I haven't written anything angsty in awhile, and it feels good to be back. I hope you guys enjoy! :-)

Hiccup was waiting.

He had been waiting for hours. Days. Years. A millennium, perhaps, though he doubted. Time was a curious thing in Valhalla - something rather hard to keep track of. Something tiring to think about.

His father, Stoick, often came by and stood with him by Valhalla's Gate, as did his mother. Though their faces were not as he remembered (younger, he thought, as their wrinkles and gray hairs were all gone), he could somehow tell that they were his parents. They - how did he put it - glowed in a way that no other person did. Everyone in Valhalla had a certain way about them that defined their earthly character. Hiccup couldn't explain it, but he just knew that the lad with the sparkling eyes was Gobber. He could sense that the young lady in pigtails was Phlegma the Fierce, and that Ack was still Ack despite his mustache being gone. It was just the way things were.

Hiccup was too, different. His body was healthier and more alive than ever; at times, he imagined himself to be twenty years old again. It made him laugh. He, a man of seventy with a wife, a son, and three grandchildren, thought himself a boy. That miracle was courtesy of Valhalla, once again.

"And what exactly are you waiting for, son?" Stoick had first asked when Hiccup started his persistent routine.

Hiccup had gazed off beyond the Gate, which sealed the intruders from Helheim off… but also kept the Brave in. "The others. I'm waiting for them to enter - it's no different than what they would do for me."

Stoick understood, and did not protest. There was plenty of time here in Valhalla. Perhaps too much. They would have till Ragnarok until they had to leave this place.

Even though it felt like he had spent eternity in here, Hiccup still thought this land was a little strange. There were certain things that he had to get used to. Adjusting to the sight of loved ones he knew looking younger and different was a difficult process.

The Brave, however, weren't only humans. Some were dogs who had done a good deed with a pure interest. Others sheep, though Hiccup hadn't the faintest idea of what they had done to get into Valhalla.

Some… some were dragons.

And that was part of the reason why Hiccup spent day after day standing at the Gate, fingering the bars and longing to get out. His spirit tugged at him to be free of the restraints of the ground. He hadn't been in the air for such a long time, it seemed, and no Valhalla enchantment could take away that omnipresent itch to be on a dragon's back… Of course, there were plenty of beasts willing to let he, the Friend of Dragons, ride them, but Hiccup refused. He would never ride any dragon else than Toothless. It felt like a betrayal. Like he was giving up on ever seeing his best friend again - his buddy was coming. He had to.

Therefore, day after day, he waited. Though no one here was often exasperated, he was beginning to show signs of agitation. He didn't exactly want his friends to die (life was too precious to be cut short, after all), but he was lonely for their company.

Which was why, when the first of his friends showed up, he was overjoyed.

It was Fishlegs. He had died in a fire saving some children after lightning had struck his beloved library. The two greeted each other like long lost brothers as the Gate was opened to let the newest Brave One in.

The moment the bars were out of the way, Hiccup and Fishlegs embraced. Fishlegs did not look quite as Hiccup remembered him. He was taller, leaner, and more confident. Yet, he still had that beloved nervous air about him that never failed to pull a grin out of Hiccup.

"That was some rescue there," said Hiccup, referring to Fishlegs' death. He nudged his friend. "Congratulations."

Fishlegs waved it off with a flick of his hand. "Oh, that? That was nothing, really… I'm just upset that my library was ruined." He gave a mournful heave.

"You just die… and that's the first thing you say. Odin above, Fishlegs, have I missed you!"

He smiled. "It's wonderful to see you again, too, Hiccup! We... well, w - we've really missed you, you know."

For a moment, Valhalla's blessing of peace failed to comfort Hiccup, and a heart-string was plucked.

"The other Riders," he said, "how… are they doing alright?"

Fishlegs swallowed nervously. "Everyone's… well, I don't know. It's hard to explain. The twins aren't up to as much schemes as before… your death really hit them hard. They claimed pranks are no fun anymore without you around to tell them off."

Hiccup laughed. That sounded like Ruff and Tuff, alright.

"Snotlout… he's your cousin, Hiccup. Though he can sometimes be - well, a bit of muttonhead, he really does care. Your son, Stoick… he's just like your dad, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He's stayed strong through it all. He's okay, really. And me… well, I was devastated when you died. You're like my brother, Hiccup - it was hard to think that I'd never see you alive again. But… you, know, we're all okay now. I think." His gaze lowered to the ground. "S - sooo… how's Valhalla? Seems pretty nice. I can't wait to see the chief again."

The words fell easily from his mouth, even though two other Chiefs had come after Stoick the Vast had passed. But Hiccup didn't mind. It reminded him of old times.

"Valhalla is good," he said, though he was eager to keep on talking about his friends. "It's nice seeing Dad and Mom again… I really missed them. But, Fishlegs, how - how's Astrid?" He was beyond anxious to hear about his wife.

