When Astrid woke the next morning, the world felt different – tilted, somehow. Her head was swimming with emotions and her entire face felt puffy from crying. The crust of her overwhelming late-night revelation was still stuck to her skin, so she made sure to wash her face twice.

One of her swim girls lived two streets over and her parents had offered to give her a ride today, since she'd done the same for their daughter a couple times. They were going to pick her up shortly, which meant she had to be ready at record speed.

Lucky for her, Lola's parents were early birds in every way, so once at the swimming hall, she had enough time to dive into the pool herself for a few much-needed laps. The movement and the weightlessness of the water helped her clear her head. By the time her team had completely arrived, she was back in her trainer clothes and her concentration was solely focused on her girls and their competition.

She went through their group tactics again, reminded the girls to use the bathroom one last time before their race, and checked if all of them had had breakfast. Then she made them stretch and swim a few lanes to warm up.

In the second half of the pool, where four lanes were separated from the rest, the first race was about to begin. Several swimming clubs were here today, some of them bringing more than one team from different age categories.

Astrid's girls still had some time before their race, but as their excited chatter started to die down the longer they were doing their warm-up lanes, she sensed their growing concentration and fluttering nerves. Giving them all an encouraging thumbs-up, she let them focus and looked around the swimming hall. Behind her, in the non-swimmers pool, a group of curious old ladies was watching the event, gossiping over their swim noodles. On the other end of the pool, a few families with toddlers were splashing around. Usually, this place was rather crowded on a Sunday, but at eight in the morning, most people were still sleeping in.

She let her eyes roam aimlessly over the spectators on the benches at the side, primarily parents, primarily tired. Suddenly, something caught her eye, causing her heart to stop all on its own. It quickstarted itself a moment later and competed in its own race even before her other senses could catch on.

There, in rolled-up sweatpants, flip-flops, and a t-shirt with the swimming club's logo on it like they sold it at the info desk in the lobby, her own personal dilemma strolled in. Mixed feelings tore their way through her focus, misery combined with butterflies that turned into angry hornets, stinging her from the inside.

His eyes found her and he smiled, followed by a tentative wave. He had remembered the competition. He had shown up without her ever asking him to. Even after their fight yesterday. The hornets were buzzing around in her chest, stinging her lungs; their poison made her throat close up. She waved back.

Someone called her name and she surfaced. It was time for her team to get ready. With one last glance behind, she saw Hiccup awkwardly shift through the row of parents, squeezing himself between Theresa's mom and a wall. Astrid shook her head. She needed to concentrate.

Fortunately, she could. From calling her team over to the racing lanes, talking strategy and encouragement one last time, watching the race and cheering them on from the side, to whooping victoriously when Viola hit the edge of the pool a quarter second before her opponents – she did not once look over at the spectators. She was proud of herself, honestly. Because as soon as she sent the excited kids over to tell their parents they won, her eyes immediately went searching for him.

She barely managed to thank another team's trainer for congratulating her, because he was coming right over and she didn't know what to say. Waving him over to a quiet corner where neither the old ladies with their swim noodles nor anyone else could overhear her personal drama, she willed her heart to calm down and her nerves to untighten. It didn't work.

"Hey," he greeted her, a bright smile on his face. There were bags under his eyes and she wondered if he'd slept as well as she had. "You guys won, that's amazing!"

"Yeah, it is." She couldn't look him in the eye. How could he be so chipper and nice after everything?

He seemed to sense her discomfort, because his smile disappeared and he took a small step back, burying his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. Her eyes drifted to his t-shirt and a rush of warmth went through her.

"Did you buy that just for some kids' competition?"

"Huh?" His eyes followed hers. "Oh, that? Yeah, I, um, I– I just wanted to be supportive. And besides, maybe I'll watch you swim some time and can cheer you on in this." He shrugged and she had to hold herself back from doing something stupid, like kissing him.

