Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I got wrangled into overtime at work, which is also why the ch 4 responses are now included here alongside the ch 5 ones. Oops... Anyways, here it is. This one mostly gives us some backstory, along with some scene set up for the next chap. It also has a hint of fluff, a dash of Hiccstrid, and a heaping scoop of embarrassing 'rentals :P Enjoy!

Zafirya: Ch 4: Agreed! Astrid's definitely going to have to put in some solid effort if she wants to convince Hayden to put himself out there again. It's not going to be easy for her to swallow her pride, me thinks ;) lol / Ch 5: Thanks :) I love seeing reviews from you :P lol. I'm not sure how many chapters are going to be in it. Probably somewhere between 10 and 15, simply depending on layout. And I will take that as a huge compliment XD

CB73: Ch 4: You're pretty spot on there in your suspicions. As such, it kind of makes a little more sense that she ghosted him afterwards. It would certainly make things pretty awkward between them for a while, even if they had been able to talk it out. Hopefully Astrid's fear won't get in the way again this go round... Ch 5: Once again, you are incredibly perceptive. Yes, Astrid's rigid 'plans' didn't really involve a love affair with her best friend before graduation. She even drops a pretty big hint about that with her comment about her mother's choices. Good thing they have meddling parents and adorable Wing-pets willing to give the stubborn dorks a push whenever they need it. Lol

Now Account: Ch 3: The holiday spirit is rekindling something... ;P And yeah, I don't think I'd let any of my friends (or weird ex/not-ex crushes) stay in a cockroach motel either. Lol. As for the tow truck thing, it's a mix of personal experience through friends (one of my good friends owns a tow company), and the fact that my hubby has been in the Fire Service for 12 years. He's had to break the news to a fair few unfortunate people over the years. Sometimes a nice police officer will take the people to a local motel, but you're typically on your own from there. It's mostly a case of insurance and liability than anything else. Ch 4: A good ol' Christmas miracle can mend anything :P And yeah, there really are worse things.

~oOo~

The trip from Astrid's parents' house to his father's place was not a long one. In fact, the Haddocks and Hoffersons lived only two blocks from each other by car. Both of them being the end lots on dead end streets which ran parallel to one another. The journey was much shorter on foot though. Especially since their backyards were separated by little more than a narrow and sparsely treed gulley with a little creek cutting through the centre of it.

This meant that Astrid and Hayden had spent many a day together as kids. Passing the time fishing in the creek, riding their mountain bikes through the surrounding woods, or just hanging out at each other's houses. Sometimes with the rest of the kids that lived in the area - the bookish and timid Frank, the hellish twins Rachel and Tyler, or Hayden's brute of a cousin Scott. Most times it was just Hayden and Astrid though.

For a while, Astrid had actually been Hayden's only real friend. The only person in his life that hadn't turned their back on him because he wasn't… Enough. The only one that never bullied him or made him feel guilty for things that were beyond his control - like being uncoordinated and small of stature. Even Frank had abandoned Hayden during middle school in the hopes of being included in the cool crowd, but not Astrid.

Of course, once Hayden hit his growth spurt during high school, everything changed. He joined the basketball team, and discovered to his complete surprise that he was actually really good at it. His height now providing a distinct advantage instead, as he had eventually become one of the tallest guys on the court. He even made Captain in his senior year.

The coveted position had been a shockingly good fit for Hayden too. Though he had hidden in the back during primary school gym classes, he was actually quite driven and athletic outside of school. He was also a relentless drill sergeant, a natural born leader, and committed to supporting his teammates. All of which were traits he had likely picked up from his father.

That year, he helped take their team all the way to Nationals, where they won first place. It was one of the first moments that Hayden felt he had really done something worth bragging about - if he was prone to bragging that is. That was also the first time that Stoick had seemed truly proud of his son, and that hurt more than Hayden cared to admit.

