The runaway Valedictorian(HICCSTRID)

7 The Invatation

Two weeks after the previous:
Astrid POV:

    These last two weeks have been the best of my life. From a nice job, although sometimes a bit stressful, to all my talks with Hiccup. We have almost talked each day after work at the park, and they were the best. From just catching up, to us talking about literally anything, I always slept with a smile on my face.
    The two times we didn’t talk after work, I went with Heather to help her plan Dagur’s wedding with her future sister-in-law, Mala. Mala was extremely nice and cared a lot about animals, so she and Dagur opened up a vet shop and a pet hostel for people who didn’t want to leave their animals alone at their homes if they went on vacations. Dagur mostly did the business of the shop, but he often helped Mala with taking care of the animals.
    And the little time I spent with her, I could tell that she was in love with Dagur and that he treated her as a queen. And that changed my mind completely of Dagur. And when Mala offered that I could come to their wedding, I was awestruck, but accepted it, happily.
    But now, at the moment, Hiccup and I were at the park again, with our two husky, who were also getting along quite well.
    “So when I saw that poster of me missing, I dyed my hair black,” Hiccup explained, “So no one could really identify me as the missing boy, at the bar I worked the first month.”
    I smiled and said, “No wonder, no one could find you. But really black? Why not blond, red or light brown? Why do, out of all of them, choose black?”
    He smiled and replied, “Blond, was a no, because I don’t want to look like a surfer dude, on the coast. Red was also a no, because I didn’t want to be called a ginger and light brown wasn’t available. And besides, I worked like a charm and I looked kind of good.”
    “Yeah,” I replied, not convinced, “And like your idiotic cousin.”
    He put his hand on his chest, as if he was hurt and threw a show, “Ahh, Astrid. How could compare me to my idiotic cousin? Ahh, I’m truly wounded.”
    I laughed at his childish act and he smiled and I replied, “Well, you will have to give me a picture, so I can judge who looks better. But I think I already know who it is.”
    He smiled and said, “Oh, and who do you think?”
    I smiled and was about to reply, but my phone started to ring. I looked at him apologetic and he nodded, to say that it is alright. I smiled and pulled out my phone and spoke, “Astrid Hofferson, here.”
    “Hey girlfriend,” Ruffnut’s voice came through, “How are you?”
    I smiled a bit more when I heard her voice. Back at Berk, she was one of my best friends and was a teacher at Raven Point High. Actually she was a chemistry teacher, which might have been a really bad decision for everyone at school, but she hasn’t blown up the school yet. But her class has been on fire multiple times. And over the years she married Fishlegs Ingerman and was really happy.
    “Hey Ruff,” I replied, “I am doing great, thank you. And how is the expecting mother doing?”
    Oh and yeah, Ruff is pregnant for about two months now. I decided to put it on loudspeaker so Hiccup could listen. “Fine, thank you,” she replied, “Although, Fishy can be a little overprotective. But it is cute when he is overprotective.”
    I smiled and said, “That’s great, Ruff, but I am curious. Why are you calling me?”
    “Why do you ask?” she shot back, “Are you busy at the moment?”
    I looked at Hiccup and said, “Yeah, I am with a friend at the park.”
    “Agh, I’m offended that you already made a friend and you are just three weeks away,” she said while sounding offended, “I am truly betrayed.”
    Hiccup smiled and I replied, “Don’t worry, Ruff. No boy will ever replace you.”
    Hiccup looked offended and I just rolled my eyes at him and Ruff then asked, “Boy? Is he cute?”
    Both Hiccup and I blushed immediately and I replied, softly, “Yeah, he is.” Hiccup blushed an even redder, but smiled a tiny bit. “And he can hear you,” I added.
    “Oh,” she said and then asked, suggestively, “Is he blushing?”
    I looked at Hiccup and he blushed even more and I smiled and said, “Yeah, he is. And it’s cute.”
    I couldn’t see Ruff, but could hear her grinning. Hiccup then smiled, mischievously and said, “Hey, and Astrid is also blushing, for your information.” I tried to hide it, but failed terribly and he then added, cheekily, “And it’s adorable.”