"Oh. Okay. Cool. Um…" The air in here was suddenly too hot, too humid, and she toyed with the idea of jumping into the pool with all her clothes on. She wanted this conversation to be over with. Not because she didn't want to talk to him, but because she knew she had to address a few things. But running from conversations she needed to have hadn't ended in any acceptable results so far and she had to start somewhere if she didn't want to be stuck in the same place forever.

"Look, Astrid, about yesterday–"

"I'm sorry," she cut him to the chase. "I'm so sorry, Hiccup." Finally, she met his eyes. And what she found wasn't resentment or judgement. It was something deep, something genuine, something she felt tugging at her gut. "You were just trying to help and I reacted poorly. I never intended to hurt you or shut you out like that. I'm really sorry."

He ran a hand over his neck. "Ah, well. It's okay. It's not like I didn't snap, either."

"No, you had every right to! I was being a bitch and you were just being honest. But there are just some things that… That I'm not ready to talk about. Yet."

After a few agonizingly long seconds, he nodded. "Okay. Whenever you're ready, I'm there if– if you wanna talk about it." One of the hornets buzzed for a moment. How did she deserve to be around such a sweet, caring and incredibly patient guy? No wonder she fell for him.

With a shy smile, he stuck out his hand. "Friends?"

She stared at it for a moment. "Are you kidding with this?" she asked, right before she pulled him in for a hug. "Of course we're still friends, you muttonhead!" She could feel him relax, could feel his heartbeat against her chest, and quickly stepped out of the hug. "Now come on, let's celebrate my victory!"

"Your victory?" he asked as he followed her back to the girls.

"My team's victory is also my victory."

"But you're not the one who swam."

She turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Are you trying to provoke me?"

"Yes," he said with a lopsided grin that didn't waver even as she gave him a playful punch on the arm.

His flip-flops squeaked on the damp tiles as he walked beside her and for the briefest of moments, she smelled blooming trees and sunshine. In another world or another time, she'd reach for his hand. But even though she couldn't, she enjoyed the idea. The world was just beginning to tilt back, no need to fret over her heartache right now. For the moment, they were good, they were friends. And if he were to disappear from her life again, she'd feel incomplete and restless all over again. They still had to talk about certain things, but not on the day her girls had placed first.

Curious looks were thrown Hiccup's way as they approached her little victors. Finding seven pairs of eyes on him, he gave a small wave. "Hi, there."

"Hi!" Viola, the shortest and fastest of the girls, greeted him with a wide smile. "We won!"

"Yes, I saw that. Congrats!"

A few more girls stepped closer. "We were like dolphins!" declared little Theresa and Hiccup's eyes grew big.

"Real dolphins?" Theresa nodded. She was the youngest of the group and imagined herself all kinds of sea creatures when she was swimming. It was adorable and she had long earned a soft spot in Astrid's heart. "You know what? Now that you say it, I can see it, too." Theresa's eyes shone brightly and Astrid's stomach did a sudden backflip. Her mind conjured an image of Hiccup playing with his own little dolphin girl, telling her stories about the wide blue ocean, making her eyes shine just like Theresa's now.

"Who's that?" Annabelle's voice tore her out of her daydream. She was standing a bit to the side, shyly pointing at Hiccup who had overheard the question.

"That's Hiccup. My…" She locked eyes with him, a million unspoken words and needed conversations dancing between them. "My good friend." His lips curled upwards.

"Are you a swimmer, too?" Lola asked inquisitively.

"Aah… I can swim, but I'm not much of a swimmer, actually. Not like you."

"Do you have a phone?"

"Um." Hiccup frowned, not quite sure why Lola wanted to know. Astrid, too, grew slightly wary at the giggles and mischievous looks flying through the group. "I have one, but it's in a locker. Why?"

"Oh, just asking. You know, for safety."

