This one is a bit of a risk. The characters are a little different, mostly just a little more wild and reckless. But here's hoping you'll enjoy it. It will have follow up stories, all fairly short in terms of number of chapters. Temptation, Irresistible and Delicious.

Chapter 1 – Reality and Dreams

Hiccup sighed heavily as he finally escaped his apartment. Carly, his on again, off again, college girlfriend was not keen on him going out tonight. He couldn't remember the last time he went out drinking, properly drinking, with his friends. Probably not since the second year of college when Carly first came into their lives.
Hiccup had been more than happy working hard in the week and playing hard at the weekends with his friends, drinking and partying all through the first year of college. Then about a term into second year, he'd met Carly. She'd been a sweet, shy and all too cute literature student in her first year and Hiccup had been easily taken with her. But his relaxed and laid back attitude to partying quickly changed when they got involved, Carly didn't do those things at all. And if they went out, it was to quiet more mature sophisticated bars to drink decanted wine and discuss important matters.
He'd started seeing less of some of his friends after that became the norm.
But tonight was Heather's 25th birthday party and the old crowd was all getting back together for a wild night of proper drinking and partying and Hiccup had no intentions of missing out on it. Even the ever quiet and sophisticated Fishlegs was going with his high school sweetheart Rosie.
When he finally saw their old favourite haunt, The Berk Dragon, ahead he couldn't help a small smile. He'd passed many drunken hours in here with his friends, laughing, drinking, getting girls numbers, fooling around and planning his future of wild elaborate travels.
He'd had it all figured back then. He'd complete his degree, doing a year abroad as part of his training, then he'd go travelling around the world visiting all the places he'd dreamed of, going to all four corners of the globe and everywhere in between. He'd take his three legged half wolf, half husky, Toothless with him for some of it. And of course, somewhere on his travels he'd meet his dream girl.

Now he'd completed his degree, passing with highest honours and was completing his masters in veterinary science and zoology, working as a lab tech in the local vets and living in an apartment with his college girlfriend who hated travelling anywhere.
He never did go to all four corners of the globe. He never did a year abroad as part of his studies. He never did any of it. Even Toothless had been restricted to less time with Hiccup. Between studying, work and a girlfriend with a mild allergy to dogs, Toothless just wasn't getting the affection and time he needed. So Hiccup only visited him a few times a week and he was now living between Hiccup's father's and his mother's houses.
Worse than the hatred of travel and the allergy to Toothless was that despite being a perfectly lovely girl, they had been on again and off again in their relationship for seven years. One of those years they'd not been together at all and had hardly seen each other. In another two of those years, they'd dated for a grand total of six weeks. And in two more, they'd dated on and off every other month. This year was their record since they first got together in college when they'd be together for nearly two terms. So far, they'd been together nearly the whole year without breaking up.
After the first few months went smoothly, she'd asked him to move in. And now, a number of months down the line, she was hinting, less than subtly, that she wanted a proposal. He could understand it; they'd totalled up a fair amount of time together even if it was spread out... But given their pattern for breaking up, he didn't want to do anything until he was sure.
On top of that, she couldn't tolerate Toothless for long, and not just because he made her sneeze sometimes, and that was something Hiccup just couldn't quite get over. Toothless had been his best friend since he rescued the big black half breed at fifteen, not long before he had to under-go an operation to remove the lower half of his left leg due to a cancerous lump. Toothless had been the best therapy. The three-legged half wolf still wanted to run and play despite his missing leg and somehow, it gave Hiccup the strength to do the same. If Carly could understand how crucial Toothless was, to let him live with them, then maybe he could marry her.
Fishlegs thought he should. He was always saying, "You've got a great girl right here, and she's real flesh and blood! Stop chasing the dream, the fantasy girl and be glad for what you have." He had a point. Hiccup had always dreamed of his ideal girl, the 'fantasy girl', the 'dream girl'. In his dreams, she'd always been blonde, athletic, adventurous, charming, funny, sarcastic, intelligent... She loved to travel, loved animals, especially Toothless, and was challenging in all the best ways... And she always looked smoking hot in those private moments.
Carly was almost the exact opposite. She was a brunette, very sweet but not at all adventurous or sarcastic, she wasn't into travelling and she loved animals like rabbits that were fluffy and cute rather than overly soppy half wolves. She wasn't challenging or charming, just sweet and innocent in her nature, gentle and kind. She was great... But she wasn't, well, the dream.

With another sigh, he walked into the bar at last. He was immediately greeted by loud music and laughter. Just like college and senior year of high school, he thought with a grin.
"Hiccup! You made it!" Heather cried hurrying over. She wore a short purple party dress that sparkled in the light, her raven hair curled loosely."Where's Carly?" She asked hugging him tightly. He hugged her back smiling broadly at the sight of his old friend in their favourite bar.
"Happy birthday Heather!" He said as she let him go. "Carly says happy birthday too, and she said she might try and stop by later but she's..."
"Made up an excuse because she hates these kind of nights?" Heather asked, saying exactly what they both knew was true but tried not to admit. He nodded smiling crookedly and she sighed. "I love her, she's a lovely girl, but can't she ever just, loosen up? Just for once? Oh, Tuff and the boys are over there. Just a heads up, Tuff swears he's getting you hammered tonight so, you know, watch out. Ruff said she had to go fetch something which has me worried!" She added laughing somewhat nervously. Hiccup laughed back.
"If it's anything like what she had at her party, you have reason!" He grinned. He'd only been there a matter of minutes, then Ruff revealed her great surprise, and Carly dragged him out of there without a second's hesitation.
"Hiccup!" Tuff yelled from beside the bar. "Get your ass over here and do a shot with us! You haven't done one in seven years!" Hiccup grinned at Heather and walked over to join his other friends, affectionately called Tuffnut, Snotlout (don't ask) and Fishlegs.
"One shot, then I'm on beer only." Hiccup said and Tuff blew a raspberry.
"Whhhhyyy?" He whined.
