I was going to rewrite the rough draft of this chapter last night. But I forgot, and instead I was responsible and started cleaning my room. *sigh* Oh well. On with the show.
Chapter 7: "Family" Dinner
Astrid had never thought of herself as a hesitant person. But the next day, she found herself hesitating on the steps of the art building. Breathing deep to try and calm nerves that were once more on high alert as she considered what she was about to do. Trying to figure out how she felt about what she was about to do.
She hadn't really been sure what she thought about Hiccup. And her opinion on Night Fury had been up in the air lately. Finding out they were the same person left her too confused to figure out up and down, struggling to reconcile feelings she hadn't even understood before this revelation.
It hadn't started to rain yet, but the sky overhead was once more overcast. A few breaks in the clouds suggested that the rain might not even come. Not that day, anyway. The breeze that blew through the campus was bracing, however. They might be able to avoid rain, but they wouldn't be able to avoid winter. Her new jacket warded off the cold's bite.
Finally, with a deep breath, she pulled open the door, and stepped inside.
Despite the cold outside, the temperature was a couple degrees higher than she would have called comfortable. The looks from passing art students didn't exactly help. If anything, they seemed to be getting worse each time she dared to set foot in the building.
When she got to the lab, she saw Hiccup and Rapunzel at the metal working table, under the low window directly across from the door. He had one on hand on the blowtorch, as though he had set it down to talk to Rapunzel. Their conversation seemed to be serious, but they both looked up as Astrid came over to them.
"I had an idea," Rapunzel said, sparing Astrid the trouble of figuring out the best way to greet them. She bounced on the balls of her feet, clearly excited about whatever her idea was. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? All of us will be home, and we can answer all your questions without…" she looked around pointedly at the other students in the lab.
A dinner invitation was not Astrid had been expecting. Not quite sure how to respond, she looked at Hiccup, trying to gauge his thoughts. Wondering if this was what they had been discussing, and if he was opposed to the idea.
His expression wasn't nearly as open as Rapunzel's. He looked a little wary, actually. But he nodded when he saw the question in her expression. "It would be easier."
She was hesitating. Again.
Much as she wanted answers, sitting down to dinner with the Big 4 was very different from just sitting down with Hiccup to talk. As he pointed out, it would be easier, and would ensure their conversation stayed private. The lab suddenly felt anything but, now that she thought about it. And there was nowhere else on campus that she could think of that would work.
So she nodded. "What time should I be there?"
#
Astrid couldn't even remember the last time she had actually gone out for something other than school, racing, or errands. Which might be why she found herself running around her apartment trying to get ready, but only having half a clue what she was doing.
Her family had never done a whole lot of socializing. They had been too busy with every possible physical sport they could sign up for. Or they just stayed at home.
Fashion was kind of beyond her, too. If it wasn't jeans and a tshirt, she was lost. Were you supposed to get dressed up if you were going over to someone's house for dinner? She settled for her nicest pair of dark wash jeans, and a silky aquamarine shirt that she had bought for a racing event, and hoped she would have an excuse to wear again. (Well, here was her excuse.) She re-braided her hair, taking more care than she usually did.
Her skills with makeup were limited to the lip glass she applied in a few quick strokes.
This time she took her car, since there was still a threat of rain. She turned the radio up before pulling out, trying to drown out some of the thoughts that continued swirling in her mind, but without enough form for her to actually put into words what they were.
The drive up Crescent Road didn't feel nearly as long as it had the day before – but maybe that was just because she was prepared for it this time.
By the time she pulled up the driveway, the sun was already starting to set. The front light was on, and the windows glowed a warm gold from the lights inside. Down towards the end of the house, what she guessed was the window of a bedroom, sheer curtains hid the interior, without totally obscuring the light. But the curtains to what looked like the kitchen and living room were open, so she could see figures moving around inside.
She was about to have dinner with the Big 4.
The thought was so strange, that for a moment all she could do was sit in her car and try to comprehend it. She wished she could have told Anders – maybe he could have helped her mentally prepare. But she probably couldn't have reached him, even she felt as though she could tell him.
When she was as prepared as she could reasonably expect herself to be, she shut off the engine, unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out. The air was cool, heavy with the scent of the evergreen trees that grew all around the property.
She walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and pressed the doorbell. She could hear it chime through the house, then a muffled call. A moment later she could see a silhouette through the frosted glass in the door.
The door opened from the other side, and Astrid found herself face to face with the red haired girl she had seen at the college, and at the shop the day before. The pieces clicked in her brain immediately. How had she not put it together before? The lion's mane of red-orange curls was so distinct, it should have been obvious.
"Somehow, I'm not surprised," she admitted.
Red snickered. "I'm still surprised no one's figured it out." Her accent was thick, her tone friendly. "I'm Merida DunBroch." She held out a hand, and Astrid shook it. Merida's grip was firm, fingertips and palms calloused.
Letting go, Merida stepped back and held the door open so Astrid could step into the house.