The moment he had shown promise on the team, the others all suddenly wanted to be his friend again. The girls would fawn over his 'unexpected hotness' as Rachel used to call it. The boys either wanted to copy his school assignments, or simply bask in his new coolness, depending on the day. It all got to be a bit exhausting. His friendship with Astrid though, that never changed. Hayden found himself hiding out at Astrid's more and more as a way to escape his newfound popularity, up until one kiss changed everything that is.

As awesome as it had been to grow up so close to his best friend, it also meant that Hayden didn't really have time to clear his thoughts about her now. Instead of going straight home, he took a right at the end of Astrid's street and headed back out of this orderly little subdivision. Opting to take some drawn out laps around town first. Finding on the way that he wasn't the least bit surprised by just how little the place had changed over the years. Except that all the charmingly familiar scenery was now smothered in Christmas - which had Hayden rolling his eyes.

It was easy to see that the old traditions hadn't died out either. The friendly neighbourhood rivalries over who had the best Christmas display. Homegrown Berkians had always been a little crazy, but during this season it was even more noticeable. Most of the decorations and festivities were based on 'Snoggletog'. A two week long party that harkened back to their collective Norse heritage, and included alarming proportions of weapons, farm animals, and alcohol.

The drive had been a good way to waste some time, but it hadn't really served its intended purpose. As he pulled into the driveway and parked beside his dad's monstrous green H2, Hayden's mind was still thoroughly stuck on Astrid. Waking up to find her in his arms this morning had been like something out of a dream. In fact, Hayden had been half certain that he was still dreaming.

Coming to his senses though, he'd made a hasty exit before he could get an elbow in the ribs. Then he'd lost his head all over again when he'd caught sight of the exposed skin of her wonderfully toned midriff. His behaviour likely confusing her at best - or making her uncomfortable and ashamed at worst. How could he possibly explain that he was just trying to be respectful without it getting even more weird between them?

Why did he keep making a fool of himself around her? Why couldn't he be cool and charming instead? Heck, he would settle for simply acting normal at this point. He'd never had this much trouble talking to Astrid! Or any other girl really. Even during middle and high school, when he'd been harbouring a secret crush for his best friend, he'd never been this much of an idiot around her!

As he'd stood under the shower in the hotel, letting the hot water rinse the impure thoughts from his mind, Hayden had resolved then and there to stop being such a jerk. Though that decision was made more difficult when she came out of the bathroom later on looking like a goddess in extremely flattering chinos. The elegant curve of her perfect neck and shoulder left bare above the collar of that cashmere-soft sweater.

Hayden was used to an Astrid in cute but functional clothing. He wasn't prepared for a chic and sophisticated Astrid that looked liked she'd just walked off the cover of a fashion magazine. It had taken every last scrap of manners he had left not to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. To lean down and press a gentle kiss to the bare skin of her shoulder.

Now a small part of him couldn't help but wonder, if he had been bold enough, would she have shivered and leaned into him. Or would she have pulled away and hit him instead. Making the wrong move with Astrid Hofferson was liable to end with a right hook and a black eye or two. Then again, she had called him hot last night, sprawled herself over him as she slept, and had even gone so far as to take his hoodie home with her.

Hayden supposed he would never know what she would have done, since he knew he would never get up the courage to ask her. That would just be too weird. And speaking of weird, Hayden couldn't help shuddering a little at the inevitable fact of his father and Gobber finding out about all of this. They were going to tease him to no end, but at least they didn't know about the shared hotel room and bed. That was something Hayden really hoped neither his dad or Astrid's would ever find out. Although, if Ivan Hofferson killed him, at least he wouldn't have to attend the Yak Parade…

With a sigh, Hayden peered around at the home he had grown up in. As expected, the place was completely decked out for the holidays. Every eve and window was trimmed with multicoloured lights. There was a 10 foot tall blow-up Frosty the Snowman standing next to the large douglas fir in the middle of the yard. All 30-some odd feet of the tree was draped in ropes of yet more lights, and both the driveway and walkway were lined with gaudy light up candy canes. The front door bookended with the 6 foot tall Nutcracker statues that Hayden's grandfather had carved some 50 years ago (and that Hayden was convinced were the root cause of the fear of dolls he still carried to this day).