"Because Carly hates him drinking hard liquor and doing shots, that's why." Fishlegs pointed out taking a gulp of his beer. His high-school sweetheart, Rosie was sat beside him drinking what Hiccup assumed was diet coke. Rosie was incredibly sweet, very pretty and one those round cuddly girls. She was funny and caring but always very self-conscious because she was round and, as Tuff had once put it, curvy.
"But Carly ain't here right now! Come on, live a little! You used to be fun!" Tuff said. Hiccup laughed, it was a little false, he hated that he wasn't 'fun' anymore.
"One shot. Carly will flip else. Sorry bro." Tuff blew another raspberry and shoved a shot to Hiccup. Then the two of them and Snotlout all downed the shot together after Tuff proclaimed
"Here's to fun Hiccup! If he still exists!" They all laughed loudly as Ruff suddenly strode back into the bar yelling loudly.
"Heather! I bought you a present!"
"Oh god... Ruff no! Not if it's..."
"Hey girlfriend." A new voice said and Heather screamed as Ruff stepped aside.
"Oh my fucking god!" She cried charging at the newcomer and flinging her arms around them. Tuff was smirking but Hiccup couldn't see who it was through the throngs of people.
"Where have you BEEN?!" Heather cried
"Where haven't I been?" The stranger laughed. "I'll tell you all about it sometime."
"I can't believe you're here!"
"I wasn't going to miss my girl's twenty-fifth birthday when I already missed her sweet sixteen, her eighteenth and her twenty-first!"
"It's been years!"
"Ten years nearly! We were sixteen last time we saw each other! It was the summer after you left!"
"Oh my god it was! What happened to that guy you met? Michael?"
"Oh eurgh! Heather I was sixteen! He's long gone! Then there was Theo and then Eret. He's the most recent."
"Are you two still together?"
"Nah, we hooked up when I was just out of high school and he was working at the boat club. He was already twenty by then. We were together for about a year, then mutual break up."
"What happened?"
"We just realised we weren't enjoying each other's company anymore. We stayed in touch though. He's somewhere in the Caribbean on his catamaran right now. I've had a few casual affairs since then though."
"Wow... Oh! There's someone you have to meet! Hiccup! Hiccup! Come over here!"
"Hiccup?"
"It's a nickname."
"I gathered, is this your guy then?"
"What Hiccup? No! He's my boy, but there's no messy history. We're just old friends. Oh Hiccup, come meet my childhood bestie. This is my girl, Astrid."

Hiccup had walked over somewhat reluctantly, but then Heather had moved aside to reveal the girl she'd been talking to and his heart had skipped a beat.
Before him stood perhaps the most gorgeous girl he'd ever set eyes on. She was average height with a slim athletic build, wearing a pair of slightly tattered tiny black shorts with a bright blue tank top. Her blonde hair was curling and waving wildly, clipped up in a high ponytail. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires and were as blue as the sky on a cloudless day with all the depth and mystery of the deepest blue oceans. Her legs were bare and unbelievably enticing to look at, long and slender with perfect muscle toning and Hiccup couldn't help wondering what those legs would look like wrapped around him. To top the unbelievably casual sexy look she was sporting, she wore a pair of battered and beaten high top sneakers on her feet and her lips were such a delicious shade of red that Hiccup wanted to sink his teeth into the lower one and suck on it hard.
He hardly even heard Heather introduce them; he was just trying to get his head around the fact that this girl, this gorgeous sexy goddess, was her. This was the girl who had, quite literally, haunted his dreams, lingered in his most intimate thoughts since he was a teenager. This was his fantasy girl. His dream girl.
"Hello there Hiccup." She said, flashing a brilliant smile at him. "How do you know my girl then?"
"Err, hi... Hi! I met Heather back in high school." He stuttered slightly. Shit. Stuttering? He hadn't stuttered since he was sixteen! "You, you guys are childhood friends right?"
"Yup, we used to run around causing all-sorts of trouble on base. Then her parents decided to pack that life in and fuck off to Berk when we were fifteen and I was without my girl!"
"Hey, I came to see you that summer!"
"And that was the last time I saw you!" Astrid laughed. God that was a beautiful sound. It wasn't some cutesy little soft laugh like Carly, it was loud and real.
"You're the one who ran off on an adventure!" Heather protested, smiling broadly. Astrid grinned suddenly and Hiccup nearly died, it was so playful and teasing and utterly delicious.
"I ran off with Eret at nineteen. We spent just over a year travelling. I came home to study when I was twenty and by twenty one I'd packed up my shit and fucked off for good. Course, Eret and I broke up before I came home."
"You went travelling?" Hiccup asked her shocked, that was another check on the dream girl list.
"Still am gorgeous." She said winking at him. God she was brilliant, charming, playful... check, check, check... "That's why I look a bit of a mess. Ruff, is it, picked me up straight from the airport. Just got back from a crazy hike through Spain. Was amazing though." He was gawking at her, he was sure, but he didn't care.
"So, what made you leave for good then?" Heather asked her.
"Well, Uncle Finn died fighting in Iraq not long after you went back to Berk, so then it really was back to living with my parents full-time, off base and stuff. I finished high school, with good grades surprisingly since I skipped most of the year after he died with one thing and another. Then obviously I met Eret after I finished when he was working at the boat club and I was dancing on the bar. We hit it off, then he told me about his boat, we'd hooked up by this point and we left to go travelling." She said calmly. "When I got back, I tried to go back to living with my folks and being an obedient daughter..." Heather snorted at that comment. "But I got tired of that pretty quickly, so I put most my stuff in storage, packed a few key things, a handful of clothes and hopped on the first flight out of there!" She grinned wildly at both of them and Hiccup couldn't help but be awed.
"That sounds incredible As, but my adoring fans are calling me so can we catch up properly later? You should talk to Hiccup, you guys might have a lot in common." She said winking at Hiccup before walking away, leaving him to talk to this goddess. She flashed him a brilliantly stunning smile.
