I never thought I would like writing Modern fics until I started this one. So far...I am having SO MUCH fun with it! :D And I've got SO MUCH more planned for it as well, so here...we...go! *cue dramatic drum roll* *cymbal crashes* Shout-outs:
xFaerieValkyriex: Happy new year! Yeah, I want SNOW! It snowed like, everywhere BUT my house yesterday, and it was. No. Fair. I was totally jealous. :) But I'm okay now. Living on Berk would be awesome for more reasons than just snow. :D
It was noon when Astrid texted Hiccup again. She had spent her entire morning trying to clean up her room, failing each time when she got distracted by Stormfly, her violin, and daydreaming. And actually, she hadn't been the one to text first.
Her phone went off on an annoyingly high pitched voice of "Whoo! I've got a text message!" Every time she heard the ringer, she wanted to smash her entire phone and call it good, but she kept the ring, plainly because she was too lazy to change it.
She reached for her phone and unlocked it. She could already guess who the text was from.
Where are we meeting again? The name said "Hadley Horrendous Haddock the Third", and the was only one person in existance who had a name like that.
She sat down on the edge of her bed and texted back; I'm thinking the ice cream parlor a few blocks away. You?
She waited for about three minutes before she got her reply.
Um...you do know we're getting lunch, right?
She grinned and replied, I know. Ice cream. Yum...
Hiccup: Um...okay. When should we meet?
Astrid: How about right now?
Hiccup: Perfect. I'll bring Toothless...the cat thinks he's a dog. Ha3. He keeps giving me a leash. And he likes water...crazy thing jumped in the shower with me this morning. Is that normal?
Astrid: Nope.
Hiccup: Great. My cat is psychotic. Okay, so, I'll meet you at...the ice cream parlor. For lunch...
Astrid: You got it. See you then, Hiccup.
Hiccup: You too. Byeeee.
Astrid slipped her phone into her pocket and moved over to Stormfly. The parrot chirped and spread its wings before alighting on her master's shoulder.
"You wanna come too, girl?" Astrid asked, ruffling the bird's feathers. Stormfly croaked. "Okay then," said Astrid. "Let's head on out."
...
Somehow or another, Hiccup was actually there before Astrid. He was sitting at one of the outside tables, wearing a red t-shirt and jeans, along with a scarf that looked entirely out of place. A small ball of black fur was walking on top of the table, coming back over to sniff Hiccup every other minute.
"Hey," Astrid greeted.
"Hey yourself," Hiccup stood while he spoke. "I would like to introduce you to..." He paused for a dramatic effect, "...Toothless!"
The small kitten looked at Hiccup, and then at Astrid.
"Aww, he's so cute!" said Astrid. Toothless yawned. "And...yes, he is toothless," said Astrid.
"Yep, that's pretty much it," said Hiccup. "He thinks he's a dog."
"You told me that earlier," said Astrid. "Did he really jump in the shower with you?"
"Yeeep," said Hiccup. He rolled his eyes. "Crazy cat..."
Toothless purred.
"Yeah, and he's rather obnoxious," said Hiccup. "I was trying to play guitar earlier, and he kept trying to sleep on top of it. Sleep, Astrid. He tried to sleep on my guitar. While I was playing it."
"Cats are weird," said Astrid. She suddenly remembered the bird sitting on her shoulder, and realized that Hiccup probably hadn't noticed it yet. "Oh, and I wanted you to meet Stormfly!" said Astrid, gesturing to her parrot.
Stormfly chirped happily.
"I didn't know you brought your parrot," said Hiccup, approaching, slightly hesitant. "Wow...she's beautiful," he said. Stormfly cheaped, almost as if she were agreeing. "Does she repeat everything you say?"
"She can," said Astrid. "But she won't. Stubborn bird."
"Stubborn bird..." Stormfly repeated.
"Whoa gosh!" Hiccup shouted, stumbling backwards. Astrid laughed, and Stormfly appeared to be doing the same. "I wasn't expecting that," Hiccup groaned.
"You never can," said Astrid, running her hand over her bird's head. "Stormfly's very, very unpredictable."
"Oh, you don't say?" said Hiccup.
"You don't say," Stormfly squawked, almost mimicking Hiccup perfectly.
"Okay, now it's just getting creepy," said Hiccup.
"Mrrrrooooww," Toothless complained.
"Aww, is someone not getting enough attention?" said Hiccup. "Is that why you're pouting, you big baby?"
Toothless meowed.
"Well, I guess I'll take that as a yes," said Hiccup, looking at Astrid. "What else do I take it as?"
"I dunno," said Astrid, and smiled. "Let's head on in. I'm starving."
"For ice cream," said Hiccup.
"Exactly," said Astrid. "Come on, let's go."
Despite Astrid's protests, Hiccup ended up paying for the ice cream, only because he insisted, saying that he wanted to do it in a way of thanking Astrid for being one of his first friends since moving.
A few minutes later, Astrid and Hiccup were sitting at the table outside, their pets on their shoulders. Hiccup ran his spoon over his ice cream more often than he actually ate it, and Astrid just sat across from him, trying to think of a way to start the conversation.
"What's your favorite color?" she asked.
"What?" said Hiccup.
"What's your favorite color?" Astrid repeated.
"Um...my favorite color..." Hiccup leaned back in his chair, thinking. "I'd have to say red," he answered eventually. "What about yours?"
"Blue," said Astrid without hesitation. "Favorite artist?"
"Owl City," said Hiccup. "You?"
"Same, probably," said Astrid. "I don't listen to a lot of music, really, if I am completely honest."
"Oh, well okay," said Hiccup.
"Do you?" asked Astrid.
"Do I what?" said Hiccup.
"Listen to a lot of music," said Astrid.
"Aah, -ish," said Hiccup, making a seesaw motion with his hand. "Not as much as I used to, but yeah, still quite a bit."
"How old are you?" asked Astrid. "I'm not sure you ever told me."
"Seventeen," said Hiccup.
"When's your birthday?" Astrid asked.
"February twenty ninth," said Hiccup.
"You're only a few months older than me," said Astrid.
"Sweet," said Hiccup. "So...um..."
"Hang on, I've got it!" said Astrid. "Let's play a game of two truths and a lie."
"Oh I love this game," said Hiccup, leaning forward. "You go first."
"No, you go first," said Astrid.
"Um...okay," said Hiccup. "I have a lizard, I like bacon, and I am allergic to peanuts. Which one is the lie?"
"Um...well, I know you have a cat," said Astrid. "And...I've never seen you eat peanuts...or bacon, for that matter...I'm going to guess the first one is a lie."
"Nope," said Hiccup. "The third one is. I have a lizard named Sharpshot."
"Oh, you do, do you?" said Astrid. "Okay, my turn. I am dyslexic, I play violin, and have won a gymnastics award. Shoot."
"Okay," said Hiccup. "You seem like a very athletic person, so I would say the last one is a truth. Um...I'm going to guess the second one is the lie."
"Nopedy nopedy nope," said Astrid. "The first one is. I am NOT dyslexic."
"So...you play violin?" Hiccup asked, interest shining in his emerald eyes.
Astrid nodded. "Yeah, I do," she replied.
"But you told me you didn't play an instrument!" said Hiccup.
"No," said Astrid. "I asked 'does the radio count', or something like that."
"So you really play violin?" said Hiccup.
"Yeah," said Astrid. "Come by tomorrow and I'll show you. Alright?"
"Sounds great," said Hiccup.
And if they spent the rest of their day talking, not noticing the fact that their pets had eaten their ice cream when they weren't looking...well...no one needed to know that.