The sun had mostly set, but it was still somewhat light out so thankfully none of the decorations were illuminated yet. Once it got dark though, Hayden just knew it was going to be revolting. Rolling his eyes yet again, Hayden let Toothless out his side and then began to gather up his stuff. Hoping to sneak in quietly and avoid the questions for the moment. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen.

Just as he made it onto the well-lit porch, the front door suddenly flew open. Hayden was confronted with a very large and very tall man that nearly filled the entirety of the doorway. His bushy red hair and beard both braided to keep them somewhat contained - and peppered with streaks of grey that had only recently begun to appear. It was difficult to see his mouth beneath the facial hair, but the twinkle in his pale green eyes made it easy to tell that he was smiling.

"Hayden," Stoick exclaimed brightly. Scooping up Hayden in a full body bear hug that made him feel like a child again. His father's broad arms clamping a bit too tightly in his glee, and causing Hayden to give an involuntary cough as the air was forced out of his lungs.

"It's good to see you too Dad," he finally managed to gasp out. "Now if I could just umm, breathe…"

"Oh, sorry," Stoick grimaced. Setting his son back down on the ground as a light flush of pink coloured the tops of his cheeks. Then he slapped Hayden over the shoulder with a hearty laugh to cover his embarrassment, and almost knocked Hayden to the ground. "I'm just happy to see my son," he offered in the way of an apology.

Growing up as the son of this massive mountain of a man, Hayden was well used to the fact that Stoick didn't always realize his own strength. "That's great. My cracked ribs and I are happy to see you too," he shot back. Smirking at his father as he dramatically stretched out his spine. Causing Stoick to laugh again as another smile lit in his eyes.

Then Stoick glanced down at the black cat slinking past his legs. "And there's my favourite grandcat," he joked. Bending down to pick up Toothless, the big man cradled the animal as tenderly as one would a baby. Toothless starting to purr loudly in return as he leaned his head back for chin scratches.

As the mayor of Berk, Stoick Haddock spent most of his days dressed in a tidy black suit and tie. Judging by the good mood, red plaid lounge pants, and green cable knit sweater he was sporting right now though, Stoick hadn't been into the office today. Also, given that the distinct smell of yak noodle soup was wafting out the door, it was very likely that Gobber was already here too. Both of them probably waiting all day for Hayden and Toothless to arrive.

Chuckling and shaking his head at the display, and feeling an undeniable hint of warmth in his chest, Hayden followed his dad inside. Kicking off his shoes just inside the door before dropping his stuff near the bottom of the stairs. He'd take it up later.

Before he even had time to glance around the rest of the room though, an unmistakable voice suddenly spoke up. "So yer finally here, huh," Gobber grumbled. "Thought ya said you were leavin' Bog las' night! What took ya so bloody long?" Turns out Hayden's assumption about the soup had been correct.

The old mechanic, with his bald head and braided moustache that hung down to his belly, was lounging on the black leather sofa across the room. His prosthetic leg propped up on the table in front of him. There was a beer can perched in the custom attachment that was currently where his prosthetic hand normally resided, and it probably wasn't his first one of the day. He was also dressed in his typical combination of baggy sweatpants and a tucked in t-shirt. Both of which were as grease stained as an old shop towel.

"Nice to see you too Gobber," Hayden drawled back sarcastically. Arching a brow as he met Gobber's gaze.

"Aye! We've got a bone to pick with you," Stoick chimed in as if Hayden hadn't even spoken. Stoick had settled himself back into his favourite oversized black leather recliner, and with the way he was holding Toothless, he looked a bit like a red headed Dr. Evil.

"What's this we hear about you and tha' Hofferson girl showin' up together," Gobber asked. His tone distinctly accusatory, as if Hayden had forgotten to tell them something important.

Hayden let out an involuntary snort at that. "What about it? She needed a ride home, and I offered her one," he countered blandly. "And we literally just got into town like half an hour ago. How can you two possibly already know about it?"