"Safet–"

"NOW!" Viola shouted and collectively, several little bodies jumped forward, startling Astrid and pushing Hiccup to the side. A surprised yelp escaped him before he fell into the pool with a loud splash.

"HEY! What the hell was that?!" Fists on her hips, Astrid grew to her full height while the girls seemed to lose a few inches under her glare. "You can't just push people into the water! They could get seriously hurt, even if they know how to swim! Besides, what would you say if someone just pushed you into a pool or a lake and all your clothes got wet?!"

Approximately half the swimming hall was looking over curiously at her loud, chastising voice. The old ladies had stopped chattering and were shaking their heads at the kids staring abashedly at the tiles in front of them. Hiccup was spluttering somewhere to her left. She looked over – and had to suppress a laugh. Pushing wet hair out of his face, flip-flops floating next to him in the water, an absolutely baffled expression on his face, he made for a memorable sight and she desperately wished for a camera.

Stern frown back in place, she turned back to the girls. "Now go tell your parents what you did while I'm going to think of a nice extra exercise for training next week!" Despite her strict tone, they'd picked up on her amusement, lips pressed together while still trying to look abashed. She sent them off with a flick of her hand and shook her head.

"I'm so sorry," she said to Hiccup who was treading water on the spot.

"Ah, it's fine." He shrugged. "Nothing that Dagur hasn't already put me through, like, five times."

Chuckling at the mental image, she crouched down and held out her hand. "Here, let me help you." The ladder was only a few strokes away. But she didn't even try to lie to herself, fully aware she just wanted an excuse to take his hand. She called that progress.

Busy bracing herself for the contact, she didn't notice his smirk at first. Only when he grabbed her hand did she realize she had no chance. Pushing himself off the pool's wall with his feet, he used the momentum to pull her forward. Only years upon years of diving head-first into pools were the reason she managed to not get chlorine water into her nose or accidentally swallow any. Breaking the surface with a gasp, the first sound reaching her ears was his laughter, melting away the unpleasant surprise in an instant. Spluttering, she shook her head, water droplets flying in all directions.

"And now you're drinking up the pool?! Oh, Astrid!" Her response was to splash him with as much water as she could, instigating a water fight. When he hit her with an especially large wave, she chased him through half the pool, pretending she was going to dunk his head underwater. He just splashed her again before making towards the next ladder. She followed him, and there they were, completely drenched, dripping onto the tiles. His formerly baggy clothes clung to all the right places, she noted with a briefly distracted eye.

People were looking at them, some with mirth, some with displeasure. She couldn't care less.

"This feels weird." Hiccup wrung out a corner of his shirt, revealing a patch of skin that she had to pry her eyes away from.

A few of the girls came up to him, holding out their hands, faces speaking of the earful they'd received from both Astrid and their parents. "We're sorry, Hiccup!"

He sighed and nodded, shaking each. "Ah, well. Apology accepted. Just, please, don't ever do that again without at least a warning, okay?" Receiving eager nods, he smiled at them good-naturedly. Astrid frowned a few moments longer, just for appearance. Then she gave way to her own smile. No one had been harmed (except for their previously pleasantly dry clothes) and they had just won a competition, after all.

"Viola, go get his flops out of the water. As for the rest of you, I want you to swim five slow lanes each. After that, go get yourself some large fries or a burger, you've earned it today. I'd say food's on me, but not after that little stunt of yours just now. Now off you go."

She watched them leave, making sure they actually did what she'd said, before she turned back to Hiccup, only to have a small heart attack. He was wringing out his shirt. Standing there in nothing but his pants. It wasn't like Astrid had never seen shirtless men before; hell, she was in a swimming hall! But the way her lower gut was so utterly fascinated by his naked torso felt weirdly lewd in her current environment, with families and harmless old ladies all around.

A low sound escaped her, prompting him to look over. There had to be something telling on her face, because at the sight of it a deep blush crawled up his neck. "I, er… My shirt is very wet."

