Hiccup and I walked into the apartment after a quiet walk back from the hospital. The room had been cleaned since the morning; Hiccup must've been busy.

"The place looks great." It looked like he even dusted! The place hadn't been this clean since I moved in. "You didn't have to do this much, Hiccup."

"Don't think about it too much, it was nothing." Hiccup's hands were shoved into his outer jacket and I could practically feel his uncomfortableness radiating from him. I decided to leave him be; if he didn't want to be thanked then I wouldn't smother him with praise.

He took a seat on the couch and put the worn-out backpack he'd been carrying behind his head to use as a pillow. It didn't seem too comfy to me, but Hiccup's breathing had evened out and within a few minutes I was sure he was asleep. I hate to admit that I stared at his face for a little bit. It was just so interesting, how his face could have so much detail. His freckles were like footsteps across his face, his stubble like armor. His hair was defied gravity. It bounced just from the gentle rocking of his diaphragm; the shampoo and conditioner had really worked their magic.

Getting a hold of myself, I was able to break the trance I'd been lulled into.

Focus.

On what, though? I couldn't text Ruff yet, everyone had said that I should wait at least another day to give her time to heal. I couldn't go to work, my shift didn't start for another three hours (I hated the late shifts, ugh). I couldn't even be productive around the house because I could wake Hiccup up.

Not that there was much I could really do around here besides make my bed.

I shrugged, that wasn't the worst way to spend my day. I walked into my room and looked around. I'd made a little bit of a mess last night. Pillows were strewn across the floor, casualties from a fitful night's sleep. Deciding that it'd be best to just start fresh, I slowly and methodically took the covers off my bed and bundled them by the door. I then grabbed the other set of sheets and put them on the mattress, one corner at a time. Soon, the dreary gray theme had been replaced with maroon.

It was calming to work without a sense of time. An entire could've passed since I started, or it might've been less than five minutes; it didn't matter. I can see why people liked to trim those bonsai trees now. I should get a bonsai tree. It didn't have to be big or anything, as long as I could trim it into something that at least partly resembled the one from The Karate Kid. My fantastic artistic skills could be a problem, but I could learn.

Even though this was a purely impulsive train of thought, I could see a few benefits. I would have something to care after, that was supposed to help people learn empathy. I hadn't had a pet since I was a little kid. My parents had bought their little daughter a pet snake. Definitely an unusual choice for someone as young as I was, but I was determined to be different then my other classmates that all had dogs or cats. It'd only been a harmless corn snake, but I'd never felt so badass (even to this day). I'd named her Stormfly and we'd been inseparable until one day she just disappeared; escaped somehow. It was devasting and even though my parents offered to get another animal, I'd refused. It hadn't felt right to replace Stormfly with another animal, but maybe a plant would be different.

Do people name plants? or do they just kinda think of it as 'that plant over there'? I think I'd end up giving it a name; George would be a good name for a bonsai tree as long as people didn't consider it cultural appropriation.

Hiccup's chest still rose and fell softly so I decided to go out for a run, which was only mildly surprising. I was in cross country throughout high school, but dropped it after graduation. Every few weeks or so I would get the urge to dip my toes back in, but I could always come up with a good enough excuse to wimp out of it. Not this time. I slipped on my old pair of running shoes and quietly exited the apartment.

I took a left out of the front doors and settled into my natural pace almost instantly. It was just like riding a bike and a smile broke through my determination. How could I let myself give this up? It was freeing, feeling the wind on my face.

Most runners ran with their heels slamming into the ground first, but I'd learned long ago that it was better for me to run toe to heel. That way I could use my ankles as shock absorbers and keep the momentum going. It also made me feel more onto of the beat.

My breathing started to become ragged after maybe half a mile, but I pushed through it. I'd never been the 'most fit' runner, but I'd had an endless supply of will. As I took another left, I remembered one of the races where I'd pushed myself so hard that I'd about collapsed as soon as my feet passed the finish line.

I had a vague route in my head. I wasn't entirely sure how long it was, though. Maybe three-four miles? Being completely honest with myself, I may be taking a bite bigger than I can chew. I always tried to pace myself to where I ran 100% of the time. walking, even if for a few seconds, was a personal defeat. I was also making sure to avoid Ruffnuts neck of the woods; didn't want to run into her before she was ready.