Gobber blushed and shifted on the couch. Glancing around at Stoick as if hoping he would answer. "Ivan might have messaged me just now," Stoick offered after clearing his throat.

That had Hayden raising his brows at his dad. Since when did Stoick know how to text. Leaving that conversation for another time, Hayden just folded his arms over his chest defiantly. "Of course he did," he drawled with an eye roll. "Ugh, small towns… You lot gossip like a bunch of old ladies."

Stoick blushed now as he grimaced guiltily. "I just want to see you happy son," he supplied. His voice dropping into a sorrowful timber.

"I am happy," Hayden growled angrily.

Stoick just raised his bushy brows at that, instead of commenting on the glaring disparity between the words and tone. "If you must know, Astrid had a bit of an accident last night," Hayden finally supplied with a sigh. "I found her wandering around in the snow, and I couldn't really just leave her there. We spent the night in Freezing to wait out the storm, and then I gave her a ride home this afternoon."

"You two 'spent the night' in Freezing, did ya," Gobber hedged. Enunciating the words as a smile split his weathered face. His bushy eyebrows looking like dancing caterpillars when they wiggled suggestively, and Stoick barked out a laugh now.

"No! That's not what I meant," Hayden choked out in shock. Feeling his cheeks heat instantly as if to display his guilt, and he cursed his pale complexion. "We didn't… It's not like that!"

"Sure it isn't," Stoick teased gleefully. "About damn time too! Was it worth the wait?"

Clearly this was the whole point behind their grilling, and Hayden threw his hands up in defeat. "Oh my Thor, I can't even be nice to a girl without you guys ragging on me for it. Nothing happened, and even if it did, I certainly wouldn't tell you two about it," he stated in an exasperated growl that only made the older men laugh harder.

"You know what, I have some work I need to do before dinner. I'm going upstairs," Hayden added grumpily. "Call me when dinner's ready. Or don't. I don't care."

Then he turned around and picked up his stuff again before stomping his way up the stairs. Toothless hopping off Stoick's lap and darting up the stairs past him. Once the cat was inside his old room with him, Hayden pointedly shut the door with an extra loud thud, while the hearty guffaws carried on from the living room. Setting his bag and the cat carrier down on the end of the bed as he glared around at his old, and very familiar, room.

The Haddock house was a spacious two story building with an open floor plan and plenty of square footage, perched on a respectable plot of manicured land. With it's river rock pillars by the front entrance, forest green stucco, and exposed timber framing, it still managed to look cozy and inviting though. Like a fancy cottage, instead of the large 4 bedroom/3 bathroom home that it was.

Hayden's bedroom was the second largest in the house. Nearly the same size as the master suite, and also with it's own 3 piece ensuite. Everything from the dark wood furniture to the pale grey walls was just the same as he remembered. The ceiling still decorated with the hand-painted mural of dragons that Hayden had done in his early teens. He'd spent far too many hours in this room back in those days.

The bed - upgraded from a double to a queen when his growth spurt had hit - had been made up with his preferred combination of black sheets and red comforter. Although it did appear as if Stoick had purchased a couple new pillows to replace the old, flattened ones that used to be on it. Hayden briefly considered taking a nap, but he knew if he laid down right now, he'd probably sleep right through until morning.

Making his way over to the window instead, Hayden rested his elbows on the ledge with a sigh. Taking a moment to just appreciate the natural splendour that he missed while in the city. Berk was an undeniably beautiful place, after all. The east facing side of the house offered the best view - which was why the living room had a vaulted ceiling, huge full length windows, and a large deck overlooking the valley below. Hayden's bedroom, on the other hand, faced the gulley. Though he did still have a pretty decent view of the northernmost mountain peaks with their rugged, snow-capped tops.

Almost without thinking about it, his gaze shifted from the scenery to Astrid's. Her family's house was much like his own. The only real difference was that the Hoffersons had bluish-grey stucco on their walls instead of dark green. Honestly, most of the homes in this newly built subdivision looked like carbon copies of each other. It's just that the ones higher up on the hill (like the Haddock and Hofferson homes) were bigger, fancier, and had bigger yards.

