Summary: Hiccup and Astrid used to be inseparable. They dated for five years before he went to study abroad and stay with his mother in Norway. When he comes back four years later, he tries to make things better with Astrid and finds it's harder than he thinks.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hello, Goodbye

Hiccup knew leaving would be hard. He knew leaving his family would be hard, leaving his friends, but more importantly, leaving Astrid, his girlfriend of five years. It was already hard enough to leave her, but the look on her face was enough to break his heart.

"Do you have to go?" she asked, reaching out and resting her hands on his forearms.

He frowned and looked away from her. He doesn't think he could stand looking at her eyes anymore "I don't have to, but my mom wants me to go stay with her. Why not just study abroad?" She let out a sigh and bit her lip. Hiccup stared at the side of her face and put his hands on her shoulders, smiling hopefully "The offer for you to come is still standing."

She made eye contact and almost gave in to his pleading eyes. She quickly shook her head and leaned against his car "I want to, Hiccup, I really do, but you know I can't. I wouldn't have anywhere to stay-"

"With me."

"-and I just don't have the money right now."

She stared down at their feet, chewing on her lower lip. She'd do anything to be able to go with him. She knows that her parents won't let her. For more reasons than just money. He let out a sigh and leaned on the car next to her. She looked up at him and could feel it coming. She wasn't one to cry in front of people, especially not over some boy. She quickly looked away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand "So this is it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I... I don't want it to be." he had to look away from her. He could see her eyes starting to water, and he knows he won't be able to stand it if she starts crying "I love you, Astrid.. Why can't we-"

"You're going to be gone for four years, Hiccup. I love you, you know that, but four years is too long to be in... In one of those long distance relationships."

Ending things with Astrid Hofferson? He would have never guessed this is the way they'd break up. Actually, he never thought they would.

He reached over, grabbing her hand and messing with her fingers "I could come home every summer."

"That's a lot of money, Hiccup."

He looked at her face and it made him want to cry "I don't care, Astrid. I'd be willing to do it for you."

"I don't want you wasting that much money on me."

"I love you, Astrid."

She let out a shaky breath, pulling her hand away from him "I love you too, Hiccup.." she looked down at her watch and moved away from the car "You need to get to the airport."

She went to walk away, but he grabbed her arm "Let me drive you home."

She nodded slowly. The more time she gets with Hiccup, the better. Maybe she could ever convince him to stay, although she knows it's impossible. He gets to see his mom, who he hasn't seen since he was five.

He pulled up to her house and put his car in park. He looked over at her, her eyes red and fingers tapping against the door handle. He took a deep breath, leaning over the center console and turning her face towards him. Before she could say anything, he caught her lips in his. He pulled away slowly after a few seconds and ran one of his hands through her hair "I'm going to miss you."

She nodded, tangling her fingers in his hair "I'm going to miss you, too." she pulled him back to her in a desperate kiss, pressing her lips to his.

After a few minutes of their heavy make out session, she pulled away, breathing hard. She untangled her fingers from his hair and backed away towards the door "I'm really going to miss you."

He smiled sadly as she opened the car door and stepped out "I'll miss you too. A lot. I'll call once I get there."

She nodded and shut the door, leaning into the window "I'd appreciate that." she let out a sigh and stepped away from the car. "I love you. Have fun in Norway with your mom."

"I love you, too." he forced himself to look away from her and tapped his fingers on the gear shift before putting it in drive "...Bye Astrid."

She bit her lip and forced herself not to cry. She'll see him again, they may be broken up, but the day they're reunited will be perfect, she knows it "Bye Hiccup..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Four Years Later;

Hiccup stepped off the plane in Colorado. He smiled, dropping his bag by his feet and stretching his arms above his head "Home sweet home." he mumbled to himself, looking to his left as a girl walked up next to him.

"So Colorado," she asked with a smile "this is where you're from?"

He nodded, smiling as he picked his bag up and taking her bag from her "Welcome to Colorado. Coldest place you'll probably ever visit." the girl chuckled and followed him towards the baggage claim "My dad should be picking us up."

"Is he anything like Val?"

He laughed, shaking his head "Not even close." she nodded, taking bigger steps to keep up with him.

Heather was a girl he had met in Norway. She had grown up there, never once leaving. Her family was close to his mom, which is how he met her. It took two years for Hiccup to actually take notice of her, and another year before she got the nerve to actually make a move on him. He figured they'd break up, just like him and Astrid, but she actually decided to come back to the states with him.

