Quick AN: to the guest that left a comment that disliked how I was portraying Ruffnut, thank you! I don't hate Ruff at all, I actually quite like her. I'm portraying her as such a terrible person because it's from Astrids POV and she's the one in the wrong. I've laid very small hints that Ruff isn't a complete jerk, but hopefully this chapter clears things up. I used Ruff as a way to show how Astrids perspective towards the world shifts throughout the story. I haven't watched any of the TV shows in a very long time and didn't remember her being poor, so I'll make sure to keep that in mind when I'm writing the future chapters. I hope you like what happens in this chapter. If not, please feel free to tell me; I always welcome criticism.
Astrid: Wanna meet for lunch?
I was lying in bed with the window shades up. It was a strangely good morning and the suns warming rays dancing across my skin made everything surreal. I felt so confident that I'd decided that today would be the day to ask Ruff about potential jobs for Hiccup. I hadn't run the plan by him yet either, but I was feeling untouchable this morning. Like nothing could go wrong today.
Ruff: already have lunch plans with Tuff. Dinner?
I sent a quick response saying that was fine. Ruff may not like a lot of people, but she loved her brother. Sure, they would always be at each other's throats, but the second someone else tried to get under Tuffs skin it was game over. I still remembered freshmen year of high school when Ruff knocked out some upperclassmen's teeth when they tried to haze her brother. She'd gotten suspended, of course, but the message was clear. Don't mess with the Thorstons.
We decided to meet at a local café around seven. I'd been there a few times before and it was only a few minutes away from my apartment. That way I wouldn't have to waste money on an Uber or something.
The toilet in the bathroom flushed across the hall and the faint sound of water coming out of the faucet could be heard. Hiccup must be up. I thought about getting up and joining him, but my bed was way too comfy to get out of. For some reason the blanket always seemed fluffier in the morning. I did have to pee though…
Not yet. I could hold my bladder for a few more minutes.
"Hey, Astrid." There was a light knock on the door. "I was just about to start making breakfast. Would you like anything?" we'd gotten eggs and bacon at the grocery store, but I was never a fan of eating a hot breakfast.
"I'll make a bowl of cereal when I get up." I made sure we picked up Frosted Flakes, milk, and bananas from the grocery store last night. One of my favorite ways to start the day was to cut the bananas up into thick slices and dump it into the bowl of cereal. "Thanks for the offer, though."
He walked away, presumably to make his breakfast, and I just continued to lay in bed. It was almost surreal how easily I'd adjusted to Hiccup staying with me. If you told me a week ago that I'd met someone I'd met off the streets stay with me, and enjoy it, I'd have laughed until the sun went down. Yet here I was.
I wondered how long Hiccup would stay, or maybe the better question would how long I would let him stay. I mean, he had to leave eventually. If I let him stay here too long, he might get the wrong idea. He was here so that he could get back on his feet. I wasn't going to let him become a freeloader, or that anything was to happen between us…
I mean, yeah, I think he's handsome and has a great personality (from what I've seen), but I'm not good at relationships. I've always messed them up.
That's actually how Ruffnut and I first became friends. It was after my first breakup and she'd found me crying in the school bathroom. Stefen, the boy I'd been dating, told me that I hadn't been committed enough for him. He'd been upset at how rarely I'd text him first, or how I liked to sit with other people during lunch occasionally. Looking back, it was stupid to even date that young, but at the time it'd hit me like a pile of bricks.
Ruff had needed to use the bathroom and she just happened to go to the one that I'd barricaded myself in. She'd been very different back in those days. Her freckles had been a lot lighter and her hair was up in a single ponytail instead of her signature double braid she'd adopt in high school. She promised me that she'd always have my back as long as I had hers. The pinkie promise that followed would forever be burned into my memory. The two of us had gone from strangers to best friends in under thirty minutes.
Admittedly, it was a little weird how the people I usually considered friends started as strangers…
Wait, isn't that was how all friendships started? I mentally facepalmed at my stupidity and tried to blame it on the fact that I hadn't fully woken up yet. Still, Ruff had been different. She'd been a complete stranger who'd been in the right spot at the right time. I hadn't become friends with someone like that until I ran into Hiccup…
I shook my head; the past was in the past. There were more important things, like going to the bathroom. I'd daydreamed long enough.
I shook off the covers and slipped into the flip flops by my bed. The floor was notoriously cold in the mornings and I'd learned very quickly that some sort of barrier was needed to stay comfortable. I quickly changed into real clothes; I didn't want to give Hiccup a show.