Astrid's bedroom faced his, and though her curtains were firmly closed, Hayden could still tell at a glance that her lights were off. When they were kids, they had strung up a bucket on a rope and pulley system that stretched between the two windows. That way they could send notes back and forth to each other in secret. As they'd gotten older, they'd taken the ropes down and opted to use cellphones instead.

He had the odd urge to text her now. To tell her to go upstairs and look out her window, just so he could wave at her like the old days. That seemed childish though, so he cast the thought out of his head. Besides, he didn't even know if she still had the same phone number anymore. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally send some stranger a creepy message that would seem straight out of a horror movie.

If only she hadn't given up her Facebook account. Then he could just send her a message without needing a phone number. Unfortunately Astrid had no patience for social media and had ditched her Facebook and Instagram accounts part way through high school. As she liked to say, she didn't want to talk to anyone she didn't deem worthy of her actual phone number, which Hayden could sort of sympathize with. He, himself, really only had Facebook so that he could use the messenger app.

Huffing out a breath that made the glass fog up, Hayden tore his eyes away from Astrid's window. Flopping himself down on the bed instead and rifling through his duffel bag until he found his laptop and his headphones. Then he propped his back up against his headboard, put on some music, and opened up Teams.

After almost an hour of looking at the same document and seeing none of it, Hayden finally gave up on work for the night. Instead, he picked up his phone and started playing Candy Crush until he ran out of lives. Then he moved all his clothes from his duffel bag to his dresser, and tucked the cat carrier away in the closet for the time being. Glancing at the empty hangers in there, he decided to move his sweaters from the drawer to the closet instead, since he had nothing else to put in there.

This was the first time in 4 years that Hayden had travelled somewhere without having to pack at least one suit. It was kind of refreshing. It was also one of the few trips he'd made in the last few years that weren't structured around business meetings. He honestly had no idea what he was going to do to pass the time, but he didn't really want to sit around at his dad's house all day every day for the next couple weeks.

Realizing that he was running out of things to keep busy with up here, Hayden grudgingly made his way back downstairs. Chancing a glance out the front window, he felt his lips pull back in disgust at the sight of the yard. Gods, there should really be some sort of bylaw for how many Christmas lights could be congregated in one location. The astronauts in the ISS could probably see their house right now.

Clearly Gobber had heard him on the stairs, since he suddenly yelled from across the main room. The old man's gruff voice shaking Hayden roughly out of his moment of horror. "Yer just in time. Soup's ready!"

"Thank Thor," Hayden muttered under his breath. Turning away from the gaudy decorations and making his way to the kitchen instead. "Not one more word about Astrid," he grumbled warningly as he grabbed a bowl of soup and a few slices of homemade bread. Both his father and Gobber mimed zipping their mouths shut, even though it was pretty clear that they were just bursting to poke more fun at him.

Dinner was pretty good, and the fresh bread was to die for. Gobber's cooking was always delicious though. It was one of the things that Hayden had missed most after he moved away. Although he had learned to cook pretty well himself now too, but that was more by necessity than an actual love of the art. It was simply too expensive to order out all the time, and one cannot live on KD and packaged ramen noodles forever.

Afterwards, they watched Die Hard on the 70" Samsung Smart TV. Yeah, Die Hard was arguably a Christmas movie, but there was enough blood and violence in it to make it tolerable. By the end of it though, Hayden was really starting to feel his lack of sleep. The combination of an extremely late night and the emotional stress of being around Astrid all compounding into something strangely akin to jet lag.

Although, if all his short nights were spent with Astrid in his arms, it might be worth the exhaustion, Hayden mused idly. Then he promptly scolded himself for letting his mind venture down that dangerous road as he gathered up the dirty dishes. Taking them to the kitchen and starting to load them into the dishwasher.

A few moments later, he turned slightly at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching behind him. Acknowledging his father with a nod of his head before going back to the task at hand. Without a word, Stoick came over and began to help. Passing Hayden items to set in the rack, and clearly building up to something. Gobber opting to stay on the couch instead, as he clearly hoped to give father and son a few moments alone.

