Author's note: These accrue in the How Date Professor-Student story line, with no set time line, some will be after Astrid and Hiccup met, one, two or three (at the most) maybe prologue chapters, a few maybe farther down the line, and some will help clear up a few details in the main story line for example on chapter may focus on Hiccup's and Astrid's date before she finally moves in with him, another may address Hiccup meeting Heather, again with no exact order, but I will give a frame of reference at the start of each chapter and some where down the road I'll make a time-line. Again this is a collection of one-shots.
One-shot 1 The second dinner together
It was late June and Astrid was in the finest restaurant in town, actually felt out of place, even though she was wearing a very nice evening gown she borrowed from Valka. She was more of a pub known to have brawl kind of girl, but Hiccup wanted to take her here. Hiccup was also dressed sharply, like he was a British nobleman from the 1910's-1920's. For some reason appeared at ease, that when Astrid remembered sometime Stoick once said, the founder of Haddock Enterprise and the Haddock family, Hamish Haddock I, was a great business man and started the Haddock family fortune, but it was his son, Hamish II, the only other on of the Haddock family that was ever liked Hiccup, knew how to maximize the family fortune and grow the company, so the Haddocks were loaded, everyone knew it, but if they were anymore fugal they would be considered misers. So every so often Hiccup was here, more for the ritual. As to why they were here, it was technically their third date "So Ms. Hofferson, you seem a little tense." Hiccup's voice Astrid's wondering mind.
"Sorry, but I never been to a place like this. Am I under-dress? Can I pronounce the meal I want correctly?" Astrid asked, her nervousness was almost palpable.
"Don't worry, you are fine, you would have been fine in the little black dress my mother also suggested. As for the meal, its my responsibility to place the order, so all you need to do ask me to inform you on what is on the menu. The server will be here in a few minutes for drinks, how does the Medovina, sound?"
"I am more of a beer girl..."
"It's a top-shelf mead, and I know you like mead." Hiccup said.
"Oh..., that sounds nice. So what are we going to talk about tonight?"
"Well since this our third date, we can talk about a few more in-depth topics, like all that I do," Hiccup suggested.
"Okay, I know you are an adjunct professor and an engineer, and you designed a few bikes. Tell me about that." Astrid all but ordered Hiccup. Just then the server arrived.
"Good evening, sorry for the delay... Dr. Haddock what are you doing here, this table is not good en..."
"Monroe, we are fine here, the usual spot is for business, this is pleasure. We will have to drink the Medovina tonight, and if we may start off with that as our orders are prepared."
"As you wish, so will you be needing the menu?"
"Actually no, Milady will have the Vast Special and I will have the haddock au gratin." Hiccup said, Astrid was so impressed by Hiccup's take command she forgot to ask about what he ordered her.
"They will be out as soon as possible, until I return." the server said and left. Then Astrid remembered to ask.
Before she could. "The Vast Special is basically a bacon, ham, cheese burger with fried egg on the bun with bacon cheese fries on the side and all dressed up. Its something my father enjoys and well a fair amount of your personality that is very similar to my father, now the mead is actually something my mother enjoys and you can like her. As for my dish, its based on the haddock, the fish, there is some garnish, sauce and a few other fancy things to make it look top-crust."
"Oh..., so back to the engineering, what have you designed?" Astrid asked.
"Well I already told you about the NightFury, Monstrous Nightmare, Deadly Nadder, Hideous Zippleback, Terrible Terror and Gronckle. I also designed more; the Scauldron, Shockjaw, tide glider personal submarines, the Sliquifer, Seashocker and Submaripper research submarines, the Whispering Death tunneling drill and its larger variant the Screaming Death, the Smothering Smokebreath go-carts, the Hobblegrunt moped, the Snafflefang standing mover, the Changewing camouflage hunting ATV, the Tiberjack log cutter and Hackatoo lumber carrier, the Typhoomerang rescue helicopter, the Raincutter weather watching helicopter, the Stormcutter all weather transporter helicopter, the Hotburple scooter, the Thunderpede farm tracker, the Sand Wraith hovercraft, the Shivertooth fishing boat, the Gobsucker forklift, the Grapple Grounder ATV, the Speed Stinger off-road motorcycle and its larger variant the Lead Stinger, the Groncicle snow tracker, the Woolly Howl Snowmobile, the Bonenapper funeral limousine, the Scuttleclaw training jet, the Skrill stunt motorcycle, the Sword Stealer super-magnets, the Snaptrapper and Sweet Death humane traps, the Thunderdrum noise cannon, the Rumblehorn ramming tank, the Frightmare paralysis mist canister and launcher and the Fireworm land drones, including the princess and queen variants." Hiccup listed.
"Wow, that's a lot, and aren't they all part of the Bork Dragon line of Haddock Enterprise products?" Astrid asked.
"Yes, they all are. I also designed all the recent artificial limbs product lines and few other things."
"So Gobber's interchangeable hands, that was you?"
"No, that was all his own, but has been a great inspiration for the prosthetic I make." Hiccup answered. Astrid was awed at Hiccup, he designed so many things.
"So have you built any of them yourself?"
"Well I built the prototype of each one, my Night Fury was made by these two hands and ironically its the best made of all twelve and the only surviving one." Hiccup
"Ouch, what happened?"
