the doors of the school. They were making their way to Hunter's sports car - Hunter was still angry about the incident last week. Even though he made sure that Hiccup was going to walk if he ever kicked his shin again, but the auburn male emphasized that he didn't do that since it wasn't his shin that he hurt.
Smart bastard.
Before they could reach the parking lot, Hiccup stopped walking to notice Astrid sitting on one of the benches. Hunter saw him stop. "You OK?" he asked. Hunter looked to where Hiccup's eyes were focused. He saw Astrid. "Is it really the right time to gawk at your crush?"
"What? No." Hiccup said. "She looks down, Hunter. You think she's OK?" Hiccup asked, looking at the hunched Astrid. She was looking at the ground, her face not the usual happy face he's always seen.
"I don't know...why don't you go ask her? You have all the time in the world. I can wait here if you want." Hunter grinned, crossing his arms.
"That's crazy! I'm not just going to walk straight over to her!" Hiccup said.
"Then what are you going to do? Your future girlfriend looks like she's worried for something, and now you're just going to ignore and pretend like you didn't see her?" Hunter asked.
"I-I want to ask her what's wrong but you know me when it comes to her!" Hiccup complained.
"An unconfident introvert who becomes so self-conscious and nervous he violently attacks his own brother to get away from his crush as fast as possible then go back to being love struck and gawk at her when she's not looking?"
"You make it sound more worse than it actually is." Hiccup groaned.
Hunter sighed. He wrapped his arm around Hiccup's shoulder, "Come on." he said. He then started walking back to the school, Hiccup beside him.
"What the? Hunter what are you doing?!" Hiccup asked in a high-pitched voice. The nervous feeling sunk in his stomach, making his legs jelly again. "Hunt, this is getting old already! You need to stop!"
"And you need to stop acting like a scared little boy. Be a man and talk to your girl!" Hunter complained, still progressing to walk to Astrid with him.
"Hunter!" Hiccup whined.
There was no getting away this time.
...
Astrid looked up to hear someone walking up to her. Her eyes looked up to see who, then when she saw Hunter stop a few feet from her, she rose from the bench. "Hunter!" Astrid exclaimed, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Hi..hey what...brings you here?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup scrambled out of his grip and hid behind Hunter's back before she notices him. He is going to kill Hunter after this. "Hello, Astrid." Hunter greeted innocently. "My brother and I were wondering, is something wrong? You look troubled." he said, pulling Hiccup back beside him. The auburn male gulped, standing as still as he could.
Astrid was still confused by the fact the two Haddocks suddenly approached her, but since Hunter has been extremely nice to her that day, she kind of wanted to talk to him now. And he noticed her out of everyone, she appreciated the acknowledge.
"O-oh...yeah, I uh.." she blushed a little bit, unable to look at him in the eye. Gods, what was happening to her? "I don't have a ride home. My parents are busy with work, I can't get a ride from the bus or my friends, and I can't risk walking under the sun at a time like this because I get heat exhausted."
Hunter thought for a second, "How convenient," he wrapped an arm around Hiccup again, "We-...I mean my brother was going to ask if you wanted a ride back to your home."
Hiccup blinked, "I did?"
"He did?" Astrid asked the same time as Hiccup.
"Sure he did!" Hunter said happily, "That's if you're OK with it."
Astrid smiled and nodded quickly, "Sure, I accept." She said.
The blonde female turned around to get her bag. Meanwhile, Hunter gave Hiccup a look, "See? Wasn't that bad right?" he whispered.
"I hate you." Hiccup spat back.
A smile was glued to Astrid's face, and she had no idea why. Was it because she was going to be dropped off by Hunter? Wait why is she suddenly excited about that? Whatever this tiny feeling was, she'll figure it out some other time.
The trio made it over to Hunter's sports car. Astrid sat at the the back while Hunter took the wheel, and Hiccup on the passenger's side. When they were on the road, Astrid gave directions on where to go. After that, it was pure silence in the car.
