Confessions of a Third Wheel
Red
It's been a week since she'd met the boy with a funny name. That fateful day had her life go changing when the two decided to keep in touch.
And they did.
Merida couldn't exactly pinpoint the unlikely friendship they've achieved, and yet it feels like they've been friends for years... Something that Merida wouldn't confess to him. The guy's basically a paragon of sarcasm and dark wit.
Merida was currently munching on a pizza that Hiccup brought (his treat, again) and was enjoying every bit of it. "You chow down like my cousin."
"Thanks." She said between bites. A woman had looked at her from her table and shook her head, kind of like her mother would do.
Hiccup laughed, "And that's saying a lot." His slice was done and he stared at her, which in Merida's mind was quite a bit intimidating. He was, sometimes, like that; he'd stare at her and in an indescribable expression (by the way), and make her fidget invisibly. She's not sure if he's ever done that to others but hell, he's doing it right now. "Seven days." He said out of the blue.
"What?" She had the courage to finally swallow the pizzas she's been entering her mouth.
"We've been talking for seven days and I still don't know what you're taking up in your class."
Merida scrunched her eyebrows. "And that's important, because?"
Hiccup leaned on the table, "Maybe I'm talking to a con artist and been buying her food since the day I've met her. You could share some a little educational background, Missy."
She almost choked on the water she's drinking. Merida looked at him as if he'd grown three heads before snorting -which made the woman look at her again; disgust was on her eyes- "Where did you even get that from?"
"Been watching CSI and you could have some ulterior motive."
"Or you could have an ulterior motive. You wouldn't think about this if you're not the one thinking about things on your filthy head." She laughed and picks up a crumb to throw at him.
Hiccup dodges it carefully and throws a tissue paper at her. Their little shenanigan was put to a stop when the same woman who's been looking at Merida with disdain in her eyes was coughing, rather noisily and deliberately. Merida squints her eyes at her, "This is not a five fucking star restaurant!" she said, her anger couldn't control the loudness of her voice. Some of the customers look at them, being nosy as they are.
Hiccup quickly stood up and waved his hands, assessing that the situation isn't as big of a problem. "I'm sorry about that, Ma'am. You may continue eating." Merida widened her eyes and muttered; Traitor.
Hiccup was following suit when Merida stomped her way out of Pizza Hut. But before leaving, Merida had come to the woman's table and looks at her straight in the eyes and said, "I can do that and this." then she burped right on her face.
The loudest burp he ever listened to.
The two hadn't spoken. Hiccup thought she was angry at him; and Merida, whereas thought that Hiccup is finally disgusted at her. Well, he can't really blame her, can he? She's been like that for as long as she remembers. Even her mother was ready to disown her if given the chance.
Hiccup looks at her and he concluded that she was avoiding his gaze. What for? Hiccup wasn't sure. Her hair was shining in the afternoon sun and cascaded a fiery glow. A speech about the color of a hair has come to his mind; it said that whichever hair color you got it signifies to what kind of a person you are. Hiccup might agree to it, Red is passionate and strong, so as Merida. But he might not agree to it fully... Blondes mean they're always rambunctious and flippant. He can't really concur that. Hiccup knew a certain blonde that wasn't exactly Miss Poppin, but Odin, he was sure that she resembles a striking similarity to the redhead beside him.
And they're still walking with perspective thoughts on their head.
"I'm beginning to think that you hate me." Hiccup said, stopping in his track. He'd wanted to at least talk to her; the silence between them was awkwardly painful.
Merida stops walking and stares at him. "No. I was the one thinking you hate me now."
"Why would you say that?"
"About that trouble." Merida shrugged, not wanting to remember the dispute earlier. Although, she chuckled at the memory of the woman's flabbergasted reaction.
Hiccup stared at her, incredulously. She thought that he's embarrassed by her? "You think I'm mortified by what you've done?"
"Duh. I mean, I was pretty much unladylike to that lady but fuckity fuck, she deserves it."
"Of course not! What you did back there was awesome!" He then did something she was sure she's shocked to see, he laughs.
Merida was known to be a prankster and an unkempt girl at heart; never did she found someone who would laugh at her slovenly ways. Well, her closest male friends were exempted because they're as dirty as hers (except for Kristoff who said twice, she was raised in a barn) and Flynn was the typical college guy who wasn't into cleaning and Jack was just as worse, only caring for his hair. But she, on the other hand, was no excuse to be in such a state of disarray. She's a lady! -her mum would say, dramatically painful- and she's mostly had a hard time opening up her real self to people she doesn't know yet. Afraid to be judged, like what her mother usually does.
But Hiccup- this guy was peculiar enough to encourage her. And they've just met a week ago.
"You're kidding, right?"
Hiccup stops and said "no." Before continuing to laugh at the memory of her and the snobby lady.
Hiccup suggested a nice coffee house despite Merida's protests that it was still 3 in the afternoon. After a seemingly long minutes of the coffee debacle, Hiccup had finally convinced her when he pointed out that Merida herself was eating hamburgers and fries at breakfast hour, she sighed in defeat - which she exasperatedly added "I can eat whatever I want and when I want, viking."
Merida was done with her Macchiato when she heard a couple of college students talking about courses. Hiccup was obviously enjoying his bitter black coffee; the silence was put to end its reign when she asked him: "What are you studying now?"
He blinked, and then smiles up at her. "Mechanical Engineering. How about you?"
He saw how her face struggle to remain typical, "Kinetics. Why mechanical engineering?"
"Why not?" He laughed a little, "Maybe because I like mechanism and someday I'll conduct my own robot dragon."
"What is it about dragons?" She asked, almost unbelievable. Merida would soon think that he has this kind of fetish on dragons...maybe it's a boy thing? Merida couldn't understand. She wasn't one for the pink girls, but hell, she wasn't that overly tomboy who likes everything boys likes to do.
"They have wings."
She stared at him for his obviousness. "Birds have them too and dragons don't exist, at least not anymore."
"I know but if you think about it, those does not exist are somewhat fascinating as if you're imagining that they do exist. Dragons don't answer to any man and they're free. No one to contradict and no one to stop." His voice sounded wistful, almost in a dreamlike melody. Merida, however, imagined a dragon. A dragon as red as her hair and being wild and free. No one can argue with that dragon, not even angry mothers and snotty ladies in Pizza Hut.
