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

Chapter 32

Astrid's P.O.V.

"My name's Eret," the man says, extending his hand. I shake it before chugging the rest of my Colada.

"That'sssssssss........exotic," I slur, suddenly feeling a little out of it. That's when I noticed that my drink was a tad bitter. Bitter....but delicious. It stung my throat like acid and I tensed my throat before letting out a long breath, making it scratch in an attempt to relieve the pain. I looked in my cup with furrowed eye brows. "Thassss weird-ed," I slur drowsily.

"Uh, excuse me, bartender?" Eret calls before the man comes over, flicking a towel over his shoulder. "Was this Pina Colada virgin?" Eret asks, pointing at my glass.

"Uh...did she say virgin?" he asks.

"Great," Eret mutters before taking my glass and giving it to the bartender. "Astrid, what's your alcohol tolerance?" Eret asks.

"ZZZzzzz-z-z-zzz-z-zzz," I tried to say but the rest of the word ran off the trail and I lost it in the undergrowth.

"Zero?" Eret says and I snap my fingers.

"That's it," I say before leaning on the counter.

"Great," Eret says slowly before putting a few dollars on the counter. "These are on me," he says, "Do you have a ride?" despite my state, my blood runs cold. If Hiccup knew I'd been drinking, I do not know what would happen.

"N-n-n-nnnn-n-nnNerp," I say before he nods.

"Okay, come on," he says before gently helping me off my stool.

"Where're we goi-n'?" I ask as he takes me outside.

"I'm giving you a ride home," he said as he guided me down the street.

"Can we stop at s-zzchool firzz?" I ask as he helps me into a grey Porsche.

"Uh, sure," he says before closing my door. Then he gets in on the other side, making me notice that I was in the back seat. After a few minutes, we're pulling up in front of the school. "What do you need from here?" Eret asks.

"Hot 'n' cold showa's," I say as I get out and walk in. 

I am so glade this place doesn't lock until midnight. I paused on my walk to the door. The roof supports were moving in front of me and I had to pause to realize that if I just kept going straight...ouch! I rubbed my forehead before feeling my way around the support, to the wall, and then the door. I get inside and somehow make it to the locker room. After thirty minutes of changing the water from hot to cold and back again, I get out and put my clothes on and put my hair in a ponytail before going back outside, making sure to turn all the lights off. I'm surprised to see Eret's car still sitting outside. I'm about to tell him I can walk but he unlocks the door before I can tap the window. I open the door and lean in.

"Hey, are we all better?" he asks.

"Yes, thank you. Um, I can walk from here," I tell him.

"Uh, no. Get in here," he orders.

"What?" I ask, holding back a laugh at how much he sounded like Hiccup.

"I said I'd give you a ride and I meant it, drunk or not drunk. So get in," he says and I shake my head in defeat before getting in and telling him Hiccup's address. I almost sink into the leather of his car as he pulls into Hiccup's darkened drive way. "Whoa, your parents must have great jobs," Eret says.

"Uh, actually, this isn't mine or my parents' house," I tell him.

"Oh, I thought I'd get it wrong," he grunts, hitting the steering wheel.

"No, no, it's the right house," I say, taking my seat belt off.

"Oh. Boyfriend's?" he asks.

"Nope. Just a classmate that's making me live with him and his dad. I guess his intentions are good, though, right?" I say, partly to myself.

"Well, great. Now I'm curious," he says before I hear the familiar locking clicks of the doors.

"Well, give me your number and I'll text you sometime," I say.

"Why don't you give me yours?" he asks.

"Because I can't find my phone lately and I don't know my number by heart," I lie. He chuckles softly before reaching into the glove compartment and taking out a pen and slip of paper.

"Okay. Even though I saw you take that picture, okay," he says as he writes his number and gives it to me.

"Thanks for the ride, and the drinks...and helping me win the dance contest," I say and he smiles with a nod before unlocking the doors and letting me out.

"Text me when you can!" he called through an open window as he drove down the way. 

I walked through the door to be greeted by a dark house. I silently close the door and walk toe-first up the stairs. I moved to my door quietly and slip in before pulling my hair out of the ponytail and flipping my hair over my shoulder. I'm about to go to my bathroom, but before I get more than three paces, a lamp is turned on, making me jump against the wall in surprise. Hiccup was sitting in one of the chairs near the corner, his ankle resting on his knee and his arm upside-down on the armrest, his hand in a mini fist, as if he was holding something. His eyes were like a sharks' dark, deep, and dangerous.

"How was work?" he asks suspiciously.

"Uh...fine," I say, trying to keep my voice steady, as I pressed my back against the wall.

"Really? Busy?" he asks.

"N-Not especially," I say.

"Hm? Is that so? Because it's 1:30 in the morning," he says.

"Okay," I say.

"Did you do anything after work?" he asks.

"Uh, got some coffee," I say, trying to hide the uncertainty.

"I'd think so, for the walk home, correct?" he asks and I nod. "Or is 'coffee' a code word of some sort?"

"What?" I ask, thoroughly confused.

"I got a very interesting text from Snotlout. Does 'coffee' mean 'drinks'?" he asks.

"What did the text say?" I ask.

"It's not what it said, it's what it showed," Hiccup said before showing me his phone. The text showed a picture of me at the bar, drinking my Shirley Temple. He stood up before walking toward me, making me back up until he's trapping me in the corner. "Get some sleep," he orders, towering over me, "We'll talk about this in the morning." He then leaves my room and I slide down the wall until I'm burying my face in my knees. So much for being quiet.