The Edge

Pairing; Toothless X Hiccup

Setting; Modern AU

Rating; M for Mature

Disclaimer; I do not own the HTTYD or any of the music that is used. Everything belongs to its original creator/artist!

2: New Place & Job

[Monday; September 6th, 2010-11:00 am]

Harvey had a hard time finding a full-time job. Two and a half months had gone by and nothing so far, truthfully, he was getting discouraged over it. Sure, Harvey still had his restaurant job as a server-even though he knew how to do everything there, but it wasn't the same as working thirty plus hours a week. Harvey wanted something where he worked five days a week at least with two off but still made good money. Of course, there was no rush on him putting away money to move out, Harvey knew his parents didn't mind if he stayed at the house. All of his friends were in school now or working. Ashley and Heather were dorming together at Arc State University, and Ford was taking day classes at the Community College while working part-time at night. Seth worked with his parents, and the twins found jobs too. Everyone was doing well, except for Harvey. Today was Harvey's day off, and he was sitting at home on his bed with the laptop out, trying to do job searches.

Unfortunately for him, all the postings were for Arc City, which was forty-five minutes away from Berk. Harvey had assumed that this might be his only option, to work in the city. However, the downside to that was where he lived; Berk. The drive would be hellish every day to go to and from, especially if he ended up working nights. Harvey didn't care about the shifts he worked, as long as he was making the hours he needed to be considered full-time. Harvey's idea for this employment in Arc City was that he would have to get an apartment there to be close to work otherwise the gas money he'd be spending every day would be horrendous. Harvey sighed as he checked the time on the bottom right of his laptop screen; 11:05 AM. Suddenly, his cell phone rang as he reached for it on the nightstand. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw it read; Dad. Harvey slid the bar to answer as he put it to his ear.

"Hey, Dad," Harvey greeted.

"Hi, son. What are you doing right now?" Sullivan wondered.

"Uh, sitting at home and looking for a job," Harvey replied while still clicking on links to read about possible jobs.

"Why? Did you get fired from Dreki Soul?" Sullivan asked as Harvey rolled his eyes.

"No, Dad. You know I've been looking for a full-time one, though. Any who, what's up?" Harvey questioned.

"Tell the lad his uncle Garrett says hi!" Harvey heard Garrett says as he smiled and shook his head a bit. Harvey loved Garrett; the man was his Godfather and always knew how to have a good time and make Harvey laugh.

"Hi, Uncle Gar," Harvey said.

"He says hi. Anyway, Harvey, I was wondering if you bring me my wallet? I realized just now that I left it at home," Sullivan inquired.

"How in the name of Odin did you forget your wallet, Dad?" Harvey asked as he closed the laptop and slid it off to the side while getting off of his bed and locating his shoes, keys, and wallet. Harvey had needed an excuse to drive to the city anyway since all the job postings stated to stop in to inquire about it. Harvey could bring his father's wallet to him, then check about some of the jobs.

"I was in a rush," Sullivan sighed. Harvey moved to the kitchen and found his dad's wallet on the counter where the coffee mug from this morning had been. Harvey places it in his pocket while exiting the house to get to his car.

"Alright, I've got it. I should be there in about an hour," Harvey said while getting in the driver's seat of his Hyundai and pulling his seat belt over, and then clicking it into place.

"Thanks, son. See you soon, drive carefully. It looks like it's going to start storming and the roads are already wet from the light rain we had two hours ago," Sullivan warned.

"Will do. Bye," Harvey ended the call and placed his phone in the cup holder while he turned the car on, then moved the gear to reverse and backed out of the driveway. Harvey put it in drive and was headed towards the highway.

[Fifty Minutes Later-Archia Isle]

Harvey reached city hall and delivered his father's wallet to him; then it was decided since it was lunch time that Harvey, Garrett, and Sullivan would go out to eat together. After that was over, Harvey started his job search by going to the places he'd seen posted online. Sadly, most of those advertisements were old and just hadn't been updated after the position had gotten filled. Harvey was prepared to go home after this last stop on his list, it still had a now hiring sign in the window, so maybe this would work out for him? Harvey honestly wasn't betting his hopes on it because this establishment was another restaurant and that was the same type of job he had now. Harvey walked in with a positive attitude and then walked out eight minutes later with a heavy sigh. Another letdown for him, he might as well go home from here and try again tomorrow with a job search. Just as Harvey reached his car to leave, he heard someone calling to him.

