Hello! This story is something I wanted to do a couple months ago, when I myself was taking Drivers Ed. But I never got around to it until now, so here you go, please enjoy and follow if you can! ;) This is going to be sort of a hobby story of mine, with random updates. Hiccstrid to come. ^-^
Chapter 1.
Hiccup was anything but happy, how could his dad be so chilled out and relaxed in the drivers seat? I mean, seriously, how did he do it? Didn't he realize Hiccup was on his way to his first Drivers ED class- which meant: a. socializing, b. actually talking to other people his age, and c. he couldn't bring Toothless.
This world was insufferable.
"You're shaking again, Hiccup."
"What do you expect?" Hiccup growled. "I'm nervous, okay? Understandable don't you think?"
"You'll just be sitting in a classroom with a handful of other kids, it's not that big of a deal. Besides, Gobber will be teaching you. You'll be totally fine."
Hiccup crossed his arms and slouched in his seat, not at all convinced. Toothless hummed and purred at his feet, tail twitching and ears flicking back and forth. His big green eyes were luminous, seemingly glowing with each quiver of his pupil.
Hiccup twitched his bad leg anxiously, knowing this wasn't going to go well at all.
"Dad, please, before I die from stress and social involvement, can we turn around and go home?"
Stoick turned to eye his son carefully and calmly, betraying no emotions. "No." with that, he turned back to the road.
Hiccup's fisted hands tightened and his knees quaked uncertainly. "Please, please, please, Dad? I don't think… ugh, I'm gonna die." He moaned and flopped back into the seat, wishing it would swallow him up whole and spit him out already educated in the arts of driving.
"Oh hush, son. You'll be fine, first time will be a little nervous, but it'll be simple, okay? Stop panicking."
"PANICKING." Hiccup sat upright, turning to glare at his father spitefully. "Dad, did I ever say I wanted to drive?"
"Yes."
Hiccup opened his mouth, snapping it shut quickly with nothing to say. "Well… that's different. Can't I do it without going to Drivers ED?"
"No. This is the fastest, simplest way. Besides, you'll never pass the test without going."
Hiccup growled in annoyance, crossing his arms tightly across his thing chest. "I hate you."
"I love you too."
"DAD."
His father shook his head, "Stop your whining, you'll be fine."
"I wouldn't count on it." Hiccup muttered disdainfully. Toothless merrowed sadly and jumped up into his lap, walking across him to let his tail drag under his chin.
"At least Toothless cares." Hiccup murmured under his breath.
The car jerked weakly momentarily, nearly causing Hiccup to have a heart attack.
"I CARE, you dunderhead!" Stoick boomed, swiveling his head to stare intensely at his son. "Why do you think I'm taking you to this class, hm? Plus, I'm paying for it. I could've made you pay for it, you know, but nah, because I'm a nice father."
"I know, I know." Hiccup said impatiently. "What I mean is… urg, just take me home, would you?"
"No."
"Why are you so stubborn!?"
Stoick rolled his eyes. "You take after me in more ways then one, son."
Hiccup glared heatedly.
"Now, tonight I'll be busy at work, so you might have to carpool with someone, or convince Sven or Gobber to drive you home- if you're brave enough."
Sven's driving suffered in a few major departments- like being able to stay on the correct side of the road. Hiccup winced, on both accounts. But of course, he'd take Sven's maniacal driving over carpooling with some unknown kid any day. Who's to say anyone would even be willing to put up with him?
"I'll go with Gobber, thanks." Hiccup muttered.
"I figured, so be sure to give him a call tonight, alright? He'll pick you up."
"Oh joy."
Stoick raised a bushy eyebrow, beard twitching in a hidden smile. "You're still a sarcastic twig, even when nervous. You'll be fine."
Hiccup snorted. "Most times my sarcastic mouth gets me in trouble."
"Then watch it."
