I've had this written for a while, but now I am posting it. It had been a roller coaster trying to make this story decent enough to be read. This story takes place after the events of "Gruff Around the Edges". (Season 4 Episode 2) This story contains spoilers.
There aren't enough words to describe how amazing season four was. The character development was spot on awesome. I am deeply satisfied with how much screen time Ruffnut got. She desperately needed it although the episodes weren't Ruffnut centered like how we see Tuffnut in several episodes. We still have two more seasons to go, so hopefully, Ruffnut will get her own episode where she can show the world how awesome she actually is!
Anyway, Enough Rambling!
Enjoy!
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"You're my brother, I miss you when you're away, I hate you when you hurt me, I love you when you're just yourself, I'm your sister when you do stupid things..."― C.M.
Ruffnut slowly rotated her wrist while sitting against her bed frame. She winced at the sight of it, blue and purple, and the prickly pain that popped through it.
Stupid cousin Gruffnut. He may be family, but Gruffnut was her least favorite person.
The drifter was the reason she was hurting. He was the reason she was in this painful situation. Vikings didn't quit their daily activities for a sprained wrist. Vikings didn't call off their patrols because they couldn't steer their dragon right.
Most Vikings didn't have overly-concerned Hiccups for a team leader.
Ruffnut had been able see right through Gruffnut's little switcheroo plan. She had known it was Gruffnut as soon as he had stepped into the clubhouse. He was slick, but she was slicker. She could recognize her brother anywhere and Gruffnut's attempts failed. She played it cool until the last moment.
Luckily, a sprained wrist was all she got out of Gruffnut's visit. It could have gone another way. Ruffnut was more than prepared to fight in the sky once she realized that's what he wanted. He had tried to push her off her own dragon. She felt her wrist pop and the aching pain nearly caused her to lose her hold. She could have fallen to her death and let her dragon be sold to some hunters.
Instead, Tuffnut literally jumped into action. He came after her like always. Always. Granted, it might take her brother a moment, but he always came running when she was in potentially serious danger. It didn't used to be like that.
Ruffnut hadn't felt pain at the time she was steering Barf and Belch, but Fishlegs said something about adrenaline. Her main focus was to keep her dragon leveled so that Tuffnut could fight his demons. Hell, fighting on the back of a dragon? Cool.
Only when she got back to the edge did she feel the pain circulating her wrist. She waved it off. Literally, she shook it and it still hurt. She had been frustrated until her brother suggested they threw their cousin in a cave with a Quaken. There was no way she would pass that up! So they did. He would attempt to come back eventually if he didn't get eaten. Ruffnut hoped he got eaten. But if Odin was against her wishes, Hiccup would boot him off the island. Hell.
Gods, her cousin was stupid.
Ruffnut rolled her eyes at the thought of Cousin Gruffnut. He got what he deserved. If you mess with a twin, you got both of the twins. Simple.
But by Thor if he ever showed his face near her dragon again, she was going to shove that snotty little smirk straight up hi-
Suddenly, the door slid open quickly revealing her brother with chicken clutched to his chest.
"Hey sis, what's taking ya so long ? Barf and Belch is gonna starve. The other dragons... are almost... done ... eating." Tuffnut had spotted her injury as soon as the light shined in on it. She had unraveled her wrist wrap to get a better look at it herself.
She was supposed to be getting the smelly feeding bucket. Right. But she had gotten distracted.
"Hiccup has no patience." Ruffnut rolled her eyes as she jumped up from her beside and began re-wrapping the cloth around her wrist. Each band made the corner of her lips twitch in discomfort.
Finally, she got frustrated and let the cloth fall. She marched to the corner of the room and lifted the bucket with her good hand. "Ugh, let's just go before our dragon starves to death."
She turned to head out but Tuffnut was still planted in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed. No, no, no. This was not the time for her brother to be weird.
"Come on, out of the way. I'm fine." Ruffnut hissed out to her stoic brother. She watched the many expressions of Tuffnut appear across his face. It was entertaining to watch as his mind put two and two together.
"He hurt you?" Tuffnut asked as the truth finally dawned on him. Cousin Gruffnut had hurt his sister. Ruffnut was hurt.
"Yeah? What of it? I'm used to a little pain, bro." Ruffnut shrugged her shoulders while keeping the scowl plainly written over her face.
"Whats that supposed to mean? What other cousin hurt you?" Tuffnut's expression held his own type of scowl. They stood face to face, scowling dangerously at each other.
Ruffnut was the first to break. She shoved his shoulder with the fish bucket as she attempted to slide past him.
But Tuffnut dared to call upon the wrath of Odin when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She gave out an actual sound of pain and swung the bucket at his face.
Now, they were both in pain. Tuffnut stumbled, gripping his head.