Stoick and Hayden's relationship had certainly gotten better over the years, but it was still tense at times. It was hard to erase the past, and Stoick hadn't always been the greatest or most supportive father. Something that Stoick himself would be the first to admit. Since high school though, Stoick had been doing his best to connect with his son in whatever way he could. Even if he strongly suspected that Gobber had guilted Stoick into it, Hayden did appreciate the effort.

"So, any plans for tomorrow," Stoick finally said after the silence between them began to get too heavy.

"Not really," Hayden shrugged. Digging out a Cascade pod from the cupboard under the sink and popping it in the soap compartment. Then he closed the door of the dishwasher and set the mode and a 2 hr delay start before finally meeting his father's gaze. "Why? Is there something you need done?"

"It's not really a need…" Stoick replied slowly. Shifting his weight from foot to foot for a moment, and instantly making Hayden suspicious.

"Just spit it out Dad," Hayden drawled with an eye roll. Already expecting what was coming.

His father took a deep breath as if to brace himself before speaking. "I was wondering if maybe you could come help out down at the square? We could really use the extra set of hands."

"Dad…"

Clearly ready for his rebuttal, Stoick cut across him with a sigh. "Look son, I know this isn't your favourite holiday," he offered slowly. "Ever since your mother left at Christmas, this time of year has been rough for both of us. It doesn't need to be though."

"Everyone leaves at Christmas," Hayden reminded his father blandly. "First mom left, and then you left me with Gobber and spent every holiday you could away from home because you said the season reminded you of her. Then, just when everything seemed to be going right for once, Astrid and I had our falling out. Can you really blame me for not believing in Christmas miracles anymore?"

Stoick's eyes fell to the floor now as he grimaced beneath his beard, which made Hayden feel instantly bad. His father hadn't deserved that.

"Sorry Dad," Hayden added with a sigh. "I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just, seeing Astrid again, you know…"

That had Stoick huffing a laugh without humour. "Oh, believe me, I know. If Valka ever… Never mind…" He trailed off uncomfortably, but he didn't really need to finish that thought anyways.

"I guess us Haddock men just have a horrible habit of holding on to the one that got away," Hayden supplied with a shrug. Trying to cover over their mutual pain with a joke, and smiling for real when his father's cheeks flushed pink. Then the smile slipped right back off his face a moment later as he tried and failed to stifle a yawn instead.

Seeing his exhaustion, Stoick reached out to place a hand on Hayden's shoulder. "Why don't you call it a night son," he offered kindly. "Gobber and I can finish the rest of the cleanup."

"Thanks Dad," Hayden sighed gratefully. "And I can't promise I'll be jolly, but I suppose I can help you set up for the festival if you really want me to. As long as Gobber promises not to sing any carols, that is."

"I think that's a deal I can get on board with," Stoick agreed. A smile lighting his eyes now, as if Hayden had just given him the best gift of all. Grudgingly accepting his fate for his father's sake, Hayden turned and headed back towards the stairs. Offering Gobber a small wave on his way past.

He supposed as long as he was just constructing booths in the background, it might not be so bad. At least there was a pretty good chance he'd run into some of his other old school friends down at the square. He also knew that Heather was still in town, and thankfully they'd broken up on good terms. If worst came to worst he could probably message her to come spring him.

Or maybe Astrid would… Nope. Not going there now. He didn't need to lie awake for hours wondering about what if's again. He needed to sleep so that he wasn't a completely miserable bastard tomorrow.

As he got back to his room, Hayden felt Toothless brush past his legs. The cat mostly ignoring him in return, as he jumped up on the bed and started scratching himself a nest. Heaving a sigh, Hayden closed his bedroom door and leaned back against it for a moment. His eyes straying to the window again, and he noticed that this time Astrid's curtains were pushed aside and her light was on.

He caught a glimpse of a blonde haired someone moving around the room, and he walked closer to his own window now. His feet carrying him forward almost involuntarily. He couldn't tell what she was doing obviously, but it didn't escape his notice that she was wearing a familiar green sweater, yet again.