"You drink?"
"Yeah but..."
"Great! I want to get plastered and you're coming with me!" She didn't give him a chance to argue. She dragged him to the bar by his wrist and ordered two shots of vodka, shoving one into his hand and downing the other. He hesitated for a second and then tipped the liquid down his throat.
"What was that?!" She exclaimed laughing, her eyes dancing playfully. "That's not how you do a shot! Try again!" And she shoved another into his hand and this time he pounded it back. "That's more like it!" She laughed downing her own.
"Pretty little girl like you shouldn't be pounding back the vodka like that." Said Snotlout, walking over, his eyes scanning her body hungrily. For some reason that bothered Hiccup. Astrid though slammed down her glass and swung round to look at Snotlout hard before ordering a dozen more shots.
"Alright big man, although actually you look pretty small compared to Hiccup here, bet you are small and that's just no fun so don't try it." She taunted "Let's see how well you do against this 'pretty little girl'"
"Deal!" He said grinning and sitting on a bar stool to do shots with her. Snotlout had always been pretty good at shot games in their youth, Hiccup wondered if he was still as good at them now. Snotlout had managed to get three back by the time Astrid had done her six. They carried on until Snotlout admitted defeat, wobbling and nearly falling off his stool whilst she remained firm and steady if a little giggly on hers.
"That was impressive!" Hiccup laughed accepting a glass of scotch. "Where did you learn and master that art?" She giggled again.
"I travelled with a sailor and went drinking with him and his friends for a year remember? You have to drink hard! But the Russians were the best teachers. They were competitive but after a while, I could just about keep pace with them, still lasting longer than Eret."
"That is fucking crazy." He laughed back. She was just constantly surprising him.
"I'm a crazy kind of girl!" she said through laughter. "Alright Hiccup... What's your story? Brief summary only, I like to read the novel in my own time. I need a summary to know if it's worth reading." He shook his head grinning madly at her. She was crazy. Brilliant, beautiful and utterly gobsmacking. And she wasn't shy either. He wondered if that was due to the alcohol, but he doubted it.
"Alright, total dweeb and dork until I was about seventeen when I suddenly grew and became, to quote Ruff, 'hot'. I had an operation when I was fifteen because I had cancer in my left leg..."
"You're a cancer survivor? Wow."
"Not wow, it's an easy treat. They just chop off the cancerous bit and... WOAH WOAH what are you doing?!" He exclaimed as she exclaimed
"You're a prosthetic wearer?!" and tugged at the hem of his left pant leg. She laughed at his reaction. "Easy tiger, I don't milk the cow until I'm sure I like it. I'm just looking!" He felt his ears burn at her comments.
"Can you not? I'm not really comfortable with everyone seeing it. I mean, I didn't used to worry so much... It actually used to be pretty good source of sympathy with the ladies back in college... But now..."
"Oh quit whining! I grew up on an army base. I've seen limbless people before!" She kept tugging until he finally sighed and shifted the leg so she could see. "That is fucking awesome! I've never seen one this advanced!" She said, running a long finger over its surface. Hiccup tried not to think about her running her finger over anything else. "And you've had this since you were fifteen?"
"Not this model no. I had a different one for about two years. I upgraded to this at about seventeen eighteen. I designed it myself."
"No fucking way?!" She asked looking at it more intently.
"Well I needed to change things for specific purposes, so yeah. I designed it and had it made with some help from my dad's partner."
"That's completely crazy! So what does your dad's partner do?" She asked, gently caressing the upper bit of his prosthetic, sending his mind wild with dangerous reckless ideas.
"He's a trained blacksmith, but he runs the local garage fixing cars, mostly old classics. Gobber's Garage. Real original I know, but he makes a fair bit on them. We fixed up an old Mustang the other week. A real beauty."
"You work in the garage too?"
"Well he trained me to fix old cars since I was a kid, taught me how to work in a blacksmiths forge, so yeah, sometimes I still go help out, then I get to take a cut of the profit. But I'm currently working as a lab tech in the local vet surgery."
"Seriously? That's amazing."
"Yeah, completing my masters in veterinary science and zoology as well."
"Wow so you're still a dork but just a hot one?"
"I guess you could say that." He chuckled, watching her carefully and doing his upmost best not to picture her doing similar actions to a different part of his body. "My mum is a zoologist so I guess I get it from her. My dad just runs a big ole business."
"That's still pretty cool. I've got to ask... Your dad is..?"
"Gay? Nah, I think he and Gobber have a history, but Gobber, well he's basically my other dad, so he's my dad's partner in that they live together. But I don't think there's any kinky stuff going on anymore. But to be honest, I'm too afraid to ask."
"And your mum?"
"Came back into my life about five years ago, she travels around a bit working with animals in different places. She lives around here right now which caused some serious tension at first. She hadn't seen my dad for twenty years."
"Ouch. So she left when you were just a baby?"
"Yeah, I've never really known why. I think she got post partum depression pretty bad and threw herself into her career and then couldn't cope with staying with my dad, Gobber and baby me and left."
"That really sucks." She said, her eyes still scanning the prosthetic, fingers still rubbing it. God she was going to give him a real problem in a minute.
"Yeah but I was too young to remember. And hey, I thought you only wanted a summary? That's peeking into the first chapter!" He said with a playful grin. Her eyes suddenly flicked up to his face and she clapped a hand to her forehead in mock annoyance.
"Oh shit! I didn't mean to read the first chapter I swear! Not even the prologue, which I'd say it was. Ok, summary. Summary."
"No way, you peeked at the prologue, now I get to peek at yours." She raised a blonde eyebrow and gave him a devilish smile.
"Oh is that how it is?" She finally let go of his leg and he quickly covered it breathing a small sigh of relief. "Alright, tit for tat it is. You can already see my legs so I think that's fair, if though you're wanting something a little more discreet... Oh here!" She turned around tugged the back of her shirt up slightly to reveal a pale scar about two inches long on her back. "My third, no second favourite scar! I have another I like better but it goes where I'm not showing." She said, her voice teasing and coy. Fuck his mind was wandering around her again.
