Hiccup looked tired when he arrived at the Diner the next day, deep shadows under his dulled green eyes suggesting he had been wracked by nightmares. It almost made her reconsider broaching her plan with him today but when he saw her, he smiled and the melancholy in his face tore her heart. He desperately needed cheering up and she knew getting out there would help him...if she could give him the confidence to make the attempt. She gestured to his usual table, already set ready for him and he managed a genuine, if weary smile in reply. He had already shucked off his coat and opened his laptop when she brought the coffees over and sat opposite him, smiling.

"Afternoon, Astrid," he said wryly though there was relief in his voice.. 

"How are you?" The concern in her tone almost brought the prickle of tears to his eyes. He sighed.

"Um, didn't really sleep well," he admitted. "I-I think talking about what happened may have...upset me." 

"Nightmares?" she guessed sympathetically. He nodded. Nightmares didn't do justice to the utter panic that had him snap awake, screaming his lungs out at the image of that truck sliding towards them with no attempt to swerve, no time to escape and only the fraction of a second to angle the car so Ana missed the brunt of the impact. And alone, he had sat up in his bed in the cool night-time apartment, cold sweat trickling down his  neck and beading his forehead, breaths shuddering through his lean frame, the burning in his leg a reminder of his worst wounds. And no matter how he tried, he hadn't been able to go back to sleep. There was no one to ease his terror, no comforting hand to soothe him, no presence to reassure him that he didn't have to face the nightmares alone. So in the end, he had thought about Astrid, about the way her nose scrunched as she thought, about the twinkle in her stunning azure eyes-even the small, affectionate punch she had given him. And he had finally calmed down enough to doze off until his alarm and woken him a mere hour later.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his confidence sapped by exhaustion but her thumb gently stroked the back of his hand and she sighed. 

"Nothing to be sorry for," she reminded him. "It was an accident, Hiccup. The drinker was drunk and the truck was unfit to be on the road..." His eyes snapped up then and he inspected her more closely, his expression alarmed and wary. "I-er-I looked up what happened because it must have been so bad to have such an awful effect on you." He shrugged and took a shuddering breath. If she knew, then she may have read...

"Yeah," he admitted. "But if I had set out a minute earlier or later-or broken the speed limit like everyone else does on that damned road-then we wouldn't have been there to be crushed..." She sighed.

"Hiccup-if the Gods decreed it, then there was nothing you could do," she reminded him. 

"Well that makes me feel so much better!" he replied sarcastically.

"And that's the Hiccup I know," she said with relief. He sipped his coffee, blushing lightly.

"No idea who he was," he murmured, "but he's well and truly gone now." She patted him on the hand.

"Hiccup-you are smart and sarcastic and funny and kind and you really really don't deserve to be alone," she told him determinedly. "So we need a plan to sort that out."

He stared at her in shock, his jaw dropping. "Wh-what?" he mumbled, emerald gaze wide with sudden anxiety. "I-I-I'm good..." She smiled.

"Hiccup-even though you are cute and brave and sweet, I can tell you're not good," Astrid told him earnestly. "I actually know what it's like when your friends dump you and it is pretty miserable. And you definitely deserve more...so we are going to fix you up with someone who will make you happy." He began shaking his head, hunching down in the seat and closing his eyes.

"Please, no," he murmured but she took both his hands and stared into his face.

"I hate seeing you so alone," she told him. "I hate not seeing the happy, optimistic man that walked out of here at the end of summer. I hate that something that wasn't your fault has affected you so badly. And you seem to think that you don't deserve happiness because of it?" He stared at the table and idly stirred his coffee.

"I don't," he mumbled. "I'm just a loser!" She sighed.

"So am I," she told him firmly. "But you only remain a loser if you let life beat you. I refuse to give up because I have a daughter to fight for. And now I have a friend to fight for too-so you, mister, are going to date and we will find you someone worthy of all this..." She gestured to his slumped shape.

"Oh Thor, I doubt there is anyone out there like that...maybe one-legged Helga at Johann's?" he murmured. 

"Hmm-have you been seeing other waitresses behind my back?" she asked him dryly. His eyes widened.

"Um, no," he said anxiously. "I-I thought we'd established I wasn't actually welcome anywhere, everyone I knew has ostracised me and and I'm worthless anyway!" She squeezed his hand.

"Relax!" she soothed him, seeing him tense with anxiety, eyes wide and dark with horrible lack of self-confidence. "Eat your burger and then when lunchtime rush is over, we'll talk." He nodded awkwardly: he really wasn't very enthusiastic about exposing himself to being scorned and rejected but Astrid seemed very certain and determined. And as she was practically his only friend, he felt that he should at least try out her idea. Maybe she was right? Maybe all he needed was a push to help him reconnect with other people? He sipped his coffee and watched her walk briskly to the counter and collect his double Viking burger with extra fries. His stomach was dancing with apprehension but he could see her point.

Maybe this was what he needed.

oOo

He had finished his burger, been served an additional coffee and a slice of key lime pie that Astrid had decided he needed and was finally scanning through the assignment his tutor had forwarded him a month earlier that was improbably due in a week when Astrid finally walked back over, having served the dozen tables' worth of customers who had come in over the lunch period. He had been watching her properly for once and seen her efficiently taking orders, smiling and chatting with customers and delivering food. She was kind to the kids who came in with their mothers and attentive to the old couple who couldn't make their minds up. Every plate was delivered perfectly and she fetched sauces, condiments and additional sides as requested, always with a smile. And she dealt with the cheques and cleaned the tables briskly and swiftly. 