After, uh, relieving myself, I walked into the main area of the apartment. I could hear eggs sizzling and was hit with the smell of a classic breakfast. Hiccup was at the stove wearing a new set of clothes he'd gotten from the store yesterday. A pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve flannel shirt. He could pass for a skinny lumberjack if he hadn't shaved his growing beard.
"Good Morning again, Astrid." I hummed a response and started to boil some water for tea. I grabbed a banana and started slicing. There was something soothing about how easy it was to draw a knife through a banana. It was like cutting through jelly. Not that I'd ever done anything like that, it's just what I assumed it would feel like.
As I was cutting my banana into slices, my mind started to wonder. Would Hiccup like me trying to get him a job? I'd never asked him about it, I'd just gone right in and planned it. Maybe that isn't the smartest thing to do. I'm not sure how he would take it after all…
"Hey Hiccup," I said, making up my mind. "I wanted to ask if you would be okay if I asked a friend of mine if they could help find you a job. It would be really boring and probably minimum wage." Hiccup flipped the bacon in the frying pan over. He took a moment to mull things over in his mind before responding.
"I don't see why not. That way I could also help pay the rent."
"Woah there," I put the knife down, banana forgotten. "How long do you think you're staying?"
Hiccups face fell and I realized that my message had come out wrong.
"Not that I'm going to kick you out," I hurried, "I just meant in general. It's not like you can stay with me forever or anything." For some reason that seemed to make him even sadder before he plastered a smile on his face.
"Of course not. I just meant for however long I'm here, it'd be nice if I could also help pay for your rent." His smile almost fooled me, but his eyes gave away that something I said had made him sad. "And I could use the rest of the money to jumpstart my career."
"Great. I just so happen to be meeting said friend for dinner tonight so I'll make sure to bring it up." Hiccup gave me a sideways glance but I was satisfied that I'd gotten the green light so I went back to focusing on breakfast. I poured the hot water into a mug and placed a tea bag in. My grandpa would always make black tea with sugar rocks and crème in the mornings. It was like a watered-down version of coffee, but I'd grown to love it and I thought of the old man every first sip.
Letting the tea steep, I went back to the main course. I got the bowl out and poured in the cereal and topping it off with the yellow fruit. Hiccup had made two eggs, over easy, with a side of bacon. Somehow, he'd been able to control himself and only cook three slices of bacon.
"What're your plans for the day?" I asked, sitting down at the little table. I'd never really used it when I was living alone; opting to sit on the couch and watch television while I ate instead. This felt better, more natural. Maybe I should invite strangers over more often, I joked.
"I don't really have to much planned, unfortunately." Hiccup stopped to take a sip of milk. "I'm going to clean up the apartment a little and then look for jobs, just in case your friend can't find any. I also want to make the trip either today or tomorrow to see my mom."
"Don't worry, I'm sure Ruff can find you something." I was more than confident in her job-hunting abilities. It was like she could smell 'Help Wanted' signs. "I'm just not sure how much you'll like it." Hiccup let out a little laugh.
"Yeah, because I can afford to be picky when I would be out on the streets if it wasn't for you." Hiccup got up to clean his dishes off and I had another flashback to what it was like to live with a family. I'd hastily hidden the plastic plates I've been using since I moved here. It just felt embarrassing to not use real dishes when someone else was living with you.
I'm not saying Hiccup is family, because he isn't. It's just that the last people to stay in the same house as me for more than a sleepover was back when I still lived with my parents.
I finished my own breakfast and rinsed my dishes off. Another plus for cereal is that I barely used anything that had to be cleaned. I dropped the spoon and knife (from cutting the bananas, I don't eat cereal with a knife.) into the bottom of the sink and got to work on the bowl.
I hadn't moved from the couch since lunch, bored out of my mind. Hiccup was at the table, on my laptop, looking at job offers. I'd helped him for the first hour, but after a while it all looked the same. I'd try to tell him it was all pointless anyways, Ruff would come through. I was currently tapping my fingers as a way to relieve the energy building inside of me. Like water behind a dam. I couldn't do just stay here until dinner. I needed to do something before the boredom killed me.
Anything.
"Hiccup, as my guest, it's your duty to entertain me." He stopped typing whatever he'd been looking up and looked over to me, a small smile played on his lips.
"I'm pretty sure it's the other way around, but give me a second and I'll see what I can think up." Hiccup took a minute and looked out the window. "We could go to the park."
I couldn't come up with a better idea, so within five minutes we'd put on our boots, zipped up our jackets, and were out to the door.