"Hey! Hey, kid! Wait up," the voice said. Harvey turned to a man looking to be in his late twenties rushing over towards him. Harvey stopped as the man panted a few times, trying to catch his breath. "You're…looking for a job, right?" he asked. Harvey arched a brow now. "I was…in the restaurant when you inquired about the hiring sign," Well, that made more sense now.

"Uh, yeah, I am. Well, I have a job but it's only part-time, and I'm looking for something with thirty or more hours," Harvey said, answering the first question the man had asked him.

"What kind of work are you looking for?" the man inquired now.

"Anything that will give me full-time and I don't care if its days or nights. I graduated High School in June, and I'm not going to college, so I have open availability," Harvey replied.

"How old are you?" the male wondered now.

"Eighteen," Harvey responded as the male before he stroked his chin a little and looked at him, which was odd, and Harvey wasn't sure if he liked it since this person was a stranger.

"Can you organize, lift, and take orders while being friendly?" the man questioned.

"Well, yeah. I work as a server right now and have since I was fifteen. I know how to take orders, organize product, smile, make small talk, and cook. Can I ask what all this is about?" Harvey decided to inquire now.

The man smiled at him with his hand out. "I'm Andrew Kingsley. Sorry about the questions, but I think I might be able to help you out with full-time work. See, I own a place called Dragon's Cove, and I'm looking to hire someone as a server. I asked about all that stuff because you have to be eighteen to serve and sell drinks, twenty-one to consume. We sell alcohol, bar foods, all that. I need someone five nights a week, and I think you might be perfect for the position," Andrew, as he introduced himself, stated calmly. Harvey felt a little more at ease knowing this now, he extended his hand and shook Andrew's.

"I'm Harvey," Harvey informed before the two stopped shaking hands and looked at one another.

"Pleasure to meet you. So, are you interested in the job?" Andrew asked.

"To be frank, I don't know. You haven't given me hours or what I'd been doing," Harvey replied.

"I suppose that would help, wouldn't it? Dragon's Cove is a bar; it opens at 11 am, closes at 1 am. Staff arrives two hours before open and leave a little after 1 am, sometimes it's closer to 2 though. I would have you doing server work, much like what you're used to doing. Bringing people their drinks and food, all that. Uh, you'd be working five days a week, guaranteed two off and likely not Fridays or Saturdays because they are the busiest days. You'd be working from about 4 pm to 1 or 2 am. I have another server who works part time from 11-4," Andrew explained.

"Well, it's something I can do. Never done the serving drinks bit," Harvey stated.

"All you gotta do is tell the bartenders what you need, and they'll handle making it," Andrew smiled. "So, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think it's…great. It might take me a bit to get used to the atmosphere, but I'm a fast learner as far as job duties go," Harvey smiled.

"Since it's new to you and all, how about we do a trial run of it. Come work for me for two weeks and see if it's something you want to keep doing. I'll pay ya $6.50 an hour plus you get the tips from the customers you serve, and you don't have to share those with other servers or the bartenders. Everyone keeps what they got, that's the rule in my bar. Does that seem like a fair offer; to give it a shot and if you don't like it, no hard feelings?" Andrew suggested to him.

Harvey thought about it for a minute. It was a good offer, to give things a chance for two weeks and see if it was something he could do. What could it hurt? It's not like he was having much luck anywhere else. "I'll give it a shot, Mr. Kingsley," Harvey nodded as the two shook hands again.

"Excellent. So, let your current job know what's going on about the two weeks trial thing, that way if you do end up liking it with us a Dragon's Cove, it could be your two weeks notice. Here's my number and why don't we just start ya tomorrow? Shall we say 10 am? Come in and get you familiarized with the place?" Andrew said while handing Harvey a card with Andrew's name and number on it, also that he was the owner of Dragon's Cove.

"I will be there. Thank you for this officer, Mr. Kingsley," Harvey smiled.

"Hey, I'm your boss now so you can call me Andrew or Andy," Andrew laughed a little. "See you tomorrow," he waved and walked off with his hands in his pockets. Harvey was excited; his luck turned around with this! Harvey got right into his car and left for home.

