Until I met you

Autumn

"Ready to go?" Hiccup questioned.

"Yeah, just let me save this to my file. Then we can leave." Merida clicked through her pages in her laptop.

"Alright let me go pay up."

Merida nodded and resumed to her screen. She quickly saved and put her laptop on her pack-back.
She headed towards the exit to wait for Hiccup outside. The chilly air hit her face, she realized autumn was already here. Her eyes fell upon a tree nearby, it's orange and yellow leaves shined as the sunlight fell upon them. It reminded her of home in autumn. She wished to go back, she really didn't want to leave. Her mother never understood her feelings, and its like she couldn't talk to her about it.Being her mother she would just relate it to the family image.

"You alright?" Hiccup interrupted her train of thought.

" Yes, I'm good, just thinking that it's already autumn."

Both of them started walking back towards their dorm house.

"Seasons do creep up on you. When you least expect it, it's already the next season."

Merida nodded in agreement. Silence flowed through them for a few minutes, both enjoying the autumn breeze. This time the silence felt comfortable between them. Until Merida decided to speak up.

"So, what family business do you guys carry?"

Hiccup was surprised by the random question.

"It's a small business nothing too big." Hiccup shrugged.

"Oh I see." Merida was hoping for more but she didn't want to ask anything she shouldn't. Hiccup picked up on this and decided to tell her more, he thought it would be a boring topic but what else is there to talk about.

"Its a small family smithery shop. We make furniture, jewelry, and those sorts of things and we do some repairs too. Its nothing fancy and important but it always brought bread into our table, for generations."

"That sounds very cool! It must be nice to work hands on and never having to worry about bunch of people nagging on how to do your job!"

"I guess, I mean if you know what you're doing then it's easy."

"Only your family works there?"

"Yeah, my father and my uncle. My mother takes care of the jewelry section."

"Nice! What about you?" Merida asked curiously.

"Me?...Well before I left for schooling, I did a little bit of everything. My father and uncle taught me the hard work, while my mother taught me what she knew and how to deal with customers, inventory, cash register and all that."

" So you where raised in the shop basically?"

"Yeah you can say that. I also love it. The feeling of creating something with your own hands brings so much satisfaction, especially if it sells." Hiccup eyes light up as he kept rumbling on about his work. Merida couldn't help but smile happily hearing him talk about his passion.

"If you found what you love doing and well...someday take over, why did you come to university to study business?"

Hiccup gave out a small sigh.

"I want to expand our little business. Maybe add a few more around our city and eventually through the state and country if I can. I want to sign contracts with big corps so we can sell some of our products and that way expand bigger. But my father didn't agree at first even today his skeptical of the idea. When I was in high school I told him the idea and he didn't take it well. My dad and I never saw eye to eye, our relationship wasn't too close. We would always argue, if it wasn't about the shop, it would be of something else, like school. One day I told him I wouldn't be taking over." Hiccup chuckled at the memory. Merida realized they both had the same problem with one of their parents, she was happy to have found someone she can relate to.

"Why did you say that?"

"I was a coward back then, I had ambitious ideas but I was always to of a wimp to realize them. I thought that I wasn't very good at what I did. So naturally I thought I wouldn't possibly make the shop flourish just like my father. Eventually...somebody showed me the confidence I didn't know I had...and I decided to aim for it, starting with my father. It was hard at first but he turned around and decided to trust me even though he still thinks the business is perfect where it should be, but I fought for my ideas and with the person giving me the push, it made me feel like I really could achieve it...." Hiccup trailed off as his face was replaced by a solemn look. Merida assumed he was referring his past girlfriend. She wanted to bring up his mood again, she didn't want him going back, just when he was opening up..

"Well at least you got the confidence and look at you now, you're very smart and I'm sure you're good at what you love to do."

Hiccup smiled tenderly and nodded at her as if to say
'thank you' ,

Merida breath hitched, his smile was caught in her mind and she knew it would take a hell of a time to take it off.

"Where here."

Merida turn to look in front of her and sure enough they where back home. Hiccup opened the door for them to go inside and started to head towards the elevators. She didn't want to end her talk with him, she wanted to continue listening to him, every detail he had to say. Before she knew it they were already in the hallway. She frowned, knowing she missed her chance in talking more.

"I'll see you then." Hiccup turn to get his keys from his pocket and started to walk away to his dorm.

"Right see ya...see ya at the gathering!" Merida exclaimed hoping he would attend.

She received a thumbs up, indicating he would be there. Merida insides jumped with joy knowing it would just be a little bit before she saw him again, She didn't fight her excitement this time around.

She got to her dorm and immediately went to her room and plop down in her bed. A sigh escaped her lips as she remembered the current events. She didn't what was happening with her but all she knew was it made her happy. She's making a new friend, and that's all she needed to know and leave it at that.