    My cheeks blushed a scarlet red and I couldn’t contain and Hiccup smiled, triumphantly. I shoved him playfully and said, “Hey, stop that.”
    Ruff laughed and then said, “Ok, you two. But I want to know Astrid. Have you read the email?”
    I stopped blushing for a moment and asked, “Email?”
    “Yes, the email from the school,” she replied, as if it was the most obvious thing, “The details of ten year reunion and stuff. It is next weekend. You are coming, right.”
    I looked at the bench and said, “I don’t know, Ruff. Maybe. But it is just a maybe.”
    “Aaa, come on, Astrid. Please? I haven’t seen you for three weeks and it is the perfect chance to just hang out,” she replied, “Please, bestie? You are the one of the few people I actually want to talk to.”
    I looked at Hiccup and he gave me a nod, as if to say, you can go if you want to. I smiled a tiny bit and replied, “Ok, Ruff. I’ll come for you.”
    I heard her squeal with excitement and then said, “Thanks, Bestie. See you in a week. Oh, you need to bring a date. Just bring your new friend.” She added the last part a little bit sudjustive and both Hiccup and I blushed a deep red. But before I could say anything she said, “Bye,” and ended the call.
    There was an awkward silence between us, until I said, “Well, that just happened.”
    He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck and said, “Yeah, I guess that did happen.”
    I didn’t really know what to think. Going back home for a reunion. Didn’t think that that would be the first reason for me returning back home. And I wasn’t really sure I even wanted to go to the reunion. All the people I hated at the moment were going to be there too and I was sure that I didn’t want to be there with them.
    But the last part made me want to be there. Spending time with Hiccup was great and then maybe he would go talk to his parents and then I won’t have to keep the secret anymore. And it would sort of like be a date and I knew that I liked Hiccup a lot. I mean, come on. What is there not to like?
    He was funny, intelligent, caring, sweet, cute, understanding, loyal, sarcastic and extremely handsome. Everyone liked him and even Stormfly liked him to and she didn’t even like Eret. And then he was also a billionaire, but I didn’t really care about that part.
    So I looked up at him to see him nervously fiddle with his bike keys. I smiled a little bit and gently said, “Hiccup?” He looked up from his keys and I asked, “So, umm, would you like to be my date to the reunion?”
    His expression turned from nervous to complete shock and I felt my heart hurt a little, when he replied, “You want me to go with you?” His tone was as if he couldn’t believe you asked such a ridiculous question. Maybe he didn’t feel the same way.
    I looked down and replied, “Yeah, but I understand if you want to go with someone else.”
    I kept looking down and expected him to just laugh or do something, because he couldn’t believe that I just asked him to go with me.
    But he then gently grabbed my hand and said, “No,no,no,no. Astrid, I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I am just shocked that you want to go to the reunion with me, the school bullied nerd, Hiccup ‘the useless’ Haddock. I would love to go with you.”
    I looked up into his eyes, but honesty was the only thing I could see in his green eyes. I smiled a tiny bit and asked, “You mean it?”
    He nodded furiously and said, “Thor, yes, Astrid. I would be delighted to go with you.”
    I smiled and hugged him and said, “Thank you, Hiccup.”
    “You’re welcome, M’lady,” He replied and hugged me back.
    “And Hiccup?” I said and he responded with a “mhmm”. “Don’t you ever say you are useless, because you are definitely not useless. You are the most intelligent person and are capable of making the impossible possible. So don’t you ever dare say that you are useless. And I am going to be by your side the whole time and no one will bully you. I promise.”
    I hugged him tighter and he replied, “Thank you, Astrid. It means a lot coming from you.”
    I smiled and pulled away and said, “And don’t you ever forget that.”
    He smiled and nodded and replied, “I won’t.”