Astrid should have expected this.

Family dinners had never gone well for her, ever. They were a test of Astrid's patience, and she didn't need a test to know that she didn't have any.

"Because I don't want one," she'd snapped.

"Why not?" her mother said, her chin up in the air as she stared down her nose at Astrid, an action that set her teeth on edge. "You're going to need one eventually, you can't expect to live comfortably in your profession."

Astrid resisted the urge to slam her hands down on the table and walk out the door. The worst thing about it was that there was sense in everything her mother was saying; she certainly wasn't earning heaps with the illustrations she did. She was lucky enough to have a few steady commissions, and they sure didn't pay very much.

"If I start dating someone," Astrid said, her teeth clenched. "It will be because I like him or her. Not because I'm after their money."

Astrid's mother pursed her lips. "Even so. You won't be young forever. You'll be past your prime soon enough, Astrid, just you wait."

She didn't deign to give that a response, just scowled into her lap. At the other end of the table, her father seemed completely unaware of the conversation, lost into the newspaper he had propped up between his plate and the salt and pepper shakers. Astrid frowned. No help from him, then.

"Now, if you would just let me help you, Astrid, I'm sure I could help you find someone. You're clearly not capable of looking for yourself."

That was when Astrid let the urge get the better of her and slammed her hands down onto the table. The salt and pepper shakers quivered and toppled off of the table, her father's newspaper falling into a heap. She had got both of their attentions now, and they stared at her as she rose from her seat.

"I do not, and will never need your help with my romantic life," Astrid said slowly, her hands clenching into fists. "And I'm not going to let you muck around with my life. I'm not a child anymore."

Then she stormed out of the house.

Back at her home, she finds herself fuming over the conversation, mumbling little insults under her breath and mimicking her mother's voice in a very unkind impersonation. She tries to settle down to finish off some commissions, but her hands were betraying her and no matter how hard she tries, she can't get her drawings to look right. Eventually, she slams her pencil down in disgust, and stomps to the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way.

She takes the longest shower possible, ignoring the niggling feeling in the back of her brain reminding her about the water bill. She uses every single product in the shower, and steps out into the steam filled bathroom wrinkly and smelling like a bath shop. Then she wraps a dressing gown around herself and heads to the living room.

If there's one thing Astrid's sure of, it's that there's only one way to release anger, and that's taking your aggression out on something else. And in Astrid's case, that comes in violent video games. She picks her favourite from her shelf and slots it into the console, already feeling the tension leave her limbs when she hears the intro music blare from the television.

After an hour or two of playing, Astrid's stomach grumbles, and she realises a little too late that she'd never actually eaten back at her parent's home. With a groan, she pulls herself up off the sofa and grabs her laptop, plonking herself back down.

Astrid reaches for the bottle of wine that had somehow made its way to the coffee table, and takes a sip while she opens up her favourite pizza delivery website, doing her best to ignore the extortionate prices.

She fills in her details lightning fast, and is about to send it through, when her eyes flicker to the box at the bottom of the page.

Her fingers hover over the keyboard as she stares at the 'Delivery Instruction' box and then she giggles as she writes send the cutest delivery person possible.

She deserves this, she thinks. After the day she's had, she deserves a little fun.

She forgets all about it after she unpauses her game, and it's not until half an hour later when the doorbell rings that she remembers. The bell makes her jump, her fingers slipping and the words 'Game Over' flashing on screen. Astrid scowls and storms to the door, throwing it open before she thinks about what she's doing.

When she opens the door, the man's eyes bug, suddenly darting all over the place. And that's when Astrid realises that she's completely undressed.

"Sorry!" she gasps, closing the door shut and pressing her head against it, giggles rippling through her.

She darts back into the living room where her dressing gown is lying on the sofa, having been thrown off at some point mid-game. She ties it back around her waist and covers herself up before opening the door again, still giggling.

"Sorry," she says again, covering her mouth with her hand as she tries to stop herself from laughing.

