Disclaimer. We don't own How To Train Your Dragon. Rights Remain with Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks.
Co-written between harrypanther and Vala411
Chapter 1
Hiccup Haddock, top of his class, Valedictorian, and all around nerd with a passion for dragons, was standing in his bathroom, clad in only a towel and hair still sopping wet, while muttering to himself in the mirror "Come on Hiccup, you can do it. You can do it." He mumbled. Toothless, his black fluffy Persian cat, was seated on the hamper in the bathroom and didn't look one bit impressed.
"What do you think bud?" Hiccup asked as he turned to the feline. Toothless gave his cat version of a huff before flicking its fluffy tail and walking out the room.
"Fat lot of help you are." Hiccup mumbled as he dried his hair. He groaned as he noticed that he forgot his clothes on his bed. As Hiccup walked out of the bathroom a voice greeted him "Hiya stud."
Hiccup screamed as he clutched the towel around his waist tighter and glared at Camicazi, his next-door neighbour and childhood friend since elementary school. "Will you stop sneaking through my window!" He shouted at her in a high pitched voice.
"Will you stop leaving your window unlocked then!" She quipped back and chucked his clothes at him. "Honestly, I've been sneaking in here since we were kids. You haven't got anything I haven't seen before."
Hiccup blushed and quickly ran into his little closet to put on his clothes. "Men!" he could hear Cami grumbling. "I'm calling Throk over as well. So you gonna do it today?"
"Yeah..." Hiccup said from in the closet. His elbows hit the door and there wasn't much room to move but like hell he was going to put on his pants with Cami around. She had a habit of pants stealing. There was a knock on his door after he came out of the closet and Hiccup went to it. On the other side was Throk who was Hiccup's neighbour from five doors down.
"So you gonna ask her?" Was the first thing Throk said as he entered the room. When he saw Cami he turned to Hiccup and asked "Window?"
"Window." Hiccup confirmed.
"Honestly Throk, do you have to ask that every time? Just because you use the door." Cami huffed. "We have more important things to worry about, wardrobe!"
"True, true." Throk agreed.
"Seriously will you guys just get married?!?!" Hiccup mumbled as he had gotten used over the years to the tension between them.
"We are not dating!" Both said simultaneously and huffed.
"Riiiiight." Hiccup mumbled. He knew that they had been acting like an old married couple since Middle school. Before that there was the pigtail pulling and the 'jelly and glue' incident in elementary.
"It's not about us right now." Cami stated. "Hiccup has gotten the rock and it's happening tonight!"
"Finally!" Throk said as he walked past Hiccup and towards his closet. "Now we need an outfit for the night."
"Isn't this good enough?" Hiccup asked as he gestured to the clothes he was wearing.
Throk raised a brow and looked Hiccup up and down before he very bluntly said "No"
"Harsh," Hiccup mumbled but he didn't take it as an insult. He was used to Throk's quirks. Especially when it came to fashion.
"Hiccup, you're proposing tonight to your Highschool sweetheart. You'll need better clothes than this."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He gestured to the sweater and the khaki's he had on.
"NERD!" Both Throk and Cami spoke simultaneously. Hiccup gulped. Them agreeing could only mean one thing and he doubted that he would get out of it.
"Throk, hon. Make Hiccup look like Casanova." Cami told the other man who was already rummaging through the closet. "I've got the hair."
"Cami....." Hiccup backed up. "Cami put the brush down!"
"Stay still Hiccup!" Cami shouted as she jumped on him to begin the makeover. "There is no use fighting us." She said and Hiccup groaned as the afternoon dragged on.
When the time came a nervous Hiccup stood in front of the restaurant where the pre-graduation dinner would take place. "HAVE FUN!!" Camicazi shouted as both she and Throk had squeezed into Hiccup's red mini-cooper. The two had decided not to attend since a concert they both liked was going to be held around the same time.
"Knock 'em dead!" Throk said as he was behind the wheel. Cami had pouted when they got into the car since she wanted to drive but Hiccup reminded her of Junior year and the fact that he wanted to have his car back intact.
The 'Meade Hall' Restaurant had been taken over for the traditional pre-Graduation Dinner. In Berk, the students were allowed to go out as a group or perhaps in pairs to a safe environment where they could relax and enjoy themselves before the formality of Graduation. The restaurant was decorated in School Colours with several boards up, showing the Seniors throughout their time at Berk High. Hiccup winced as he walked in, seeing his scrawny fishbone self as a fourteen-year-old and his scrawny but taller self in the Senior Year, standing beside Heather who had been elected Prom Queen. He sighed and wondered for the hundredth time what she saw in him.
