Hiccstrid: An American Love Story

Chapter 59: Haddock Launch Party III

"Your mother would be so proud" The mentioning of Hiccup's mother makes him think about when his father first started building the company. Valka worked 2 jobs to pay the rent while Hiccup's father invented the company. Stoick could not have created the Haddock empire without Valka. Just as Hiccup can't sign his life to the empire without Astrid.

"Will you excuse me" he says dismissing himself from the conversation he moves quickly over to Fishlegs.

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup screams desperately.

"Hey Hiccup nice party" Fishlegs replies but Hiccup does not have time for small talk. He pulls his friend behind the bar and holds onto his arm firmly.

"I need a ticket to LA"

He says hastily taking Fishlegs by surprise. Fishlegs doesn't know what to say it's like all the words in his mouth doesn't know how to come out.

"Are you crazy?!" He finally says. Hiccup doesn't listen, his father is nowhere to be seen so it's the perfect time to ditch the party for a plane ticket to Los Angeles.

"Hiccup you can't go!"

Fishlegs runs after Hiccup who is quickly making his way through the crowd like a fish in the sea. But Fishlegs catches up with him and stops him before he can exit the room.

"You can't go Hiccup this is your moment" Fishlegs tries his best to make Hiccup understand that what he is doing is insane. But it's like something struck Hiccup and he is too stubborn to listen to reasoning.

"I had my moment" Hiccup says aggressively back "I had in LA when I was with Astrid".

Fishlegs doesn't know how to respond but he doesn't let go of Hiccup's arm. He has never seen his friend like this.

"It's too late" Fishlegs responds after a while. It sounds almost like a mumble but it's not the volume that makes Hiccup ignore it. He wiggles out of Fishlegs' hand and march towards the door. But Fishlegs doesn't give up.

"It too late" he says and pulls his friend back into the room. Hiccup can feel a mixture of annoyance and sadness filling up inside of him.

"Let me go!" The two boys have drawn a lot of attention to them during their little argument. People are staring and whispering around them.

"You're right" Hiccup finally says after a lot of being pulled back and forth.

"Maybe it's too late, maybe it's a mistake maybe this whole thing will blow up in my face" Hiccup's face is filled with desperation and Fishlegs can almost feel the sadness by looking into his eyes.

"But I at least have to try" Hiccup continues "I have to try and do everything I can before I can say we're over, because it doesn't feel like Astrid and I are over".

Hiccup is on the verge of tears taking about Astrid makes him want to roll up into a little ball and roll away.

"I have to do something that wasn't planned for me since I was 8. This routine that I was born into I don't want it without her" As Hiccup talk Fishlegs notice a familiar person standing on the stairs to upstairs.

Her long blond hair reminds him of someone, but from here it's hard to tell. She takes a few steps down and he catches a fluke of her blue ocean eyes.

"Astrid?" Fishlegs words makes Hiccup stop talking.

"Yes that's the girl I'm talking about" Hiccup answers a little confused.

"Look behind you"

Hiccup turns around to see her. She's walking down the marble stairs with her heels making a little click every time she takes a step. Her white dress is floating behind her like in a fairytale. With every step she comes closer the more gorgeous Hiccup thinks she is. Hiccup feels weak yet strong at the same time. He wants to run to her lift her up and hold her till the end of times.

"Astrid" he says loudly to get her attention.
Her head turns to him and she smiles. He has really missed that smile. As he's standing there staring, he's too enchanted by Astrid's appearance to hear his dad mumbling:

"How does he know this young entrepreneur?"

Hiccup makes his way through the crowd but it's not easy. More people has arrived and it feels like running in a very tree filled forest. Astrid also starts to walk hastily down the stairs. Hiccup finally made it to the bottom of the stairs just in time to help Astrid with the last step. When their eyes met it was like fire on fire, everything disappeared around them and they both had a burning desire to hold each other. They didn't talk everything that needed to be said was in their eyes.

Hiccup held out his hand for Astrid to grab and she did with care. Together they found their way to the dance floor without asking each other to dance they just knew in that moment they didn't need to talk they needed to feel each other.

Astrid's flowy dress followed behind them as they danced. People were looking at the young couple in awe some recognizing Astrid as the mysterious LA girl while others had no clue who she was.

"So this is your world" Astrid said breaking the silence as they continued dancing. She took a look around with curiosity in her eyes.

"Astrid" Was all Hiccup could say "I can't believe you're here, I'm so so sorry for everything".

"Don't be" Astrid says taking Hiccup by surprise. Her being in New York is unbelievable but for her to forgive him just like that felt devine.

"Astrid" He doesn't know what to say luckily Astrid does.

"I'm sorry about what I said in Missouri" Astrid says with sadness in her voice "I don't hate you, I love you".

Hiccup holds her closer trying to ignore the tears slowly rising up. They move side to side and up and down the dance floor. Stoick is watching the two of them dancing with a smile on his face. He finally figured out who the young entrepreneur is and what role she plays.

"Astrid I'll leave the company, I'll become the man I said I was. I promise" But Hiccup's pleading didn't bear any fruit since Astrid shook her head as a decline.

"No I don't want that you love your work, right?" Hiccup truly does love is work. He wasn't forced to come work in the company he just had the chance and he took it and loved it.

"But I love you more" is his response making Astrid blush. Hiccup wasn't the man he said he was, but he's definitely the evil capitalist she had formed in her head. He was Hiccup, just Hiccup. The man who loves her and she loves him.

"Stay, inherit the business. We'll figure something out" Her voice is confident like she already made up her mind.

"You seem so certain" Hiccup smiles still happy by the fact that she came back. Back to him.

"I don't know if I believe in faith. Or that two people were destined to meet. Maybe it's all just one big coincidence. But all of that doesn't matter because you and I met, faith or no faith. We might come from different worlds but if we cut away all the white noise we're left with love" Hiccup gets lost in Astrid's eyes and love as she speaks. Every word hits him like Cupid's arrows.

"Just love" Their faces are inches away from each other. They're like day and night but closer than the shore and sea. Slowly without saying a word they close the space between them. Their lips meet with fireworks like they've been set on fire. Invisible sparkles fly around them but if you squint hard enough you might be able to see the small lights surrounding them.

Their story started out with a lot of unanswered question, and now we're left with even more. That's the funny thing about faith, it's only the size you make it. Everyone has a choice to follow faith or don't. To believe in a larger energy source than yourself and either lake a leap or not. Your choices are the only things that define you. Hiccup and Astrid each made their choices, weather it was to lie about ones identity, or forgive and forget it was all choices who defined their character and most importantly their future.

Every move, every wingspan from a butterfly and every decision made in their lives lead them to where they are today. Kissing on the dance floor at a launch party in New York City.
Because that is what faith truly is.

The end
But is it ever truly the end?