Chapter 3 – Playing Games
It's always dangerous to play with fire. But Hiccup liked the burn. Astrid made him want to play the game, to accept the challenge. As far as he could see, it was a win-win situation. If he lost, he bought a steak dinner for them. If he won, she bought it. Either way, he'd get to go out with her for dinner. So Hiccup wasn't really that worried if he lost to her. But the competitive streak in him still wanted to beat her.
But Astrid was no ordinary competitor.
She was unbelievable. He knew she could hold her drink, but it was more than that. Astrid was not afraid to push the boundaries. And she was not afraid of playing with fire. She was fire. And she was dangerous. So dangerous. Like any adrenaline junkie, Hiccup was addicted to the rush from it. She might be dangerous but he always got a thrill from being with her. A buzz that he just couldn't get any other way. He was addicted to her.
"You're looking a little wobbly Hic." She laughed. "Ready to cave yet?"
Oh yes. He was so ready to cave. He just wanted to grab her and kiss her, maybe take her out the back and have his way with her. But he had to resist.
"No chance. I'm doing just, hic, fine." Great, he had the hiccups. That really wasn't much help to him.
She smirked.
"We shall see."
"Yeah we shall."
"Hey Hiccup!" Hiccup turned around to the source of the voice, frowning slightly. He was busy trying to beat Astrid at drinking and resisting each other!
"What?"
The speaker looked a little surprised at the bluntness of his reply.
"I just thought I would say hi. It's Lorna, I know it's been a few years but…"
"Oh right. Yeah, Lorna. Didn't you nearly get it on with Snotlout once?" He asked. Astrid hid a laugh behind him. Lorna looked a little embarrassed.
"I had had a lot to drink. I passed out before we did anything."
"Actually you threw up all over me, tried to be sexy but threw up into a two hundred dollar artistic vase." Snotlout said as he came over. Astrid didn't hide her laughter this time, she just snorted it out and laughed loudly for about a minute.
Lorna went even more red.
"Well if that doesn't put a guy off nothing will." Hiccup said shrugging.
"That was years ago anyway!" She insisted with red flushed cheeks.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Snotlout asked. "I thought this was a meet-up just for our little gang with Astrid."
"Oh well, I'm around and thought I would come by for a drink, and I heard the others saying they were coming. So, yeah, I thought I would drop by." She said brightly.
"Uninvited." Astrid added.
"Well, Rosie is here. And I am here for her wedding."
"And this was a private gathering."
"Well I'm here now." Lorna said with a casual shrug.
"Yes, you certainly are." Astrid responded dryly. "James, think you could fix me up a Stormfly?"
"Depends if I can remember how to make it! Without you here I've not been serving it!"
The Stormfly was Astrid's signature drink, a very strong one of her own invention.
"Awww James, I know you remember how I make it. You knew I would be back."
James laughed and shook his head.
"Yeah, you're right. I do still know. Just like I remembered how to make Hiccup's signature drinks back when he was with the boring one."
Hiccup raised his glass.
"Well shot of her now."
"And we're all relieved by that!" James laughed as he mixed Astrid a drink. Lorna raised an eyebrow.
"Thanks James honey!" Astrid laughed, kissing his cheek as she took the striped drink.
"What is that?" Lorna asked.
"Mine." Astrid replied with a falsely sweet smile.
"Ha ha. What is the drink?"
"Stormfly. Astrid's own creation."
"I don't recommend it." Astrid said with another smile, this one a little more challenging. But she wasn't challenging Hiccup this time, she was challenging Lorna.
"Why is that? You drink it."
"Yeah but honey, I can hold my drink. And I can handle the strong ones. You look more like a Malibu and lemonade kind of girl. Or maybe a vodka and cranberry." There was that same dangerous smile. Hiccup recognised that look far too well. It was the kind of smile she gave Carly when she first met her.
"I can hold my drink! I could handle it!"
"Don't be so sure." Tuff advised. "I saw that crazy concoction take down two guys considerably bigger than you."
"Barkeep!" Lorna called, a frown on her face.
"His name is James." Astrid said calmly but with a hint of thunder in her voice.
"Whatever, James then, fix me one of those Stormfly drinks." She snapped her fingers and Astrid suddenly twisted her wrist behind her back, still very much in control of her actions.
"Do not ever click your fingers at him like that. It is the height of rudeness. Hiccup gets away with it because he does it in jest with his friends serving. You have no right." She warned.
"Ok alright! I'm sorry!" She said and Astrid let her wrist go. "Jeez!" She rubbed her wrist and glared at Astrid, who was sat back on her bar stool sipping her drink as though nothing had happened.