Chuckling quietly, Hayden flicked on his bedside lamp before turning off the bright overhead light. Then he plugged in his phone and started getting ready for bed. The same confusions about Astrid starting to swim around in his mind again despite his best efforts to block them out, but he just couldn't help it. The fact that she had practically lived in his shirt for the last day and a bit had to mean something, right?..

If he was more confident in his natural charisma, or it was any girl other than Astrid, he might be inclined to think she had a thing for him. The reality was though, he'd read her wrong once before and look how that had turned out. "What do you think Toothless," he asked the black cat now curled up on his red comforter. "Was Astrid flirting with me, or is that just wishful thinking on my part?"

Toothless just stared back at him with a noncommittal meow. Stretching his paws out as he yawned, before laying his head back down and closing his eyes. "Well you're a lot of help," Hayden grumbled at his friend. Scowling slightly as he pulled his shirt off over his head and felt the surge of static crackle through his mess of hair.

Cats and women, he mused blandly as he brought a hand up to smooth the flyaways back down. They're both equally impossible to read.

*

Astrid had gone to her room to search for the power cord for her laptop. At least, that was the excuse she used. Mostly she just wanted to get away from her parents. She was tired after all the stress and lack of sleep, and it was making her temper even shorter than it usually was. She kind of just wanted to go to bed, but her folks were planning to watch Serendipity tonight and Astrid loved that movie.

Although, maybe she should just call it a night instead. She could always watch the movie by herself tomorrow night or something. It wasn't like she didn't have enough free time now, she thought with a sigh. The idea of bed seeming even better when she considered the prospect of sitting through yet more lewd jokes from her father regarding her and Hayden.

Ever since she'd arrived in Hayden's car, her parents had been harassing her about it. Her father more so than her mother. Her mother just seemed unreasonably overjoyed that Hayden and Astrid had apparently rekindled their lost friendship. The two of them asking non-stop questions until Astrid finally divulged the whole story over dinner. Well most of the whole story.

She conveniently forgot to mention anything about Eret hitting her or that she had shared a bed with Hayden last night. Mostly because her father tended to have a bit of a temper. Something that Astrid had inherited from him, along with his bright blue eyes and his height. Her mom, on the other hand, was an impossibly patient woman who wore her heart on her sleeve. Instead of those desirable personality traits though, Astrid had simply inherited her mom's delicate cameo features and thick, honey-blonde hair.

Despite Ivan's overprotective tendencies when it came to his daughter, Astrid was pretty sure he wouldn't actually be mad about the Hayden thing. She had just been hoping to avoid even more teasing. Ivan and Ingrid absolutely adored the 'well-mannered young man' that was Hayden Haddock.

Speaking of, her mom had raised a sculpted brow at her when she saw Astrid wearing the green sweater, but she thankfully hadn't said anything about it. Astrid honestly wasn't sure if her father had even noticed the baggy garment as not belonging to her. Ivan wasn't always known for being the noticing type when it came to clothing or accessories.

As she pawed through the mess that was her suitcase and set out things for tomorrow, Astrid couldn't help glancing towards her window every now and then. Her eyes seeking out the house across from hers - and the second story window in particular. Every time she'd looked up to this point it had been dark, and she could only assume that Hayden was busy with his father.

When she glanced out the window this time though, the first thing she noticed was the golden glow of light from the Haddock's. The curtains in Hayden's bedroom were still open, and she could see him moving around in there. With a smile, she made her way over to lean her elbows on her window ledge. Part of her hoping that he would look this way just so that she could wave at him.

Then, as she watched, he slowly peeled his sweater and t-shirt off. Exposing a torso with a lean layer of toned muscle. His upper body looking as chiseled as a marble statue, and his bedside lamp casting a golden glow over skin scattered with sparse freckles. His hand coming up to run through that tousled mop of hair as he smoothed the static back out of it, and his handsome face carrying a small scowl that made him look dark and intriguing. Sweet Thor…

Astrid felt her jaw drop and her heart rate speed up as her palms got instantly clammy. She should look away. Should give him some privacy, but she just couldn't seem to avert her eyes. Besides, it wasn't like there was any harm in looking at a shirtless man… Was there?

