Hey, guys! I know it's been almost two and a half months since the last chapter and I apologize. My life is always so crazy during the school year. Not to mention that I'm giving Nanowrimo a try (and am behind on that too…) so I've been focusing most of my November writing on that story. Here's the next chapter of Roommates, though, so I guess that's a good thing, right?

Review Replies:

NeonArt1: Thanks! Hopefully this chapter is good too.

Noctus Fury (anonymous): Well, I started writing this story only right after HTTYD 2 came out and I wasn't sure what I thought of Eret yet. The planning for this story actually began before HTTYD 2 came out, so I just didn't write Eret into the plans. Usually, if not with Hiccup, I do place Astrid together with Eret because I could see them being a nice couple (not as nice as Hiccup and Astrid, obviously, but…yeah).

Jonntelar: Thanks! I like writing dream sequences. I'm actually writing my Nanowrimo story about dreams…kind of.

Dirtkid123: Yeah, it was a pretty sad chapter.

Guest (anonymous): Haha…yep…even if his girlfriend lets him, of course.

MugetsuPipefox: Thanks! I've always enjoyed writing dream sequences. They take such thought to be able to work out just right.


Chapter 9: Why Are You Avoiding Me?

The days were starting to grow colder. It was mid-October now and Halloween would be here before Astrid knew it. Going to class was harder and harder to do with each passing day as the weather grew colder and all Astrid wanted to do was stay inside where it was warm. How could she possibly find motivation to go out and brace the cold when she could just snuggle up in bed with a warm blanket and mug of hot cocoa?

It had been weeks now since that night when the elaborate dream (of dragons and memories and Hiccup) had woken her in the middle of the night. Yet, Astrid could not forget it. She could still picture everything that had happened in the dream and she feared that it was symbolic of something. What, she did not know. She could obsess over it for days, search every dream symbol dictionary on the internet, but Astrid was certain that she'd never fully understand what it had meant.

Astrid looked out the window and watched as the blustery wind sent more leaves falling to the ground. The grass was littered now with brown, orange, yellow, and red leaves. Sometimes Astrid liked to hear the crunch of the dead leaves under her boots. It reminded her of the simpler times back before her life had taken that disastrous turn. Her childlike innocence had disappeared on the night of the accident; she'd been forever changed that night.

She would have to leave for class soon. Astrid was pretty much ready to go but she still had to find that motivation to throw on a jacket and leave the dorm. Astrid felt like she just didn't have that much motivation lately (and that was definitely a bad thing). Midterm exams were quickly approaching so this was the time when she especially had to be sure to attend class.

With the reminder of grades and exams, Astrid finally found the motivation that she sought. Pulling on a coat, she left and walked toward the building where her class was located.

It was windy today and Astrid shivered even as she pulled her coat closer for warmth. Another winter was coming; this was always the hardest time of the year for her. In the summer, when the days were warm, she could almost forget about the accident and the black ice that had caused it. Now, though, as the days grew shorter and colder, Astrid could picture that night again, just as vividly as it had been then. Would a winter ever come where the events of that night would not replay again and again before her eyes?

"Astrid!"

Without even turning around, Astrid recognized the person who had called her name. She did not want to talk with him. She did not even want to see him. Last time she had seen him, the flashbacks had attacked her with a vengeance and she'd had that elaborate dream. Picking up the pace, Astrid walked away faster, hoping that she could avoid Hiccup. It was strange; this was just like the last time. Although, last time, Hiccup's girlfriend had come searching for him and that was another reason why Astrid really did not want to talk with Hiccup. She didn't think she could face Rachelle Thorston again.

"Astrid, wait up!"

How weird they must have looked? Was he chasing after her? Surely he was because Astrid could still hear him calling for her. Well, he will have to corner me again if he wants me to stop.

A surprisingly firm hand stopped Astrid. Was it Hiccup's grasp that she was caught in? He was thin and small for his age (well, compared to most students at the university) so it never struck Astrid that he could have such a firm grasp.

"Astrid, why won't you talk to me?"

Hiccup's voice sounded so hurt that Astrid almost regretted giving him the silent treatment. She turned away to avoid his eyes. "You wouldn't understand."

"Well, then I want to understand. Can you tell me why you don't want to talk to me? Did I do something wrong? I can fix whatever it was, but you have to tell me."

Typical Hiccup…thinking only that it was his wrongdoing that caused this…No, Hiccup, the reason is much more complicated than that. Still, he wanted an answer. Should Astrid tell him? If she did, how much should she tell him? She did not want to bother him with all the horrible details of her past, but he was now entwined in that tangled web. This was not going to be easy. "It's complicated," Astrid said finally.

"Astrid," Hiccup sighed, the hurt evident in his voice. "I just want to understand why you don't want to talk with me. I thought we could be friends, but if there's something I did to jeopardize our friendship, I want to fix it. Please tell me what I can do to fix this. I get that it's complicated, but…I just…" He trailed off, not finding the words to express the hurt and helplessness he must've felt.

It hurt Astrid to see Hiccup so sad. Maybe she could give him an abbreviated version of the mess that was her past. "Look, it wasn't your fault…well, not really, so stop blaming yourself. You're not the reason why I've been avoiding…you." Wow…that sounded great. You are doing a fantastic job, Astrid, she berated herself.

As expected, Hiccup seemed confused by her response. "Uh…okay, so…" He still didn't have the words and Astrid's start of an explanation did not seem to help.

"It's just…there's this…something happened in my past…something bad that I don't really want to go into detail about right now." Or ever, Astrid finished mentally. I don't want you to know how completely messed-up I am. "I don't know if you know that your girlfriend, Rachelle had a brother." Hiccup probably already knew about Rachelle's dead twin brother…or maybe not; maybe Rachelle doesn't like to talk about Timothy. "I used to know her brother…and I let something horrible happen to him. It was my fault for not…" Astrid stopped before Hiccup could connect the pieces together and realize the part that she had played in Timothy's death. "Anyway, when I saw your girlfriend, it just brought back horrible memories and…I'd like to be friends, Hiccup, really I would, but I don't want to put myself through that again and again every time I see you."

Hiccup was quiet for a while as if he trying to make sense of all that Astrid had just told him. Astrid waited, but she looked away. Her eyes shifted to the ground so she would not have to see the hurt and sadness that was probably reflected in Hiccup's eyes. It was her fault again, she knew. There was no easy way to tell her story. He probably wouldn't even want to be friends with her anymore.

"Well, that shouldn't be much of a problem then," Hiccup told Astrid finally.

Astrid looked back up to meet Hiccup's eyes again. "Why not?" she wondered aloud. Clearly he did not realize the extent to which his presence affected her and her nightmares.

"Because Rachelle and I broke up."


I really don't know why this chapter took so long for me to write…but I think it turned out pretty okay. The next chapter will be another "between arcs" chapter and then the new chapter arc will begin. The next chapter arc will be titled "Almost Paradise" (based on the song, obviously) and it will span for probably about…two or three chapters—no more than four chapters, I'm guessing.

Thank you all for reading and supporting Roommates!

Posted: January 16, 2017