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Hiccup smiled. Having his friends around him was a great way to start Thanksgiving. He just hoped the day would go well. No fights. No injuries. No explosions. It might be a little much to wish for, especially the last one, since the twins had not created an explosion in a month, but a man can dream, can’t he?
“Okay,” Hiccup called, “How are we splitting up making dinner?”
“Huh,” Snotlout said, looking up from the coffee he was sipping on. “Can’t you let a guy wake up before giving orders?”
“Oh, come on, Snotlout,” Ruffnut said, “It’s way past sunrise. We’ve been up for hours. You’re just lazy!”
“I need my beauty sleep! How else do you think I get this handsome?” He flexed his muscles and kissed them.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut both made gagging sounds.
“I…I made up a menu,” Fishlegs spoke up timidly. This pulled the attention away from Snotlout as both twins jumped over by Fishlegs to see said menu. They instantly started arguing about the food on it and what was traditional and what should be a tradition. Fishlegs looked very nervous, caught in the middle of them.
Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. This was not a good start to a day of no fighting and no injuries. Astrid chuckled. She rose from her seat and walked over to Hiccup and rested a hand on his arm. “Relax, babe. We aren’t fighting a battle today, it’s just making dinner.”
“With these guys, everything feels like a battle.” Hiccup waved his arms around toward the assembled audience and let out a sigh.
“They are just relaxing and enjoying a break before the final few weeks of the semester. How about you relax too?”
“It would be easier to relax knowing everything was being prepared for dinner, after all, our parents were joining us, and I don’t want Dad to be disappointed.”
Astrid gave a knowing nod. She figured something was behind Hiccup’s stress. “He won’t be. He is proud of you.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping over by the others. She took the menu from Fishlegs and noticed he had written down names by it and the times everything needed started. It was very Fishlegs.
“Thanks for doing this,” she said, giving him a quick smile. She handed it to Hiccup. “Here everything’s assigned.”
Hiccup let out a relieved sigh as he read through the menu and then started giving everyone assignments. The twins were making the mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, Snotlout was taking care of the stuffing, Fishlegs was doing the Turkey, and Hiccup would do the cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.
Everyone moved away from the living room to get started on their assignments. “What about me?” Astrid asked, her hand on her hip. “I can help. Or should I make Yaknog? I know it is a little early, but”
“No!” the rest of the gang shouted together, cutting her off.
“What?” she said, glaring at them.
“It’s not traditional for Thanksgiving,” Fishlegs said sheepishly.
“The kitchen will be full,” Snotlout added. “I’m not sure you could handle working around my manliness. It would be too distracting, might mess up your recipe.”
“That might be an improvement,” Tuffnut muttered.
“What?” Astrid snapped, turning on him.
“Nothing, nothing. The chicken is not impressed by Snotlout.” He held up Chicken for all to see. The chicken clucked.
“For once, I may agree with the chicken,” Astrid said while Snotlout snorted and made a comment about the chicken’s poor taste.
“You are the best with an axe,” Hiccup said, running his arm along Astrid’s to calm her down before another fight broke out. “We need you to split wood for the bonfire we are having tonight.”
Astrid huffed, but all the fire had left her eyes; it was replaced by a wicked gleam. “I’ll ensure we have the best bonfire ever.”
Had the twins said that, Hiccup would have been shaking in his boots. As it was, he nodded and looked relieved that it was in good hands.
Everyone split off to their assigned tasks. The thud of an axe was soon heard in the yard as Astrid split log after log and got them ready for the bonfire. She laid out the base so it was ready to light.
The kitchen erupted into a frenzy of activity and good smells as dishes were prepared. Hiccup and Fishlegs exchanged pained glances when the twins and Snotlout started a singing competition. It was, however, better than an argument, so they didn’t say anything.
By mid-afternoon, everything was ready. The turkey was in the oven, the pie was on the counter, and the bonfire was waiting to be lit.
The gang gathered in the living room. Hiccup leaned back on the couch, grateful the day had gone so well so far. Astrid rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying snuggling against her boyfriend. Fishlegs was sitting on the other end of the coach, reading a book on botany while the twins and Snotlout were playing a card game on the floor. Friendly banter between them as they waited for their parents to arrive and the food to cook.
“What was that?” Astird suddenly asked.
Silence fell over the group. Several pops were heard. The gang exchanged glances. Pop! Pop! POP! Whatever was happening was definitely coming from the kitchen. Pop! Bang!
Glares landed on the twins. “We didn’t do it!” Tuffnut and Ruffnut yelled together, holding their hands up.
“Somehow, I don’t believe that,” Astrid muttered, heading toward the kitchen. The others followed her.
Another loud pop was heard as they entered the room to see the oven door fly open and the turkey pop out. Another pop and it flew off the oven door onto the floor, leaving a trail of grease and fluffy white kernels.
“Is that popcorn?” Astrid exclaimed, looking around at the white stuff scattered on the floor.
Tuffnut grabbed one and popped it in his mouth. “Yep,” he exclaimed with delight. “This is awesome!”
“What did you guys do?” Hiccup demanded, turning to the twins.
“It was me,” Fishlegs spoke up. “I asked ChatGPT how to tell if the turkey was done, and it said to stuff it full of popcorn. When it was done, it would pop it out of the oven. I didn’t think it would do it literally!”
Ruffnut grabbed some popcorn as she walked over to Fishlegs. She slid an arm up his and gave him a sexy smile. “A man after my own heart,” she purred, leaning her head against him. “Hunky and creates a good tasting explosion.” She popped the popcorn into her mouth while Fishlegs did a very good impersonation of a tomato.
The others watched the scene and burst out laughing. The turkey was retrieved from the floor, and the popcorn was placed into bowls.
They were soon feasting on a wonderful dinner with their families. Hiccup leaned against Astrid and watched everyone enjoying themselves. Ruffnut and Fishlegs sat close together while Snotlout and Tuffnut were arguing about the best way to add wood to the bonfire. Maybe the day had not gone quite as he planned, but it all worked. He truly did have a lot to be thankful for.