The poor guy's red in the face. "I, um, here," he says, thrusting the pizza box into her hands, and running back down the steps.

Astrid stands in the doorway, bemused, and watches the man run down the street before he turns on his heel and hurries back up the driveway.

"I forgot to get the money," he wheezes, and Astrid does her best not to splutter with laughter.

This was not the outcome she'd expected when she'd messed with the delivery settings, but somehow she didn't mind so much. He was definitely cute, with a mop of brown hair and eyes the brightest green she'd ever seen.

"So," she says, "Cutest delivery person they had, eh?"

His face turns from pink to scarlet, his hand scratching the back of his head, his eyes trailing across the floor. "I guess? I mean, I'm the youngest one there so it was kind of default. I hope I don't disappoint."

"Not at all, Mr…?"

"Haddock. Hiccup Haddock."

Astrid raises an eyebrow. "Interesting name, Mr. Haddock."

"My father hates me."

She grins. Hiccup is way more than she expected when she'd typed the note into the box. Now that he isn't completely red in the face, Astrid can see that he was even cuter than she thought he was. There are smatters of freckles spread across his cheeks and there's something about his voice that makes her stomach twist a little.

She fiddles with the tenner in between her fingers.

"Do you want to come in?" she says, shifting away from the door and standing sideways, lifting her arm to welcome him. "I've got pizza," she says, waving the box at him and smiling.

Hiccup hovers awkwardly on the doorstep and swallows, an excuse dying on his lips.

"Come on," Astrid says, her eyes glittering. "You've already seen me in my bra and pants. How more awkward can it get?"

A smile tugs at the corner of Hiccup's lips and he steps into the house.

"I was just trying to make it through the fourth level when you rang," Astrid says as she leads him into the living room. "Wanna join? I could use a player two."

Hiccup's face lights up when he sees the game on the television screen, and Astrid seems him smile, properly, for the first time. It makes her stomach flip.

"I hope you realise you're in the presence of a master," he says, taking the controller Astrid offers him.

Astrid cocks an eyebrow and grins. "Oh, really?"

Once she's done kicking Hiccup's ass at the game, the two dig into the pizza, stuffing it into their faces. It's not long before the two are acquainted, deep in conversation like two old friends.

"So, she asks him if he's single right then and there," Astrid says, though a mouthful of pizza.

Hiccup winces. "My father said that there was no way I could find anyone on my own, so he sends me Facebook profiles of girls I've never met every week."

"My mum does the same," she says. "She thinks I'm incapable of attracting anyone by myself."

"She's wrong," Hiccup says.

"Hiccup," Astrid says, licking sauce off her fingers and laughing, "You found me eating pizza, drinking, and playing video games alone in my underwear. I'm not exactly a catch."

"You are too," Hiccup says. "Any guy would be lucky to have you. Even if you do forget to put clothes on before you answer the door."

Astrid groans and covers her face with her hands, smiling through her fingers. "One time! You're the one who ran away."

"Oh god," Hiccup says, and it's his turn to hide his face with his hands. "Not my finest moment."

"It was endearing."

"No, it wasn't."

"No," Astrid says, her eyes shining. "It wasn't."

The two laugh and duck their heads. They're sitting opposite each other now, cross-legged on the sofa, and Astrid's become all too aware of how close this boy is. They're practically strangers, but something clicked and she feels like she's known him all his life.

"I was serious before." Hiccup swallows. "Any guy would be lucky to have you."

There's a pause, a moment of silence while Astrid thinks about the warmth Hiccup's hands, barely touching hers. Another moment, and the space in between them disappears as Astrid presses her lips to his. At first, Hiccup freezes at the touch, and then she feels him smile underneath her.

"So, Astrid," Hiccup says, when they pull away lifetimes later. "Can I, uh, see you again?"

Astrid presses her forehead against his, her face breaking out into huge smile. "Why, Mr. Haddock. I thought you'd never ask."