The Beginning of Something

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This goes along with my last modern AU, but takes place before:) As much as I hate when guys give me emotional pain, it makes me want to write, which is good because then I update more!

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"I can't believe you're actually about to go out with Hiccup," Ruffnut said. "I mean, you could do so much better."

Astrid bit her lip as she turned to face her roommate. "He's not that bad. Just a little awkward. And besides, he's kinda cute." She ran a brush through her long, blonde locks. "What do you think? Should I leave my hair down?"

"I don't think he cares what you do with your hair. He's just gonna be glad to be going on a date." Ruffnut laughed.

"Oh, come on, Ruff." Groaning, Astrid pulled on a baby blue winter hat. After throwing on a matching coat, she slipped her feet into a pair of Uggs. It was January in New York City; bundling up was necessary, especially since she had no clue what sorts of activities Hiccup had planned for the night. The only thing she could be certain of was that, knowing how creative he was, this probably wasn't going to be the typical dinner-and-a-movie date.

Knock, knock.

"Come in!" Astrid called.

The door opened, revealing an auburn-haired boy with a bouquet of roses in his right hand. "Hey, Astrid. I uh...these are for you." He held out the flowers.

"Aww, Hiccup." Taking the bouquet, the blonde buried her freckled nose into the petals, taking in their sweet scent. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He watched as she made room for them on her cluttered desk. "You uh...you ready to go, then?"

"Ready," she confirmed.

"Bye," Ruffnut called as her roommate followed Hiccup out the door. "Have fun. But not too much fun. If you get what I'm saying."

"Be quiet, Ruff," Astrid shouted in response. She then turned to her date. "So, where are we going?"

The auburn-haired boy gave her a crooked grin. "You'll see."

She smiled back as she purposefully bumped her hand into his.

"Sorry," Hiccup apologized, nodding towards the elevator that would lead them out of the New York University dorms.

"Oh, no. That was all me." Biting her lip, Astrid twisted a piece of her hair around her finger. She was going on a date with Hiccup, the guy she'd liked ever since she met him at a fraternity party the second week of school. He hadn't been drinking and trying to pick up girls like all the other guys there. Instead, he'd been sitting alone in the corner with his phone in his hands, looking as if he wished he were somewhere else.

She'd started talking to him because Fishlegs, who was Ruffnut's friend-slash-crush and Hiccup's roommate, had introduced them to one another. The conversation had been awkward at first, but as soon as they'd discovered that they were both from the island of Berk, they'd quickly bonded. Though now that they were on a date, the initial strangeness was back.

"You first." Hiccup allowed her to step into the open elevator before entering himself and pressing the button for the ground floor.

The ride down was awkwardly silent, but in a good, heart-racing-and-butterflies-in-your-stomach way. The two stole glances at one another with blushing cheeks, and she brushed her hand against his again, inwardly shouting at him to just hold it.

"It's hard to believe we're only a few months away from being sophomores," he said as they stepped out onto the first floor.

"Yeah," sighed Astrid. "It's been a long year so far, though. You know, getting used to being away from home and all."

"I agree."

The couple walked through the door, only to be met with cold wind and snow flurries.

"You warm enough?" he asked, noticing that the blonde was beginning to shiver.

"I'll be fine." The blonde shrugged and pulled a pair of gloves from her coat pocket. "So, where are we going?"

...

Hiccup and Astrid were seated in a booth, a half-eaten pizza on the table and hot mugs of cappuccino in their hands. Shy smiles played on both of their faces.

"You having fun?" he asked.

She nodded. "I am. It's been awesome so far."

"I'm glad." The auburn-haired boy brought his green eyes to her blue ones. "So, you wanna uh...go for a walk after this?"

"In the cold? Hiccup, you're insane."

"I'm sorry. I just -"

"No, don't apologize. I love that you're crazy. It's erm...it's cute."

His cheeks turned red. "Aww, uh...thanks, Astrid."

The pair finished their cappuccinos and left the restaurant. The snow was beginning to fall a bit more heavily, and the chill in the wind was becoming more apparent.