Usually, the two would start talking how their day was, crack jokes about each other or talk about Astrid for Hiccup's sake. Hiccup felt like he was going to explode soon, knowing Astrid was just behind him. The auburn male chose to be quiet to avoid any humiliation. Even with the look Hunter was giving him, Hiccup kept quiet.
The car stopped by Astrid's house, with no progress in talking whatsoever. Astrid gathered up her things, swinging her bag on her back before opening the door.
"Thanks for the ride." Astrid said, she eyed Hunter, "Bye, Hunter." he nodded. She then turned to Hiccup to bid him goodbye, "Bye-" Astrid stopped herself. Hiccup was crossing his arms, sinking into his seat and wasn't directly making any contact or acknowledge her through the whole trip. "-Hunter." she felt stupid all of a sudden. "uh, yeah, bye Hunter. Thanks again."
Astrid closed the door, making her way to the house. She had assumed Hiccup didn't want her there, which was odd since didn't Hunter say that it was Hiccup who offered her a ride? Nevertheless, to none of her knowledge, Hiccup was just shy every time he was around her.
Back inside the car, Hunter sighed and drove. "Nice going, Hiccup." he said.
"Hmp."
...
It was a new day, and also last block for the high school students. Hiccup was in a class called Dragonology. This subject is an elective class so that meant any student could take this class, doesn't matter if you're a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior. Anyone who are interested in this class can take it.
This class mostly focused on Dragons, which existed during this time. Although some may think they are enormous creatures that reached to more than 50 feet, they were actually the size of dogs or cats and were extremely adorable! In this class, students learn every species of Dragons there is, their history, physical features, abilities, and in special occasions, they could bond with them.
It was almost time for the bell to ring, so the teacher, a middle aged man named Gobber, cleared his throat. The students looked at him, "Alright, class ends in 3 minutes so I might as well tell you about this." Gobber said.
"Tomorrow, a few baby dragons will be arriving in our school." Gobber said, "And those baby dragons will be ours for a few months or until we get them tamed and trained. As baby dragons, we know they won't listen to anyone, so starting tomorrow, all of you will use every knowledge you have about dragons to train the little ones."
Everyone bursted in excitement, all talking at once. "The dragons will arrive here tomorrow morning. You will all be graded on how well you do. Be warned, they are babies. We all know what happens when they get too excited. They almost set the school on fire once before." the students laughed.
"Moving on," Gobber said, "I know most of you have a lot in your schedule. Basketball season is coming up, academic competitions, rehearsals," he said, "I'm going to need at least 2 volunteers for an after school baby sitting...or dragon sitting. What I mean by that is I need 2 students to look after the dragons after school, or at least until they fall asleep."
When Astrid heard that, she giggled and raised her hand up really high, excitement showed in her face. Eventhough she had a busy schedule, she wanted to participate in this because she loves dragons, and adored the baby ones. "Ah, Astrid. Of course you would." Gobber chuckled, "Anyone else?"
Hunter smiled. He nudged Hiccup on the arm, "Dude, this is your chance." Hunter whispered, "Do it!"
"What? No, I can't." Hiccup said. Him and Astrid alone for 60 minutes together for almost everyday? That sounded like Valhalla but terror still hit him. He and Astrid will be alone together.
"You've got to be kidding me." Hunter said.
"Shhh." Hiccup shushed.
"Anyone else?" Gobber was still looking around.
"It's either you or somebody else. You don't want anyone taking any chances with her, do you?" Hunter whispered.
"Yeah but...what if I make a fool of myself in front of her?" He asked. "A person like doesn't deserve to be with someone like her."
"Stop doubting yourself. You love dragons, she loves dragons. You guys can have a lot of stuff to talk about!" Hunter exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Come on guys, anyone else want to-"Gobber noticed Hunter, "Ah! Hunter Haddock!" He said.
Hiccup and Hunter froze.
"Thank you Astrid and Hunter for volunteering. You both start tomorrow." Gobber chirped.
Hunter looked at Hiccup in shock. Uh oh, that wasn't supposed to happen. "Wait, Gobber I-" Hunter stood up to talk, but the bell rung.
"Class dismissed!" Gobber said.