"You have many scars?"
"Uh huh. It's only fun if you get a scar out of it."
"No kidding right, pain... love it" He said sarcastically and she gave another one of those smiles.
"Sarcasm looks good on you. And I like my scars, but yours is far more impressive. Maybe someday I'll let you count them all." He went still and stared at her. She was not shy at all was she? She'd already said some went where she wouldn't reveal so to count them would mean... Oh fuck... "Ok, a peek into my prologue... Ok, I don't get on great with my parents... We used to live with my uncle on army base... But he and my dad are the kind of brothers who don't really love each other so my parents moved off base when I was like, 8? But because I didn't get on great with them, and my uncle was epic, I spent most of my time living with him on base, then he'd take a turn to go on tour and serve abroad so I'd be stuck with my family again but they'd move into his army house because it was much nicer. Heather was my best friend as you know. I've got a degree in psychology and biology combined. I've worked most my life on the bar, yes on, not behind. I danced, I poured shots into my belly button and I poured vodka into the waiting mouths of gawking sailors." She paused. "That enough of a peek?" He started for a full thirty seconds, picturing her dancing on the bar and doing shots off her stomach which looked beautifully toned under that very tight tank top...
"What? Yeah... That'll do for now." She smiled still more mischievously.
"You picturing me on the bar now gorgeous?"
"What! No of course not..." She raised an eyebrow at him again and swung a slender leg onto his lap and he swallowed hard draining the last dregs of his scotch.
"You're really not picturing it?"
"Yeah... alright I was." He mumbled, now unable to stop staring at the slender leg on his lap. It was taking every last ounce of self control he had not to run his fingers over it as she'd done with his prosthetic moments ago.
"I thought so." She said smugly with a hint of satisfaction in her smile. "Alright, your summary!" She said raising a fresh glass of drink, a martini by the looks of it, and a dirty one. "Dirty, and shaken not stirred." She said noting his glance to her drink. She swung her other leg up to join the one on his lap and waved to indicate he should continue. He just stared at the gorgeous legs in front of him and tried to find somewhere to put his hands that wasn't her exposed tanned skin.
"Alright err... So yeah. I had the leg taken... I'm training to be proper veterinary surgeon and my dream is to be able to work with wild animal species too. I have a pet three legged, very soppy, half wolf called Toothless..."She nearly spat out the sip of drink she'd just taken.
"You have a pet half wolf?!" She exclaimed in surprise. He readied himself for the endless belittling saying how dangerous it was and such. "That's the coolest thing ever! Is he all grey and white?!" He looked at her in surprise, her eyes were bright and she seemed genuinely serious and he found himself grinning... a check on the list again.
"No, he's all black with big green eyes and the soppiest look ever. He's very good at puppy eyes and begging for food."
"Oh my god! Can I see him?!"
"Errr sure, I've got a photo on my phone..." She chuckled.
"I meant in the flesh silly! But I'd like to see a photo too!"
"Oh right well, he's staying with my dad currently. No pets allowed in the apartment I have."
"Well that sucks! Do you think I could meet him though?"
"I guess so. I mean, I don't see why not. He loves meeting people, mostly in the hope they'll make a fuss of him and give him food." He got out his phone and began scrolling through the photos looking for a good one of Toothless, his stomach lurching when he saw photos of Carly. He had a girlfriend. He had a girlfriend. He had a... what was he doing again? He handed the phone over when he found a collection of photos of the half wolf running around in a field, chasing butterflies mostly.
"Oh my god! He's gorgeous! Look at that face! Oh... oh that is priceless, the butterfly on his nose?! That was a lucky capture!" She laughed happily as she looked through them. "He's amazing!" She told him passing back the phone. The picture still there was one of him hugging Toothless as he slobbered all over his cheek. Hiccup smiled at the memory.
"Yeah he really is. I rescued him when I was fifteen. But he had to have his leg amputated shortly before I did. We kind of became inseparable after that. He was better than any therapy for getting me back on my feet."
"I can imagine, I mean, he went through the same thing, he can empathise!"
"That's what I always felt. He understood when I just couldn't get over it not being there. We kind of just got each other through."
"Amazing. Completely amazing." She confessed. "Another drink?"
"No I really shouldn't..."
"Come on! Where's your sense of fun?! You're in your twenties! This is the prime of your life! You've got no concerns, like kids, this is the time TO get drunk and party, before you can't do it anymore! Live a little, feel alive. Be alive with me." She leaned forward as she said the last few words, her voice dropping slightly in tone, her eyes dancing in the light, tempting him forwards himself. He could smell faint traces of vanilla and honey on her, her lips looked so wonderfully inviting. He wanted to be alive. To remember what it felt like to live. He wanted to be alive with her.
She was close, so unbelievably, dangerously, brilliantly close. He could see the faint shimmer on her lips but there was no obvious stickiness of gloss or lipstick. He could make out soft freckles kissing the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks. He could probably count every eyelash. God she was beautiful.
Temptation is a dangerous thing. And he knew somewhere in the back of his mind, he shouldn't be tempted at all... But it was impossible not to be.
"Let's be alive together." She breathed. How were her lips so close to his? He didn't remember leaning forwards that much, but he would never forget closing the gap and slipping her upper lip between his.
It was tender at first, sweet, harmless... But temptation is a delicious thing and within moments of their lips meeting, they were moving their mouths against each other, applying just a little more force as his hands slid up her leg and up her back to hold the back of her neck and hers slid up his chest gripping his shirt and pulling him closer.