Astrid. He hasn't talked to her in three years. Yes, he misses her more than he's ever missed anything or anyone. He was hoping Heather would help him forget Astrid, but, turns out a five-year relationship is hard to get over.

He really wanted to see her again, too.

Heather is nice, but she's no Astrid. How will Astrid react to Heather? He brought some girl home with him from Norway, how would that make her feel? He was then struck with the thought that made his heart ache, what if she didn't love him anymore?

"Hey, you okay?" Heather asked, reaching over and placing a hand on his arm.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just excited to be home. To see my dad, my... Friends."

It's not like he's keeping anything from her. Heather knows all about Astrid and why they broke up. He's pretty sure she even knows he still loves Astrid.

"Hiccup!"

He turned to look at who had called his name. He hadn't even realized he would he so excited to see his dad. He walked over to him and Stoick pulled him into a hug "Hi dad."

Stoick smiled and glanced down at his sons feet.. Foot. "How's the leg?"

Hiccup shrugged and lifted his left foot off the ground, looking at his prosthetic "Oh. You know me. Freak accidents causing me to lose a limb. Not a big deal."

He had only been gone four years, and his dad had to come down for a few months the second year he was there. Hiccup was in an accident and he needed someone to take care of him while his mom was working. It was nice to see his parents together again.

"Oh, dad, this is Heather." he gestured to Heather, who was standing behind him and pulled her next to him "Heather, this is my dad, Stoick."

She smiled and held a hand out "It's good to meet you, Mr. Haddock."

"Likewise, Heather."

Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows and stared at his dad. He was a little surprised that he didn't correct her and ask her to call him Stoick. He did it to Astrid... And all his other friends.

Hiccup walked off to grab his bags and then stood by his dad, waiting for Heather. They walked out to the car, Stoick asking Hiccup a question every few seconds before falling silent and turning his gaze to Heather, who was complaining about how cold it was.

The ride back was mostly silent. Hiccup had his head leaned back and his foot stretched as best as he could get it. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't hurting him.

He looked out the window and smiled to himself. He did miss Colorado, and he did miss his own house. Sure, he was going to miss his mom, but he has someone more important here.

He really shouldn't be thinking that when his new girlfriend is sitting right behind him.

"How is everyone?" he finally decided to ask.

Stoick smiled. He knew exactly who Hiccup was asking about. Astrid. The only person he would actually care to ask about but can't openly do.

"The twins have been up to no good-"

"The usual."

"Fish and Ruff are together. Engaged, actually."

Hiccup shrugged and smiled "It was only a matter of time."

Stoick glanced at Hiccup, who was now looking at him anxiously. He was going to enjoy this. One of his favorite things to do is pick on his son. Astrid has always been his weakest point.

"Lout finally decided to go to college, no longer here in Colorado. I think he went off to California."

Hiccup bit his lip, waiting. All he wanted to hear about was Astrid. How she is, what she's been up to, what she's doing with her life.

"Oh, and there's a new one around," Hiccup threw his head back and groaned, earning a smile from Stoick "Eret, I believe is his name. I don't know much about him."

Hiccup frowned. He knows Stoick is enjoying this. Astrid, he wants to know about Astrid. Maybe he's not bringing her up because he knows it'll hurt? He's half tempted to just come out and ask about her.

"I can't forget about Astrid." Hiccup smiled and leaned forward a bit "She's no longer playing soccer. She finally decided to go on and fight. MMA."

Hiccup crossed his arms and leaned back, a smile on his face "MMA? I'm not surprised. I always told her she'd be good at it."

Heather leaned forward, looking between father and son "How do you know so much about them?"

"Astrid will sometimes stop by to take care of the dog." Stoick said, his smile falling "She's always been like a daughter to me."

"Oh." she said and the looked at Hiccup "Can we go to the store once we get to your house?"

Hiccup nodded, looking at her and then back out the window "Yeah, sure."

The car fell silent again. Heather frowned, leaning back into the seat, crossing her arms. Hiccup stared out his window, a smile on his face as they pulled into his neighborhood.

He was getting excited to be home. His house, his own car, his bed. Toothless! He hasn't seen Toothless in four years! He's definitely missed his dog.