Everyone suddenly stood up, getting their essentials and walking out the classroom. Before leaving, Astrid turned her head around to look at the back of the class. She watched as Hunter put his books inside his bag. So, he volunteered coincidentally after her, huh? She thought.
Astrid smiled, followed by a blush when she left the room.
Next Day
"Lucky f**king bastard." Hiccup groaned, scowling at Hunter while the other students watch and hold the sleeping baby dragons that were like the size of kittens or hamsters. The two were alone near the back of the class while the others were at the front.
Hunter clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. Hiccup was angered by the fact Hunter was the one who is partnered with Astrid for the afterschool thing. "Uhm, in my defense, it was an accident. I didn't mean to raise my hand." Hunter said. "And, you were the one that held back. So this is your fault." Hunter crossed his arms.
Hiccup groaned, "I hate you." he said.
"Why not get a haircut like mine and you show up as me?" Hunter asked. "We basically look alike."
"That's a terrible idea." Hiccup said. "People are going to think I'm copying you. She can tell which is which, we have different color eyes." He pointed out.
"Oh yeah." Hunter said. "Sorry Hiccup, there's no changing Mr. Gobber's mind after yesterday." he grinned, "I'll make sure to talk about you to give her a hint."
"Don't. You. Dare." Hiccup said.
Hunter shrugged before walking away from him. As obvious as it is, Hiccup envied the fact that Hunter was going to be with Astrid every after school. Now he regretted not volunteering sooner. He blamed himself for being a coward. That after school thing for this class might have only been the only chance he can actually talk to Astrid.
Speaking of Astrid, Hiccup watched as the blonde hold a baby Deadly Nadder. The dragon was chirping and happily nuzzling close to her arms. It made Hiccup smile, not caring who saw him.
If only he had the courage.
...
"You really do love dragons, don't you?" Hunter asked.
It made Astrid jump, frightened with the sudden sound of his voice. It was 3:30 in the afternoon, and they were inside Gobber's class, feeding the dragons and making sure they sleep. The whole time they were here, it has been quiet, except for the squeals and chirps from the baby dragons. There were a total of 3 Deadly Nadders, 2 Monstrous Nightmares, 4 Gronckles, and a Zippleback.
"Hm?" Astrid turned her attention from the Deadly Nadders she was playing with, to Hunter. She saw him casually sitting on the desks near her. The mysterious blush appeared on her cheeks. "Oh yes. I do love them." she said. Astrid realized Hunter was a bit intimidating.
"Huh," Hunter noticed. He jumped down the desk and walked towards the back of the classroom where the dragons were, "Really?" she nodded. "Do you like any particular type of dragon?"
"Deadly Nadders." Astrid said. Hunter looked at the Nadders jumping up and down on the table, all wanting Astrid's attention, he should've noticed. The blonde smiled and looked back at the baby dragons, who all chirped to see her again, "I got an adult one back home. Her name's Stormfly, a sky blue one with a bit of yellow."
"What makes you love dragons so much?" Hunter asked, looking at his shoulder to see a green Gronckle resting on it. The dragon roared, but not as loud as the adult ones. (Btw, the dragons here are smaller. Adult dragons are the size of like, dogs or cats, while Baby dragons are the size of hamsters, kittens, you see the point. It's cute when you think about it.)
"What's not to love?" Astrid asked, giggling a bit. "They are adorable and just...amazing. They are so mysterious and love playing around. Other than that, when you bond with one, an unbreakable friendship is born." Astrid lifted her finger, a purple Nadder on it, "you and the dragon become closer than you thought, and they'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy and safe. That's what I love about dragons, they're always there for you when you're feeling at your worst."
The Baby Gronkle crawled on Hunter's arm, followed by a few more and a Monstrous Nightmare. There were even some on his hair. Nevertheless, away from Astrid's sight since his back was turned to her, a smile appeared on Hunter's face.
Hunter realized how similar Astrid and Hiccup were about their perspective on dragons. He reminded her of Hiccup too. Hunter does love dragons, but not as much as Hiccup and Astrid. The auburn male even has an adult Night Fury in their home.