She tasted so sweet, the faint traces of alcohol still on her lips, or was it on his? It was delicious and somehow her lips just melted into his like they were meant to be there, like a piece of puzzle he never knew he'd been missing. She was meant to fit here with him, she just felt right. Everything about her felt right and Hiccup was half convinced he'd wake up any minute now in a wet patch in his bed. After all, she was the girl from his dreams, how could he not expect to wake up? His fingers tangled in her blonde locks, savouring the moment, the taste, the sheer bliss of living, of taking a chance. It had been too long since he kissed a relative stranger in a bar, in this bar. That was the trouble with having a long running on again off again relationship, you didn't get to do that and even when you were single you didn't do much because you never knew if you'd be together again and... WHAT WAS HE DOING?! He had a girlfriend! He was still dating Carly! And he was sitting here kissing the girl of his dreams. It was so wrong but so right. So right and so wrong. He couldn't keep kissing her, but he couldn't stop. It was addictive, needed... He fought to regain control of his brain and pull away from her, slightly breathless, heavy lidded and regretting leaving her lips already.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have..." He stuttered. She smiled at him.
"Hiccup, you don't have to be sorry. It was a good kiss, I thoroughly enjoyed myself..."
"I have a girlfriend!" He blurted out feeling immensely guilty. He shouldn't have done it, he should have told her sooner. Why didn't he mention that in his summary?! She'd hate him forever now and his one shot with his dream girl was gone. He could practically see the opportunity shrinking into the distance. Wait what opportunity?! She swung her legs off him and sat up straight, her beautiful features shifting.
"What?!"
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I have a girlfriend and..."
"And you thought you'd just what, use me for kicks?! I don't do guys with girlfriends!"
"No no! That's not what this was! I swear!"
"So what the hell was it?!"
"I just got caught up in the moment and I'm sorry. You are beautiful and bold and amazing and all these things I dreamed of having in a girl... and I've been in the same old on again off again relationship for years, never going out or anything and suddenly I remembered how fun living was and I was just captivated by you and... god I'm so sorry. I'm such an awful person!" She sighed heavily as he put his head in his hands.
"No you're an idiot is all. Look, you stopped it. It could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse. It was a kiss. It's pretty harmless. Don't worry." But it wasn't just a kiss. Not to him anyway. There was something much more there. Did she not feel it? "Let's just forget it tonight ok? It's in the past. It never happened alright? We'll clear the air better when we're much more sober and there's less tension and music."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you don't seem like a jerk to me. You look far too guilty for that. So," she shrugged "we let it go. Ok?"
"Thank you... I mean that. You're, amazing. No other girl would ever let it go." She gave a one shouldered shrug.
"It's fine. Everyone does stupid things in their life. At least you can cross kissing a stranger in a bar when you shouldn't off your list." He gave a nervous chuckle. "So tell me about this girlfriend of yours then. Is she prettier than me?" That dangerous glint was back in her eyes and Hiccup didn't know if he was safe to answer.
"Well err... She's different to you." She grinned still more.
"You'd be single if she heard that." She teased. "You always say your girlfriend is prettier without hesitation." But she isn't, he thought miserably. Was he cursed? Why did he have to meet the actually living embodiment of his dream girl now? Why not in those times when he and Carly were on a break? Or way before he met Carly?
"So you guys are in an on again off again kind of relationship?" She asked taking another sip from her drink.
"Yeah... Been that way for years now. We date, we break up, we date, we break up... Same old story." He sighed heavily and waved for another drink.
"Years? How have you not given up? I'd have caved long ago, maybe you guys are just stronger though..."
"I dunno. It was always easy and safe with her. You know? She's a sweet girl and we get on well, sure we have our differences but we get by... We'd break up and then run into each other and start the cycle all over again, and then you end up sitting around waiting for it to start again because by that point it's the norm."
"That does not sound like a fun way to live. Have you not..?"
"I've not had anyone since my first year of college pretty much. I mean, the first term of second year I had a few hook-ups, but then Carly came into my life and everything changed."
"Is she THE one then?" He'd been dreading this question. Was Carly THE one? Honestly? No. Was she likely to be the best he'd be able to get? Probably. Did he see himself spending his life with her? ... Honestly... It was a little hard to see, like a blurred photo where you just can't quite make it out. It didn't give him a rush of butterflies that made him feel elated. It just made him feel those wings flutter in a panic and feel like someone was chaining up his insides. No, she wasn't the one.
"Well I mean, she could be... I mean we err, we might someday... if we iron out some issues and err... It would mean giving up a couple of childhood dreams but who doesn't give those up and.."
"So she's not then."
"Whaa... no that's not what I said..."
"You didn't have to." She sighed and put down her drink shifting closer to him again. "If she was the one, your eyes would have lit up at the thought, you wouldn't have needed those extra moments to query it... you wouldn't have even considered kissing me."
"But she could be..." He tried to protest but she shook her head at him, she was dangerously close again and those wafts of honey and vanilla hit him like a freight train.
"No she can't. Look, when you find THE one, you'll just... know."
"But how?" He asked, almost pleadingly. He'd asked his own father in his youth, but he didn't usually get more than a grunt or two back. "How do you know?" She bit her lip and god did he want to bite it himself.
"Well, when you find the one... suddenly everything will make sense, all those love songs and sappy poems you never understood properly, will just suddenly make complete sense. You'll get butterflies in your chest and stomach when you look at them, when you think of them." He had butterflies right now. "You'll just, finish each others' sentences by instinct alone. Every touch feels like electric, like a fire burning inside your chest and lightning sparking over your skin." Her hand was on his and he could practically feel the electricity sparking over his flesh and lighting a fresh new flame in his chest. "You'll get stupidly happy when you see them and drink in their words even if you don't listen properly, just because you need to hear their voice." Could he record her talking? Besides, he might need to play this back to remember for future reference. "And when you kiss," Was he imagining it or had her voice dropped with a small sigh of bliss? "when you kiss, it'll just feel like the planets are all aligned. It'll feel like your lips were made to be together, melting into each other. Your bodies just fit like pieces of a puzzle." He wanted so badly to pull her into his lap and see how well she fit there with him; her lips had felt so right between his. "When you're together, it will feel different to anyone you've had before. You'll feel complete and totally satisfied with hardly any urgency and roughness because you're just meant to be together." She wasn't looking at his face now and one hand had migrated up to his chest. Her eyes were glazed, her voice soft and almost wistful as she just stared at a spot on his shirt. "You'll move together like you're one body that was torn in two, your hearts will beat in synch and somehow, everything just fits, everything is just right." He just stared at her, his lips parted, breath quickening, heart rate increasing beneath her hand. She looked up at him slowly, her expression mirrored his own. "You won't have to iron out issues because there aren't any. And anything that crops up trying to cause a problem will soon be resolved. You want the same things in life so there's no need to give up on dreams." His eyes locked onto hers, trying to peer through the depths of those blue waters rolling within them to see her soul. Surely, surely she could see his? He felt sure he was exposed to her, completely exposed. Did she feel this too? He hoped she did, but was that worse?
