Two: Not a Date

"How do I look?" Astrid smoothed down the form-fitting azure dress and checked her image in the mirror. The dress was one from her new 'Team Astrid' range and she had been undecided what to wear for her mother's birthday party so she had packed a couple of options. Strangely, she had chosen the one she liked better for her dinner with Hiccup-she wouldn't think of it as a date because Astrid Hofferson certainly didn't have time for a date! But she had to admit to herself-however reluctantly-that she was looking forward to spending some time with Hiccup.

Of course, she would never admit it to anyone-least of all someone she hadn't seen for years-but her life was pretty lonely. Sure, there was the camaraderie of the team when they were training or playing or on media duties but otherwise…they all had their thing. Some of the older players were still jealous of the stunning blonde who had hoovered the bulk of the contracts and endorsements and the younger players looked up to the famous Captain of the Valkyries and the National Team. She had a couple of the team who were friends-but one was on the brink of a transfer to the Freyas from Freezing-to-Death and there was precious little chance to hang out and just have fun. Any time she stepped out of the house, some paparazzi was watching and she had learned the hard way she couldn't go out clubbing, dancing or even have a casual date. Only here on Berk, where she was protected as one of their own would she stand any chance of a quiet evening.

She had one boyfriend since she left High School, a football player who had seemed like the perfect boyfriend-until she found him in bed with one of his team-mates. The matter had been hushed up and they had parted by 'mutual consent'-but Astrid knew that she had been used as camouflage for a man who had been unwilling to come out. And because she was a decent woman-and though when she was younger, she had anger control issues, she had worked hard to control her emotions so she suppressed her fury and smiled through the press conference and went along with the story. No matter how hurt and upset she was.

She shook herself and stared at her reflection, touching up her eyeliner and ghosting a little lipstick on her lips. Her long golden hair framed her beautiful face, a small braided portion snaking down behind her left ear and moving as she flicked her head. And then she smiled.

"Easy, Astrid," she murmured. "All you're doing is meeting an old school friend. No biggie. What could go wrong?"

oOo

He had tried on almost every shirt he possessed and he still wasn't satisfied-because this was Astrid Hofferson. His former best friend…who had run away almost without a word and certainly without any explanation or apology two days before High School Graduation, leaving the boy who had crushed on her for years and who had planned on revealing his feelings at Graduation utterly bereft. And while he wasn't quite the runty fishbone he had been then, he still was nothing much compared to the famous soccer player and fashion icon. Sure, he had grown to over six feet in height and was lean and toned rather than completely skinny but his hair was wilder than ever and he had an unfortunate habit of being clumsy and stammering when he felt self-conscious. And Thor, he would feel like a total fishbone next to the beautiful blonde.

He stared back into the reflection of his emerald eyes, expressing his uncertainty and then he took a shuddering breath. He hadn't told Bella-because she would have vetoed the meeting and he wanted to catch up with Astrid, who had been a friend throughout his school years. The chance of him ever seeing Astrid again after this was precisely zero and that was fine-because he had moved on as well, with a girlfriend and a steady job-but he would like to see how she had been getting on. And to see if she was still the girl he remembered.

"Red," he murmured, grabbing the discarded deep rust red shirt and holding it up against his body. With his dark auburn hair, bright green eyes and pale skin with occasional freckle, the red picked out his colours. Of course, Bella usually insisted he wore a boring white shirt when they went out-because she had to be the centre of attention. She was very bossy and demanding but Hiccup didn't really have a fantastic amount of self-confidence where the opposite sex was concerned so he had been grateful when she had come on to him and driven the relationship forward. And once she had things the way she wanted, he had done his best to fit in with her. She didn't really like him talking to other women-though even Bella had accepted that Rachel 'Ruffnut' Thorston was probably more of a boy than her twin brother Timothy (or Tuffnut as his friends knew him). But all other female contact had been cut off by the possessive and overbearing Bella and though he had been disappointed, Bella's words had echoed through his ears whenever he considered why he was willing to accept her wishes.

"Honestly, Hiccup-why would anyone else want to go out with you? I mean-you stammer, you're clumsy, you have a big nose and weird hair and no social skills. You should be grateful I'm willing to put up with you."

And though the words had been hurtful, he had to admit they had the uncomfortable merit of being true. He hadn't had a girlfriend in High School-though he did have female friends-because no one ever indicated they wanted to go out with him. He had only planned to ask Astrid out because he assumed that if she rejected him, he could hide all summer and apply for a college on the other side of the planet to hide with his shame and broken heart. But instead, she had vanished and he read about her departure in the papers like everyone else…despite supposedly being her friend. And that had hurt and shattered his confidence. The couple of texts he had received a fortnight later hadn't done anything to ease his sense of rejection-and then the contact had just stopped. So when he met Bella at College, when the confident and brash blonde had decided she liked the look of him, he had been flattered and grateful. Who else had wanted him?

He pulled on the deep red shirt and fastened the buttons, leaving the top couple open. His skinny black jeans and deep brown jacket give him a suitably casual look and he tried to tame his hair once more-with no success. So he carefully checked his wallet and phone, grabbed his keys and the flowers he had picked up and then headed out to the Meade Hall, hoping Bella would never find out.

oOo

He arrived at 7.20 and found Astrid already waiting, a shawl wrapped around her toned shoulders and he blushed in shame that she had beaten him to the restaurant-even though they were both early. But as she looked up and saw his tall, lean shape, her face lit with a smile and she waved at him.