Inside, the air was warm, bright, and delicious. She couldn't tell what was cooking. Only that it was cooking, and it was making her mouth water.
The house had an open floor plan, with the kitchen off to her left, separated from the living room by a breakfast bar. The walls were cream colored, hung with art work and framed photos, while the carpet was off white. Though the section of floor right in front of the door was hardwood. Astrid took off her shoes, and set them next to the shoe shelf that was filled with everything from flip-flops, to sneakers, to a pair of bright purple rain boots. (Astrid felt it was a safe bet to say those were probably Rapunzel's.)
As she took off her jacket, a timer went off in the kitchen. A moment later, Rapunzel appeared through the doorway on the other side of the kitchen.
"Hi, Astrid!" she called cheerfully, waving quickly before she turned to one of the two stacked ovens.
"Hi," Astrid greeted.
Right behind Rapunzel came the black dragon. He looked at Rapunzel as she pulled what looked like a loaf of bread from the oven, and he seemed to be trying to determine if he was going to get something. The answer must have been no, because he turned his attention to Astrid, coming over to the doorway.
"What are yoo doin', Toothless?" Merida asked.
Astrid had grown up around dogs, so as the dragon came closer, she held out her hand almost on instinct. To her surprise, he sniffed at it. After a moment, he snorted and stepped back.
Merida chuckled as she scratched the dragon's jaw – the way you'd scratch a dog behind the ears. And just like a dog, the dragon's lips pulled in a smile as he tilted his head back. Actually, Astrid was almost certain she heard purring, so maybe a cat was a better comparison.
She saw the dragon's eyes snap open and shift just before they heard:
"Come on, Bud, give 'em some space."
The dragon pulled away from Merida and bounded across the large living room to Hiccup, who was just coming through the arched doorway on the other side. Astrid guessed it led to the bedrooms, and the rest of the house.
"Where've you two been?" Merida asked.
"We had an emergency meeting," said Jack, stepping around Hiccup, who was scratching the dragon as though it were second nature. Toothless certainly seemed to be enjoying it, considering the way he rubbed up against his human.
"About what?"
"Guy stuff."
Merida rolled her eyes, smacking Jack's shoulder as they passed each other in the living room. Jack shrugged it off, and continued into the kitchen. He gave Astrid a mock salute as he passed her. The redhead vanished through the archway.
Hiccup grinned, patting the dragon's neck to say he was done.
Astrid swallowed as Hiccup stood up straight, and looked over at her with a lopsided grin.
He cleaned up well.
Really well, actually.
His hair was still a casual mess, but something about his jeans, and dark green shirt, with its long sleeves, suggested that he had put some thought into his appearance. She had noticed the first day in the lab that he was easy on the eyes, but now he looked down right handsome, and a couple butterflies seemed to have gotten trapped in her stomach.
That was not something she was used to… but she found she didn't entirely mind it. Once the initial wave of horror passed.
"Hey," he said, with a small wave. His arms seemed incapable of moving independently from his shoulders, so every gesture of his hands was accompanied by a half-shrug.
She thought he might be looking her over, but decided that that must be her imagination.
One of his hands seemed to be always resting on Toothless. His left hand, she realized. Was it to help keep his balance? Or was it a habit from when he had lost his foot?
Was she allowed to add that to the list of questions that she wanted to ask tonight?
She was trying to think of something to say when the sliding door on the other side of the living room opened. A tall, lithe woman stepped inside, using her toes to pull off her boots before setting her sock clad feet on the carpet. Her eyes landed on Astrid, and she smiled.
"You must be Astrid," she said, crossing the room in long, easy strides.
Astrid nodded, noticing that she didn't feel bothered that yet another person knew her name.
"Astrid, this is my mom, Valka Haddock," Hiccup said. He grinned as though he were extremely proud of his mother, and Astrid saw the same expression in Valka's eyes when she looked at her son. "Mom, this is Astrid Hofferson."
Valka shook Astrid's hand, still smiling warmly. "I've seen you race, but I didn't know you were so beautiful."
Astrid felt her cheeks heat at the compliment. "Thank you."
Valka was roughly the same height as her son, with the same reddish brown hair, which was just starting to grey at the temples, twisted into a long rope braid down her back.
"I'm going to wash my hands for dinner," Valka said. "Make yourself at home, Astrid."
"Thank you," she repeated again, not sure what else to say.
Valka made it to the archway in the living room before she paused and glanced back. "Hiccup, there's a blue Deadly Nadder in the stables. Do you know where it came from?"
Hiccup's brow furrowed in confusion. "No. It wasn't there this morning."
Valka's mouth pursed, but after a moment she said: "I'm sure it's nothing."
Once Valka was gone, Astrid looked around the room again. Jack had gone into the kitchen, and was helping Rapunzel. She could have sworn his hair had been white when he came into the room, but it had returned to brown at some point when she wasn't looking.
"When I was a kid, this house felt huge," Hiccup said. "Now, it almost doesn't feel big enough some times."
Astrid snickered.
"Dinner will be ready in a few more minutes," Rapunzel called.