"So, is that... is that how you know?" He asked, not daring to break eye-contact, hardly able to speak at all. She gave a small nod.
"I think so. I've not you know... experienced it personally..." Her voice was so soft, so different to what he'd heard before. He let the hand she wasn't touching move to hold the one currently on his chest. "Does she give you any of those feelings?"
"No." It wasn't the answer he'd intended to give, but it was true.
"Does she want what you do? Does she accept your dreams and goals?"
"No."
"Does she..."
"No. I can already tell you that'll be the answer. Like I said, she's great but..."
"...she's not the one for you."
"No. I guess, I guess maybe she's not." Again, Astrid shook her head.
"There's no guessing. She either is or isn't."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because we all have a past Hiccup. And we've all learned, however hard it was at the time, if something just wasn't right."
"So you..."
"I've had my fair share of experiences. And I might not have it totally figured out yet, but I know what's not right so that's the place to start." She gave a small shrug and moved away from him again, taking another sip from her glass and licking her lips. Was she doing it deliberately? Was she trying to taunt him? "Besides, I'm not really worried about the marriage and kids thing."
"You don't want that?" His stomach dropped a little. He wanted that stuff, just not yet.
"It's not that it's... I should have said, I'm not really worried about the marriage and kids thing, yet. Would I like to settle down one day? Yeah maybe. But I want to do all these things I couldn't do with a child on my hip first. Like... I want to dive in the Great Barrier Reef, and climb Everest..."
"Stand on top of the volcano in Hawaii..." He chimed in
"Yes! And then spend a day lying on its beaches doing absolutely nothing."
"Visit the North pole just to sing On Top of the World..."
"Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras..."
"...and wake up the next day covered in beads with a headache." She laughed at that.
"Go to Australia!" She exclaimed suddenly
"... And spend Christmas day sunbathing!"
"Go to Paris to climb the Eiffel Tower and drink fine French wines that taste like crap..."
"... Wash it down with a crepe and ride the Orient Express through Europe."
"Absolutely! Eat spaghetti and meatballs in Italy..."
"... Take a ride in a Gondola in Venice."
"And go to the place where the lights touch the Earth, in the most remote forests of Canada where wolves run wild and bay at the moon..."
"... listening to them howl whilst sitting by a log fire in some little shack lodge thing in the middle of nowhere..."
"... Just savouring the moment and the freedom of the place." They both gave a happy sigh at the thought and looked at each other. She gave a sudden smile that was a little bashful. "You really want to travel huh?" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Since I was a kid." He admitted. "I planned to do a year abroad during my degree, you know, get experience in the field, but then I met Carly and that just didn't happen."
"Well why not?" She asked sitting forward, a questioning look on her face.
"Carly didn't want me to go away for that long. We spent a number of months apart that year anyway in the end, we'd break up every other month."
"You should have gone anyway. Why not go after you finished your degree?"
"That was always my plan, I worked during college, I had the money. I always intended to earn my degree, then take at least a year or two out to travel, working along the way, gaining experience and doing the things I'd always dreamed of."
"So why didn't you? And if you say because of Carly I'm going to pound the last of my Martini just to slam it on the bar and call bullshit." He gave her a sheepish grin.
"You'd better pound it then." And she did, slamming it down and calling, very loudly
"BULLSHIT!" A few party guests turned to look at her and Hiccup saw Ruff laugh. "Sorry but that's bullshit. In a number of ways. Would you like me to list them?"
"That's really not neces..."
"One; you should never give up on something you desperately want for anyone. If they're worth it, they'll either join you or wait."
"Astrid really it's..."
"Two; if you really did want to go, you'd have done it regardless. You were scared, scared to go out there, scared to lose her because to use your words, she was 'safe' even though she was your on again off again girlfriend."
"Yeah maybe I should have..."
"Three; if she really does care about you, she'll go with you. She won't stop you because it's something you need to do. Not just something you want."
"Ok I get the picture. I should have gone..."
"Should have yes. But what's stopping you from going now?"
"I'm in the middle of finishing my masters degree."
"So why not go after that?"
"Because Carly hates travelling, she doesn't really like the idea."
"So fuck her. Go anyway."
"I can't Astrid! Don't you get it? I'm in a long term relationship. It's a give and take thing. You compromise! I can't just up and leave her behind! Relationships, adult relationships, don't work like that!" At this point she stood up and squared right up to him.
"First off Hiccup... I know relationships are a two way street with give and take." She prodded him in the chest. "But answer me this, what have you given up or changed for her? How many things?" He paused to think... Toothless couldn't live with him, he spent less time with him now, he gave up his year abroad, his years after, he gave up going out drinking with his friends, gave up on the parties and the messing around playing bar games, he gave up riding his motor bike so much, he practically threw out half his wardrobe... "That's what I thought. And what has she given up or changed for you?" He thought hard. She must have given up loads for him. She was too sweet to be all take. She let him move in so that counted right? She err... She'd... Huh... He was struggling here. "Again, that's what I thought. So now answer me this Hiccup. If you've given up so much, if you've changed so much for her, and she hasn't done the same for you, has she compromised?" Well she let him see Toothless, and he didn't have to sell the bike, he just kept it at his dad's place. "Is it really an adult relationship if you're the one making all the sacrifices? Is it really an adult relationship if you're pretending to be someone else for her?" He looked at her sharply. He wasn't a fake! He'd never been a fa... Ok yes back in college he and Tuff would try a few scams when they'd had a few to drink to see if they could pull... but he wasn't fake in a relationship!
