Ruffnut paces around her room nervously. She stops when she hears someone enter.
Cluck.
Oh, it's just Chicken.
"Why are you pacing?" Tuffnut's voice asks her.
"No reason," she lies turning to face her twin brother.
"I may be dumb, but I can tell when something's wrong. You aren't in danger are you? If you are then we have to let Hiccup and Astrid know," Tuff tells her.
"No! I'm not in danger. I can't tell you what's wrong," she says quietly.
"Ruffnut!" Snotlout's voice whispers.
"Snotlout? Why's he looking for you?" Tuffnut wonders to mostly himself.
"I am going to find your birthday present and he's going to help," Ruffnut lies.
"That's why you seem nervous? I thought it was because you were going to do something like go on a date," Tuffnut laughs. Ruffnut fake laughs with him before running out of the room only to unbraid her hair and running to meet Snotlout by Hookfang.
"Why are you dressed up?" Snotlout asks Ruffnut before looking around for help from- from no one. He felt nervous for the first time in his life.
"Because last night Astrid went to Hiccup's house with her hair like this, and for the first time we saw her without that stupid headband on because they did Thor knows what and walked hand in hand over to the Great Hall. I can't be the only one who noticed," Ruffnut responds feeling the butterflies in her stomach.
"You're right. I guess I thought that it wouldn't be this simple. Ruffnut, I have been rejected by Astrid, then Heather, and also by you for the longest time. To be honest the only reason that I have ever helped you was so that I could have what Hiccup has with Astrid. One romantic flight and she's head over heels for the guy. Heather is just like that. She fell for the smart guy not in a relationship, but then I was left thinking about how I'm alone before I thought about liking you. I've known you my whole life. Growing up you were practically like my sister," Snotlout confesses.
"I should have thought more about this. I have this feeling that he's going to propose to her soon. This is our first date for Thor's sake!" Ruffnut sighs.
"True. Ruffnut, what are we even doing? What if this ruins our friendship. To be honest I-," Snotlout begins to say before he is stopped by Ruffnut kissing him.
"I wanted to see if it would work. Hiccup does it with Astrid when he does something stupid," Ruffnut reminds him.
"Who have you ever kissed?" Snotlout asks.
"That was it. You were my first kiss," she confesses.
"Wow. To be honest it was mine too. Ha, when I was 13 or 14 before we found out that Hiccup was training Toothless I thought it would be Astrid, but after Heather left and I got over both her and Astrid, I saw you. You have been one of my best friends who also happens to be a girl. I never realized what I've been missing out on. You dragged me all over the edge looking for the Lycanwing, and I could only dream about someone doing that for me," Snotlout tells the young viking girl. She feels herself blush a slight pink.
"Is that Dagur?" Ruffnut asks with her smile fading.
"You kids grow up so fast. So, over Astrid and Heather? Good, because neither of them actually liked you, but you two are adorable! Anyway, Snot-kid where is brother Hiccup?" Dagur asks nonchalantly. Heather had left to rule the Berserker tribe almost a year and a half ago, and Dagur had been thought to have been dead for the past two and a half years.
"At his house," Snotlout responds terrified. The only thought in his tiny brain was that Dagur is a ghost wanting revenge on his cousin. Truth be told Hiccup took Astrid to the Great Hall so they could hide from both their parents and have some peace and quiet for their make out session.
"You're alive?! For Thor's sake your sister couldn't think about you without bursting into tears! What in Odin's name possessed you to do that? Play dead then reappear two and a half years after you disappeared? What about your dragon?" Ruffnut interrogates.
"Wow. I love this side of you. It makes you seem kind of sexy," Snotlout blurts out.
"Ewww! I've never wanted to hear Snotlout say those words," Astrid's voice says. The trio turn to see Hiccup and Astrid coming towards them holding hands. Their hair a bit disheveled.
"Did you two-?" Dagur starts to ask.
"You're alive? Dagur, you scared the crap out of us when you took on Viggo's men by your self! What was going through your mind?! You better not have come here to Berk first instead of-," Hiccup begins to lecture.
"Wait, Heather isn't here? Where is she then?" Dagur follows up.
"Berserker Island. She wanted to lead them and let them know what happened to their leader and why he went AWOL for a few years. She said that it was terrible, and it's going to take lots of work to earn the tribe's trust again. She said that you leaving was probably the stupidest thing you ever did before you died," Astrid informs him in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Snot-hat, you and the two girls come with me to see Heather," Dagur orders Snotlout.
"Dagur, I will not let you take Astrid with you," Hiccup says defending his girlfriend.
"Relax. I'll leave Blondie with you. I meant this girl that Snot-hat is with and her twin," Dagur assures Hiccup.
"I am a girl, yes, but my twin is a guy. Despite the way he acts," Ruffnut informs Dagur.
"You're brother and sister? Oh," Dagur realizes.
"Snotlout, you get Tuff and I guess the take two of our date will have to happen after we get back. Astrid, I need help with getting my hair done. I don't understand how you were okay with your hair being like this that day you went dancing in the rain with Hiccup," Ruffnut sighs.