"Thanks, Punz," Hiccup called back, before looked at Astrid again. "It's better this way though." He grinned. "For the most part."
"Is your dad here?" Astrid asked, doing a mental tally in her head.
But the change in Hiccup's expression told her that maybe she should have thought more about that question before she asked it.
He shook his head. "No. My, uh, my dad died a couple years ago. In the battle with Drago Blüdvist."
"I'm sorry," Astrid said.
He shrugged one shoulder. "You don't get over something like that, you just get used to it."
Astrid wondered if the same could be said of his foot.
They both looked over at a clattering from the kitchen, and saw Jack and Rapunzel both carrying dishes from the table. Jack had one in each hand, and one on his left forearm like a waiter. Rapunzel did the same, with a fourth on her head. As soon as they reached the table, in front of the kitchen, Jack set down the one in his right hand and took the one off her head.
"Astrid, would you like something to drink besides water?" Rapunzel asked. "I bought some sparkling apple cider, but we have some other juices."
"No soda," Jack said, setting his last plate down. "Valka says they're bad for us."
"They are," Rapunzel said.
"Sparkling cider is fine," Astrid said.
"We don't have guests very often, so Rapunzel is making a production," Hiccup said. "She's kind of a zealous hostess."
"I heard that," Rapunzel said, as she walked back to the kitchen. Jack followed her like a puppy.
"I mean it in the best way," Hiccup said.
"Uh-huh. Jack, will you go get Valka and Merida?"
Jack gave another salute, to Rapunzel this time. He turned on the ball of one foot, leaning backwards until Astrid thought he would fall over. At the last moment his balance shifted, and he was walking easily across the living room.
It was a Jack Frost move, and it explained how he could seemed to move one way, but then show up where you least expected him.
"Parkour," Hiccup said. "Jack's a hopeless show off."
"I heard that," Jack called.
Hiccup grinned.
If Astrid could move so easily, with that much grace, she might be a show off as well.
"How did all of this happen?" Astrid asked, looking around the room yet again as she followed Hiccup over to the table.
Hanging on one wall, above the table, was a tapestry of a complex Celtic knot.
Hiccup pulled a chair out, holding it for her as she took a seat.
"Wait 'til everyone's here," he said. "It'll make more sense.
Rapunzel came out with stemmed glasses that had already been filled. Four were sparkling cider, one was water, and the sixth looked like a dark berry juice. Jack returned with Valka and Merida as she was setting the glasses at the table.
The bowl in front of Astrid was filled with a thick, golden yellow soup, with rice, chicken, and bright orange carrots. The aroma was rich and heady, causing Astrid to realize just how hungry she was.
She saw Rapunzel rest a hand lightly and easily on Jack's forearm. "Will you get the butter? It's on the counter."
"Sure." A moment later he was back with a bowl of what looked like softened butter, mixed with herbs, just as they all finished taking their seats at the table.
Toothless was a few feet away, over in the living room. He lay on the floor, but his eyes were on the table, waiting to see if he was needed, or if someone would offer him food.
Valka sat at the head of the table, Astrid on her left, Hiccup on her right. Jack was on Astrid's other side, while Rapunzel sat Between Hiccup and Merida. For a minute or so there was the buzz of everyone talking over each other, asking for this or that to be passed. Rapunzel cut the still steaming bread, giving a thick slice to each person.
It had all the comfortable ease of habit, without all the shoving Astrid had been used to at home.
"Do you have siblings, Astrid?" Valka asked, when the talk had mostly subsided.
"Three brothers," she said. "Two older, one younger."
"I had two brothers growing up," Valka said. "Never a quiet meal."
Astrid nodded.
"Thankfully, Hiccup and Jack aren't rowdy type," Valka added, looking at the boys pointedly.
"No, Merida's the rowdy one," Jack said, smirking.
"Oh, shut it, Frostbite." Merida looked over at Astrid. "Isn't one of your brothers a prize fighter?"
Astrid nodded. "Lars. They call him the Viking."
Merida rolled her eyes. "Aye. I've seen him fight."
Once they all had a slice of bread with herb butter, which tasted like garlic and rosemary, the table calmed down.
"What exactly am I eatin'?" Merida asked, now that they were all served.
"Lemon chicken soup," Rapunzel said. "It's a Greek recipe I found online. We had it last spring, but I think you were in Scotland."
Astrid dunked the crust of her bread into the soup and took a careful bite of the hot food. The rich, golden flavors of lemon and chicken washed over her tongue, warm and delicious. She could feel it travel all the way down her throat, and into her stomach.
She leaned back in her chair, sighing as she savored the taste. After almost two years of living on her own – between frozen dinners, take out, and her own attempts at cooking – Astrid couldn't remember the last time anything had tasted so good.
She had wanted to start getting answers to all her questions, but she ended up taking several bites before the thought even came up in her mind. Only when she looked around the table did it hit her again just who she was eating dinner with.
"So, how did all of this start?" she asked, looking between Jack, Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel.
Valka was the one who spoke. "Actually, it started with me."