"Hey I'm no fake!"
"Oh really? So where's your girlfriend?"
"At home, she didn't want to come out, she doesn't like these sorts of nights..."
"And you do, lie number one."
"That's not it! I used to do this stuff all the time, I've just, matured."
"Yeah I bet you have. Drinking and kissing me was totally mature."
"You said we could forget that!"
"And we can, but you won't." He hissed slightly, was it that obvious? "Want to know why?"
"Enlighten me." He drawled sarcastically. She narrowed her eyes.
"Because it was a good kiss. A really fucking good kiss. And you know it. You haven't kissed anyone but her in years and you enjoyed it. You wanted it and you won't forget it in a hurry because deep down, you aren't totally happy with her and you keep lying to yourself, trying to convince yourself you are." Why did she have to be standing so damned close? Why did she smell so fucking good? Why had he drunk another thing of scotch? Why did he want to kiss her again even though he was with Carly? Why was she right? No she wasn't right, he was happy with Carly... But he wanted to fuck Astrid so badly right now. That was the alcohol. Definitely the alcohol. No wonder Carly hated him drinking. But did that mean she didn't trust him? Wasn't a relationship meant to work on mutual trust? Did she have reason? Not before tonight. "If you really were one hundred percent happy with her, you wouldn't have kissed me. You wouldn't still be wanting to. And you wouldn't be thinking about fucking me right now." Could she read his mind or something?! How else could she possibly know he was thinking about that? He wasn't hard was he? He chanced a brief glance, not yet. Half of him wanted to grab her roughly by her hips and then use one hand to push her mouth down onto his again; the other half knew it was a bad idea.
"I'm not thinking about that. I won't deny you're attractive; I'd be stupid to try. But I'm happy with my girlfriend."
"Is that so? One hundred percent, completely, incandescently fairy tale ending happy?" She asked. He gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Yup. Totally." This time she closed the gap, she slipped between his legs and pressed in close. She was going to kiss him again. He made to kiss her back, to taste those delicious lips again, to be tempted by their beckoning shimmer, but she stopped a mere breath from his lips. He felt a wave of frustration at being deprived of her lips and she smiled smugly, leaning back away from him.
"I knew you were lying."
"Was not." He muttered, feeling a little ashamed and embarrassed and very stupid for being deceived.
"Don't make me prove you wrong again Hiccup." She laughed. He had half a mind to pull her forwards so she was pressed right against his crotch. No no, that would be very bad. No more alcohol. Clearly his tolerance levels had dropped or something. Or maybe the sexy blonde between his legs was just worth a whole bottle of scotch in units and a taste of her had him drunk off his ass. She took a couple more steps back and he fought against the urge to stop her.
"Ok... Rant over. All I was trying to say is that, well... If you want to travel, you should. Ask her to go with you. Try to compromise, because else, you'll resent her for it later. Just a piece of advice for you." He didn't look at her. He was trying not to consider the truth in her words, or risk her seeing how much he wanted her in his eyes.
"Right yeah..."
"DID YOU GET HICCUP TO DRINK SCOTCH?!" Tuff yelled loudly as he and the others came over, Snotlout still wobbling a little from his shot match against Astrid. She laughed.
"Yeah I did. He sort of opted for it."
"Impressive, we haven't been able to get him to drink properly in years!"
"Guess I just have a magic touch!" She chuckled. "Astrid, Heather's old friend. You're Ruff's brother right?"
"Unfortunately yes. That is a burden I must bear. I am Fred Thorston. Affectionately known as 'Tuffnut' or 'Tuff' for short."
"Good to meet you Tuff." She said shaking his hand.
"Good grip." He said with a grin.
"Yeah and I know how to use it."
"Oh she knows how to play! I like it!" Hiccup grumbled somewhat, was Tuff actually flirting with her? Why did it bother him?
"Don't challenge her." Snotlout warned. "She plays a hard game."
"Damn right I do."
"I have to say though, it was impressive. I applaud the master. They call me Snotlout."
"Snotlout?"
"Don't ask." Hiccup advised. She nodded and shook his hand too. "And you already know Ruff."
"Vaguely yes."
"You can get to know me better if you like." Ruff said with a wink. She got like this when she was drunk. But Astrid just laughed.
"Maybe someday I'll take you up on that." They all stared at her which only made her giggle.
"Not with my sister... Maybe you can reacquaint yourself with Heather? Here... Now?" Tuff suggested. She punched his shoulder.
"If I was going to 'reacquaint' myself with Heather, I wouldn't do it with you guys gawking at us would I?"
"So are you like, a lesbian?" Snotlout asked, clearly disappointed. Hiccup thought given the way she'd been kissing him it was unlikely.
"You wish." She said with a grin like a Cheshire cat. "I'm straight boys, but I just like to try things. Do it whilst I'm young and then I can't regret not trying it can I?"
"So more bi-curious than bi." Fishlegs said walking over with Rosie by his side. Astrid turned to look at the newcomer who'd spoken.
"I guess you could call it that yeah." She looked hard at him. "And who might you be?"
"Mitch Ingerman, Fishlegs to my friends."
"Do I want to ask where the name comes from?" Fishlegs shrugged.
"I can hardly remember if I'm honest. Had the nickname too long."
"Fair enough." She said nodding. "So how do you know..."
"I'm Hiccup's best friend. Met Heather in high school too. Same as Rosie here. My high school sweetheart."
"Hi there." Rosie said softly, her tone nervous. Hiccup knew she was shy, especially around girls like Astrid.
"Wow, high school sweethearts. That's impressive. I take my invisible hat off to you both." She said turning her gaze to Rosie. "Oh wow you're gorgeous!" Rosie went pink.
