Hey, guys! So it's been a while. I've actually been working on my other story for a little while. If you haven't read it, it's called Dragons of Berk: How to Train Your Dragon. It's essentially an AU where Hiccup has an adoptive brother named Jack, who was born a dragon, but became a human when he came to Berk. The presence of this OC causes a few things to change here and there, but I'm trying to keep it as close to the original HTTYD plot as possible.

So, we left off with Hiccup and Astrid finally admitting that they like each other, so what happens now? I guess I'll start here:

Chapter 7
First Date

4:33 PM
Friday, November 4, 2016
Haddock Residence

If anyone asked Hiccup what his least favorite subject was, he would immediately answer, "Math." Even though it was his best, the class itself was just plain boring. Apparently, Mr. Johann thought a "college preparatory" class had to be filled with lectures and weekly quizzes. The class was structured with 30 minutes of lecture time and 25 minutes of individual or group study. Hiccup took the study time to familiarize himself with the lecture's content, much of which he had already known. He also helped Astrid with her math studies during this time. Astrid appreciated his help, and would often help him with his struggles in their history class in return.

On this evening in particular, Hiccup had just finished taking the final quiz for the week online. Johann used an online service to quiz his students at the end of each week, but due to suspicion that some of the students cheated, he had expressed the week prior that he would switch to in-class paper quizzes come second semester.

Having finished his quiz, he logged out of the website and rolled the chair back. He had taken the quiz on the family PC because his MacBook was being repaired at the local Apple Store. Although he missed the simplicity of using his own computer, he didn't mind using Windows 10 for school tasks. "Well, I'm done," he said, standing up from the chair. "Your turn, Heather."

"Okay." Heather walked over and sat down at the computer chair while Hiccup sat down on the couch. She typed her username and password into the login page and said, "By the way, you're going out with Astrid tomorrow, right?"

Hiccup had been reaching for his Xbox controller, but he stopped short as soon as Heather spoke. "Uh, yeah," he said.

"You haven't told me where you guys are going," said Heather.

"We're going to the pizza parlor," said Hiccup.

Heather scowled and stared at her brother. "Seriously?"

"What?" asked Hiccup.

"We've gone out for pizza with Astrid, Jack and Fishlegs like, three times," said Heather. "Don't you want to do something special?"

Hiccup sat back on the couch. "What do you want me to do? Take her out to the Berk Lake Trail for a picnic?"

"That's not a bad idea," said Heather.

"I wasn't being serious."

"Well, I was," said Heather. "For good reason, too. We have everything you need for a picnic. We have a picnic blanket, sacks for lunches, bread, sandwich ingredients, and everything. Why don't you call her and ask her?"

"Right now?" asked Hiccup.

"That's what I would do," said Heather.

"Okay," said Hiccup. He took his phone out of his pocket and called Astrid.

Hofferson Residence

Astrid was just closing her laptop when her phone started ringing. She picked it up from the table and looked down at the caller ID. When she saw it was Hiccup, she answered the call and held the phone up to her ear. "Hey, Hiccup. What's up?"

"Hi, Astrid! I was wondering if you'd like to go on a picnic instead of getting pizza."

"That sounds great, but where would we go?" she asked.

"Well, I thought maybe we could take our bikes and go out to the Berk Lake Trail. How does that sound?"

Astrid grinned. "I know the perfect spot," she said.

"Really?" asked Hiccup. "Where is it?"

"I'll show you tomorrow," she said. "What kind of food do you want to bring?"

"I figured I'd bring PBJ, grapes and carrots," said Hiccup. "Does that sound good to you?"

"Sounds great!" said Astrid. "Hang on, I gotta ask my mom first."

"Okay."

Astrid put the phone down and stood up from the couch. Her mom was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Steeling herself, Astrid spoke up. "Mom?"

"Yes, Astrid?" Karen looked up from her work.

"Remember that outing I'm going on with Hiccup tomorrow?"

"Yes," said Karen. "Did something happen?"

"Sort of," said Astrid. "Hiccup wants to go on a picnic instead if getting pizza. I thought maybe I'd show him that cove we used to go to when Asher was home."

"How will you get there?" asked Karen.

"Hiccup said we could take our bikes."

"Well, as long as you're careful and you're home before it's dark, I'm fine with it," said Karen.

"Really?" Astrid was genuinely surprised.

"Sure," said Karen. "I trust the boy almost as much as I trust you."

"Thanks, Mom!" said Astrid. With a smile on her face, she walked back to the couch and picked up her phone. "You still there?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"We can go!"

"Great! I can come get you at eleven-thirty."

"Looking forward to it!"