Fishlegs suddenly became very interested in the ground.

"...Fishlegs?"

Hiccup's cracked voice broke the Ingerman.

"Okay, fine! She's... she's... well… you know her. She really loved - loves you. After you died from that head injury that night… she locked herself up in your house, only coming out for the funeral."

Ah, yes. The funeral. Hiccup had seen bits and pieces of that in his mind, as it was his own. He didn't remember much; just flames. Tears. Heavy sadness. He had been glad to move on.

"She only let Toothless and Stoick II in with her," Fishlegs continued. "Especially Toothless, since you two were so similar... Stoick tried to comfort her - he's your son, after all - but didn't have too much luck. But that was only in the first few months. She's… gotten through. She's okay, Hiccup, I promise - don't worry about her. We're all… okay."

He was lying. That was apparent to both of them. Hiccup had been their leader. When he died, the team had sort of… fallen apart.

"And… Toothless?" said Hiccup, almost dreading the answer after the dismal others. He'd saved his buddy for last, hoping his reaction wouldn't be as depressing as his friends'. The news about Astrid was painful enough. "Is he… holding up?"

Fishlegs' face faltered. "Toothless… He's… okay. Yeah, he's alright, I suppose…"

Hiccup pursed his lips. "Fishlegs… tell me. I can handle it. I just… I - I need to know…" He gave him a pleading look. After all this time with no news of his bud, he could hardly stand the thought of anymore waiting. That had been all he'd done since he'd got here.

His friend nodded glumly. "I… I'm sorry… it's just so awful to think about." He sniffed, and Hiccup's chest felt heavy as he braced himself for what was yet to come. "You - you, see… after you died that night… he took your helmet, and ran off to the cove. It was… horrible, Hiccup. He just sat around… staring… whimpering… curled up with your helmet, which he hasn't let out of his sight since your death. It was almost like he was remembering your times there. That's where you two became friends, wasn't it? Truth be told, I think… I think he was looking for you. Like he thought you were still alive, but just… missing."

Oh, Toothless.

"I'm not sure if he ever understood that you were really gone. Even now, it's like he still expects you to come in and take him for a flight or something… I don't know…"

His heart constricted in his throat.

"Anyways, he was there for… for nearly three months. Everyone tried to get him back, of course, before then, but it wasn't till Astrid came and stayed with him for a few nights that he allowed himself to be led back. But even now he doesn't let anyone else fly him."

Realizing that Fishlegs was done, it dawned on Hiccup that his cheeks were wet. He knew that his Night Fury wouldn't react well to his death, but he hadn't expected him to just… collapse like that. And worst of all, it was his fault for the dragon's deterioration. He was the one to have gotten knocked in the head in battle and died.

"Uh… thanks," he said in a hoarse voice. "Thanks for telling me the truth. I just needed to know what was… what was going on."

Fishlegs smiled softly at him. "It really is good to see you, Hiccup."

Hiccup nodded, managing to return the grin. Though he didn't feel like smiling after what he had just heard, his human best friend was finally here and that was something to be celebrating. "You, too, Fishlegs. You, too."

Time passed, and Fishlegs soon grew accustomed to Valhalla's atmosphere. Though he spent much of his time in the library there, he would also wait by the Gate with Hiccup. There the two would talk or just sit in a simple silence. Sometimes, there were no words needed.

And then, after a countless number of new entries, something happened.

Snotlout arrived, riding down from the sky on the back of Hookfang. The pair had died freeing perhaps the largest stock of captured dragons the Riders had ever seen, managing to get every creature free in the process. It was his single most greatest accomplishment, and his pride shone triumphantly on his face as he landed in front of his friends.

"Hey, there, fellas - the Snotman's joinin' the party at last!"

He and Hiccup rustled each other's hair after hugs went all around. Laughing, Hiccup said, "You know, Snotlout, I think you totally could've missed that bola you died from. You just weren't paying enough attention to the battle, as always..."

Snotlout rolled his eyes, but it was good-natured. "Even in Valhalla, he's still acting like a big-shot know-it-all."

Fishlegs sniggered.

"Hey, I'm just saying-"

"I know, I know, I celebrated my victory before I actually won! Do ya have to rub it in, Hicc?"

Hiccup smiled. "I was just going to say that even though you're still acting like my big-shot know-it-all cousin… it's really good to see you, Snotlout. Believe it or not, I began to miss you. I think Valhalla needs some of you, as well."

His cousin seemed taken aback for a few moments, but soon let it off with a smirk. "You know something, Hiccup? I may have needed you back on Berk, too. I mean, I was still just as awesome and everything… but, you know…" He smiled, almost shyly. "Sometimes big-shot know-it-all cousins can come in handy."

Hiccup and Fishlegs roared with laughter.