"Honey, glare all you like, it ain't going to do anything." Astrid said without even glancing at her.
James pushed another Stormfly across the bar towards Lorna.
"Drink her steady. She'll take you out if you down her." Astrid said casually, still not looking at her, taking a gulp of her own drink.
"Pfft. I can handle it!"
"I wouldn't." Astrid repeated as Lorna downed the glass and gagged. "I tried to tell you."
Astrid then downed the rest of her glass, moved forward with surprising speed and caught Lorna as she stumbled forward.
"Don't try to run before you can walk sweetie. And don't try flying when you haven't got any wings." She said quietly, pushing Lorna back to standing. Astrid then simply returned to her seat and sat back casually.
She was one hell of a competitor.
Lorna did not seem impressed, but she dared not let go of the bar for fear she'd fall over.
"That was not pleasant."
"She's an acquired taste." Astrid said, with another grin. "You kind of have to build up a tolerance of her. Kind of like me I guess." Astrid then looked across at Lorna. "Don't try to challenge me yet. Just like the drink, I'm a lot stronger than I look and you can't handle it."
Lorna just glared again. Astrid continued to be unperturbed by it.
"Anyway…" Hiccup began, Snotlout and Tuff seemed to have found the whole thing really amusing.
"I like this song, want to dance Hiccup?" Lorna asked suddenly. Hiccup looked across at Astrid.
"What you looking at me for? It's a free country."
"Oh… am I getting in the middle of something?" Lorna asked innocently. Astrid knew it was falsely innocent.
"Well…" Hiccup began.
"Nope. Go right ahead." Astrid said casually.
"Are you sure Astrid? I don't want to get in the way if you guys are kind of a thing." She said, again, so falsely sweet and innocent. It made Astrid feel sick. Heather and the others were watching now too.
Astrid swung on her stool and stood up, still steady, and approached Lorna.
"You go right ahead. If Hiccup wants to dance with you, he can. There's nothing going on."
Hiccup couldn't help feeling disheartened to hear her say that. He had thought things were going ok, and he really had believed that when she came back, they'd get together really quickly. Astrid though seemed to have other ideas. And that was slightly crushing.
"Great, so we can dance! Come on Hic!"
Tuff and Snotlout were signalling from behind Lorna, shaking their heads and using their hands to firmly state 'no'. Even Heather and Ruff were trying to gesture to him not to do it.
"Errr…"
Lorna held out a hand.
"Come on, Hic. You're single, Astrid said there's nothing going on, what harm is there in dancing with me?"
James leaned forward and held a drink out to Hiccup.
"Do not dance. It's a trap." He muttered, taking Hiccup's empty glass from his hand.
"Lorna, I don't think you should be attempting to dance. You can't even stand up without the bar to support you currently." Hiccup pointed out.
"You could support me."
"I don't think so…" Hiccup said slowly. Astrid just sat on her bar stool, apparently completely unfazed by the whole thing. Hiccup's heart sank a little. When he'd been with Carly she had pushed every button, challenging her at every point. But now, he was actually single, he was completely into her, and she seemed to be entirely unreceptive to him. She seemed not to care that Lorna was being a bit flirtatious with him.
"Yeah. You need to recover, come on Hic. Come hang with your bros for a minute." Tuff said very quickly before he and Snotlout steered him away.
"Bro, you are playing in a very dangerous game." Tuff said.
"What are you talking about?" Hiccup asked, oblivious.
"Ok, first off, challenging Astrid, dangerous, brave, but dangerous." Snotlout was saying.
"Second, when girls start getting into a challenge or fight, do not get involved!"
"But there wasn't…"
"That was a cat fight on the edge. Astrid challenged and Lorna tried to use you to challenge." Tuff pointed out.
"How did she…"
"By asking you to dance! She was challenging whether Astrid would rise to her advances. And she was challenging you, which is why Astrid acted so relaxed and careless. Astrid wanted to see if you were going to go with her and be potentially receptive to her advances." Snotlout explained.
"So she's playing mind games?"
"Kind of? She's testing to see if you're going for casual hook-ups or if you're only interested in one girl – her." Tuff elaborated.
"So, wait, does that mean Astrid is interested?"
"We think so. But she's testing. Last time she was here, you couldn't make a decision, and everything was very much sexual between you guys."
"It's a game, but she's using it to find out exactly what you're looking for. If you want that girl in your life, you've got to start reading between the lines. And do not fall into a trap. Play the game, play by her rules." Snotlout warned. Hiccup figured maybe they were right. And his heart lifted a little knowing maybe Astrid was interested.