"It's called, I don't always have my hair braided unless I go out. Unless it's to see Hiccup. It started when we were at the edge after Mala," Astrid confesses.
"So, did you two have-," Dagur starts to say before Hiccup interrupts him.
"No, and we aren't discussing that now," he says. Dagur shrugs it off before Snotlout and Tuffnut catch up with the gang and Astrid finishes the quick girl talk with Ruffnut. Dagur lets out a small whistle before an energetic Gronkle jumps out from behind a house knocking both Hiccup and Astrid. Both of them blush a shade of pink before Astrid sits up and Toothless comes running to protect his master.
"See? Shattermaster is fine. It took me so long to come see anyone because he and I were captured by Viggo for three months, and after we escaped the both of us were left for dead because of the decision I made to save you. I returned to The Edge and did what I could to get us back to health, but it took a while. I only stayed there because I couldn't figure out how to confront you all. I'll admit it, I was scared. I kept putting it off until I remembered that Heather is my sister, and I don't want to die alone. I want to be with my family, and maybe get what Hiccup has with Princess kicks-everyone's-butts," Dagur admits.
"Why does everyone want that? I heard that from Ruffnut and now you," Snotlout complains.
"Why are you referring me to that?!" Astrid asks.
"Sh! Nobody cares about that answer," Dagur announces. Astrid reaches for her ax only to find it missing. She remembers leaving it at Hiccup's before they snuck off to the Great Hall.
"Let's get going," Dagur orders mounting Shattermaster.
The four leave for Berserker Island and the silence fills with so much silence that the level of awkward makes it to the point you could cut through it with a freshly sharpened ax.
"So, Snot-hat and you are a thing now?" Dagur finally asks Ruffnut.
"What?!" Ruffnut gapes looking to her right.
"I saw that kiss. It looked like it meant something. So, are you and that Snot-guy a thing?" Dagur repeats. Ruffnut turns away.
"What kiss? Ruffnut hasn't even had her first kiss," Tuffnut laughs mockingly.
"Would you shut up!"she barks. Tuffnut and Dagur stare at the young viking girl in shock and awe. Tuffnut couldn't believe his twin, who is an entire five minutes younger than him, and told him almost everything.
"You kept this secret from me! It's like I don't even know you!" Tuffnut responds dramatically.
"It happened today. I watched her kiss your best friend," Dagur gossips fueling to the twin drama fire.
"That is why you've been distant! You madam are with my best friend!" Tuffnut argues.
"Wait! We're best friends? After I lied to you about being your sister's first boyfriend?" Snotlout asks genuinely confused.
"This is turning into a stupid teenage romance! Makes me sick," Ruffnut groans.
"At least it's entertaining," Dagur encourages with a huge, evil grin on his face.
"You are despicable," Ruffnut informs the once villain.
"I know," he states simply.
"I hate you, and can't wait for you to get back to Berserker Island," she says looking at him once again. He gives her his deranged smile in which she ignores.
"You know you love me," he tells her.
"I love you like Hiccup loves the idea of Snotlout kissing his fiancee. When we were about 14 or 15 Snotlout annoyed Astrid so much that she had pretended to like him, and it creeped him out so much that he admitted to being scared. On top of that it even grossed out Hiccup," Ruffnut informs Dagur. The smiles on his face disappears.
"Lie," he states simply as they land.
"It's true! I still have nightmares that she's going to do that just to scare me," Snotlout whimpers. The smile returns to Dagur's face as he tries not to laugh.
"That scrawny blonde scared you?! You are such a chicken! I'll bet that when Hiccup was beginning to train Toothless he was less afraid," Dagur laughs.
"Duh, if he was the first to train a dragon he had to be brave or him and Astrid wouldn't be together," Tuffnut states dumbly.
"How do you figure?" Dagur asks.
"Well, if Hiccup wasn't brave enough to train dragons then he'd be dead," Tuffnut reasons.
"Valid point girl twin," Dagur compliments.
"That's my brother, I'm the girl twin," Ruffnut states.
"Everyone is always mixing us up. Hey, Snotlout! Remember the time that you said something, then I insulted you, you grabbed me by the shirt with your face about to pound me, and then you asked if I was the boy twin. I was all like, 'no', in a high pitch voice," Tuffnut reminisces.
"I do remember that. Wait! You- you insulted me and got away without me pounding you?" Snotlout wondered with his voice getting louder with each word.
"Yep," Tuffnut informs his best friend.
"Sh! Do you guys here anything?" Dagur questions the group.
"What are we listening for? I want to know if we're waiting for an ambush or not. If we aren't then I can scream as Snotlout chases me," Tuffnut declares.
"I can't hear anything!" Ruffnut whines.
"That's the point! When I was growing up people would stay up until the middle of the night, and when I became chief we'd stay up later. It is barely sundown and the village is quiet. Something must be wrong," Dagur panics running towards the Berserker Great Hall where the building is quiet.