"Me, too. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!" Astrid ended the call and put the phone in her pocket. She sat on the couch and smiled at Hiccup's thoughtfulness. She wasn't sure what had changed his mind, but she was glad for whatever it was.

Karen glanced at her daughter and noticed her expression. "You like him a lot, don't you?" she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Astrid.

"You haven't smiled like that in front of me for a long time," said Karen. "I think it has something to do with you going on a date with him."

"Date!?" Astrid's smile faded into a shocked, open-mouthed incredulous expression that her mother wasn't sure what to make of.

"Isn't that what this is?"

When Astrid answered, Karen was shocked to hear her stuttering. "Well, uh, I hadn't really, er, thought of it that way before."

"Did you just stutter?"

"I guess I did... Why are we having this conversation?"

"I've just noticed that you and Hiccup seem to like each other as more than just friends, Astrid," said Karen. "It surprises me that you would think of this 'outing' as anything other than a date."

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess it is, but he hasn't called it that. If I call it a date, I might scare him," said Astrid. When she saw her mother's confused expression, she said, "By that, I mean I don't know if he likes me that much."

"Well, shouldn't that make tomorrow all the more exciting?" asked Karen. "You'll finally find out. The way I see it, you won't be 'just best friends' for much longer."

"That depends on him," said Astrid.

"I suppose it does," said Karen. Her kitchen timer went off and she returned to her cooking. Meanwhile, Astrid considered what her mother had said and hoped she was right.

The next morning, 11:30 AM...

Hiccup pedaled down Dragonfly Street, bearing a backpack that held the picnic basket and a blanket. There was also a small first aid kit, but that was just in case something happened. He was still nervous, and unsure whether he was jumping the gun by asking Astrid to go out with him. Heather had been a great help to him in overcoming some of the nervousness, but it lingered like a tick.

Before he reached Astrid's house, he noticed Jack jogging in the opposite direction in running clothes. He pulled over to say hello.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Jack.

"Nothing much," said Hiccup. "Going on a picnic with Astrid."

Jack looked surprised. "Really?" he asked. "I thought you were going for pizza."

"Where'd you hear that?" asked Hiccup.

"Nowhere," said Jack. "I wasn't sure, but since our group always goes to The Pan, I figured you'd take Astrid there."

"Well, that's what I was planning to do," said Hiccup, "but Heather intervened yesterday. She said pizza was a bad idea. Anyway, what're you up to?"

"I slept in this morning, so I was late starting my run," said Jack. "When my dad was a kid, he never skipped leg day. I guess you could say I'm following in his footsteps." Upon realizing what he'd said, he stifled a laugh.

"That one was a stretch," said Hiccup, shaking his head.

"If there was a rimshot, you probably would have laughed," said Jack. "It was unintentional, though." He smirked. "My dad and I call each other out for unintentional puns on a daily basis. Most of them are pretty bad; not gonna lie. But when there's a good one, he writes it down and eventually shares it on Twitter."

Hiccup nodded. "Well, I gotta go," he said. "I'm almost late."

"See you Monday, dude!" said Jack. He took off running.

When Hiccup rolled up to the driveway, he loosened and retracted the clamp holding his prosthetic foot in place. He hadn't used it a lot, but on this day, he had chosen to wear a cycling leg that clamped his foot to the pedal so he wouldn't lose control of the bike and fall. He walked up to the doorstep and knocked on Astrid's front door. It opened almost immediately and he was greeted by the face of Astrid's mother, Karen. "Hello, Hiccup."

"Hi, Missus Hofferson," he nervously said. Even though he knew Karen had changed her mind about him and his family, he felt a certain level of distrust towards her.

"Astrid is getting her bike from the garage," said Karen. "She'll be out in a moment."

As if on cue, the garage door opened and Astrid rolled her bike out. After resting it on its kickstand, she finally made eye contact with Hiccup. Smiling broadly, she said, "Hey, Hiccup! Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are," said Hiccup.

"Just remember to be back before dark, okay?" said Karen. "It's dangerous to ride bikes at night without lights, let alone illegal."

"We'll be back before then," said Hiccup. "You don't have to worry about that."

"And whatever you do, don't go past Raven Peak Trail!"

"We won't," said Astrid, closing the garage door with a small remote she'd retrieved from her pocket.

"Raven Peak Trail?" Hiccup repeated. "That's almost forty-five minutes by bicycle. Why would we go that far?"

"Just don't go past that point," said Karen. "Some people say that's where he hides."

Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Astrid was suddenly very close to him as she grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear, "We don't like to talk about you-know-who." He immediately understood what she'd meant.

"Anyway, have fun and take care!" Karen started to retreat into the house.

"Bye!" said Hiccup.

"Bye, Mom," said Astrid. When the door was shut, she let out a sigh of relief.