The older auburn male snapped out of his thoughts when one of the Zipplebacks bit his ear. "Ouch!" he yelped, turning around to see one of the heads hanging from his ear like an earring.
Astrid looked at him, laughing once she saw all the dragons flocked around him. There were Gronckles making a nest out of his hair, the others on his arms, the Monstrous Nightmares were chasing each other around his body, and the Zippleback was still biting his ear.
The Nadders screeched and all flew to Hunter, taking place anywhere they can find. It made Astrid giggle, the view in front of her was adorable. Hunter was a dragon magnet!
Astrid stared at him while he tried to get the dragons off him, but they showed they love the male and didn't let go. A look was forming on her face that she didn't even realize. She started to admire Hunter all of a sudden without even knowing.
"Hey, stop that! My ear is not a chew toy!" Hunter scolded the Zippleback, but it still chomped on his ear. He looked back to Astrid for some help, but once he saw her face, her expression seemed to look familiar. A look he's seen with Hiccup when he looked at Astrid. Hunter was about to think about that, until another dragon bit his other ear. "OW! WILL YOU STOP THAT?!"
Astrid blinked, finally out of her trance. What was that all of a sudden? Why was she suddenly staring at Hunter? "Uh, Astrid? A little help please?" Hunter begged.
"Oh, sorry!" she apologized. She ran over to him, helping him get the clingy dragons off him. Some flew to Astrid, some just taking their place back on their tiny slabs of rock.
Astrid giggled and teased him about his problems with the dragons while taking the Gronckles off his hair. Hunter realized she was awfully close him, since she was tip-toeing and an inch from his body. Although he felt uncomfortable and bad because Hiccup was the one that liked her and suppose to be here, Astrid on the other hand, enjoyed his company.
Which was becoming a bad thing and a problem that Hunter hasn't noticed yet.
Valentine's Day
In the early morning, Astrid and Heather sat together in the cafeteria, eating breakfast.
It was Valentine's day. Love is in the air, couples around giving each other gifts, and all that lovey dovey stuff. Astrid hated Valentine's Day. Why? Because dozens of idiots are going to be giving her flowers and confessing their love to her. Which Astrid did not like.
Why? Because all of the boys who give her gifts are...in a few words, dirty, disgusting, perverts, and immature. They flirt in a way she didn't like, their presence annoyed her, they try to flatter her with words like "hot", "sexy", but in the end, they either get slapped on the face, sucker punched in the gut, or a knee to the groin.
Astrid's beginning to think boys just like her just because of her looks. However there was one time where a guy was actually nice and polite that liked her. But even though he was respectful and liked her personality, he started freaking out and said he hated dragons when he saw Stormfly on a night she invited him over.
When is a guy that actually likes her for her, treats her in a way that she deserves, and loves dragons as much as she does, enter her life?
On the corner of her eye, Astrid noticed a familiar figure walking in the room. Her head turned toward its direction, and to her surprise, it was Hunter. He walked inside to talk to a couple of his classmates.
And again, Astrid found herself looking at him with no knowledge of realizing her admiration for him. Was he always that cute? She never noticed him much before until she saw him at PE when he was awkwardly jumping near the bleachers. Then after that, she always saw him everyday. Was it because she started to notice his existence?
"I know that look." Heather smirked beside her. Astrid ignored her best friend and just continued to smile at Hunter, who didn't see her. The raven-haired girl leaned over to Astrid, "Did Cupid hit little Asty's heart with a love arrow?"
"Shut up, Heather." Astrid said jokingly, a blush appearing on her cheeks.
Heather smirked, "Who's the lucky guy? Must be special to have the Astrid Hofferson goggle at." she said. Astrid didn't respond, instead, she continued to look at someone. Heather squinted her eyes, following her line of vision. Once she saw who Astrid was looking at, her dark green eyes widened in shock, "Hunter Haddock?" Heather whispered, knowing Astrid will punch her if anyone heard her.
Astrid sighed dreamily, which was unlike her. "Is it obvious?" she asked.
"Definitely." Heather said. She continued to eat her cereal. "What suddenly made you like him?" she asked.