My mouth felt like it was congealing because my body was producing more saliva and mucus. It was one of my least favorite parts of running because I spit much more often and it was just gross.

Huffing, I jogged in placed while waiting to cross a street. Maybe I should've changed clothes too. Sure, it wasn't exactly summer weather, but it was just a little too much for sweats. I could feel the sweat running down my legs. At least I'd taken my sweater off, otherwise I'd look like I just jumped out of a pool.

When the white hand appeared across the street, I let the dogs loose and burst through the intersection. A car honked and all of a sudden there was a mustang grill a few feet from me. It was a mean car, black with red accents. The man behind the wheel was no different, with a hard face covered behind a bushy mustache. He glared me down but I returned the gesture and pointed at the signs.

As soon as I was out of his field of vision, I stopped and leaned against the wall. That was a close call. I may not have died, but bones definitely would've been broken.

"Crazy." I muttered. Pushing myself off the wall, I tried to regain the momentum I'd lost. One good thing about almost getting hit was that I was able to get my breath under control. I started running just a hare faster than before since I'd given myself a little break. At the next light, I hung a right to avoid crossing the street. Turning the corner, I hit a wall.

"Oh! I'm sorry." The wall said. He had straw blond hair and was wearing a brown shirt, and he was huge. Not Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson huge. More like a Scandinavian version of Jonah Hill. He quickly hoisted to my feet and started fussing about, making sure I was okay.

"How are you feeling? Is anything broken? One out of five falls cause a serious injury, do you need me to take you to a hospital?" I did a quick mental checklist to make sure everything was fine.

"I'm alright." I assured him, "Just a little embarrassed. I'm not sure how I missed you." My eyes widened as I realized what I'd said. "I didn't mean that – I'm so sorry." My face reddened considerably, but he just laughed it off.

"I am a little big, aren't I? don't worry about it, I'm very aware of how big I am and am quite comfortable in my own skin." I sighed in relief. I didn't want to make another person angry today.

"Astrid?" Shit.

Ruffnut was coming out of the women's clothing store that we were standing in front of. The big man looked at her, and then at me. And then back at her.

"Do you two know each other?" He asked innocently and Ruff eyed him suspiciously before asking her own question.

"Do you?" Her tone told me everything. She was accusing him; I could hear the hurt in her voice. I tried to tell her that he had no part in any of this and I had no idea who he was, but he beat me to it.

"Never met her before in my life, we just happened to run into each other and I started to talk to her while I waited for you to finish inside." He read the situation perfectly; his big brown eyes must've seen the tension between us and tactfully made the best decision.

Ruff's glare softened slightly, only to harden when she turned her gaze over to me. "And what are you doing here? did you decide to stalk me? I must say I'm surprised. That's more attention than you've given me all year."

The venom was dripping from the corners of her mouth and her eyes had narrowed to slits. I realized that the man I had run into was the mystery boyfriend when he got in between us; no one else would have the guts to face her head on like that.

"Get out of the way Finnian," Ruff growled, but Finnian stood his ground. He was starting to look uncomfortable, though. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"L-look, I can tell that you have a deep bond with this person," He stammered, glancing between the two of us. seeing the looks in our eyes, he gained some confidence and charged on. "I know what it's like to have a falling out with a best friend. We were inseparable but there was an argument right before we graduated high school and we haven't talked since.

"I would hate for this to happen to anyone else." Finnian held his hands up in mock surrender. "Now, I realize that I have absolutely no idea what happened-"

"She took in some homeless dude and after asking me to help her out, said that she thought he was a better friend than me." Ruff blurted. Finnian's mouth hung open and he glanced at me in shock.

"Wow, okay." He fumbled for a bit, and my face reddened as tears started to form. Even the person who was trying to help me was having trouble coming up with any sort of defense.

"Well, that's certainly not what I was expecting." He started. "But I'm sure that getting together and talking over comfort food could help. I'm going to assume that you haven't seen this other person, Ruff. Maybe it'd help if you met him."

"What! How can you take her side?" Ruff stomped her foot.

"I'm not taking any side; just trying to facilitate communication. I'll even cook something for you guys if you would rather speak in private."

I was more than ready to agree, but I kept my mouth shut. Ruff had to agree to it first. I just felt like if I seemed too eager then it could set her off once again. Ruff seemed to be chewing it over in her head; at least a foot was in the door.