Hiccup was about to question why Astrid had sighed, but he froze when he met her eyes. They sparkled in the sunlight as her mouth curled upward into a smile. Several awkward seconds passed before he smiled back and let out a nervous laugh. "What?" she asked.

"We're actually doing this!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Unless you changed your mind just now..." Astrid teased.

"No, no, no," said Hiccup. "I'm not. Let's get going." He mounted his bike and reached down to clamp his foot to the pedal, but the metal arm wouldn't swing all the way around.

Astrid noticed his struggle and asked, "Are you having trouble with that thing?"

"It gets stuck like this sometimes," said Hiccup. "Maybe it needs to be oiled."

"Here." Astrid crouched down to get a better look. "Oh, here! The arm isn't down far enough." She took hold of the arm and pulled it the rest of the way over the pedal before snapping it into place on the toes of the appendage. She then tightened the clamp to a safe degree.

Surprised Astrid was able to figure out how to attach the foot properly, Hiccup said, "Thanks, Astrid."

"I'm always here if you need help, Hiccup," said Astrid. "Remember that."

"Right," said Hiccup. He watched as she mounted her own bike. When she buckled her helmet on, he asked, "So, where are we going?"

Astrid smiled. "Just follow me."

A short while later, Hiccup was following Astrid down a cycling trail that ran along the state road. He wasn't sure how long they had been on their bikes, but he estimated without looking at his watch that it had been almost 30 minutes. He was glad he'd put on sunscreen, but now wondered whether she had. Knowing Astrid, he was sure she had the foresight to wear it. He now saw from the highway signs how close Raven Peak Trail was.

"Astrid, this is awfully close to the mountain climbing trail!" Hiccup called out. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"We're almost there!" Astrid answered. "It's just at the base of the mountain."

Hiccup took a short glance to his right side and immediately knew where he was. Looking ahead, he saw the base of Raven Peak at the left of the highway. To the right of the highway was a large lake known as Berk Lake. These two landmarks made up Berk City's biggest tourist attraction. Beyond both was a vast forest.

"Get ready to slow down!" said Astrid.

Hiccup slowed his bike down and followed Astrid through the exit of the bike trail. When she stopped, Hiccup stopped next to her and took in his surroundings. He was standing on Berk Lake's sandy shore, which was surprisingly devoid of other visitors. To his left was a cliff at least 20 feet high. "How did you know about this place?" he asked.

"My dad used to take me and my brother here when I was little," said Astrid. "After that, he became a cop. My brother learned how to bike over here on his own, so he took me sometimes, and then he went off to college. I never came back here, because there was no one else to go with."

"I didn't know you had a brother," said Hiccup.

"He's seven years older than me," said Astrid. "His name is Asher. He's a senior at ASU."

"Arizona?" Hiccup was surprised. "It gets so hot there."

"It's hot when the semester starts, but by the second half of October, it feels like what we consider to be summer," said Astrid. She dismounted her bike and took off her helmet. "Anyway, this is the picnic spot I was talking about. Is it alright?"

"It's great!" said Hiccup. He undid the clamp on his prosthetic and dismounted his bike. After taking off the backpack, he took out the basket and spread the blanket on the sand, being careful to move any twigs out from underneath. As he sat down, Astrid followed suit directly next to him. "Are you hungry now, or do you want to wait?" he asked.

"We can eat now," said Astrid. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I heard your stomach rumbling there." Hiccup laughed.

When Hiccup had set up the picnic, he and Astrid sat in silence for a while to eat. Astrid was the first to speak up. "Did you make the sandwiches?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Hiccup. "Do you like it?"

"It's good," said Astrid. "I used to love PBJ when I was little, but my mom doesn't send me to school with it anymore." She finished her sandwich and asked, "What else did you bring?"

"I got some apple slices, grapes and carrots," said Hiccup. He opened the basket and pulled out three bags. "Whatever you'd like." Astrid smiled and took the bag with apple slices. Hiccup suddenly remembered something from before they had left her house. He waited until she finished her first apple slice. "So, how are you doing?"

Astrid grinned and looked at him. "You're asking me that now?"

"No, I mean ... how have you been doing? I mean, since Halloween."

"Oh," said Astrid. "I've been okay, I guess." She paused. "I miss my dad a lot, but ... it hurts less and less every day. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," said Hiccup. "My grandpa died a few months after I lost my leg. We were really close. He liked trains, so we used to build train track sets in his garage together. I don't know where he got the parts, but he built the tracks and wired everything all by himself. Sometimes there were multiple trains running on the same table set. I helped him out with building the towns and landscape because he didn't really trust me with electrical parts, but he showed me how it all worked."

