Let's Give it a Year

Chapter 29

"So, tell me," Hiccup said placing his wine glass down on the table with a wry smile. "What are some of your favourite things? What do you like?" Hiccup asked curiously, raising an eyebrow over at Astrid, who paused momentarily from the question.

"I don't know, I haven't really ever thought about it..." She pondered, her mind going blank from concentration as she tried to focus on what she liked most. But it wasn't working.

"Okay, what's your favourite food?" Hiccup asked simply, throwing a lifeline towards Astrid, who accepted it graciously. Smiling she leaned forward and grabbed her wine glass, swirling the liquid around in the glass contemplative.

"I guess if I had to decide, it would probably be steak. Like a really juicy, medium-rare steak."

"Like a ribeye steak?"

"Yeah, obviously. That's the best kind. I mean, there are other types of steak, but I would say the ribeye ones have more flavour and texture to them." Astrid explained, her mouth began watering at the thought of the delicious steak on a plate before her, the types of side dishes filling her mind as her stomach growled. "Ugh! I'm growing hungry just thinking about them!"

"Yeah, I would have to agree with you. I think my favourite food is a tie between steak and seafood." Hiccup replied, leaning back in his chair, his eyes facing the sky as he thought the idea over in his head. Astrid took a small sip from her glass and tilted her head in curiosity.

"What type of seafood? Sushi? Mussels? Lobster? What are we talking about here?" Astrid prodded, asking for a more descriptive answer from Hiccup as he thought it over.

"I don't know. Just any kind of seafood. Any fish or sea creature you put before me that's already a well-known dish, I would enjoy." Hiccup replied with a small shrug of his shoulders, his open answer not fully satisfying Astrid but she allowed him to get away with it.

"Is there any type of fish that you don't like?" Astrid asked, sure she could find a hole in his answer. Hiccup's brow furrowed in thought as he searched for an answer.

"Ummmm. Eel. I don't like eel much." Hiccup answered confidently, turning to Astrid with a victorious smile. A smile which she returned.

"Same, I don't really like eel either. I find it too, watery and just... Yuck!" Astrid shivered as she thought back to the last time she had eel. Hiccup chuckled at Astrid's reaction to her traumatic memory and smiled to himself, taking a sip from his own glass of wine.

"Is there anything else that you don't like?"

"Anything else? Ummm..." Astrid placed her finger on her chin cinematically, ruminating over the question as she thought about it deeply. "Classical music is something I have absolutely no time for. I have always found it boring as hell, and I find it's not easy listening." Astrid replied, nodding affirmatively to her answer, sure that answered Hiccup's question.

"Classical music? Okay, you more of a rock band, heavy metal kind of girl then?" Hiccup chuckled lightly, a smile spreading across his lips as he tried to imagine Astrid jamming to a heavy metal album in her room as a teenager.

"What? No!" Astrid defended, placing her glass on the table as she waved off Hiccup's ridiculous idea. "No, no, no. I like the indie stuff, like guitar and electronica music. Those are the kinds of music that I find easy to listen to. More so than classical music." Astrid replied, shaking her head at the thought of her listening to heavy metal. The thought slightly disgusted her.

"Really? Wouldn't have pegged you for an indie band kind of girl either. I guess I don't know you at all."

"I guess you don't." Astrid chuckled, laughing along with Hiccup who gave her an amused smile. He nodded along with her words and let out a small sigh as he shook his head sadly. "but what about you? Are you a rock band kind of guy? Maybe a grunge type?" Astrid teased, chuckling at her questions as she prodded him again.