"A few Arabic princes thought it would be good idea to drive after drinking sadiki during Ramadan... that well that was the fate for six, the other five... well they were neglected and abused by the European princes that got them. Because of what those 11 idiots we have discontinued the Night Fury, but I am able to cannibalize the totaled 11 and the parts we still have to keep mine in great condition. So do like my Deadly Nadder?"
"Before I answer that, what is sadiki?"
"Its some sort of alcohol you can find in the Middle East, specificity the actual Arabian Peninsula, its illegal to make, own and drink... but sadly rich people are known to be hypocritical. So the Nadder?"
"I do, I wish I had one. But its just not in the cards." Astrid said, just then the mead arrived and was served.
"Not necessarily, I could add you to my insurance policy on my Nadder?"
"Before I accept, you lied when we meet, you are paid royalties for the designs, you own Haddock Enterprise, you have for the last eight years." Astrid said and slapped Hiccup knocking him on the floor. "That's for the lie." She walked over to him and stomped on his gut "That's for everything else." Astrid then retook her seat. "Why didn't tell me you are the owner of Haddock Enterprise?" Astrid said acting as if the slap and the stomp never took place.
"Ouch." Hiccup said as he got up. "I don't really like it to be known, I know its in the public domain, but... I guess I still view it as my dad's company, even though when he was elected for mayor the first time he 'sold' Haddock Enterprise to me in a trust with my mother and Gobber as the administer of it until I turned 18... I just don't like sharing that fact. I think it makes come off as a Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark."
"I cannot say I follow, but I can see why you rather not share it. But you still should have told me."
"In hindsight it was not a good idea, how did you find out if I may" Hiccup asked.
"After our weekend together I decided to do some research on you, Gobber was a nice starting point, then I goggled you and there you were, in People's Top 30 under 30, no picture but a detailed article on you, your designs, even two designs you did not tell me about."
"Yeah, the Red Death and Bewilderbeast mobile fortresses. They are only theoretical, and I not sure if I should finish them, in fact I am thinking about destroying all records of the two." Hiccup said and took a drink of his mead. "Either way, so Astrid does being a billionaire change how you... um... feel about me?"
"Not really, you made yourself my lovable idiot boyfriend when you called me your girlfriend during the fair. Also you mother adores me and you have no idea of how it feels to be approved by the parent of the same sex of your partner. Granted your father's approval was a given, look at these birthing hips, these potentially material breast, not to mention the rest of my shieldmadien build." Astrid said and their meals arrived. "You were right, I would enjoy this. A man after my own heart." Astrid teased.
"Well when you play with a Hofferson, you go big or go home, learned that the hard way during the drinking game I played with your uncle and my father."
"You know my uncle is the first male Hofferson born into the family in five generations, my father took the name as did my material grandfather and so on."
"I will be honest, if and only if we do marry, I am keeping my name, it may not change my initials but I am attached to Haddock."
"So in that scenario, would you encourage me to take your name?"Astrid asked.
"No, in that scenario, I would marry 'Astrid Hofferson', not 'Astrid Haddock'. Anyway so after this, shall I take you back to your place, or do you want to use me as a mattress again?"
"Let's see, a) I have to deal with the oh and aw of the Nutts and the Lout for the rest of the night and a few jabs at coming home early or 2) have a nice sleep with my boyfriend... Not really a hard choice, besides I have to return you mother's dress. So back to you, aside from owning Haddock Enterprise, what else do you own?"
"Well technically I, though Haddock Enterprise, own all of Berk, even all the Mom and Pop store as subsidiaries, granted they keep their names, Haddock Enterprise deals with the taxes and such but they all still remain autonomous and do their own things."
"Even Belch's Forge?" Astrid asked.
"Yep, that was actually the first business my father bought, more to help out his best friend when he lost his hand... or was it his leg... Gobber was really vague."
"So Gobber and Stoick are really close friends?"
"They are what you would call blood-brothers. In truth if my father swag a different way they would be lovers."
"You mean..."
"As Gobber once told me concerning my parents marriage,'That's the reason I never married, well that and one other reason.'" Hiccup dis a near perfect impersonation of his mentor. Astrid laughed. "I am just getting warmed up. Before I give my next one, some back-story, I was a scrawny kid and my father was not pleased with having to clean up a few of my messes. When we made eye-contact he would have this disappointed scrawl like someone cheated on him or skimped on his sandwich. 'Excuse me, barmaid, I think you brought me the wrong offspring, I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this here is a talking fish-bone.'" it was actually a very accurate impersonation of Stoick, Astrid fall from her chair and was rolling on the floor laughing out loud. "'And apparently a clown of one at that." Hiccup continued.
After a few minutes Astrid got back up, still have a hard time controlling her laugh, first she punched Hiccup "That's for...(deep breath to control laugh) making me laugh like that you jerk." then she kissed him on the lips for three full second. "That's for being yourself." The two enjoyed the rest of their diner without an incident. "You know usually its the third date that leads to sex, so?" Astrid asked after Hiccup paid the bill.
"Honestly, since we already did that on our first date, I am expecting it for a while. So shall we?" Hiccup asked. Astrid nodded, Hiccup took her back to his place and they enjoyed each others company. All in all it was a nice evening.