[Friday, September 24th, 2010-Dragon's Cove]

Harvey loved his temporary job! It was so easy for him to do. All Harvey had to do was wear something casual but still professional like a pair of black or blue jeans, then a decent shirt with an around the waist apron that had pockets for the order pad and some pens. For the work aspect; Harvey came in at 4:45 pm and clocked in at 5 pm. Harvey's duties were simple; take and bring orders whether they be drink, food, or both. Harvey had to smile and be friendly, engage in a little small talk while keeping an eye on the other tables he waited on, and then he would have to bring the check, make change, and send people off. Harvey would get to keep any tips he made and not have to split them with the other two or three servers. Harvey got paid on Fridays and was always home around 2 am; it depended on how late the nights were.

Monday through Saturday, the bar was open from 11 am to 1 am and on Sundays, the bar was open 12 pm to 12 am. Last call for alcohol would be at 12:30 am, and the kitchen closed at 11:30 pm so it could be cleaned up and shut down. After all was said and done with the closing of the bar, it was about 1:00 am, and Harvey would drive home at 2:00 in the morning, he'd get into the house and collapse on his bed to get some sleep. Around 10 am, Harvey would take a hot shower, make himself breakfast, do a few chores, and by then he'd eat lunch around 1 pm. After all that, he would be relaxing and having to leave for work at 3:45 pm to beat rush hour going into the city and make it with some time to get ready before starting his shift. For the last two weeks, Harvey was working Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; overall, he worked forty hours a week and brought home a $215.00 check after taxes, and his tips usually gave him an extra $70-$100 or so a night.

Andrew admitted that Harvey was damn good at being a bar server, the girls always tipped high for him because he was quick, smart, friendly, and good looking too. Harvey was surprised to hear the compliments that Andrew received about him. Harvey wanted to stay at Dragon's Cove; it gave him everything he wanted in a job. Great environment, hours, co-workers, and money. Harvey's only problem; the forty-five-minute drive to and from work. Harvey knew this could become an issue if he worked in the city while living in Berk, and unfortunately, it might be his deciding factor in keeping the job as a server for Andrew. Right now, it was 12 am, and the bar was busy. Harvey was taking on fifteen tables since the other server had to leave forty minutes ago due to feeling sick.

"This is madness," one of the bartenders, Kevin Peterson, remarked.

"It's because everyone has been talking about our new server," Andrew chuckled while opening a beer and handing it to a customer. "Harvey is young, fast, accurate, friendly, and hot to the college girls from Arc State University,"

"Don't forget the Community College too," laughed Logan Bryant. "Most of our scene is college students, maybe thirty of the rest are regulars from when your dad owned this place," he added.

"True. I hope he stays with us," Andrew said as the other two bartenders nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a fight broke out between patrons, which evolved to a full bar fight within minutes of the first punch being thrown.

"Andy, we gotta get Harv out of that!" shouted one of the female servers who just got behind the bar out of the fight. Andrew looked ahead to see Harvey stuck in the middle of people fighting and getting pushed around a lot, yet, he was trying to break up the fighting too. Somehow, Harvey ended up on the stage where Saturday night karaoke got used.

"Andrew, this is out of control!" Kevin said while ducking to avoid getting hit with a bottle. Someone smashed into the jukebox as the music changed. Harvey's eyes landed on the microphone as an idea formed in his head; he turned the mic and took a breath.

"Four years you think for sure, that's all you have to endure. All the total dicks. All the stuck up chicks. So superficial, so immature," Harvey started singing along with the music from the jukebox, which was sounding quieter than usual. "And when you graduate, you take a look around and say Hey Wait! This is the same as where I just came from; I thought it was over; Aw that's just great," he continued as some of the patrons were stopping their fighting with others and looked towards the stage.

"The whole damn world is just as obsessed with who's the best dressed, and who's having sex. Who's got the money, who's got the honeys, who's kind'a cute, and who's just a mess? And you still don't have the right the right look. And you don't have the right friends. Nothing changes but the faces, the names, and the trends…High School never ends!" At this point, a lot of the fighting had stopped, and people were getting closer to the stage with beers in hands and smiling again, enjoying the music.