"Was your grandpa an engineer or something?" asked Astrid.

"Sort of," said Hiccup. "Before he retired, he did railroad maintenance. I still think of him whenever I see the train station. It's been three years, but I still miss him. Still, I can't imagine what you're going through right now."

"I'm doing better, Hiccup," said Astrid, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I was just having a bad day, and when we had that lockdown, I panicked. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's okay," said Hiccup. "I would have probably done the same thing."

Astrid suddenly gazed past Hiccup. She put a finger over her lips in a "shush" motion and pointed toward the woods by the trail. Hiccup followed her finger and saw what she was pointing at. It was hard to see through the bushes and trees, but a lone doe was walking through the woods with her fawn trailing slowly behind her.

"Wow," Hiccup whispered. He heard a soft click and turned back towards Astrid, surprised to see her holding a small digital camera. The click wasn't loud enough to startle the deer, but the mother had turned her head upon hearing the sound. Astrid quietly turned off the camera and continued to watch the animals. Eventually, they retreated into the woods.

"That was so cool!" said Astrid. She turned her camera back on and pulled up the picture. The photo had a near perfect profile of the doe's face and the baby stood directly behind her.

"That's a great picture," said Hiccup. "Where'd that camera come from?"

"I had it in my belt pouch the whole time," said Astrid. She put the camera away. "So, I gotta ask you. How have you been doing? You know, with Stanley."

"Stanley isn't as mean as he has been," said Hiccup. "I mean, he still gives me a hard time, but it's not so bad. I think the worst he's done this week is call me a nerd."

"What for?" she asked.

"Well, he and I got into a conversation about video games yesterday," said Hiccup. "I guess when it comes to video games, he and I have very different interests. He plays Dark Souls and other dark-themed games, but those are a bit too much for me. I like games I can build stuff and solve puzzles in. Minecraft was the first thing that came to my mind, and he called me a nerd."

"Well, he'll have to call me a nerd, too," Astrid laughed. "I've played Minecraft with you, and he knows that. Still, it's good to know he's not bugging you as much as he was."

"Yeah," said Hiccup. "I'm really glad we're friends, Astrid." He noticed her smile fade slightly when he said that. "What's wrong?"

"I thought we were more than that," said Astrid.

"We are!" said Hiccup. "I wouldn't have invited you on a date if you were just a friend!"

"You mean..." Astrid couldn't find the words. Her face turned pink.

"I thought we had already established that we like each other," said Hiccup, starting to blush as well.

"Stop it," said Astrid.

"Stop what?" asked Hiccup.

"Stop making this more awkward."

"How?"

She scooted closer to him and said, "Stop talking and hold me."

Hiccup was very confused when she said that, but he complied, putting and arm around her. She reciprocated his actions and leaned her head on his shoulder. At first, Hiccup felt awkward in this position, but the awkwardness faded when she said, "I guess our friends were right about us, huh?"

Hiccup cracked a smile and took Astrid's hand in his free one. There they stayed, silently listening to the sounds of the forest.

By the time Hiccup went home that evening, he and Astrid had bonded much more strongly than before. They took a biking trail along Berk Lake on the way home, and Hiccup even took her through a scenic route home, skipping the city streets almost entirely. The sun was just touching the horizon as they bid each other goodnight on Astrid's driveway. Feeling their day was yet incomplete, Hiccup leaned forward and kissed Astrid's cheek, despite both of them feeling sweaty and dirty.

"See you Monday, Astrid," he whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Astrid whispered back.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just feeling really gentle right now."

Astrid grinned and pressed her lips to his cheek to return his actions. "See you then," she said.

When Hiccup arrived home, his sister asked how it had gone. In reply, he said to her, "You know how I always hate being wrong whenever we argue?"

"Yeah." She seemed confused.

Hiccup grinned. "I'm glad I was wrong this time," he said. "Heather, I think I am starting to fall in love with Astrid."

Sorry for the long delay and abrupt ending! I hit some serious writer's block while working on this, and I wasn't sure how to wrap it up, so this is what I came up with.

Similar to the first chapter, I had a personal anecdote for part of this one. My great uncle on my mom's side (my mother's brother's wife's father) loved trains, and he built miniature train sets in his garage. He had a control panel for the town lighting on the table sets, and even a dial to control the speed of the trains. Unfortunately, we lived so far apart that I rarely saw him, so I never got to help him out with it. He died recently due to health conditions.

In case you're wondering, I suppose this story technically went on hiatus, along with my other one. I've been very busy lately. In the coming months, I'll have more time to write, but if you're enjoying this, don't forget to follow the story and let me know what you think by leaving a review. The next chapter will probably be shorter and sooner. Bye!