"Busy?" he asked, draining his cup. She sloshed a refill straight from the jug, put her own cup down and then returned the jug to the coffee machine. She nodded and gave a sigh as she enjoyed just getting the weight off her feet.

"Yeah," she admitted. "How was the pie?" He smiled.

"It was nice, thanks," he admitted. "Never had any before." Her eyes popped wide.

"You have never had key lime pie before? What have you been eating all these years?"

"The double Viking Burger," he told her with a smirk and sat back in his seat. "My Dad wasn't really one for desserts. Nope-large hunks of meat all the way-hence, Viking burger!" 

"No apple pie?"

"Once, at a wedding," he admitted. "My Dad stole most of mine..."

"No lemon meringue?"

"Nope."

"Peach cobbler?"

"Is that even a thing?"

"Pancakes?"

"I think Dad tried once. Set the kitchen on fire...they are meant to be black and flaming?"

"Tiramisu?"

"Isn't that in Japan?"

"Gods, I have more work to do than I realised," she sighed. "Okay, so we are going to get you a date..." His eyes widened and his face paled.

"Um, I thought we'd established I hated the idea and may not be ready for multiple rejections as every poor female coerced into this process realises what waste of space I am and blows me off..." Astrid grinned.

"Hmm, that may be an interesting outcome," she smirked. He reran his words in his head and then blushed scarlet, burying his face in his hands. Astrid was chuckling at his discomfort.

"Dear Odin, is this some other torment you've sent to try me?" he groaned. Seeing his confidence crumble again, she gently rose and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Hiccup-if you really hate this, we won't do this," she said gently as he uncovered his face and turned his head to look at her. "But I worry that all you do is hide at home and come here. And while I love being with you-because I don't have a heap of friends either, what with having a small child and antisocial hours in my job-I worry that you need to build your confidence back up again."

"And you think this will help?" he asked her desperately. She gave a small nod. 

"Look, there are two dating websites in Berk and the surrounding areas and if you go online, you will be able to screen and vet the responses...so it is your choice whether or not to meet up with the people and when..." she told him. 

He looked panicked and then took a measured breath.

"Okay," he said quietly. "So what are we going to put?"

"We?" she asked with a small smile, sitting down. He nodded.

"Thor, yes," he said vehemently. "You know what I would put: Utterly useless white male seeks female for embarrassing rejection experience. Anyone welcome to come along and point out my complete worthlessness. All welcome to destroy me and make yourself feel better." She snorted with laughter.

"Oh, Hiccup," she sighed. "You can't think like that!" She got her pad out and eyed him calculatingly. "Okay, tell me about yourself..." He blushed again. 

"Um...I'm twenty-two," he mumbled. "Single..." She smiled. 

"Okay, anything about you?" she pressed gently. He stared at the table. "What course do you do?" He frowned. "At College?" His face brightened and the animation returned to his expression, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"Oh-Engineering," he revealed. "Senior Year. I specialise in Aeronautical Engineering-building and designing aircraft...I always wanted to fly but realised it wasn't realistic so designing the aircraft was the next best thing." She smiled at the passion in his words. This was the guy she had met when she first started working here and the man she wanted to help.

"Any hobbies? Pastimes?" she probed.

"Um-I draw and paint a bit. Horribly badly. Really not worth mentioning..." He was staring at the table again, fiddling with his spoon. 

"Anything else? Do you travel?"

"Um, not any more," he mumbled and she kicked herself. She laid her pad down. 

"I'm sorry," she said, her tone genuine and he looked up at her, reading her contrition. 

"This means at lot to you, doesn't it?" he realised. She sighed, unconsciously fiddling with her braid. 

"Look, no one will go out with me because I have a kid," she told him. "I know what it's like to be rejected-but I have Emma and she is worth far more than assholes who think she's a problem-or a marker than I will sleep with them at the snap of a finger!" Her voice had turned bitter and she stopped, pressing her lips together tightly and breathing hard to master her anger. "My point is-I have a child so I am clearly destined to die alone-but you don't have anything like that. And you were terribly hurt when Ana dumped you. You're a really nice guy and you deserve a chance to be happy. So I want to help you get what I can't have!"

"No pressure," he sighed. "Okay, what have you got?" She smiled.

"Caring and artistic male College Senior seeks..." she began and shrugged. "What do you want, Hiccup? Vivacious? Caring? Theatrical? Adventurous? What age range?"

"Um...probably caring and kind, seeking friendship and maybe love?" he said softly. 

"Age Range?"

"Twenty to twenty-five?" he suggested then looked worried. "I'm not restricting myself out of the market, am I?" She smiled and shook her head, scrawling away. 

"Email?"

"[email protected]," he replied.

"I'll assume the 'um' wasn't part of that," she said with a smile and he found himself smiling as well at her dry comment. "Okay. Caring and artistic male College Senior seeks kind and caring female 20-25 seeking friendship and maybe love. Contact email...." Her azure eyes flicked up to his embarrassed face. "Okay, dragon boy-let's see what happens next." 

"You probably won't get a reply," he said despondently but she squeezed his hand.

"Look, I'd reply so there must be more people out there who are looking for a great guy," she reassured him. "Have faith. I'm sure you'll be fighting them off with a baseball bat!"

"If we get one reply, I'll be surprised," he sighed and finished his coffee.

"You're on!" Astrid said.