"Excuse me?"
"Sorry, but I can so see why you haven't let her go Mitch, you are very beautiful."
"Oh well thanks. Honey, can you order me another diet coke?"
"Diet?!" Astrid exclaimed "Honey, you don't need to be fussing about ordering diet!" Rosie looked at her in surprise.
"Excuse me?" She said again.
"Girl, listen to me. You are freaking stunning. You're curvy in all the best ways. I've long since said, if you've got it, use it! And you've got it! I'd give anything to have your figure! Perfect hourglass. Me, I'm practically a straight line! I'd kill for your curves." Rosie just looked baffled.
"I... Well... Girls don't..."
"Big girls are beautiful!" She said. "Hey who's in charge of music?! I know a song!" She was very giggly but she seemed to be completely aware of exactly what she was doing and Hiccup was quite impressed given how much she'd already drunk. Tuff happily pointed to the stereo beside the bar and the barkeeper, James, offered her the connected iPod with a grin on his face. He shoved a ten dollar bill towards Hiccup.
"Bet ya ten bucks she gets up on the bar and dances and sings, Hiccup." He muttered as she scrolled. She was tipsy, but surely not that drunk yet.
"You're on." She finally found the song she wanted and Mika's 'Big Girl You Are Beautiful' blared over the speakers. To begin with Hiccup was sure he'd win. She danced, she sang and pointed to Rosie, but she didn't climb onto the bar. That didn't last and very quickly the whole bar was watching her move.
"Cough up, Hiccup!" James laughed as she whooped loudly from on top of the bar.
"Ah shut up! There, ten bucks!" She was totally wild. Completely free spirited and he loved it. Even Rosie laughed and danced around after that. It felt just like college for a while. Astrid danced on the bar like some hypnotic goddess sent from above and he knew, he wasn't the only man in the room who couldn't take his eyes off her. His eyes wandered without his brain giving permission. They walked up her body, from her tattered sneakers, up her bare slightly tanned legs to those too short for his alcohol infused brain shorts, up that flat toned stomach beneath her tank top, over the soft subtle curves of her chest, to the graceful slope of her neck where he'd very much like to leave a hickey and onto her all too beautiful face.
"She's gorgeous isn't she?" Heather laughed grabbing hold of his arm. It was all he could do to nod, trying hard not to stare at her ass in those shorts as she turned on the bar and shook it. "Have you stopped staring at her all night?" He didn't answer. She was freaking amazing. Could he just drag her off the bar and kiss her again? "I'll take that as a no! You know she's probably going to be in town for a while. Ruff said she's sticking around for a bit. I bet you guys would really hit it off if you spent some more time together." Heather's words were just white noise like everything else. Every twist every turn, every smile, every laugh. She was captivating. More to the point, she was tempting.
"Hiccup, are you even listening to me?" Heather asked as Astrid finally jumped down from the bar, breaking the hold she had on every man in the room, bar Fishlegs, at last. She lost her footing slightly and Hiccup couldn't stop himself darting forwards to help her steady herself.
"Thanks gorgeous." She grinned standing up straight.
"You're welcome."
"I've never had so many tips!" James laughed. "I think they thought you worked here so half of these are probably yours!" He teased Astrid. "I'll tell ya, if you were working here, especially dancing like that I'd double my income!"
"Glad to have been of assistance!"
"I'm serious, if you fancy a job tending bar, you can have it. You've got charisma and charm."
"Well I'm planning to stick around a while," she said looking at Hiccup with a less than subtle smile on her face, an all too-inviting playful challenging gleam in her eyes "I could definitely use the money."
"You know where to find me if you want the job."
"I sure do. Now... You." Hiccup stopped staring when she prodded him in the chest.
"Me?"
"You're coming to dance."
"No no no no no... I don't..."
"You did, you stopped and now you're going to dance again. It wasn't a question." She dragged him without hesitation to dance, and he didn't fight her, he just grinned like a tipsy nineteen year old at his first college party.
They danced with the others, they danced together and she never once let him out of her sight. She'd place his hands on her hips and sway with him, laughing and spinning into him, sending their bodies crashing together and sparking lightning over his every inch. She was so calm, so relaxed. It was like she didn't care that there were maybe fifty people around who were staring at her and wondering why she'd chosen to dance with him. And probably around twenty of them knew he had a girlfriend. But every swing of her hips was hypnotic, every touch of her skin was enticing, every smile on her lips inviting. He let his hands savour the feel of her as they danced. It was innocent right? Every now and then it would be Ruff or Heather or Rosie dancing with him. So surely it meant nothing when it was Astrid. Except none of them lit a fire in his chest or sent a current through his skin when they touched. She was always looking over at him and her gaze made his stomach do back-flips, his heart do somersaults. He couldn't keep his eyes off her either. When she danced with the other guys, it awakened some creature in his chest which growled with disproval at her being so close to them and purred in delight when, with a cheeky wink, Tuff sent her crashing back into his body.
The pressure was hot, different and exciting as their bodies slammed together, hip to hip, chest to chest. His arms holding onto her, her hands gripping his shoulders. Her lips sparkled in the light, her eyes danced as they scanned his. She wanted what he wanted. Her heart raced in time with his. He could feel it pounding against his chest. She'd let her hair fall loose and it feel in wild untamed waves and curls. It was hot, stunning. He held her gaze. She wanted what he wanted. And right now, all he wanted was her against him, her lips on his, his fingers in her hair, a hand on her back.
Temptation had never been so dangerously delicious before. And there was no resisting it any longer. He leaned his face closer as they swung their bodies to the beat. She didn't pull away. Too close, not close enough. Close the gap, increase it. Give in, fight it. To be tempted, to be temptation. Desire, longing, chemistry. Astrid. Dreams.
"Hiccup?" Reality. "Hiccup?" Astrid or Carly. Pick your poison. "Hiccup? Heather, is Hiccup here?"
Reality or dreams?
"Hiccup!"
Shit.