At least Ruff was here. Sure, she may not have spoken to me since she recognized me, but the fact that she didn't go right back in and ignore was a victory to me. Even so, I started picking at my fingernails.

"…fine" It was only one word, but it made me want to jump for joy. It was a start, and a start was all I needed to rekindle our friendship.

"Great!" Relief flooded Finnian's facial features (gotta love alliteration). He must've been as sure that she would agree as I was, which was very little. "Ruff and I can go pick up some ingredients and you two can come over tomorrow night if you don't have any plans."

I quickly agreed and we decided to do it at Finnian's apartment so that he would have time to cook whatever meal he had in mind. Ruff still had her arms crossed, but she was glancing my direction occasionally.

"You look awful." I had no doubt she was right. I was sweaty and I could feel my hair sticking to my neck.

"I went for a run."

"You haven't gone for a run in years." It was embarrassing how many small details Ruff knew about me. Once again, I mentally slapped myself for ever doubting her. I refused to take all the blame, because there are instances where she was in the wrong. But to totally write her off for being human was just stupid.

I realized I never responded to Ruff. It was too late to say anything now, so I just kind of coughed awkwardly and nodded in agreement. She gave me a critical eye before grabbing Finnians hand.

"Let's go, I'll see you tomorrow, Astrid." They walked off and I was left alone. Jumping up and down to gain a little momentum. I jogged back to the dorm, a small smile on my face the whole way back.

I opened the door to my apartment and the hinges squeaked. Hiccup jumped awake from the sound.

"Hey Astrick." He slurred drowsily. I watched as the gears turned in his head. "Sorry about that. Typo."

"I didn't know humans made typos." I quipped and he shrugged with nonchalance. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"I did, until someone rudely woke me up." Hiccup sat up to make room for me to take off my shoes. "Did you go somewhere?"

"Went for a little jog because I was bored and may have run into Ruff and her new boyfriend – but it all worked out because he convinced her to give me another chance." I hurried that last part because Hiccup shot me a warning look. "It was an accident; I even tried to make sure to avoid her apartment, but she was out shopping and I sort of ran into her boyfriend."

"When people say that they 'ran into' someone that they don't mean it literally. Why do I feel like you're an exception to that rule?" Hiccup's eyes had razers in them; he loved it. He loved to banter with literary blunt daggers.

"Hey! I usually watch where I'm going." I knew I could be a little clumsy at times, but I couldn't let him know that.

"How did I meet you again?" Damn him. It seemed like my face had become permanently red with how embarrassed I'd been in the past few days. Hiccup was the ultimate word smith; I don't think I've ever had the last laugh with him. Or that I'll ever be able to.

I made myself a cup of coffee instead of fighting an uphill battle. Hiccup smiled in triumph.

We watched TV until I had to go to work. It had dropped a few degrees since the sun set and it was really hard leaving the apartment knowing I'd be frozen solid by the time I clocked in.

Work wasn't too bad either. Barely anyone came in to eat anything, so Booker was able to keep me company.

"So, how has life been treating you?" He asked when the last customer of the day waved goodbye.

"It's been exhausting."

"Ahhh, I understand completely – you've got woman problems, don't you?" Booker's deep laughter resonated from deep within his chest.

"I'm not some hormonal teenage boy, Books." I huffed, crossing my arms.

"So you admit that it is girl problems then, hah!" Another round of his deep thundering laughter lit up the restaurant. "I've worn that same worn-out look for years and years. Was it that friend of yers from a few days ago?"

"Among other things…" Booker put down a plate he'd been fidgeting with and gave me an ocular pat down.

"Ohhh, I see." His eyes widened before a smug smile appeared across his face. "You've also got boy troubles, don't you?

"Oh man, you do! I can see it in your eyes! Oh man, good luck, Astrid. No wonder you're so exhausted."

"Thanks." I gave him a halfhearted grin to offset the dry response.

"Can't say I've had too many problems with men so I can't give you too much help there, but you better tell me everything that happens; I'll make sure to bring the popcorn!" He gave another hoot and then retreated back into the kitchen to start shutting things down. Almost no one would come in this late and it was a safe bet that there wouldn't be another customer tonight.

And half an hour later, I was out the door and heading home. Luckily, no one had come in. Usually when I think those types of thoughts, I would jinx myself.

