HTTYD: You Don't Know the Meaning of "Nice"? (Hiccstrid)

Chapter 27

Astrid's P.O.V.

Some people I've grown to love. Now I have to find someone to play the role of Derek ASAP, before they come to town. Maybe Snotlout? Or Tuffnut? *Shudder* Definitely not. I wouldn't pretend to be in a relationship with Tuffnut if my life deepened on it. And it's just like the gang to not tell me when they're coming in. 

"Astrid?" Hiccup's voice jolts me back and I realize I had been glaring at a flame as I drummed my fingers on the table. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry," I apologize before looking at my menu.

"You're not gonna run off again are you?" he chuckles and I want to shrink under my skin.

"I'm sorry about Saturday," I groan, massaging my forehead.

"It's not your fault. I overwhelmed you," he says.

"You were being curious. There shouldn't have been anything wrong with that," I counter.

"I was being too curious about your personal information. I should have waited until you were comfortable enough," he tells me.

"Hic-cup," I say, choppily. He looks at me and smiles as he sees my "don't go there" face.

"Okay," he chuckles softly, "Lets just agree to disagree." I nod before turning my eyes back to the menu. It's only then that I notice the hint of lavender that wafted around my nose, mixed with vanilla. "Oh, and you're not ordering a salad again unless it's for an appetizer," Hiccup orders.

"What...?!" I whine softly.

"Yeah. Come on, I know for a fact that you didn't eat breakfast and I checked your lunch account; there was no change since yesterday," he tells me and I sigh.

"Doesn't mean I'm hungry," I mutter. Despite my words, my stomach was flipping, spinning, and constricting in hunger.

"Astrid, don't go giving me a hard time, now," he orders.

"Yes master," I reply before he shakes his head with a chuckle. He says something after that but my mind is already back to Criss, Joe, Marcy, Penny, Leo, Stan, Tony, and Roy. They were the most gullible people in Outcast City so it shouldn't be hard to fool them, but they are also the most suspicious. They're gonna start doubting if they don't meet Derek soon. Why did they have to be so nosy?!

"Okay, Astrid, you're starting to get on my nerves. What's going on?" Hiccup asks and I just manage to keep myself from jumping.

"Nothing. What makes you think there's som-" I cut off as he points to my hand with his eyes. I follow his gaze to see my fist clutching my knife. I quickly drop the utensil/weapon and raise my hand over my head before trying to look casual as I scratch the back of my head, not meeting his eye. 

"Astrid-" I cut him off.

"No," I say.

"Astrid," he says again, slightly rougher.

"I'm sorry!" I wince, closing my eyes and waiting for something to happen. After a moment, I ease my eyes open to see Hiccup looking at me with a straight face.

"Would you stop apologizing for everything?" he asks, his voice making me stiffen. "Breath in the lavender," he orders, speaking slowly, as he sees my muscles tighten. I take a few deep breaths before the scents allow me to unconsciously loosen my body. "Now, Astrid, I've been thinking. And I feel the need to tell you that you don't need to constantly be walking on eggshells around me. I'm not going to hurt you, Astrid. Okay? It doesn't matter how much you expect it of me, or how much you try to provoke me, I'm just not gonna do it. Understood?" he says and I pause as he looks at me expectantly. 

"N-not entirely..." I tell him.

"Elaborate," he orders with a tired sigh.

"I don't understand why you're scared to make me anymore cautious than I already am; it's impossible," I tell him.

"Wanna bet?" he asks.

"Sure. I win, you stop trying to relax me. You win, I'll die," I say.

"How 'bout you do whatever I say for a month?" he asks.

"Fine," I agree and extend my hand only have him look at me in disbelief.

"You cannot be serious," he says. I retract my hand and cross my arms.

"So what if I am? My friends wouldn't care. All they care about is meeting someone I made up, and meeting him sometime within the week. They don't care what time works for me, they're just gonna 'stop by sometime'. And knowing them, they aren't gonna call first. So now, I have to find someone to pretend to be Derek, what do you think of Snotlout?" I almost face-plant at the end of my ranting.

"You know, I think you hold the record for fastest subject change in Berk. Changed in less than 3 seconds," he says, sounding interested.

"That's months of practice talkin'," I tell him.

"Really? You've done it so often in a few months that you got the hang of it like that?" he asks with a snap of his fingers.

"Yup," I say before the waiter comes to take our orders. "Great, you got me so busy talking, I barely skimmed the menu," I complain.

"I'll give you another minute then," the waiter chuckles before leaving. Hiccup opens his mouth to say something but I beat him to it.

"No more talk until we order the food," I snap.

"So you are hungry," he says with laughter in his voice.

"You're-- talking," I say with a sing-song voice, fluttering my eye lashes. Hiccup just laughs before turning back to his menu.

Hiccup's P.O.V.

Why couldn't she be like that all the time?! Saying what she's thinking instead of shrinking back when ever I ask her something. I'd rather she be irritated to no end than feeling like she can't talk to me without earning herself a beating.

"So, what do I think of Snotlout for what?" I ask after the waiter takes our orders, deciding not to go back to the bet. No way was I shaking her hand on that.

"For pretending to be Derek. My friends are coming over any day this week and I need an actor on short notice," she says, stirring the ice in her water glass with her straw.

"I don't think you wanna do that with Snotlout, he'll read too much into it," I tell her before she shudders.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she says.