"Hey Ruff." She'd gotten there before me for once. I'd lost track of time at the park with Hiccup. I hadn't expected to be there all day, but there was a dog park off to the side and Hiccup and I had a contest to see who could name the most dog breeds. She was wearing a simple sweater with blue jeans and winter boots. Her hair was up, which was odd. Usually it was thrown into pigtails or a braid. She also had mascara and eyeliner on. "Did you get all dressed up just for me?"
"You're just mad because I beat you here." She quipped. Luckily, the café wasn't too crowded, so we were able to get a booth by the windows. I always enjoyed being able to look at all the people walking by when there was a lull in the conversation.
One of the waiters came by and we ordered our drinks; I got a lemonade and Ruff just got a water. The menu was small, but everything on it was really good. I was having trouble deciding between a soup or a sandwich when the waiter came back with our drinks.
"What will you two ladies be having tonight?" the waiter asked as he put the lemonade on a coaster.
"I'll have the French dip sandwich." I said. That way I could kind of have both, it was a tasty compromise.
"And I'll take a small Caesar salad." Ruff folded up the menu and handed it to the waiter.
"Woah, I didn't know a carnivorous barbarian like you could eat something green."
"Haha. There's chicken in it." Ruff gave a small smile at the light jab. I was trying really hard to keep the mood light and make sure that she was in a good mood. I continued to make small talk until our food arrived.
"Ugh, they gave me the wrong salad." Ruff complained. I took a glance and yeah it was the wrong order, but it actually looked really good. It had corn and black beans, topped with diced tomatoes and cheese.
"Looks like some kind of southwest salad." I didn't want something as small as this to ruin the meal, especially with the delicate topic I planned on bringing up later. "We can switch plates if you want."
Ruff gave me a once over to see if I was teasing her. Letting her think that I would make the trade, only to back out at the last second and get a laugh out of it. I tried my best to act sincere, which may have made me only look more suspicious, and half slid my plate over.
"Why are you being so nice...? What do you want from me?" I really considered lying. That way, even if bringing up Hiccup went south, dinner itself had a chance of being good. On the other hand, I did have a reason for being so nice to Ruff and lying always seemed to make the whole deeper at the end rather than avoid it.
"Alright, there is something I want to talk to you about." I could see the triumph in her eyes as her assumptions were proven correct. "But I want to save it until after we have dinner if that's alright with you."
Ruff hmphed and blew some air out of her nostrils but decided to drop the subject for now. She handed me her salad, accepting the trade.
I took a bite and wow, that was good! The flavors blended together really well, and the dressing had a subtle chipotle salsa undertone that wrapped the package in a nice little bun. I couldn't stop the little moan that escaped my lips.
"It's that good?" Ruff smirked at my embarrassment. I'm sure my face matched the tomatoes in my salad.
"Shut up."
"Alright," Ruff said after finishing her meal, "Why did you really want to meet up with me?" I fiddled with the hem of my jacket and took the last bite of my meal. I'd been waiting for this part to come up. I sighed, it was now or never. Hiccup needed this.
"So, you remember that guy that took me off the streets last week?"
"The one that you've fallen in love with because he has a warm face?"
"First off, I don't love him." I could tell Ruff was having a good time drawing this conversation out. Her lips were tense because she was trying to suppress her signature smug grin. "Second off all, Yes.
"Well, I may or not have run into him again at from work one day." Ruffs eyes widened, almost comically, and then they squinted with suspicion.
"Really? That's awfully coincidental…"
"He wasn't stalking me, if that's what you're thinking. It was the shift that I'd taken because they were understaffed. Even I didn't know I was going to working that day. Trust me, he was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him." I assured her. "We talked for a bit, and I got his number before he left, but something didn't seem right."
"Was he not as handsome as a drunk you thought?"
"No, it was in the way he ate the burger, like he hadn't had a good meal in a little while. Anyway, after I helped close up shop, I happen to see a homeless person sulking in the alley. I go to investigate, and it's him! Hiccup got into an argument with the owner of the apartment he was staying at because he let me stay with him!"
"Woahh." I could tell Ruff was genuinely interested. She wasn't trying to rile me up anymore. "What'd you do next?"
"Well… Well I took him home with me."
"You what?" Ruff looked me in the eye. "Astrid, you can't be serious. You barely know him. Tell me it was just for the night."
"Well…"
"Astrid."
"Well maybe he's still living with me and I want you to find him a job." There. It was all out
"What…" Ruffnut fumbled for the right words. "Astrid, you can't be serious. You barely know him!"