"Yeah, me too." She could have slapped herself. "My clothes, I mean!" Oh, lord…

It was one of those situations where both parties were absolutely aware of the awkwardness of it, and that, whatever they said, it could only go downhill from there. Luckily, the sound of a pair of soaked flip-flops hitting the ground saved them from that demise.

"Here you go." Viola, innocent child that she was, wasn't picking up on the tension between the two adults, looking at Astrid expectantly. "What should I do now, Astrid?"

"Thanks. Thank you, Viola." She brushed her bangs out of her face, hoping she wasn't blushing as hard as it felt like. "You can go join the others; they'll tell you."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Viola?" The girl turned back around. "Good race!" Showing a proud grin, Viola skipped away, almost slipping on the tiles but catching herself and carrying on as if nothing had happened. Which was a strategy Astrid was very keen on copying as she prepared herself and turned back to Hiccup. But he had already put the shirt back on, now very wrinkled and inside out.

"Good thing I already came here in a spare," he said, skin returning to its normal color. She noticed he was trying not to look below her face, remembering she was wearing white. She'd never been more thankful for the extra padding of her bra.

"Did you bring a towel? You can sit on it so you don't wet your car seat too much." The word wet was still bouncing around her brain like a tomato in a pinball machine. Sound effects, flashing lights and all.

"Luckily, I did." Also luckily, he'd returned to normal-conversation mode, playing with the hem of his shirt. "Or rather, I bought one matching the uniform."

Her damp hair only reminded her of her own already used towel, stuffed into her locker. If she'd come in her own car, she wouldn't have minded, but…

"Hey, um… Could you give me a lift, later?" she asked. "I came with one of the kids and since you're already ruining one seat of your car…"

He shrugged. "Suuure, I can ruin another. Anything for you." He said it with a sarcastic overtone, but there was a sincerity that came with it that made the impulse to stick her tongue down his throat hard to control. At least he was wearing a shirt again.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." He gave her a multi-layered smile. "What are friends for?"

She bit her lip as an idea sprung up in her mind. "Are you hungry?"

"Um… Kinda. Swimming does make hungry."

She raised an eyebrow. "You were in the water for what, five minutes?"

"Yeah. So? I burned a lot of energy fighting a sea witch."

Her jaw dropped and he took a step back at the look on her face. "How about you take another swim, you cocky little–"

"Food sounds great!" he practically yelled to drown out whatever insult she was going to use, glancing at a number of kids trotting past and at the parents over on the benches. A few heads turned at his loud voice. "Are you thinking fries that always have either too little or too much salt?" With his head, he gestured in the direction of the snack bar.

"Eh… Too overpriced." She fiddled with a strand of hair that had escaped her braid. "I was thinking someplace dry. Didn't you mention this new burger place near your apartment?"

"Right! Someplace dry. Makes sense. Dry. Burger. Yes. Sounds great!"

Sitting on a towel-covered car seat as he drove her home, she kept arguing with herself that this was as much a date as their walk through the woods. Which was not at all. And the little bit of mascara and lip gloss she put on after her shower was only reflecting her celebratory mood after her team's victory. She even used the raspberry and cheesecake shaving cream she found in her duffel bag, although the smell of it was way too artificial for her taste.

As she took a last look in her mirror before she left for her lunch not-date, the evidence was staring right back in her face. She wanted this to be a date. She wanted it so badly. But it wasn't, and it shouldn't be. Just two friends trying out a new burger place. Case closed.

"Now listen to me, you little tyke! Astrid will be here any minute and I want you to behave! That means no jumping up legs, no clawing at pants, no impersonating hurricanes on crack, no begging for food and– Toothless, no–"

Hiccup pried his hand away from his cat, inspecting the marks its teeth and claws had left on his skin. Nothing very visible, at least. "You, sir, are a hopeless case." With a last disapproving shake of his head, he got up from his crouch and scanned the place for the hundredth time. He'd tidied up, but not completely, leaving just enough of a mess to seem casual. He didn't want to give her the impression that he'd cleaned the whole place because of her.