Hiccup groaned loudly, prompting Toothless to give his cheek a few licks. "Ew, bud, I have to deal with people, don't- yuck, alright, that's gross…"
The car slowed, causing Hiccup to look up with a quickened heartbeat. Great, they were at the turn. Just a few more minutes and they'd be there.
"Dad, we have another mile or two to think this through. Take me home, please?"
"Absolutely not. This is for the best. Besides, there's no way I'm driving you everywhere you need to go."
Hiccup bit his lip painfully, certain that this was how his story would end. Death by socializing, seemed about right.
He began to shake even more when they turned on the street, the school now in sight. He swore he was beginning to faint by the time they pulled up to the woodworking shop, shaking so badly he feared he wouldn't be able to stand.
A large hand rested heavily on his quaking shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly. "Good luck, and don't be so worried. Gobber's there remember? You'll be teachers pet for sure." He added with a grin and a wink.
Hiccup nodded silently, absently setting Toothless on the back seat before grabbing his backpack and crawling out of the car, standing lopsidedly on the over graveled parking lot. His metal prosthetic was sinking into the dirt quickly, making it difficult to keep his balance. For a moment he panicked that he should've worn his actual "foot looking" prosthetic rather then just the metal one he had crafted at Gobber's, but it was more comfortable and easier to manage. Either way, he was as stressed mess, the strain beginning to wear on his gall bladder.
"You going to move or should I go in with you?"
"I-I…" Hiccup stuttered, cursing under his breath. "Bye."
"Good luck!" The door slammed shut, cutting him off from his only escape. He watched sadly as his father and Toothless drove away, a black fur ball jumping up onto the dashboard just in time for Hiccup to see. He shivered and pulled his brown leather jacket further around himself, tugging on his green tee shirt.
"Goodbye, more like." He whispered.
He turned around slowly and stared at the door, quickly glancing at his watch to see if he was late or not. Early by seven minutes, typical for his Dad. But it looked like next to nobody was there yet, so he took that as a blessing and opened the door.
He stepped inside the shop and hastily sidestepped around constructions and tools, making way to the bathroom where he quickly used the necessity. Once done he shrugged his backpack tightly on his shoulders and hastened to the back where the schoolroom was, knocking on the door before entering.
Gobber twirled around in his chair, laptop open and a doughnut spread on a napkin beside it. The first thing Hiccup noted was the horribly disastrous and cluttered desk, contents varying from empty coke bottles to hazardous tapes, papers, folders, books, and dried up erasable markers.
"Hullo, lad! State your name and write it on… hold up, lemme find a paper." Gobber shuffled through various sheets, finally pulling one up with a pen. "Here ya are, go ahead, Hiccup, right it at the top there along with your age, birthday, and phone number so I can contact you when I need to."
Hiccup blinked, then grinned lopsidedly. "But Gobber, you already have all-"
He leaned forward, whispering behind his hand. "It's mandatory, just do it so Mildew don't get me in trouble again."
Hiccup took the offered pieces of materiel and went to the three long folding tables set up before the desk. After much indecision he scooted as far back as he could, taking the furthest corner away. With that he dumped his backpack on the floor and scribbled the information needed on the paper.
He stood and handed it back, glad Gobber seemed too busy with his computer to talk much. Hiccup slowly began to relax in those long few minutes. Having Gobber there was comforting, seeing as how he'd worked for him all summer and on the weekends, and the shop was familiar and… almost like home. Yet, knowing strange teens his age would be showing up anytime scared him silly.
He scurried back to his seat, not bothering to say a word.
Five minutes, and that's when the students began pouring in.
The first knock came to the door directly into the classroom, towards the school and an almost alleyway like passage. Hiccup didn't even know that way was there, so this was interesting news. He would've appreciated it had that knock not meant something more- a teen had arrived.
He curled into himself, direly wishing his chair would eat him and rescue him from such stressful happenings.
Gobber grumbled and shuffled to his feet, going to the door and unlocking it with a click. "Come on in! No shoving- Tuffnut, what did I say?"