The gang enters expecting the place to find the place war torn, and the people in there to be cowering in fear because of an attack. Instead there was a party that had been paused as if it were a surprise party, and they were deciding on if they should check to see if it were the guest of honor or not. The look on everyone's face was as if they saw a ghost. Heather whips her head around to knock her brother unconscious for a moment.
"What in Thor's name is wrong with you?! You guys scared the crap out of us! So much for my- who did I just punch in the face?" Heather whimpers as she begins to stiffen up.
"Your brother. He came to Berk thinking that you stayed there, but as soon as we said that you weren't he insisted that me, Tuffnut, and Snotlout come here to see you," Ruffnut announces. Heather drops her glass and the shattering of it as it collides with the floor wakes Dagur up. He bolts up and looks at his baby sister rubbing his jaw.
"Did you get stronger? Way to treat me after I come to see you," he complains.
"Sweet baby of Thor! You're freaking alive?! And to think that all this time I thought that this Island was going to need a new chief because you abandoned them, and Fishlegs was beginning to doubt our relationship," Heather huffs.
"You're dating him?!" Dagur asks in hopes it wasn't what he heard.
"In all fairness, we doubted Hiccup and Astrid's relationship from the beginning and now they're engaged," Ruffnut interjects.
"He's engaged to her? They grow up so fast," Dagur says.
"Who cares that they're finally getting married? You're alive!" Heather exclaims.
"I know I'm alive, yes," Dagur mocks.
"See, if I ever use sarcasm Ruffnut will get mad and punch me. Half of the time it's in the face," Tuffnut tells the group.
"Let's go back to Berk and you can live with Fishlegs, after you get married, and we can see Hiccup's wedding with Astrid, and I can continue dragon training," Dagur suggests.
"Very rarely in life there is someone with a happily ever after. Think about it. Hiccup thought his happily ever after was his mom and dad living on Berk together, and living happily ever after with Astrid. We've been to almost every tragedy thrown at us, Stoick died in the mean time, and it took him a year after Dagur's "death" to have enough courage to become official. It took him another six months to get enough courage to finally pop the question. Astrid thought she'd grow up with a heroic family, but then the Flightmare freaking freezes her uncle. I never thought we'd be training dragons, but hey, things change. I bet Heather thought she'd live with her adopted parents forever and be happy," Ruffnut reasons. The group looks at her in shock and awe.
"How did you know?" Heather questions.
"I'm not as stupid as I look or act. I may be a Thorston, the younger one by five minutes, but I'm still smarter than Tuffnut," Ruffnut insists.
"Hey!" Tuffnut calls out in offense.
"Let's just get back to Berk. Fishlegs isn't expecting me, and I want to surprise him before he starts planning a move here," Heather sighs. She leaves to grab her things leaving the four alone to wait for her and Windshear.
"I never thought I'd be back here," Dagur mumbles.
"Never say never," Snotlout says sounding sinister.
"Astrid said never after you said that last time didn't she?" Ruffnut laughs.
"Hiccup, Astrid, and I were the only ones there. How did you know?" Snotlout questions.
"Nope! It was after you three found out Tuff "married" Fishlegs and I," Ruffnut reminds him.
"Oh yeah," he replies dumbly.
The five go back to Berk as nightfall has fallen. Ruffnut and Snotlout watch Fishlegs and Heather's hug become a kiss, and Hiccup and Astrid act like it's new years.
"New Year's was a few days ago. Get a room!" Ruffnut teases.
"We never got our New Year's kiss like they did," Snotlout whispers.
"And just to think I thought happily ever after was pathetic," Ruffnut mutters before kissing him on the cheek.
"So. Are we gonna be Berk's next cute couple?" Snotlout jokes.
"You'll never beat us," Hiccup says with his arm around Astrid's waist.
"Never say never," Snotlout challenges.
"Never!" Hiccup and Astrid say in unison. Snotlout gives the happy couple a dirty look.
"Shut up, Hiccup and Astrid," he mumbles. It comes out sounding like 'Hiccstrid' though.
"Did you say "Hiccstrid"? What does that even mean?" Hiccup asks.
"It sounds like our names together. I like it. If you take Snotlout and Ruffnut's names you can make a couples name for them too," Astrid suggests.
"What is something- wait! When we first started dragon racing you both were team Hiccstrid while the twins and I were team Snot-nuts. Ruffnut and I will be Snot-nut," Snotlout declares.
"Or! How about something nut disturbing sounding. Rufflout seems pretty cute," Astrid announces.
"How did we forget when dragon racing started? Team Hiccstrid before you broke your arm," Hiccup reminds Astrid.
"Stupid Snotlout also was the reason I broke my arm," Astrid remembers.
"Get a room!" Snotlout complains once more.
Suddenly there is a horn that blows on the far side of Berk meaning only one thing. Dragon racing. The group splits into couples. Hiccup and Astrid, Snotlout and Ruffnut, Fishlegs with Heather leaving Tuffnut and Dagur to feel third wheel and awkwardly work together. The group races off and eagerly race off to win the Dragon Race.