"Hiccup!" she called and he dipped his head, smiled and walked over to her, offering her the neat bouquet of white roses. His breath hitched at the beautiful azure dress that flattered and enhanced her amazing figure and he had to consciously keep his jaw from dropping. Her blue eyes widened and she grinned, sniffing their delicate scent even as he tried not to gawp. Then she reached up on tiptoes and pecked a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Hiccup-these are beautiful!"

"Um…not as beautiful as you…" he mumbled and then blushed. "Thor, I said that aloud, didn't I?" She nodded, chuckling.

"What happened to the sarcastic guy I met yesterday?" she asked him playfully and he shrugged.

"He's on his way in-he sent me ahead to be on time," he replied, a glimmer of his usual sass peeking through. "I mean, we were both early-and that's not usual for Berk. In fact, they expect people here to arrive ten minutes late at least!"

"That doesn't work in Pro Soccer," Astrid commented. "You arrive late for training and you're fined-or given extra training. You arrive late for the match, you don't play! Timing is everything!"

That's for sure. If I had spoken up sooner, who knows what would have happened?

Then he paused.

You still would have gone, he realised and then forced himself to grin.

"Though we may have a short wait for the table," he smiled as they were conducted to the seats in the waiting area. Hiccup had a cola while Astrid had sparkling water. She looked him up and down and he felt his cheeks scorch at the scrutiny. "Hmm…can't keep your eyes off all this raw Vikingness?" he teased her and she arched an eyebrow.

"You've definitely grown up," she smiled, eyeing him appreciatively. "And you scrub up well…" He sipped his coke and briefly glanced at his knees.

"Well-look at you-fame, fortune, soccer…" he replied, meeting her bright blue eyes. She laughed.

"You remember I was always competitive?" she began and he nodded.

"Thor, I don't think anyone could forget that!" he managed. "There wasn't a single thing you did that wasn't a competition!"

"Competition is the essence of life," she smirked, reminding him of an incident when they were younger when they were all learning to cook. He chuckled.

"Yeah-I think Ruff said that a minute before you set fire to the school kitchens because you wanted your rock cakes to be the first out of the oven!" Blue eyes widened for a second, astonished he recalled that afternoon from when they had been thirteen-and then she burst out laughing.

"I didn't realise then that higher temperatures and faster cooking didn't necessarily mean a better outcome!" she giggled. "I believe they were actually genuinely on fire!"

"It was," Hiccup grinned. "Tuff used the fire extinguisher to put them out and covered you, me, the teacher, three ovens and the window with foam!"

"And Snotlout still claimed they were wonderful and tried to eat them to schmooze me and persuade me to be his girlfriend!" Astrid recalled.

"Yeah, that went well," Hiccup agreed with a wince. "His parents tried to sue your for the cost of the dentistry work…"

"And my father threatened to axe Spitelout to pieces if he mentioned it one more time," she smirked. Hiccup chuckled at the memory of his uncle backing away from an enraged Hofferson.

"I think you punched Snotlout so many times it was a surprise he didn't have permanent concussion!"

"Hey-he was asking for it!" she pouted. "He used to flirt with me non-stop and would never understand the word 'no' means 'no!" Hiccup smiled and shook his head.

"He hasn't really changed-except, of course, he hasn't gone anywhere near as far as you," he revealed. "He's on the College Football Team-but not first choice Quarterback, much to his annoyance. Personally, I think too much partying hasn't helped but what do I know?"

"More than most, since he's your cousin," she reminded him. He shuddered.

"Yeah, family reunions are just so much fun, with his Uncle Spitelout and Snot making sure everyone knows what a big shot he is at College Football," he commented sarcastically. "I mean, he's redoing his sophomore year for the second time and honestly, I don't know what he's getting out of the experience. He'll end up working in his Dad's Trucking business once he finishes at College-because he's never going to make the big leagues, no matter how much he boasts."

Before Astrid could reply, the waiter walked forward and invited them to come to their table and he chivalrously stepped back to allow her to go first. She grabbed her purse, adjusted her shawl and rose elegantly, smiling at him as he walked at her side to the neat table, tucked discreetly in an alcove with a view over the whole magnificent space. They were seated and the waiter handed them leather-bound menus, swiftly listing the specials and calmly pouring iced water into the gleaming glasses before giving them a few minutes to inspect the menu.

Astrid glanced up. She had already picked her choice-the crayfish salad as an appetiser and the Hawaiian Chicken with Polynesian Rice and pineapple slaw as her entree-because she had an important international match coming up and couldn't go wild, no matter how delicious the options. Hiccup frowned and inspected the list and Astrid found herself staring at the young man sitting opposite. His definite eyebrows were arched and his sparkling green eyes were focussed on the menu but they flicked up and twinkled with his cute, slightly lopsided smile. There was a faint blush on his cheeks, highlighting the few fading freckles and the mood lighting highlighted the sharp line of his jaw. Suddenly, she felt a flutter in her chest and her eyes widened in shock.

For a moment, she forgot about her fame and her importance and why she was here and she was enjoying the prospect of spending time with her old friend. It would be fun to catch up and have a long-missed dose of the archetypal Hiccup sass. To gossip with her friend…and maybe apologise that she had run off and left him without a proper goodbye. This was going to be a fun evening.

But it absolutely definitely wasn't a date.

A/N: The Not-Date will be posted tomorrow