Two almost identical teens tumbled inside, the first one obviously female while the other was a dread locked male. The two were notorious in town, known for their criminal schemes and hazardous "practical" jokes. It was the Thorston twins, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut.
"Oh, you mean that counts for my sister?"
"Shut up, numbskull." Ruffnut pounded her fist on top of her brothers head, flattening his backwards ball cape into his hair.
"Hey, watch it woman!"
Ruffnut cackled and slumped into the back seat, but thankfully hadn't sat beside Hiccup. He chilled again, glad the twins would be sitting by him. Those two had a way of attracting attention to themselves, of getting into trouble, and of making others- even the normally not-so-good-kids (event the nerds) look good.
Hiccup took that little strand of hope, he needed all the self encouragement he could get.
Tuffnut sat down beside his sister, twirling about in the computer chair lazily. "We should've brought some food." He complained.
"We could snitch Snot's, he brought an entire fridge in his cooler, I'd wager." Ruffnut chuckled lowly, almost sinister. Hiccup eyed her worriedly, wondering if they were plotting anything against him.
The door slammed again, and this time, the room flooded with highschoolers.
Hiccup picked up one of his binder folders, holding it before him like a shield as he pretended to study. Who was he kidding? He could hardly read at the moment much less comprehend anything other then five degree panic.
Snotlout stomped in, shouting some threat at the twins for their shenanigans, while they signaturely laughed in return. Behind him was Eret and Dagur, along with Dagur's sister: Heather, and young Gustav who was barely of age to make it in.
Everyone settled in there seats, while Gobber finally got to his feet and began handing out the same paper for people to sign their names.
Hiccup blushed, hoping no one read his.
But of course they would, his was at the top of the page. And, not to mention, he was probably a bit older then the others. His leg had dragged him back by a few months in nearly everything but school, he'd basically been done with that back when he was fourteen. Now almost sixteen, minus a leg, he felt both agedly mature than the others yet entirely insecure. It didn't help that he did not look sixteen, but still like a dorky awkward thirteen-year-old.
His shaking grew worse.
At least the twins sat by him and no one else bothered to take the remaining seat on his left, that would be a nightmare. With the twins one seat away from him whispering to each other, he was safe.
Hopefully.
It wasn't until the clock just ticked six thirty that the door burst open one last time, admitting in the remaining student. Hiccup jerked his head up at the sight of her, jaw gaping.
No, no, nononononono.
Of course it would be Astrid.
Astrid Hofferson, the girl he'd had a crush on since kindergarten.
She stood in the doorway, scribbling the information needed on that piece of paper. She paused, staring at it. Obviously scanning through the different names of the students.
Crap.
She was in sport shorts and a loose fitting tank top, revealing her smooth yet muscular arms and shoulders. Her braid was mussed and flung uncaringly over her shoulder, while she had a sweat band wrapped across her forehead. From the adidas bag sitting at her feet, it was obvious she'd just come from some sort of athletic practice. Didn't she play basketball? Or was it volleyball or track?
Maybe all three?
He was reasonably okay- as okay as a person can be when their secret crush walks into the same room as them- until she turned and scanned the room, looking for an empty seat.
He looked as well, heart dropping to the pit of his stomach when he realized that there were no seats left.
Except for the empty one between him and Ruffnut.
Double crap.
Hiccup watched with alarm bells ringing in his brain as Astrid picked up her bag again and clumped to her seat, slumping in to sit beside him casually. She didn't give him a second glance, yet he was sweating cold sweat down his back and shaking like a leaf.
Gobber got to his feet, sliding his thick glasses onto his forehead as he stared at the sheet of paper. "Alright, looks like everyone is here. Have your parents drop the check off at the office sometime within the next week, got it? Twins, I'm looking at you." He did so, gaze threatening.
