Hiccup In The 21st Century

Hiccup at the Shop

Location: Grease Monkey Mechanics
When: Monday after school

"Gobber! I'm here!" Hiccup shouts through the lobby and his voice echoes into the garage through the door next to the desk. Gobber's order receipts scattered everywhere with supply lists and inventory folders. Gobber never keeps anything tidy; even Gobber himself.

"Gobber!" Hiccup up shouts annoyed now. He tosses his back pack behind the counter and strolls into the garage, it's littered with four stripped cars, two with popped hoods, and three motorcycles all vehicles in a line. Then on the floor are oil stains, half built engines, wrenches, drills, and jacks; dozens of jack's different sizes and models.

"Gobber I swear if you've fallen asleep under the Wrangler I swear I'm dumping motor oil down your throat and attaching you to the engine!" Hiccup shouts passing Grump, Gobber's fat Saint Bernard that chews on scrap metal. Hiccup then hears a crashing of metal tools as a slur of curse words following in a very loud tone. And sure enough Gobber backs away from the Jeep Wrangler they've been rebuilding for Spitelout; Hiccup rolls his eyes and bangs his fist against his forehead frustrated.

"If you keep falling asleep when you are trying to tune up that Wrangler Snotlout isn't going to get it in time for his seventeenth birthday, and Spitelout said if that happens we only get half of what he promised to give us. We have five days Gobber, five days and you haven't even replaced the crack Axel, or fixed the timing of the belt, or the oil change..." Hiccup starts to count on his fingers what Gobber hasn't done.

He wasn't always like this, but with his age starting to affect him he hasn't been a stickler for getting things done. Hiccup is only around for three hours after school and two full shifts on Saturday's is barely keeping the Garage from falling behind on the mortgage payments and bills.

"Hiccup, Hiccup. I did the oil change and I replaced the tires." Gobber smiles with grease and oil painted on his face and all over the front of his shirt and jeans, his gut showing out from under his bunched up shirt.

"I could've done both of those in an hour! Gobber! You need to replace that Axel!" Hiccup wants to scream but his request sounds like a baby whining because he doesn't have his toy. Suddenly he feels the familiar curl of a tail on his ankle and looks to see Toothless, his little black Siamese cat. "What is Toothless doing here?!" Hiccup shrieks picking up the little cat and setting him on his shoulder to stay off the grease.

"Your mum dropped him off. She told me to tell you she's going to Haven to visit her friend Bewilder B. And your dad is going to be home late." Gobber says scratching Grump's Ear.

"Perfect. I'm going to put Toothless in your office and we are finishing the Wrangler!" Hiccup says determined to finish the vehicle.