"Ok, I can do that."
"I hope so. Because she'll play a hard game. And she's making it clear you aren't just going to get her this time."
"I don't want to screw it up. I want to be with her. So if she wants to play the game, I'll play."
"Nothing is going on?!"
"Heather, stop…"
"Come on! You cannot be serious!"
"Heather!"
"You guys were all over each other before! You were so good together!"
"Heather! That was months ago! And he was dating someone else!"
"I don't get it! You said you liked him!"
"Yeah but, times change Heather…"
"That was yesterday!"
"Look I don't know ok! Times have changed, and people change! I like Hiccup as a friend, and as long as he's the same guy I got to know before, then yes, I still like him! But I don't know that yet!"
"It's so easy though Astrid! What exactly are you afraid of?!"
"Nothing! I just want to do things properly this time!" Astrid retorted.
"There is something you aren't telling me! I'm your best friend Astrid…"
"I know you are! But it's just that… I don't want to rush it this time, I want to do it right. And know it's not just about sex!"
Astrid walked away from Heather then. She knew Heather didn't quite believe her but it didn't matter. Heather might be her best friend, but some things were Astrid's business and she didn't have to share it.
"Hey, you doing ok?" James asked her.
"Yeah I'm fine."
"Well in my experience, fine isn't really a feeling is it? It's just something people say to avoid talking about how they feel. Maybe because they don't know?"
Astrid shot him a look. James held up his hands in surrender.
"I just… It's been… I…"
"Hey, I don't need you to explain. All I know is that Hiccup might be intelligent, and a charmer, but he's also rather oblivious. And he does not understand how to play mind games. No guy does."
Again Astrid gave him a look.
"If there is any part of you that you wants something to happen with Hiccup, don't play games with him. If you're scared, uncertain, whatever, fine. You don't have to be ashamed of it. But don't mess with his head. And don't mess with yours. If you think you might want to try something, just let things happen."
"That's what I wanted to do! But everyone is pushing, and he's already straight back in there, and there are girls all over him again. I dunno James. There's just so much I'm not sure about." She asked him.
James gave her a hug.
"You need a drink, bartenders are excellent at giving advice and listening. I get why you don't want to talk to the others, they're too close to it. And I might fully support the 'hiccstrid' ship as Tuff calls it, but I can be impartial. Just chill tonight, have fun, tomorrow come on by at lunchtime and we'll have a chat. You need someone to talk to."
"Thanks James, I appreciate it."
Astrid looked across to Hiccup, now laughing with the others again. He glanced her way and smiled.
"I promise, the only games I'll play are actual games. You're right, if I want to know exactly where I stand with him, I can't be playing mind-games."
"Good girl. Though if you want to continue your bet, then please do. It would make a change to see someone outdrink Hiccup!"
"Oh, I think I can beat him at the drinking game!"
She certainly could. Astrid had drunk as much as him and besides a slight wobble, she was still doing pretty great. Hiccup on the other hand, he was stumbling around, hiccupping and had tried, unsuccessfully, to chat Astrid up. She told him he owed her a steak dinner, blew a kiss at him and he promptly fell over and then looked very confused as to how he got there. Astrid just laughed. A lot. So much so that she slid off her stool and landed on the floor too.
For a minute they stared at each other in surprise and then laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Just pointing at each other, crying with laughter, Hiccup hiccupping which only made Astrid laugh more. James decided that this was the moment to cut them off and call them all cabs to go home.
Once more, Astrid went back with Heather and Ruff; Fish and Rosie went back to their place; and a hysterical Tuff and Snotlout with mood swings went back with Hiccup. Snotlout was having very major mood swings, he'd cry about how Astrid was a 'goddess' and that they 'mortals do not deserve' to be in her presence. Then a minute later he would be telling her to get down off the bar because she would get herself hurt. And out by the cab, he sobbed with a hand on Hiccup and Astrid's faces saying "I just wish you guys could work it out. You're so beautiful together. You'd have such beautiful children." Astrid laughed uneasily. Snotlout thought she was laughing at him and got angry – "I'm just telling the truth! If you can't handle to the truth then tough! Don't laugh at me! Hiccup make her stop!" He wailed.
James practically pushed them into the cabs. They were going to feel this in the morning. Even Astrid might be a little sensitive. He just shook his head and laughed as the cabs vanished. It was nice to have them all back together again. He just hoped Hiccup and Astrid could figure things out eventually. Weddings were good for romance right?