"I know, but from what I've seen, he's a really good person. He's an anthropologist who won't leave the city because his mom has some illness and is in the hospital." Ruffs face softened a little so I decided to play the guilt card. "I know that he's always been there for me and supported my decisions since I've met him, unlike different friend of mine."
Ruff looked like she'd been shot.
"What? Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Okay, I thought, maybe that wasn't the best idea. "Astrid, tell me you don't consider him more of a friend than me."
"He cares about me, Ruff. When was the last time you went out of your way for me?" I refused to feel bad for her, I'd been waiting to say this to her for months.
"Astrid, you are my best friend. I do things for you all the time."
"Oh really? Name one thing?" I hadn't meant to bring this up, but I was too far gone to care. I was sick of being treated like a second-class citizen. We were supposed to be best friends.
"One thing?" Ruffs laugh was dark. "Astrid, I helped you get over half the jobs you've ever had. I know you don't have too many other friends so I always try and get you out in public.
"I work four part time jobs, so I'm sorry if I can't be there as much as someone who's literally living in your apartment." Her words dripped with sarcastic acid; Ruff was certifiably pissed. "I can't choose you over making enough money to support myself and my brother."
"Oh please, you always have money Ruffnut."
"What? Where on Earth did you get that idea?" She seemed generally surprised; did she not realize that she must be loaded?
"I've seen how much you drink at bars, Ruff. That's not something I could afford." Something about Astrid being stubborn. "And Tuff always buys that super expensive goat cheese. That's not something someone who struggles financially would do."
"You think I'm rich because I drink? I drink because of how stressed out working four jobs is! I don't have loving parents as a backup plan. I'm constantly pulling my hair out over my financial situation" Ruff was starting to draw the attention of the other tables. Tears were starting to smear her mascara maybe it wasn't the best idea to bring this up in public. "And haven't you noticed how we always go to the same bar? They give me an employee discount because I occasionally pick up shifts there."
Ruff stopped suddenly, as if something monumental had occurred to her. "I bet you didn't know that, though." She said slowly, as if just now coming to the same conclusion that I was. "I know your work schedule, Astrid. Apparently, you couldn't be bothered to do the same for me."
"Ruff-"
"No" she cut me off. "You don't get to talk until I'm finished." My hands fumbled with the napkin on my lap nervously. "You want to call me a bad friend? What a hypocrite. All you care about is yourself. I still remember that pact we made when we first met. I'd always be there for you, as long as you were there for me.
"What a joke." Her words ripped right through me. I could barely breathe.
"Oh, and that cheese that Tuff is so enamored with is an old Thorston tradition, something you'd know if you cared about our life." Ruff got up and started to pack her things away. "I actually have a date tonight, so thanks for ruining my makeup."
"You have a date?" I stammered. I was sure I'd remember something like that.
"What, are you upset that I didn't tell you?" Ruff didn't even wait for a response before continuing to lay into me. "Well I'm sorry for being such a terrible friend. I didn't want you to make fun of me for trying to have a meaningful relationship."
"Make fun of? What – why would I make fun of you for that?"
"Just stop it, Astrid. Save it for Hiccup. He is your best friend, after all."
"Ruff-"
"Stop it!" Tears were bursting from her now. "You've made how you feel quite clear.
"I can't believe you" She muttered. "Goodbye."
She was out the door before I could say anything. I would've gone after her, but I was glued to my seat. Ruff had absolutely destroyed me.
And the worst part was that she was absolutely right. How could I have been so self-centered? I didn't even know how many jobs she was working and she'd memorized my entire work schedule! How long had I been using her? How long had she endured my ignorance?
I left whatever money I had in my wallet on the table and ran, my tears leaving a trail behind me all the way home.
AN: So, I went from one day late to a whole week late. Yeah… I'm really sorry about that. I really like creating things and usually it's in the form of stories, but the I recently got into making music with my Akai MPK Mini MkII midi keyboard. Every time I opened up word, I'd get distracted by some tune in my head that I just had to create. I'm still not really happy with a lot of this chapter, but I don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. I also really struggled writing this chapter. Every story on here is an experiment for me. My first story was 3rd person that switched characters. In this one I'm forcing myself to make it 1st person and I'm not very good at it (which is why I'm doing it).
So this Friday is Valentine's Day, are any of you guys doing anything fun with a certain someone? If not, just remember that all the candy will be on sale Saturday.
I also really want to thank everyone that's reading this story and sticking with me. It really means a lot to me. See you guys next week (Hopefully!)