Hello all, FunLovin here. You'll like this one. This is my first Modern AU for HTTYD and I am excited to share it with you! Not going to lie, this story connects really closely to my life, so I am going to stay passionate and committed to it. Please let me know what you think! Read, enjoy, and review!

Chapter 1: Boxes

Well. That was everything.

Astrid Hofferson groaned as she dropped the final box into the trailer hooked up to her dad's truck, standing back up and straightening out her back. She put her hands in her hips and arched back, wincing as it cracked back into place. For the past two weeks, she had been throwing everything she owned into boxes, not to mention spent over 800 dollars on just straight stuff she'd need. Target just could not handle the Hoffersons that day.

Staring down at the neatly packed boxes, Astrid smiled. This time tomorrow, she'd be in college.

It had seemed like yesterday that she was taking her high school graduation pictures, attending Grad Night, and planting hot and happy kisses on Hiccup late into the night. The summer went by faster than she cared to admit; having a job and planning to leave her entire life behind prevented her from doing much other than just being around the house and spending time with Hiccup.

Hiccup…

Astrid smiled again, leaning over to peek inside one of the smaller bins, filled to the brim with pictures of the two and various thing he had given her throughout the years. She had carefully packed in pictures of their numerous excursions to Disneyland, stupid strips from a photo booth that showed way too much of her tongue as she made stupid faces at the camera, stuffed animals that he made a habit of giving her every Valentine's day, and, her prized possession, his worn out old jacket he had had since the beginning of time.

As happy as she was to begin her new life, she frowned and shut the box again. She had moved him into Berk Isle State the week before, and she was barely keeping it together driving away with his father and letting him go to live his life. She knew she had to put herself first, so she never intended on following him around like a puppy wherever life took him, but with reality setting in, it was getting harder to accept.

They had spent one last night together the day before he left, just enjoying all that they had to enjoy. They had been attached at the hip since they were 14 in high school, having a deep, loving, and committed relationship that no one could figure out, or attempted to understand. They were best friends, and, although Astrid was too stubborn to sometimes admit it, he was everything that could ever mean anything to her. They were perfect, and everyone thought they would be together forever.

Then college stuck a giant stake in everything Astrid had grown accustomed to.

She was leaving for College of the Archipelagos in less than 24 hours to tackle her passion for exercise science, 2 hours in the opposite direction from Berk Isle State. Granted, she was leaving and walking into a school on massive scholarships and a shimmering gold invite to the honors program, but it was still bittersweet. The deal wasn't shabby in the slightest, but it still meant leaving Hiccup to his own devices, which, actually scared her a bit.

Hiccup had always been on her side and loved her more than a normal human probably should, but as the time until he left for college ticked closer, he changed more than Astrid expected him to. He wanted to party, drink, test out the fun of being high, and, above anything, meet other girls. To say that Astrid was shocked would be an understatement, but she understood none the less. He had priorities different from hers, and she would just have to accept that. They danced around the idea of an open relationship for months, always promising each other that their love was eternal, and the trust they shared would keep them together. Acting on the lovesick young girl who fell in love with the class nerd in freshman Norse mythology, Astrid agreed to his terms.

That didn't change the fact that their senior prom pictures would be the first things to go up on her wall.

"You should try and eat something, honey!" her mother called through their living room window, "You've been out there in the heat all day, give yourself a break!"

Astrid rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, back cracking horribly again. "I'm alright, mom." Although, the idea of a couch did sound heavenly.

"Well at least come in and drink some water, I don't want you complaining of a migraine tonight," she said back before turning away and back into the house.

Astrid let her face fall dramatically, Mrs. Hofferson's snide comment not meriting a response. One thing she wouldn't miss would be her mother; that was for sure.

Glancing back at the full trailer, Astrid took a deep breath and blew it out again, placing her hands on her hips and surveying her handy work. She nodded, a smile sliding onto her face again.

"Well. That is everything."