"Maybe we should just go back to the dorms," Hiccup suggested. "I don't want you to uh...freeze to death."

"No, this is beautiful," Astrid said. She smiled at her date and allowed her hand to graze his. "Just..."

"Just what?" The auburn-haired boy raised an eyebrow.

"Hold my hand, you dork." She playfully elbowed him.

He blushed. "Are you...are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to."

Hiccup cautiously linked his fingers with hers. "Is that...is that good?"

"Perfect. Now, where are we going?"

"I have an idea." Grinning, he led Astrid down the sidewalk and into Washington Square Park, where they were met with the sight of grass that was covered with a thin layer of snow, icicles forming on the bare tree branches, and moonlight shining onto the peaceful scene.

"Wow, Hiccup," she breathed. "It's gorgeous."

"You've never been here at night before?"

"You have?"

"Yeah. It's uh...it's sorta my special place. I come here when I need to erm...get away from things for a while. Is that...is that dumb?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. I have my secret place, too. It's um...it's the top floor of the library. When I'm having a bad day, I just go there and read to take my mind off of everything."

"You like to read?"

"I...I know. I'm a nerd."

"Hey, we go to NYU. We're all nerds here." He gently nudged her arm with his elbow.

"True."

The couple simply stood there for a while, doing nothing except enjoying the landscape before them. It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was perfect. They hardly even felt the cold anymore. They just felt content. Happy. Free.

"So, why uh...why did you want to bring me here if this is your place?" the blonde asked eventually. "I mean, I'm not complaining. It's just...I don't know. I'd think you'd wanna keep it to yourself."

"Well," Hiccup paused to take a deep breath. "I erm...I think you're a nice girl and a good friend and um...you have uh...pretty eyes and um...I was hoping we could have a second date. And if we have a second date, that means we're uh...that we're practically a couple...kinda...and if we're a couple...erm...we should be able to share this sort of stuff. At least, I uh...wanna share it with you."

Astrid's heart raced, and happy butterflies fluttered in her stomach. A second date? She couldn't have asked for anything better. "I...I'd love to go out with you again," she said. "What about...what about Monday morning? We could go get breakfast before class."

"If we're not snowed in by then."

"If we are, then you can come to my dorm and we can watch a movie or something."

"Yeah." He tightened his grip on her hand. "Speaking of dorms, I think we should go back. I can feel you shivering and uh...I don't want you to catch a cold or anything."

"I'm fine. Really."

"No. You're not. And as your date for the night, it's my responsibility to take care of you."

A smile spread across Astrid's face. Normally, she'd be mad that someone was trying to suggest that she needed to be taken care of. But for some reason, having Hiccup suggest it was different. She liked that he valued her enough to protect her - even if she didn't really need protecting. "Okay, then. We can go."

Without another word, he began to walk in the direction of the dorms, the blonde's fingers still intertwined with his.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You're limping."

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just in a car accident a couple years ago and hurt my leg. It usually doesn't bother me anymore, but if I'm standing or walking for too long, it sometimes acts up."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I -"

"Don't be sorry. I've gotten used to it." He shrugged.

"But still..."

"Don't worry." He rubbed the side of her hand with his thumb.

The remainder of the walk was relatively silent. When the pair reached the dorms, Hiccup followed Astrid to her door. "Well, I uh...I guess this is where we say goodnight."

"Yeah." Placing a hand underneath his chin, the blonde gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks for a great time, by the way. I really had fun."

He grinned and returned the hug. "So did I. And um...thanks for going out with me."

"Thanks for asking me to go out with you." She released her hold on him.

"Oh, you don't need to thank me for that. It was my pleasure." Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, goodnight," he said eventually.

"Goodnight. I'll text you later."

"Sounds awesome. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Astrid pulled her dorm key from her purse, then glanced over her shoulder as the auburn-haired boy vanished into the distance.

This was going to be the beginning of either a massive heartbreak or something amazing. And she hoped it was the latter.