Astrid thought for a second before replying, "I...I think he likes me." Astrid said.
Heather arched a brow, "What makes you think that?" she asked. "Isn't he a Senior? He's a grade over you, what made you suddenly notice him out of the hundreds of other Seniors?"
"Uhm well," Astrid remembered, "It started a few weeks ago in PE class. You see how he was assigned to help the PE teacher? Yeah, he was there. After volleyball, I saw him alone and just staring at me. When he realized I was looking, he just became awkward and just turned away.
"Then there was the time when he offered me a ride back to my house when I couldn't get any from anyone," Astrid explained. "And then in Dragonology, when I volunteered to baby-sit the dragons, he also volunteered after knowing I volunteered. Doesn't that sound fishy?"
"Hmm," Heather said. "He could possibly like you. I've seen movies about these types of scenarios." she wiggled her eyebrows at Astrid, "Ooooh, Astrid's finally got the boy she's looking for."
"Will you shut up?" Astrid giggled, but sighed sadly. "I'm still not sure. What if it's just a coincident? I can't just jump into conclusions." she said.
"I say he does like you." Heather said, "The clues are right there. Just wait and see how everything unravels." Astrid shrugged. "I'm guessing Valentines this year for you is going to be the best." Heather said once Astrid smiled.
"Oh, Astrid!" someone sang behind them.
Astrid and Heather turned around to see Snotlout holding a heart-shaped box filled with chocolate inside. She groaned.
"I guess not..."
...
It was morning break, and Astrid was looking through her locker. It was only 10 o'clock yet and she's already rejected more than 20 guys that were all the same: immature, jerks, egotistical, and the list goes on.
Meanwhile, at the very edge of the lockers, was Hiccup. He was leaning on them, his breathing was ragged like he was hyperventilating. On his hands were a bouquet of red roses, which he was holding really tight. His palms were sweaty, and he felt like he was going to explode like a volcano in a few moments.
He could do this. He planned this ever since last week: to make a move on Astrid by giving her flowers on Valentine's Day. Hiccup did notice her reject a few guys, but only because those were students who she despised. Hiccup wasn't like that, he was a gentleman and never thought of disrespecting Astrid.
The problem was, would she even accept the roses? True, Hiccup wasn't like the other guys and he liked Astrid because of who she is, there was a possibility she would still reject him.
Alright Hiccup, you can do this. Just walk up to her, say hi, give her this, and..uh it looks more complicated that I imagined.
"Red roses and haven't fainted when knowing Astrid is just 15 feet from you." Hunter said out of nowhere. "You really are taking this to the next level."
Hiccup looked up to see Hunter with a cocky grin, "Will you go away? You're not helping." Hiccup spat. "Everytime you help me with Astrid something bad happens."
"Blaming others for your own misery." Hunter said.
"Shut up." Hiccup said. He looked back at Astrid.
"Just start walking to her. You can do it, Hiccup." Hunter encouraged.
Hiccup stepped out of his tiny hiding place and face Astrid, "Alright...but..stop talking now, you're going to pressure me." Hiccup said.
Hunter lifted his hands up and backed away.
Taking a deep breath, Hiccup looked over to Astrid.
And that was when he felt like falling into a pit of nothing.
Everything became black, and it was just him and Astrid. He started sweating aggressively, eventually going to get blinded by his own sweat. His breathing increased, his legs shook. The walls were closing in and it was hard to breath now.
To his horror and imagination, he saw Astrid moving toward him like it was him who was walking. However, his feet were glued to the ground in terror, and his mind was playing games with him. Stupid brain.
"Aahh, Hunter.." Hiccup said nervously. He then took a step back, which made the darkness go away and everything go back to normal. "I can't," he dropped the roses to the ground, "I can't do it." he turned around and as always, ran away.
Hunter saw a blur pass by, and there Hiccup goes. "This is seriously getting old." Hunter said. "Hiccup!" he groaned. Hunter picked up the fallen roses, a few petals falling down once he did. Hunter was to run to follow him, but he bumped into a Junior in doing so.
"Hey!" it was Heather.