Cousins would always be cousins, even in Valhalla.

Ruffnut was next.

She had died in a gigantic explosion caused by her and her twin (even though the two were seventy-eight years old, no matter of age held them back from their schemes). As she waltzed in through the Gates, looking no different than her younger self, she smirked in pride at the amount of damage they had caused.

"Heeeeeyyyyy, Ruff!" Hiccup called from his spot by the Gates. He was able to half-hug her before she pulled away, never one for physical contact - besides socking her brother. "You really destroyed that island, didn't you?"

Smirking rather impishly, she shrugged. "Eh, I kind of forgot to leave it before it blew up, so I'm a little let-down about that. It's cool to watch the flames from afar. Turns out I am allergic to burns. Who knew?"

"Everyone, you eighty year-old muttonhead!" Snotlout shouted. That was his own way of saying he had missed the slightly insane, slightly charming girl.

"You wanna dance, Snotlout? Fine, well, you could've missed that bola, Mr. Know-it-All - but noooooo, you had to turn your back and go singing your little champion song, getting you and Hookfang - oh, I don't know, obliviated!" She began to march off to the village of Valhalla, where Hiccup, his friends, and his parents essentially "lived". "Do ancient realms of dead people have anything good to eat? Being blown up has made me starving…!"

Hiccup grinned. "It's good to have her back."

Tuffnut came some time later. The first thing he did when he came through the Gates was grab Ruffnut and hug her, which made Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Snotlout exchange smiles at the gesture. No matter what horrible things the two said or did to each other, the twins were closer than most siblings and their separation had been strenuous to both.

"You gonna let go now?" groaned Ruffnut after her brother's embrace had lasted a little too long for comfort.

"No. This is your punishment for dying before me. We promised we'd go together, but you had to go get yourself killed and see Valhalla first! That's no fair. I had to wait to save some people from this rabid Changewing. In the end, I finally was eaten by one!" He pumped out an arm in triumph, making the others laugh as they remembered Tuffnut's fake death he had pulled off in order to allow Ruffnut her freedom to marry a suitor. It had been horrible to think that Tuff was dead, but after many years, the memory made them smile.

"That's a pretty cool way to go, bro," Ruffnut said.

Hiccup smiled at the pair. "I'm really glad you're here, Tuff. Is, um… is everything alright on Berk?" Ruffnut had told them a bit of what was going on before, but the information hadn't been really informative.

Tuff's face grew serious, concerning Hiccup. Questions reeled in his mind. Had something bad happened? Was everyone alright? Even if his remaining family and friends on Berk weren't dead (obviously, as they'd be here), there were fates worse than death to live out on Earth. "Yeah… I dunno, it's been rolling pretty much the same way it has the past seven years… you know, after you… um… died."

"And Astrid? How's she? How's my son, my grandkids-?"

"Little Stoick and his monsters are fine. He's teaching 'em how to fly - it's kind of hilarious. One of the kids flew off on a little Nadder and was missing for a few hours before they finally tracked them down on a sea stack. Astrid's okay, too. She's doing better in these past few years, but she really misses you guys, I think. We were the last two left of the gang, you know - now she's the only one left. Must be pretty lonely. But she's holding up. You know her, she's tough."

Hiccup nodded glumly. Though he sometimes missed her so much it hurt, he knew that until she got here, she'd be okay. Tuffnut was right - she was the strongest woman he'd ever met. Astrid Haddock could survive anything. "And Toothless?"

Tuffnut's mournful expression made him freeze up in terror. He felt like a cold bucket of water had been thrown over him. This couldn't be good.

"Is Toothless alright? Tuff? Tuff?"

"Uh… well, Hiccup, a few months ago, he ran off into the woods, and just kinda… disappeared," he said awkwardly. "No one's seen or heard from him since. We looked everywhere, but..." He gave a tentative pat to Hiccup's shoulder. "Sorry."

Horrified, Hiccup turned away so nobody could see his face. Valhalla's magic failed to console him. His best friend was gone - straight out missing and all by himself. He didn't even realize Hiccup was dead, not knowing how to process the loss of his best friend he'd had for a good sixty years. And now he roamed somewhere around on Berk, hiding, skulking... waiting for him to appear. That much Hiccup could guess. His dragon was suffering… suffering alone.

And it was all his fault.

"It - it was great seeing you, Tuff," he said, still unable to face his friends. "I… I need to go now. Promised Dad I'd help him with the…" By then, his words were mumbled and indistinct, so he didn't bother finishing. It didn't matter, anyways; the others understood.

Tuffnut was going on about finding Chicken at the moment, so he knew that he would be fine. But he needed to be alone now. To think, to hope, to pray…

Gods, did that dragon drive him crazy.

Fishlegs' dragon, Meatlug, flew down a few months later. When the two embraced, many of the Brave had to swipe tears away. Of course, nothing could beat Ruff and Tuff's reaction when Barf and Belch finally waddled up.