And then she was there, sweeping in, her scarlet satin dress shimmering in the mood lighting, her raven hair and green eyes complimented by the blood-red hue. She smiled and all his qualms melted away. She was beautiful, smart and tonight was THE night. Hiccup checked his jacket and his hand brushed against the box nestled in his pocket. He had booked them a booth so they could dine as a couple rather than in a big group with Heather's friends-because Cami and Throk had opted out and he really didn't have any others. The Meade Hall catered for couples as well as groups and any number in between and as Hiccup and Heather checked in, they were led to their table.
To Hiccup's relief, they were away to the side, by the windows with large plants partially shielding them from the rowdier groups. Each couple's table was beautifully decorated with balloons, candles and a bottle of sparkling water, the crisp white tablecloths spotless. The waiter smoothly pushed their chairs in and handed them menus as Heather smiled at Hiccup and sipped the glass of water she had been poured.
"You-you look beautiful," he said, blushing lightly. Heather was popular, pretty and clever, a combination that made her the effective Queen Bee and he had always wondered how come she had agreed to be his girlfriend. There had been a line a mile long vying for her affections and he was still secretly amazed he was sitting here. But beyond the mask, Heather was funny and witty and just perfect. She smiled.
"And you look pretty good yourself," she replied in an amused voice. Her eyebrow arched. "Cami or Throk?"
"Um...both?" he admitted. She giggled.
"You are probably the only guy here who has a personal dresser," she pointed out.
"Yeah-when they aren't stealing my pants...or my favourite Einstein tee-shirt..." Hiccup grumbled. She shook her head.
"They found that on the flagpole of the Town Hall, didn't they?" she recalled.
"With a pair of seagulls nesting in it," he muttered still unsure how that had happened, Cami was particularly tight-lipped about that. She patted his hand.
"And it was so sweet of you to arrange this," she continued.
"Heather-I wanted this to be absolutely perfect," he said, glancing over to the waiter, who walked up with a silver tray, bearing a single red rose. "For you," he added as her eyes widened.
"That is so adorable," she commented, accepting the gift. The waiter poured fizzy grape juice and brought them menus as the Football Team began to sing loudly beyond the plants in the main part of the restaurant. Heather smirked.
"Choose whatever you want," Hiccup continued valiantly. "This our special evening." Lips curling up, Heather scanned the A La Carte list and nodded.
"You are the best boyfriend," she told him, glancing up at the waiter. "I'll have the Abalone Savice and then the Lobster A La Berk with a Wagu Strip on the side, rare." Hiccup gulped at the prices and thought quickly: he had his savings from his job at Gobber's garage, where he had developed his love of engineering under the mentorship of the two limbed lunatic who just happened to be his Godfather. Admittedly, Hiccup had never learned how to diagnose an engine fault by tasting the oil-not that he wanted to-but he had realised that his inventive and analytical mind was ideally suited to building, designing and creating machines. Working with Gobber since he was twelve meant he had some savings but he was hoping not to spend a huge chunk of them on a meal when he had College looming. But Heather had always been high maintenance and Hiccup knew she deserved-and demanded-the best...even when it meant he was maxing his card out to provide it.
"I'll have the beetroot and goat's cheese salad to start and then the salt-baked cod with sweet potato chips and Provencale peas," he said and handed the leather-bound menus back. Heather inspected him astutely.
"You okay?" she asked and he looked up guiltily.
"Yeah. Yeah! Of course! Why-why shouldn't I be okay?" he gabbled and then took a sip of his water, calming himself. "So are you all ready to go to College?" She smiled.
"I couldn't be more ready," she said as their appetisers arrived. "Of course, we have the vacation first..." Hiccup smiled as he tucked into the salad. He hated beetroot and wasn't that keen on goat's cheese either but it was the cheapest appetiser in the menu.
"So you're travelling around Europe?" he checked.
"We're travelling," she reminded him. "I hope you've got your passport sorted because I need to confirm our bookings. I mean Paris! The city of love! Rome-the Eternal City! Barcelona-I just love Gaudi's work! Berlin and all that history! Budapest and Prague! Venice-so beautiful and romantic. And London..."
"The place you've wanted to visit more than-than anywhere else!" Hiccup grinned, pushing his plate away. "I've booked the tickets in the West End for Bloodlust! The Musical and the river cruise already..."
"You are so sweet," Heather smiled, finishing. "So have you chosen your College?" He nodded.
"Archipelago University Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering Programme-one of the best in-in the country," he replied, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "They have the best simulation and online design courses in the degree and they have a selection of w-world-class lecturers and..."