He probably should have insisted they talk about whatever thing was between them. Not agree to wait for her to come around. But in that moment, she'd been standing right there, a vulnerability about her that rendered him unable to go through with it.

And there was this part of him that was afraid of the outcome. Walking out of her life when they'd hardly known each other had been hard and made him miserable for such a long time, he didn't want to know what it would be like this time. Because why would she choose the mere friend she had sort of a special connection with and was perhaps kind of attracted to over someone she'd been in a relationship for years with and was also married to? Besides, there was still a big chance it was all just in his head.

He groaned. He was overthinking again. He'd been over this. Several times. As if on cue, a confirming yawn weaseled its way out of him. If she needed time for herself to figure things out, to navigate herself and come to terms with whatever she was feeling, he would give her the time. He just had to make sure they weren't running to nowhere, circling the problem like scared vultures.

But he wouldn't worry about that today. Today was a day for burgers and friends.

"That doesn't include you, you butt-licking scallywag," he called in the direction of his cat who was still sitting on the floor, cleaning its backside with a leg stretched over its head. But Hiccup didn't have time for imaginary arguments with his pet, wincing at the sound of the doorbell.

Her hair was loose, only a few front strands braided back. It was falling freely down her shoulders and back, shining like her eyes when he invited her in, heart pounding in his chest.

"We can leave in a minute, I just have to hang my laundry real quick. In the meantime, my roomie will give you the tour." He gestured towards the living room where Toothless was hopefully done licking his behind. Or even still in the room. Would be awkward if he returned to Astrid standing there all alone, probably bored out of her mind, just because he hadn't timed washing his sheets right.

But he didn't have to worry, because when he returned from his small roofed balcony, he could hear her talking to his cat – he strongly assumed she was talking to his cat, otherwise he'd be concerned – in a voice one would talk to a laughing baby with.

"Who's the little dwagon? Who's a little dwagon? You're a little dwagon!"

"Don't boost his ego too much, he already thinks he's the alpha of the house." She looked up as he entered the room, walking in on her sitting cross-legged on the couch, petting Toothless' stomach, his claws and teeth playfully buried in her hand.

"Oh, but he's so cute!" She wiggled her hand and didn't even wince as the claws dug deeper.

"Don't let him fool you. By tonight, he will have established for himself that he's the king of dragons or something, if you keep on telling him that."

"Hiccup is just jealous," she whispered to the cat in a conspiratorial voice. "Because he's not the one getting belly rubs."

"W-wait, what?"

She let go of Toothless, swatting away the paws chasing after her retreating fingers. He could see the red lines left by sharp cat claws, the burning phantom sensation dancing across his skin at the sight. "Don't worry about it," she remarked, getting up from the couch and brushing past him. "Let's go for lunch!"

Blinking a couple times to ban the idea of Astrid giving him belly rubs from his mind, he grabbed his keys and made sure the cat didn't get out when they left the apartment.

The dry, warm weather from the past weeks had shifted into a cloudy sky and a drizzle, humidifying the air and painting the pavement in a darker color. The walk to the newly opened restaurant wasn't far, but in the fifteen minutes it took them to get there, the rain steadily increased and they made it just in time for the big downpour.

"Maybe we should have come by car," he mused. Hers was parked right behind his, back on his street. "Or at least brought an umbrella."

She waved it off. "It'll stop while we're eating."

And she was right; by the time they took their first bites, the odd sunbeam here and there reflected the light in the puddles on the street and the only drizzle came from dripping awnings and overflowing gutters.

"Told you," she said with a twinkle in her eye, a piece of lettuce sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she chewed. It was lethally cute.