The apartment had never looked so inviting. Hiccup had lit a candle and put together a little meal for me. It was just a simple sandwich and some carrots, but it nearly brought tears to my eyes. Not only had he paid attention to my work schedule and new when I was getting off, but he decided to actually do something with that information.

I tried to thank him, but he wasn't having it and shoved a carrot in my mouth to shut me up. I bit it in half and was rewarded with a crisp snap; too bad we didn't have any dip.

After downing the sandwich, I vowed that I would make sure to do the same thing whenever Hiccup got off of work. He was going to go and apply to the places Ruff recommended to him tomorrow morning. I was more than confident that he would get at least one job; he was too good of a person to pass up. Any company would be stupid to reject him.

"What are you so worried about, it's just dinner." Hiccup's oversimplification didn't ease my nerves one bit because it wasn't just some dinner party, it was one of the big steps in mending my friendship with my childhood friend. It's probably one of the biggest and most important things I'll do all year (besides, you know, me ruining everything in the first place).

We were headed over to Finnian's house to try and get this mess all sorted out. Ruff sent me his address and it was less of a mile away so we decided to walk it. It was a crisp cool night and our breath lightly fogged up the way in front of us.

"Can you please be serious, Hiccup? I need you to make a really good first impression." I would've straightened his tie if he was wearing one, but he had been homeless less than a week ago and didn't have the finances to buy one. I did make him comb his hair, though.

I was wearing a simple dress, nothing too fancy. It was black with fake little silver gems around the chest area. Hiccup was wearing jeans with a solid blue t-shirt.

"Be serious? Why don't we try being ourselves instead? I'm pretty sure Ruff would rather be friends with human beings over a secretary." Hiccup grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop.

"Look, as cliché as it is, Ruff was your friend for a reason, right? How could fundamentally changing who you are make things better?"

"Because I wasn't good enough to be her friend." I was too tired to try and avoid the truth. It was as simple as that; I wasn't good enough.

"Astrid… that's not true. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Alright, Mr. Perfect. Maybe you don't make any huge mistakes-"

"Trust me, I am not perfect and have never claimed to be. I have made plenty of mistakes that will haunt me for years." Hiccup was more serious than I'd ever seen him. "I have been in your exact situation before, only I messed it up worse.

"I lost a friend forever. I'm trying to make sure you don't make the same mistakes I do." I was speechless; I couldn't imagine Hiccup losing a friend. All he'd done since I met him was look out for me, anyone would be lucky to be his friend. Had I put him on a pedestal without realizing it?

Hiccup decided that our heart-to-heart was over and yanked me back towards Finnian's apartment. We didn't say anything until we were waiting outside his solid oak door.

"Well," Hiccup blurted, a little impatiently. "Are we just going to sit here all night, or are you going to knock?" I raised my fist, but the door was intimidating.

Deal with it, I thought to myself, and punched the door. There was a muffled 'coming' from inside the apartment and I smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress once more before the door opened.

Finnian had a huge grin on his face when he saw me. He was wearing a dirty apron and a chefs hat as well.

"Astrid!" He pulled me into a big hug, which sucked because I'm pretty sure that there was tomato sauce on his apron. "I'm so glad you made it."

"It smells delicious," I commented. "I can't thank you enough." I turned to introduce him to Hiccup, but Hiccup was deathly pale. His eyes were locked on Finnian's massive body.

"Fishlegs?"

AN: I cannot tell you guys how happy I am to finally get this chapter uploaded. Midterms were crazy for me; I had three writing assignments and I put hours and hours of work into all of them and I was just too tired to work on this much. And then during spring break I went on vacation, which was a terrible idea with the outbreak. I really hope everyone is being safe and healthy.

I wanted to tell you guys about my delay with the updates, but doesn't like authors posting chapters with just authors notes, so I posted it on my bio. I also sent out a post on my Wattpad account so you could also follow me there for updates. I should be back on track to update next Sunday.

I also want to give a huge shoutout for all of you guys. I can't get over the fact that there wasn't a time between updates where no one viewed my stories; that is insane! That was a huge motivator when I was able to sit down and write this.

Please let me know what you guys thought of the chapter. What did you think of 'Finnian'? Do you like the direction this story is going? Is there anything you think I should change? Leave a review a or PM me, I'd love to talk about it.

Thank you guys once again, you truly are amazing!

(Stay safe please)