"Oh, sh*t sorry." Hunter said. Suddenly, he remembered Heather was a close friend of Astrid's. He looked at the roses Hiccup got for Astrid. It would be bad for these to go to waste. "Can you do me a favor?" Hunter asked. He handed her the roses, "Can you give these to your friend Astrid? Thanks, I appreciate it."
And with that, Hunter ran away.
Heather looked at the bouquet of roses on her hands. She then looked at Astrid, back to the roses, then to the Hunter running away.
...
Astrid finally gathered the books she need for her class, stuffing them in her bag. When she closed her locker door shut, she jumped in shock to see Heather with a smirk on her face. "What the? Heather!"
She said nothing and presented her with a handful of roses. Astrid rolled her eyes, "If those are from another guy I despise, then drop them in the trash like the others." Astrid turned around to head to class.
"Actually, you'll be glad to know who these came from." Heather said, which made Astrid stop. She turned back around. "Here you go," Heather winked, "From Hunter to you."
Astrid immediately grabbed the roses from her. She looked at them, excitement bubbling in her chest. "Are..are you serious?" Astrid asked.
"Yep." Heather popped the P. "He bumped into me, gave me the flowers, and told me to give them to you." she said. Astrid blushed and looked at the roses, she was touched. "He must have been too shy to give them to you."
And that moment, Astrid was sure Hunter liked her. She doubted that idea at first, but now that he gave her these roses, it answered her one and only question.
After school
"You disappoint me." Hunter said. He never saw Hiccup again until last block. After the rose incident, Hiccup had hid from Hunter. "You had one chance, and you blew it. I guess you have to wait for the next Valentine's Day. Just hope she's still single next year. I'm beginning to give up on helping with you with all this."
The two were walking to the parking lot. Hunter and Astrid weren't staying afterschool for her Dragonology class because Gobber was looking after them for now.
"You're terrible." Hiccup said. "I don't know why it always occur to me when I see Astrid."
"You just need confidence. And right now...you don't have any." Hunter said.
"It might be easy for you because you're not the one that has a crush on her!" Hiccup explained. "You don't feel any butterflies, you don't feel the hard pounding of your heart...you don't understand how I feel when I'm around her."
"Why don't you jus-"
"Hunter! Hey! Wait up!"
Hunter and Hiccup both stopped to turn around to see who called. When they saw a familiar blonde with blue eyes, Hiccup's mouth dropped. Hunter was ready to catch him if he ever fainted. "Uh, hey?" Hunter asked once Astrid reach them.
Astrid panted, "Thank Thor you're still here, whew." it looks like she's been running a lot.
"Do you..." Hunter looked at Hiccup, "..need anything? Because Hiccup here can-" Hiccup elbowed him on the gut.
Astrid smiled, silent a few seconds to think what she was about to say. Meanwhile, Hiccup looked at her. Instead of the usual anxious feeling, he was confused. Why was she looking at Hunter like that? Did he even notice it? Whatever it was, Hiccup wished it was him Astrid was looking at with that expression.
"I-I...I was uhm, wondering..." Astrid stuttered. Her eyes still stayed on Hunter, who looked at her with confusion, "S-since you're a Senior and well, you took Ms. Jennelyn's Geometry class when you were a Junior, which I'm taking now, would..would you mind coming over..to uhm, help me with my work?"
The two siblings were wide eyed in shock, mostly Hunter. Astrid waited for a response, but she was beginning to think she shocked him a bit. Hunter looked over to Hiccup for help, but he was still in a shocked state, unable to move. "Uh...s-sure, Astrid." Hunter said.
Her face lit up, "Really?" she asked. Hunter nodded unsurely, "Thank you!" Astrid said excitedly. "Come by around 6 today at my house. I'll see you there." she said. "Bye, Hunter." she turned to leave, "Bye, Hiccup." then off she goes, a smile and blush visible on her face.
Once she was gone, Hunter and Hiccup looked at each other. What...just happened?
The two let the truth sink in.
Astrid Hofferson just asked Hunter Haddock for a study date.
Hunter was shocked.
Hiccup was angry.
To be continued...