"Anyways." He plopped his glasses back down. "Let's talk times, okay? So, last year we spread the 30 hours of classroom time in the span of two months. It worked peachy and wasn't as difficult to work between schedules, should we just stick with that again?"
No one responded, so Gobber shrugged and nodded. "That's a yes then. Six-thirty each Monday night, that work for everyone?"
Everyone groaned an answer, but none objected. Hiccup didn't even open his mouth, afraid he'd squeak instead of speak.
"Talkative tonight, aren't ya?"
"Please, I just came from football practice." Snotlout grumbled. "I'm a sweaty mess so please hurry this up."
"None of that, boys." Gobber tsked. "We'll move at me own pace, got it?"
"First off, I need help getting the books." He tossed the paper aside somewhere into the hazardous mess on the table, uncaring and un-noticing. Hiccup followed the paper to the floor, wondering if Gobber would ever find it again among the mess.
Gobber scanned the room, eyes landing on his apprentice. Hiccup's eyes widened and he gave a little shake of his head.
"Hiccup, Snotlout, come give me a hand- literally" He waved his prosthetic, laughing at his own pun.
Hiccup glared at him as he shoved away from the table, pausing in sudden remembrance that Astrid Hofferson was the one sitting beside him.
He panicked again.
What if he tripped? What if he dropped books and made a fool of himself?
Hiccup scowled, Gobber was definitely going to hear from him about this gig...
He awkwardly walked across the room and out the door, not waiting for Gobber's directions. He'd worked in the shop and forge enough to know where everything was, so made a bee-line for the storeroom where the books were kept. He grabbed the box off the shelf, leaving the other for Snotlout.
He passed the other teen- his cousin no less- on his way back to the classroom. The large boy laughed and eyeballed him critically.
"Hi, Hiccup." He popped the P in his name, teasingly. "How's the leg?"
"Fine, thanks." Hiccup shrugged easily, smiling. "How's football?"
"Great as always. As long as I'm with the team." Snotlout sniffed proudly, puffing his chest brashly. He must think Hiccup didn't keep up with the most of sports, for Hiccup knew that it was Eret and Dagur who kept the team afloat. "They'd be lost without me, poor lambs."
Hiccup snorted in amusement. "Last box is on the shelf, prince charming."
He kicked the door with his metal prosthetic, waiting impatiently for Gobber to open it. When it finally swung open he stumbled inside, walking carefully and nervously to the first table where Heather, her brother, and Eret were seated. He dropped the box on the table top, grabbing the top book for himself.
Gobber began tossing out the books, varying orders on how to keep them in prim condition or there'd be a due price. The twins took the books and dangled them before their eyes, staring in boredom at the covers.
"So, this means we have to read?"
"While we're still alive?" Ruffnut moaned in turn, letting the book topple to the tabletop.
"Yes, and you'll get something out of 'em too, or you'll have to retake the class next year." Gobber added sweetly. "Somehow, I can see you guys in that same seat come twelve months."
Hiccup slipped silently into his seat, setting his book in front of him and flipping through the first few pages. He glanced a side-ways glance in Astrid's direction, but she was bent over her notebook, scrawling something across the page distractedly.
Hiccup jumped when Gobber suddenly grabbed her notebook, slapping in shut.
"What the heck!?" Astrid exclaimed in anger. She grabbed at the book, but Gobber held it out of reach.
"No homework during class. You're here to learn how to drive, not to do…" Gobber glanced at the page, "Lordie, this isn't even schoolwork. Basketball plays? Seriously, none of this, and that goes for all of you." He raised his voice on the last few words, turning to give a firm look at the other students. He handed the notebook back to the fuming Astrid with another order to keep all other works to the side.
Hiccup turned and stared at his book, blinking unsurely.
"Turn to page three, and Heather, start on paragraph 1."
Hiccup flipped the pages to the correct one, yet his mind wasn't on it. His thoughts were continually returning to the blonde beside him, distracting him while doing nothing but glaring spitefully at her book page.
This was going to be a long three hours.