The food was amazing, even though it was cold when they finished it, wasting so much time talking and laughing and pretending this didn't feel like a date, somehow. It was like he'd known her forever. He realized his initial plan (or rather hope) of getting over her had been doomed to fail from the start. And there was no turning back now, or ever again. He might as well have sold his soul to her the night they met.

He supposed it was just his luck that the sky opened up again on their way back. Cold rain drops ran down his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. He kept his head down as best he could but he had no chance against the forces of nature – a theme that seemed to be a running gag in his life at this point. They reached his house soaked to the bone.

"Drenched twice in one day," he complained over Astrid's ecstatic giggles. That girl seemed to be alive around every shape of water.

"Now imagine being a swimmer," she quipped back.

"As a swimmer, I'd get wet voluntarily." Once inside the apartment, he went to grab two towels from the bathroom, almost tripping over a bundle of black fur. "You know, I almost don't miss living with you, bud." The cat brushed along his legs. "Almost."

He found Astrid in the kitchen, inspecting his old radio. Accepting one of the towels and wringing out her hair, she nodded at it. "We used to have the same one at home once." She tried switching it on, but no sound came out.

"You have to switch it back and forth fast a few times." She did so, and after a few seconds of static noise, the antenna found a signal. The quality of the speakers was better than the ancient device let it appear, playing music through the kitchen and the adjacent living room with a clear sound.

Humming along, Hiccup towel dried his hair as best he could, willing it to not stick in every possible direction after.

Astrid started swaying to the fast beat, bent forward so her hair was almost reaching the floor. Between herself and the towel, her voice came out slightly muffled. "I like this one. It's at the same time modern and has an eighties flair." At once, she threw her head back, hair flying through the air, smacking against her back.

He turned up the volume, watching her movements become faster, the spark of the music infecting her whole body until she jumped and twirled through the open doorway to the living room. Past the shelves, the TV, the stereo that would have provided much better sound quality, wild loose hair framing her face.

"Uuuh, I'm blinded by the liiights," she sang, hitting maybe half the notes right, not bothered by it in the slightest. He felt her spirit in his chest, unable to stay still any longer. His dance moves likely made him look very stupid, but in his current company, he couldn't find it in himself to care.

The song ended, blending into the next one neatly, despite the initial change of rhythm. It picked up speed, slowed down, picked up speed again. He bumped into his furniture, into Astrid, and was sure he heard a brief animalistic shriek before a dash of black disappeared around the corner.

Taking a deep breath in unison, they shouted out the lyrics. "Toora loora, toora loo rye ay!" Her hands found his, twirling some more, completely caught up in the cheerful music. "Eileen, I'll hum this tune forever!" Said tune slowed considerably into a swaying rhythm, only to come back fast for the finale, for which Astrid twirled herself around in dizzying speed. She was a human twister, a tornado of gold and blue, sweeping through the room, journey ending at the counter back in the kitchen. As he caught up with her, the song faded out, a newscaster taking its place.

They were both panting, wide grins matching. She staggered a little, catching herself on his shoulder and holding onto it until the room stopped spinning for her. When she looked up, her grin slowly disappeared, the heat of her body so close. He gulped as she inched forward and he was equally pulled in, eyes fluttering closed, the force of the magnet between them too strong to fight.

For the briefest of moments, their lips brushed, and the strong surge of lightning rushing through his veins at the faint contact brought him back to reality. Back to the tiled floor of his kitchen, back to his damp clothes, to the monotone voice of the newscaster on the radio. When he opened his eyes, he was met with two conflicted reflections of a stormy sky. Taking a shaky breath, she removed her hand from his arm and took a few steps back. He could neither move nor speak, muscles seized up from electrocution.

"I…" She took a deep steadying breath. "I need to go." For a moment longer, she was equally frozen in place. "I just… I need to go home."

And with that, she turned around, and then he heard the front door close behind her. Through the kitchen window, he saw her getting into her car. Starting it. Driving away.

He didn't know how much longer he stood there. The clouds parted. She didn't come back.