Even still, the foursome could find ways to bring Helheim to heaven.

Even before it happened, Hiccup could feel it. Today was the day.

The day that Astrid would be coming.

It was inexplicable, the feeling he'd gotten. He just knew that she would be here, and soon. He had slight visions - visions of a war. He hadn't really paid attention to the details, hating the earthly strife he used to take part in, but one thing was clear; Astrid had died valiantly in battle. And that meant a one-way ticket to Valhalla. She was coming. She was here.

So when he finally did see the clouds part from outside his realm, he rushed over to the Gate, palms sweating.

The first thing he saw once the white billows of air had brought the next Brave down was a blonde braid. A smile broke across his lips at the sight. Though eighty-three year-old Astrid's hair had all turned gray, her infamous golden hair was a clear giveaway of her true character.

When she approached the Gate, the bars opened for her and she took her first steps in, eyes wide with wonder at the sight of paradise. She didn't see him as she looked around, too captivated with all the sights to look for anybody just yet.

Hiccup stepped up, swallowing thickly.

"A - Astrid?"

Her figure froze and she slowly turned towards him. "Hiccup?" Seeing that it was him, tears sprang into her eyes and she began to make her way towards him. "Oh my gods… Hiccup!"

As the two fell into each other's arms, he sobbed.

Twenty human years passed, and in that time Stormfly and a few other familiar dragons entered their new home. Though the time seemed the same in Valhalla as it did twenty years before, for Hiccup, it still felt like forever as he waited. Each moment dragged by, and with every minute, the world seemed to slow down. Without his parents and the Riders distracting him, he wouldn't have been able to cope with this… this tension.

After awhile, Hiccup stopped waiting by the Gates. It wasn't on purpose - it was sort of a gradual thing, starting with him taking a little time off here and there until here hardly stood there at all.

It wasn't that he'd given up hope. Not at all. He'd never stop believing he'd see Toothless again - a bond like theirs couldn't be broken by time alone.

Thinking of his dragon had just become too painful to deal with. Remembering their sunset flights that neither had been on for twenty-eight years, the schemes they got up to that were no longer in action, and their forbidden friendship back in the cove, where Toothless had spent months at… waiting, pleading for him to come back… It all reminded him what an irreplaceable friend he had had… and lost, for all this time.

His dragon was gone - tormenting himself on top of that- and he didn't know where he was or what had happened to him. All he knew was that he missed that Night Fury more than words could ever express, and the magnitude of their separation would never be able to be captured.

And then, one day, someone yelled at him from outside.

"Hiccup!"

Sitting inside his little hut where he now spent most of his time, Hiccup heard Fishlegs' ecstatic voice call for him, followed by many shouts of delight. Curious, he was about to shout back until Astrid hollered something to him.

"He's here! Odin above - he's here!"

That… that could only mean one thing.

Scarcely daring to believe it was finally time, he threw his chair back from his desk and raced outside, heart hammering and eyes wild. He squinted in the direction on the Gate, trying to make out what was there - just to assure him - and saw his friends gathered there. Bright smiles flashed on happy faces, and their mouths crooned one name that Hiccup knew better than his own.

He was here.

He was here.

Trembling, he stumbled down the path towards the Gate. Even from a distance, he saw entrance open, letting in its newest member. His friends' backs blocked the sight from him, and truth be told, Hiccup was sort of… glad.

Because he was scared. Scared of seeing who had just been brought into Valhalla. Scared that things might've changed. Hiccup was a flexible man - he appreciated change. Embraced it, even. But some things he wished to stay the same forever. And his best friend was one of those things. Was his dragon really here? And if so… were things different?

There was only one way to find out.

"Too… Toothless?"

The Riders must've realized then that they were in the way, because they quieted down once he spoke, and slowly moved to the sides, revealing...

Toothless.

He was here. Oh Thor, oh Thor, oh Thor, oh Thor... he was here.

The Night Fury looked like he had in his youth - a great deal smaller than the enormous size he'd grown to in recent years, and the mischievous sparkle in those big green eyes was back, promising plenty of adventure. Though his life on his previous world was over, he still had plenty left to do here.

For a split moment, the two hesitated, searching each other's eyes, and asking - is it really you? Was it really the same Hiccup-and-Toothless that once was one body, one mind - one soul?

After staring at each other for just enough time to be sure, Hiccup knew the question had been answered. It really had been, already, long ago. All apprehension both harbored melted away into pure, unadulterated peace.

No doubt about it - Hiccup-and-Toothless were back.

At last, the boy and his Night Fury ran towards each other after thirty years of separation.

And he was home. It had taken eternity to find it, and just realize what he'd had all along, but everything he had ever wanted - a family, friends, love, laughter, and a certain black dragon - was right here.

THE END