"While I am going to go to Harvard," Heather interrupted, her eyes rolling slightly. "Harvard Law. I mean, there is no better programme or University anywhere!" Then she pouted. "I mean, why would you think Archipelago U is even worth mentioning in the same conversation?"
Hiccup bit his lip. Heather's views on his future career were scathing when they didn't match her own ideas and to her, it was Harvard or nowhere. She pouted.
"I-I suppose I could apply to Harvard," he slowly conceded as she rewarded him with her brilliant smile, making his heart flutter once more. Their plates were taken away and entrees delivered. They both tucked in for a few moments, savouring the excellent food.
"Aw, baby-that is so sweet," Heather told him as she took a sip of her fizzy grape juice.
"I mean, I-I don't want a long distance relationship," Hiccup mumbled and stared into her shining green eyes. And then he reached into his pocket. "Heather-you are the most beautiful and amazing girl I know and I-I would be stupid if I didn't tell you how happy I am, how much I love you and-and want to spend the rest of my life with you..." he began.
She sat back and frowned.
"Well, this just got awkward," she admitted, dabbing her mouth with her napkin. "You see, I want what is best for you-and what is best for me. And though you are such a sweet guy and incredibly caring and generous, I am going to be a successful lawyer. I'm going to become a partner in a top Law Firm. I will mix with the upper echelons of society, with Chairmen and Senators and Governors...and if I'm going to fit in and be a partner before I'm thirty, I can't have a boyfriend who is a skinny auburn, stammering engineering nerd!"
"I can dye my hair," he sassed with a sick feeling bubbling in his stomach. He hoped it was just the goat cheese.
"Hiccup...please don't make this harder than it is," she asked him, pouting. He swallowed, looking at the little box sitting on the table between them. He opened it and allowed the candlelight to gleam off the little diamond. Heather didn't even look.
"Um...I'm asking you to marry me and you're dumping me? For being a nerd?" he asked incredulously. "I-I mean how come this just became a problem now? I've always been a nerd!"
"But an engineer? Most engineers are overqualified and end up in low paying jobs. It just doesn't fit into my new world Hiccup. Can you just imagine what people would think? A high class lawyer and a low income engineer? What a pretty picture we would paint," she told him dryly. "You're a sweet guy, Hiccup-and I'm totally sure you'll find someone else who will be suitable for you..."
Hiccup stared at Heather for a moment. His girlfriend, or apparently now ex-girlfriend, wasn't batting an eyelash of emotion. "What if...... what if I come with you to Harvard. I could study law too. Heather please I love you, don't do this."
But all Heather did was try to hide a snort.
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry Hiccup. It's just, you in Harvard?!" She told him with an expression that indicated she was addressing a child. "You're a smart guy Hiccup, I'll give you that, but you're not lawyer material. You're not Harvard material. If I'm going to be successful then I'll need someone with serious life goals."
"I-I don't even know what to say?" he said in a dazed voice. "I mean...I'm totally in love with you and I-I thought you felt the same..." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.
"You're a sweet guy, Hiccup-but I'm going to be a top lawyer and you just don't fit into that world," she said and started to rise from her seat. "Thanks for the meal, baby. It was very kind. And no hard feelings, hmm? We can still be friends!" Then she rose and left him staring at her receding figure, nodding and smiling at her friends as she passed and then vanishing out into the night. Aimlessly, he speared the last piece of her lobster and chewed through it without even tasting it.
As if by magic, the waiter appeared, a small silver salver bearing the obscenely large check laid pointedly on the table. Despondently, Hiccup handed over his card.
"I trust you had a successful evening, sir?" the waiter said, bringing the card machine. Hiccup closed the little ring box and stuffed it back into his pocket.
"The only thing that could have gone worse is if I was attacked by a dragon. No, make that if a four hundred foot dragon started rampaging through the city." he said tonelessly as the machine beeped. The screen read CARD DECLINED. The waiter frowned at him as he patted himself down for his wallet.
"And that happened..." he groaned.
Once the whole fiasco with Heather had happened and he cleaned out not only his wallet but also his bank account he went outside with his head down. Hiccup was sure some of his classmates greeted him but he didn't want to talk to them right now. When he got outside he felt wetness on his cheeks and realized he was crying. It was then that Hiccup realized that he didn't have any money for a cab. He was supposed to catch a ride with Heather but she left already and he didn't want to bug his friends who were enjoying themselves at their concert. Music was probably the only thing they never argued about. With shaky hands Hiccup picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number. The phone rang a few times before someone answered.
"Hello.... Hiccup?" came from the other end of the line.
"Gobber.... Can you come pick me up?"