"Ah, gods, twice in a day. Why, Thor, wh-" But Ruffnut wasn't finished. She pounced on top of him, tackling him to the floor.
They rolled around the floor grabbing and pulling what they could reach on each other. Ruffnut grunted, but finally found her way on top while holding her brother down. That was usually the end of it. She won and that was that.
"You played with Bjorn Boar without me!" Ruffnut jabbed her finger to the center of his chest threateningly. "I had to hang out with Astrid all day." She hissed.
After her brother and cousin had gone out frolicking with the boars, Hiccup had offered her a place to hang around. On any normal circumstances, Ruffnut would have declined and gone off by herself. However for some reason, she accepted and had followed him to the clubhouse with the others. She ended up wasting the day away helping, more like watching, Astrid sharpen her battle axes.
Tuffnut glared up at his sister with annoyed frown plastering his face. "I only have two arms and could only carry two boars! It was nothin' personal, just logic!" He hissed from down below.
"That doesn't mean nothin'! Stupid Gruffnut was in our pit. You two boar-bonded." Ruffnut growled.
"Well he won't ever get that privilege again. He made it clear that he didn't appreciate it enough." Tuffnut stated with a huff.
"You're such a sheep butt, you don't get it. Boar-bonding is our thing and you let him in. I told you that Gruffnut was bad news, but you didn't listen. You never listen. I have been tell'n you that since Aunt Edna brought him over when we were kids." Ruffnut hissed out while shoving forehead back revealing the elongated bruise sticking out from underneath his hair line. Ruffnut straightened herself and leaned forward to get a better look at it while moving his hair back to investigate.
"Huh, He got you good too, didn't he?"
That was it. Tuffnut's flailing arms finally found a weak spot. He used one fist to push her in the gut while the other hit her wrist. He wasn't expecting her cry of discomfort which gave him the huge advantage to flip her. He was top dog now and managed to hold her down by both wrists. She fought him and growled like an animal, but he had always been the larger twin. He held her down firmly. Ruffnut grunted as her back hit the wooden floor. When she tried to wriggle her wrist out of his grasp, she gasped with pain. Tuffnut froze immediately and huffed heavily as he glared down at her. She mirrored his scowl, refusing to back down with her chest rising and falling heavily, but otherwise went still.
Silence occurred.
"… You're right, this was all my fault. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I should have. You always know about stuff like that." Tuffnut was the first to break. Finally, Tuffnut mustered up an apology that Ruffnut never thought she would ever hear. It made her reel back in surprise.
"Woah, Something totally got knocked loose in your head." Ruff replied to him, extremely mesmerized in his words. She never thought she would hear some kind of an apology from Tuffnut Thorston. She rarely heard it from anyone else. Her brother must have some serious headache.
"Yeah, probably. Who would have thought it? These strange words coming out of my mouth and I actually mean them? Woah. I am no longer seeing two chickens though. It was really neat." Tuffnut trailed off distantly before peering back down at her. He removed his hand over her injured wrist and leaned in to investigate it. Her expression became unreadable as he stared at it.
Ruffnut quickly removed her wrist and held it to her chest. "I told you. I'm fine. It's just sore." She spat softly.
Tuffnut didn't budge for a moment before rolling off of her. He sat to the side before pulling himself up to stand. He swayed for a moment before holding out a hand for her.
Again, Ruffnut became extremely surprised with his actions. She hesitated before pulling herself into a sitting position. Her bright eyes moved to the hand he held out for her. Grunting softly, she took a hold of it and pulled herself up to stand as well. She glared at him uneasily.
His hand reached for her injured wrist again. This time his touch was oddly gentle for her brawny brother. It was weird. Everything about this situation was weird. Ruffnut withered away from his touch again.
"Let's just go to Hiccup and get some ice. Okay? Ice will help you clear your stupid head and it'll make my ugly bruise go away. Okay, bro?" Ruffnut was quick for action.
Stop being weird, Tuff.
Ruffnut crossed the other arm over her chest impatiently.
"Yeah, yeah okay, sis. After you." Tuffnut would attempt to motion her out the door. She wanted to leave so badly, now was her chance.
Ruffnut narrowed her glare and shook her head. "Oh, but I insist, you should go."
"Me? You're the one that wants ice, please, go before me."
"Yeah? So?"
Ruffnut narrowed her glare. Tuffnut narrowed his.
"Are we okay?" Tuffnut would ask out after a moment of silence.
Ruffnut rolled her eyes and strolled out, not before taking a hold of the sleeve of his tunic and dragging him off to the club house.
Yeah, they were just fine.
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There are so many other ways it could have ended. I may or may not write about why Ruffnut might hate Gruffnut, especially when they were toddlers. My Most Popular Story, "Worth" is still in the process of being written. I'm attempting to make it just right.
Anyway,
Feedback in greatly appreciated!
