To start again:
Everybody knew Astrid Hofferson had a temper. It started when her uncle disappeared when she was five, and she strived to perfection since then, and would do anything to achieve it. It was in Highschool when it looked like she was softening a little. No one knew why, but they were gratefull to see her more relaxed. What was meant to be a good thing, became the calm before the storm.
Other students gone from staying out of her way to completly avoid her. Not even her friends, Ruff and Heather, were safe from her anger, and they soon drifted apart. Snoutlout tried to hit on her once after that. Ending up with a broken arm, he never tried again. Her grades went from A to C, to finally dropping out of school. Her parents were less than happy, and, after a huge fight, she moved out. She decided to become a boxer to pay for a small apartment where she lived alone.
Her father's death four years later was a shot through her walls. With make up to hide her most recent black eye, she attended the funeral in silence, shedding the first tears since HighSchool. After the funeral though, no words were needed as the grieving widow and daughter embraced once again.
She moved back to her mother's house. She dropped the boxing, though keeping a punching bag to release her frustrations from time to time. With little qualifications though, she had little choices of work, finally getting a job as a waitress. She was working the night shift. She had been working in the cafe for a year then, but what seemed like a regular day, changed when the door opened...
Hiccup Hadock was smart, rich and, while no one would say he was handsome, many, in secret of course, though he was cute. But his constantly disappointed father and absent mother didn't make things easy for him. Following the example of his father, was his cousin, Snoutlout. Small, and pacifist, he was the best target for the bulliying of Snotlout and company, mostly Tuff, which sometimes his twin sister Ruff tagged along with. Eret and Dagur certainly didn't make life for him easier either, and Fishlegs, probably afraid to also be bullied, just stayed out of the way. So, school was hell. He got to see Astrid Hofferson, but that wasn't much consolation when she barely batted an eye on him.
In Highschool, he went to interesting changes with his growth spurt. Nevertheless, he continued to be bullied, if nothing else but because of force of habit. That, and his longer legs and arms seemed to made him even more clumsy than he already was. His clumsiness though, had the interesting side effect of having trip over nothing, sending him tumbling into an unsuspecting girl's arms. Both went to the floor, books and papers scattered. With a thousand apologies coming out of his mouth, he started collecting and sorting the papers between his and hers. That is, until he read the name in one of them. He finally looked at the girl who was bright red in what he could only assume it was anger, but who still hadn't said a word, and, giving it her papers with a final apology, he bolted out of there.
Though unexpected, they kind of just hit it off from there, an easy friendship, that maybe could have turned to something if Snoutlout hadn't come into the picture. Of course, the threat to his physical integraty didn't do much, as it wouldn't change anything. After a couple of punches with the same answer, his cousin finally decided to change tactics, saying he wouldn't hit him . After thinking for a couple of seconds, he heartbrokenly agreed. Avoiding her wasn't as easy as he thought, but he had no choice. Saying goodbye it would make it even harder, so he avoided her altogether. That is, until his cousin showed up with a broken arm asking him to do something. By then, it was to late. The second he opened his mouth in front of her he had a broken nose, along with sharp pain in his intimate parts. He supposed he deserved it, but he never really tried again. His cousin didn't bully him anymore, but if he had known the felling, he would go back and trade a couple of punches for the grip on his heart.
The next year was hard for him, he lost his leg to a fire, but some good came along with it. He kept the stray dog that pulled him out of the rumble and named him Toothless. He also entered college, and his father was finally talking to him. Even without shared intrestes, the house wasn't quiet anymore, and love was shown in their unique way, he pretended to be listening to his father talking about some fighter called Stormfly.
Four years passed. In college, things changed. Eret, Dagur, Snoutlout, Tuff and Ruff, Fishlegs and Heather seemed to finally realize their mistake and apologized, and the gang was often seen together, with Hiccup and Fish often explaining what the teachers said to the others. Finally, they all graduated and decided to go out to celebrate.
Anger flashed behind her eyes again. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. It was her job, and she wouldn't loose it because of him. She wondered for a moment why were they together and what happened to his leg before controlling her thoughts. She looked at the time, she still had one hour left of her shift, then she could go home and punch something. Hoping for the small chance they wouldn't recognize her, even with her name written or her white shirt, she put on her brightest, though fakest, smile.
"Hello, can I help you?"
She glanced around. Hiccup was looking at her with wide eyes, in fear and shock, telling her he immediately recognized her. Great. Snoutlout and Tuff though, seemed to already be too drunk, while Ruff was too busy ogling Eret, with Heather and Fishlegs more discretly looking at each other, but not paying much attention to her either, and, if she wasn't mistaken, Dagur was eyeing Hiccup. It was Eret who finally spoke:
"I think you can..." She and Eret had never been close, but he certainly recognized her name. After an awkward pause, where the others finally took notice of her, it was Hiccup who spoke.
"Eight beers for now, please."
After a short nod, she turned away.
Hiccup quickly went to the bathroom. In front of the mirror, looking at himself in the eye, his mind began to battle.
Apologize.
Run.
Apologize.
Run.
Apologize.
Run.
Coward!
She'll hit me.
It's your fault.
It's her fault.
And your's as well.
Snoutlout's fault.
Yes, and your's.
But...!
Besides, she can't hit you, she's working.
Not if I meet her after work.
She seems to have changed.
Or maybe she has to, because she's working.
You can't know until you try.
I don't miss getting punched.
But you miss her.
No I don't.
Yes you do.
No I don't.
Yes you do.
You're impossible.
I can't be impossible, I exist. I think you meant to say I'm improbable.
Urg!
Good, now go apologize.
I hate you.
You don't hate me, I'm you.
Hiccup really hated his conscience though. It had a way to get him to do what it wanted. He washed his face and returned to the table, where is beer was already waiting for him. Not bothering to sit down and ignoring his concerned friends, he gulped the bear down in one go, and left again to find her.
She was in another table, so he waited until she left to deliver the order to aproach her.
"Astrid...?"
She was surprised, when she didn't see him, she though he had run. Taking a breath to force all her feelings, good and bad, down her throat, she replied.
"If you need anything, sir, take a seat and I'll be right with you."
"Can we just talk...please?"
"I have a boyfriend." She blurted. She had no idea why she said that though, not only it wasn't true, but it wasn't relevant.
Hiccup was just as shocked. Not that she had a boyfriend, she was beatiful after all, he wouldn't deny that, though he didn't expect her to bring it to the conversation.
"I just want to talk."
"I think you are five years to late."
She gestured to his table, but she didn't miss his flinch when she raised her arm. Maybe he wasn't the only one who did something wrong. She also didn't miss his sad glances to her when he thought she wasn't looking. Maybe he was feeling bad about it, and if she was being honest with herself, so was she. How did that bastard have the ability to make her feel so much? Unable to stop herself, when her shift ended, she made a question to return to their table once more.
Making sure to look at Hiccup, hoping he'd take the hint, she spoke to no one in particular.
"My shift ended, some one else will take over, I hope you have a nice evening."
Going to the backroom to change into her casual clothes, she left the cafe, hoping Hiccup would have left too. She was tired of being alone and maybe, he could bring hapiness to her life again.
A/N Ok, so there's that, small oneshot. pretty open ending, (if i have to make an ending though, it would definitely be a happy one, i like a little angst but with happy endings) either way, im not planning to continue, not to say that i wont if i feel inspired again to write a reunion. I dont really think romance is my strong suit though, so theres no way it will turn into a full story, two-shot max. I love hiccup talking to himself though, and theres a bigbangtheory reference there if anyone can spot it, though i own neither httyd nor Tbbt