Too bad she'd forgotten to shut her bedroom door before ogling her neighbour. "What are we looking at," came the sudden voice of her dad from just behind her. His tone was distinctly teasing, and he burst out laughing when Astrid jumped and squeaked in surprise. Coming to stand beside her at the window with an evil grin on his angular face, and a wicked gleam in his blue eyes.

"Oh, I bet it's Hayden," her mom spouted now. Coming up on her other side to gaze out the window too. "My goodness! No wonder you're drooling dear. He has gotten rather handsome, hasn't he," she added coyly, and Astrid felt her face go as red as a stoplight. Clearly she'd been so busy being a creep that she hadn't even heard her parents coming up the stairs.

"Have you guys never heard of privacy," she growled at them.

"If you wanted privacy, you would've shut your door," Ivan stated with a shrug. Obviously enjoying Astrid's discomfort far too much, as he suddenly leaned closer to the glass. "Is that a tattoo on his chest," he asked out loud. Cupping his hands around his eyes like binoculars now, as if that would help him decipher the dark shape splashed across Hayden's left pectoral. "I wonder what it's of? Maybe I should ask Stoick."

Just then, Hayden glanced up. Noticing his audience, he shot an awkward wave in their direction as his mouth twisted into something between a grimace and a smirk. Without missing a beat, both her parents cracked huge grins and waved exuberantly back. Astrid was sure that Hayden would be blushing now too, but she was too busy burying her red face in her hands to look.

"Oh my gods," she groaned into the sleeves of her sweater. "Do you guys always have to be so embarrassing?!"

"What can we say? Old habits die hard kiddo," Ivan allowed with a chuckle. Turning away from the window now to rest a warm hand on her shoulder instead. "Just like how you still steal Hayden's clothes and Peeping-Tom him through your window every chance you get."

Astrid just grumbled incoherent curses into her cotton covered palms, and her folks cracked up laughing. "We actually just came up to check on you. You seemed pretty exhausted and we thought you might have gone to bed," Ingrid supplied in between chuckles. "If you're still up for movie night though, there's warm apple pie in the kitchen."

"Yeah, and I already let Stormfly out, so you don't need to worry about that," Ivan added brightly.

"Thanks," Astrid replied blandly. "I'll be down in a minute." Turns out her father had definitely noticed the hoodie.

Her parents left the room laughing, and she flipped her middle fingers up at their retreating backs. She loved them to bits of course, but sweet baby Thor in a thunderstorm, they were the absolute worst sometimes. How had she ever managed to grow up even remotely functional in this household?

Astrid had the sudden urge to apologize to Hayden for that horrifying scene. Too bad she hadn't thought to ask for his phone number before parting ways. Maybe she could stop by his place tomorrow. She would need to talk to him to initiate her plan anyways - after she'd talked to Heather first of course.

Chancing a look towards the Haddock's, Astrid was a little surprised to see that Hayden's window was already dark again. He'd either gone to bed, or was hiding from her family. Both of which were decisions she fully supported him in.

With a sigh, Astrid pulled out her phone and texted Heather. It wasn't that late, so she assumed her friend would still be up. She was also really hoping to avoid spending yet another day getting heckled by her evil parental figures.

Thankfully Heather responded quickly. Confirming that she had some free time tomorrow and telling Astrid to meet her downtown around 10. Sighing in relief now, Astrid pocketed her phone again and headed downstairs. Doing her best not to look for Hayden again, and failing horribly. His window, though, remained dark now, and she tried not to feel somewhat disappointed by that. Again, she failed horribly.

~oOo~

As an adult who's parents still frequently go out of their way to embarrass me, I fully sympathize with Astrid's plight here. Lol

What do you guys think her plan is, btw? You'll find out next chap, but I'm a little curious if you've figured it out on your own already.