"Check out the popular kids. You'll never guess what Jessica did. And how did Mary-Kate lose all that weight? And Katie had a baby, so I guess Tom's straight. And the only thing that matters is climbing up that social ladder. You still care about your hair and the car you drive, doesn't matter if you're sixteen or thirty-five! Reese Witherspoon, she's the prom queen. Bill Gates, captain of the chess team. Jack Black the clown and Brad Pitt, the quarterback. I've seen it all before; I want my money back!" Harvey sang as the crowd began cheering and laughing, raising their drinks up. The fighting had stopped, and people were singing along. Andrew and the rest of the staff were all behind the bar watching, shocked at what they witnessed.

"The whole damn world is just as obsessed with who's the best dressed and who's having sex. Who's in the clubs, and who's on the drugs? Who's throwing up before they digest? And you still don't have the right look. And you still don't have the right friends. And you still listen to the same shit you did back then…High School never ends!" Harvey grabbed the guitar from behind him and placed the strap over his shoulders as he started playing the guitar solo, and everyone went crazy with cheering and applause. These were college kids, and they loved it! "High School never ends!"

"The whole damn world is just as obsessed with who's the best dressed and who's having sex. Who gets the money, who gets the honeys? Who's kind'a cute and who's just a mess? And I still don't have the right look. And I still have the same three friends! And I'm pretty much the same as I was back then…High School never ends! High School never ends! High School never ends. And here we go again…" Harvey finished as everyone was back to having fun, even apologizing to one another and offering to buy drinks. Harvey flipped the microphone off with a smile and returned the guitar to its place on the stand before making his way through to the bar, getting pats on the back and told what an excellent job he did.

The timing couldn't have been better either because the police came over a noise complaint, but they found it to be as normal as any bar could be. Seeing nothing wrong, they turned around and left. "What…the hell…was that?" Andrew asked Harvey.

"It was a spur of the moment, hope to Odin it works idea," Harvey replied with a smile and shrug of his shoulder. Not knowing what else to say, Andrew yelled for the last call, and everyone began paying their tabs and checks, then leaving while staff began to close down for the night. By 1:05 am, the bar was locked up and all staff inside while a few others finished their last duties of the night.

"You saved our asses tonight, Harv," Logan patted his back.

"It was nothing and don't expect to do it all the time. I hate crowds," Harvey mumbled while taking a sip of his drink.

"So, Harvey. It's been two weeks, minus a few days. How do you like it?" Andrew asked with a smile while drying a few glasses and putting them away as Harvey sat on one of the bar stools with a plastic of Sprite in his left hand.

"I love it, Andy. I really do," Harvey admitted.

"Well, what do you say then? Do you want to keep working with us? You can keep working the same shifts you are now, I won't change a thing," Andrew asked.

"I think it's an amazing offer, Mr. Kingsley. My only concern is that I currently live in Berk, which is forty-five minutes away and I don't know how it would go with driving home at 1, or 2 am after a nine to ten-hour shift," Harvey informed him. "I know I'll have to get an apartment to work in the city, and that's fine with me, but I haven't had the best luck finding one to rent," he added.

"I see. What are looking for to rent? How many bedrooms, uh, what floor? Price range? I have some friends who are renting rooms out of their apartments, like a roommate deal unless you have a lover and child?" Andrew asked.

"No lover or child. Just me, uh, I don't care what floor and price range, $600 as the max?" Harvey answered.

"Would you care if it sits on the second floor over a business?" Andrew inquired.

"A place to live is a place to live. I'm not picky," Harvey chuckled a little.

"I like your attitude, Harvey, so here what I'm going to do for you. I own this building and right above the bar is a small one bedroom apartment. It has; a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom with a closet. Now, it needs some updating and a little work. I'm happy to rent it to you for about $500 a month. That will cover your electricity and gas too since it runs on the same lines as the bar does. What do you say?" Andrew asked as everyone leaned forward to wait for his answer.

Harvey took a moment to think about it; he was being offered a wicked cheap apartment by Andrew to stay and keep working full-time for the bar, how could he say no? Finally, Harvey smiled broadly. "I say that you'll see me tomorrow at 5 pm for work, boss," Harvey replied as the staff began cheering and Andrew pulled his key ring out, then found a black one and handed it to Harvey.

"Then the upstairs apartment is now yours, and you can move in as soon as you like. I'll even hold off on making ya pay rent until the start of November, give ya some time to move in and get settled. My welcome to the Dragon's Cove team gift to you," Andrew said with his hand out to Harvey for a shake. Harvey extended his Andrew's as they shook as a way to seal the deal. Harvey now had a new place to live and a new job, things were finally turning around for him.