Stoick pulled into the driveway and Hiccup practically jumped out, forgetting to grab any of his bags. He ran towards the backyard as best as he could. He opened the gate and looked around. He knows his dad leaves Toothless outside when no one is home. "Toothless!"

He waited a few seconds before he heard the sound of paws hitting the ground and barking. He turned, a smile on his face "Toothless!"

The dog barked again, walking in circles around Hiccup, sniffing at him before jumping up, licking at his face "Hey bud!" he said, scratching under his chin "I missed you!"

Toothless didn't seem to calm down, knocking Hiccup over "Okay, okay bud, calm down. I need to get things."

He pushed his dog away from him and opened the gate, motioning for Toothless to follow him. Heather was dragging one of her bags out the car and turned when she heard the familiar click of Hiccup's prosthetic.

"What is that?!" she shrieked, backing into the car.

Toothless tilted his head and trotted over to Heather to sniff at her feet. Hiccup chuckled and walked to the trunk of the car, getting his bags out "He's my dog. Toothless."

"That's not a dog, that's a bear!"

Hiccup frowned, slamming the trunk shut and walking towards the house "Well, come on!" he called to both Heather and Toothless.

Toothless ran towards the house and Heather sighed in relief "Coming, coming."

She looked around as she walked into the house "Your house is really nice."

"Thanks. Just set your bags down right there. I'll grab my keys and then we'll go to the store."

She smiled and nodded. Finally, some alone time with Hiccup, and learning about Colorado. Getting to see where Hiccup grew up, possibly meeting his friends. She's mentally crossing her fingers that they wouldn't see Astrid.

"Ready?" he asked, walking out of the kitchen, his keys in hand.

"I'm excited to see where you grew up."

He chuckled and opened the door "It's nothing exciting. Small town."

They got into Hiccup's car and he sighed, remembering what happened the last time he was in it. With Astrid. Saying goodbye to her.

Heather was asking questions as he drove them towards the store. He would answer them with a yes, no or even just a shrug. She finally asked about his friends, all except Astrid, which made him frown. He was more than willing to talk about her.

He pulled into the parking lot, looking for a spot towards the back. Heather was getting onto him about the walk and how he should park closer. He just shrugged it off, saying that he could use the exercise.

"What are we here for?" he asked as they walked through the doors of the store.

"I need some things for my stay here. Where is the shampoo and all that at?"

He sighed and thought about it. Four years. The store couldn't have changed that much. He glanced around before pointing "Aisle... Seven? I think." she nodded and he pointed towards the food "I'm going to go find snacks for us."

He walked towards the aisle where snack foods were and froze. He knew that blonde hair anywhere. His breath caught in his throat when he heard her talk. He didn't realize how much he had missed the sound of her voice.

She was on the phone with someone, but he wanted to talk to her. He debated in his head whether he wanted to talk interrupt her. He stepped forward, tapping her shoulder "Astrid?"

She tensed under his touch and mumbled to the person on the phone before hanging up and turning to face him. Her eyes widened before she smiled "Hiccup?"

Neither of them said anything. Hiccup pulled her into a hug, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, her face buried in his chest. "Oh Gods, Hiccup. I... I missed you."

He smiled and nuzzled the side of her neck "I missed you too, Astrid. So much."

She pulled away and looked up at him "I didn't know you were coming home today."

Hiccup nodded, loving the feel of being able to hold Astrid again. Loving the feel of her arms still around his waist. He wanted to kiss her. He should kiss her. Without thinking, he started leaning down. Heather. He avoided her lips and placed the kiss on her cheek instead.

Gods, he wanted so bad to kiss her.

That look of disappointment could break his heart. He pulled her back into a hug "How have you been?"

She inhaled, remembering the smell of him. She knew when he came back it would be perfect. They'd get back together and everything would be fine, but why didn't he kiss her? She'd been expecting that. Okay, they haven't talked in three years, that hasn't stopped her from loving him. She tightener her hold around him "Good. What about you?"

She could feel him smile against her hair as he pulled her closer "I'm great now."

Neither of them had words. They both wanted to say how much they missed and loved each other, but they didn't even want to separate.

Hiccup also had Heather to worry about.

He pushed Heather to the back of his mind. Astrid. He's holding Astrid again. "Astrid, I-"

"Hiccup? I couldn't-" Heather stopped her sentence, glaring at the blonde "Who are you?"