Quick AN: I uploaded chapter 8 of my other story on here by accident. I'm so sorry for any confusion!

"Hiccup?"

No one spoke for a solid minute. Hiccup was staring at 'Fishlegs', and he was staring right back. I was going back and forth, not fully comprehending how they could possibly know each other. This city wasn't massive, but there are thousands and thousands of people here.

Finnian basically shoved right by me and threw his arms around an astonished Hiccup. His mouth was slightly open before he gingerly put his arms around Finnian as well.

"What, are you friends with Astrid's buddy as well?" Ruff came down from one of the side hallways. She was wearing a moss-green cotton long sleeve with a deep purple cardigan that rested just below her hips. Her hair was tied up in her

When neither of them answered, Ruff stomped her foot. "This is ridiculous, now he's stolen my boyfriend, too."

Finnian snapped out of the trance at Ruff's outburst, although his words lacked the same energy.

"We-we went to high school together." Finnian spoke softly, like he'd just come in contact with a ghost. "I haven't seen him in years."

"I can't believe this." Ruff groaned. "Why don't you just replace me entirely, Hiccup was it?"

Hiccup finally tore his eyes off of his childhood friend and looked at the other person in the room. "I'm so sorry about ignoring you, I just didn't expect to see…" He pointed towards Finnian. "Him here. My name is Hiccup, which you already knew… umm, it's nice to meet you."

This was the first time I'd ever seen Hiccup fumble with his words. I could see the gears turning in his head, but all he could seem to focus on was Finnian. Deciding that it'd be best if I helped him out, I very gently smacked him on the back of his head.

Hiccup let out a little yelp, but held out his hand as a peace offering. Ruff looked at like she was considering biting it, but thankfully she ended up just shaking it.

"Now that everyone knows each other, can we come in?" Finnian motioned for Hiccup and I to come in and there was a slight tingling in my spine as I crossed the threshold. Whatever happened in here would change everything.

It took everything I had in me not to figure out just how much Hiccup and Finnian knew each other. Why weren't they still in contact? Why didn't Hiccup try and stay at Finnian's apartment when he was homeless? Or did he, only for Finnian to reject him?

Focus, I told myself. One messed up relationship at a time.

"Alright Finnian, spill." Ruff, on the other hand, had no such restraint. Her arms were crossed and there was a hard edge to her eyes.

He tried to start, but fumbled with his words every time. His hands were waving all over the place to try and convey what his brain could not.

"He and I went to high school together." He finally said. Ruff huffed and nodded impatiently.

"Yes, you said that earlier. What else?"

"Hiccup was the person I was talking about when I tried to get you guys to agree to meet up. We used to be inseparable, the two of us. I still can't believe I'm seeing again, and that apparently he was homeless?" He turned towards Hiccup. "What happened?"

Hiccup shrugged shyly. "It just kind of happened. I couldn't find a job and then I couldn't afford my apartment."

"But what about Val? Surely your mom would never turn you down if you needed somewhere to stay while you tried to get back on your feet?"

"She's in the hospital. Most of my money has gone into making sure that she's as comfortable as she can be." Finnian's jaw dropped, like it literally hung open. I could see his uvula.

"Val's in the hospital!?" He pulled Hiccup into another bone crushing hug. Ruff looked at me and I could tell she felt just as uncomfortable as I felt. We just kind of stared at each other and she jerked her head into the kitchen. I don't even think they noticed us leaving the room. Or if they did, neither of them acknowledged it.

We walked into the kitchen and the faint smell of tomato sauce thickened exponentially. The pot on the stove was just starting to boil over so I quickly blew on it before stirring the pasta noodles. Ruff followed suit and checked on the sauce and meatballs. Men just couldn't be trusted with cooking, it seemed. Always getting distracted.

"Spaghetti and meatballs, Finnian sure knows comfort food." It was official; I sucked at small talk. Ruff gave me an are you serious look and sighed.

"It was my idea." Ruff said. "I didn't want anything fancy, although you're dressed for a five-star Michelin restaurant. Are you trying to impress me or something?"

"I just didn't want to mess things up. I wasn't sure what kind dinner this would be and I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"You don't look very comfortable in it." Ruffnut remarked and I nodded, because, well, it wasn't. It was restricting my leg movement. "Here, I should have some spare clothes for you in the spare bedroom."

I poked my head into the main living room as Ruff left. Hiccup and Finnian were sitting on the couch talking quietly. I couldn't make out what they were saying. Hiccup's legs were to his chest and Finnian's hands refused to stay still. They both glanced at me once or twice while they talked.

"Here, the bathroom is down the hall." Ruff came back and tossed me a pair of red men athletic shorts and a cotton shirt from a local amusement park. She used to wear these clothes whenever we had sleepovers. I gave her a quick 'thank you' and excused myself.

I gratefully changed and when I came back out, Hiccup and Finnian were in the middle of some secret handshake; I couldn't help bursting out laughing. They quickly put their hands behind their backs.

"Aww," I fake pouted, "Are you guys upset that someone witnessed the ultra-secret handshake?" In all reality, there makeup was giving me hope that Ruff and I could do the same thing, just without waiting years and years to do it. Granted, I still didn't know why they stopped being friends in the first place.

"Actually," Finnian said, "I was testing him to see if he still remembered the Dungeons and Dragons code." He seemed so proud of his answer, I just couldn't keep myself together.

"Like that's any better!" I wiped a tear from my eye. "Oh man, that is the nerdiest thing I have ever heard anyone say. I wouldn't be surprised if you could speak Klingon." Finnian smiled broadly.

"Well actually Hic-" Hiccup shoved his elbow into Finnian's stomach and coughed loudly.

"Shouldn't you be making sure that dinner isn't on fire or something?" Hiccup elbowed him again to make sure that he got the message.

"Oh, right! Dinner!" Finnian quickly excused himself and dashed into the kitchen. Hiccup looked at me innocently.

"So, the secrets out of the bag." I said slowly, taking full advantage of the situation. "Hiccup is a certified nerd. Who would've guessed?"

"it's not my fault. I was diagnosed with nerdness since I was a kid." Hiccup put his head down solemnly with his hands clasped in front of him. "The doctors said there was no cure. I'll be stuck like this forever.

"At least I don't look like I'm ready for a rom-com marathon sleepover."

I lightly punched his shoulder. "Doofus." Hiccups sad façade slipped away as he chuckled lightly. I glanced into the kitchen and saw that Ruff was staring at us with a weird look on her face. Her eyebrows were lightly scrunched together. She quickly averted her gaze when she noticed that I noticed her.

The rest of the time leading up to the dinner was relatively uneventful. I tried small talk a few times unsuccessfully with Ruff or Finnian. The only positive aspect was that Hiccup and Finnian seemed to be getting along really well after their living room talk.

I wished I'd known what they'd said; I could use it to help with Ruff. Although maybe I would find out tonight because they said they were there to help, not to gawk at the latest Star Wars news.

Dinner was uneventful too. No one said anything except for telling Finnian that the spaghetti was amazing. It wasn't a particularly hard dish, but it was one of the best comfort-foods out there and I had stuffed myself.

After dinner, we were all just sitting behind our empty plates, avoiding each other's gazes. Anytime I caught someone's eyes, we both immediately looked a different direction. How was I going to make things better if I couldn't even take the next step?

After what seemed like an eternity, I'd finally had enough of trying to sneak around the bush. "So, are we gonna stare at the ceiling until the sun rises, or are we gonna do something?"

"Well," Finnian said, "That's certainly one way to go about it." He gave a little chuckle to try and lighten up the mood. No one else laughed.

"I think it would be best if Hiccup and I tell you guys our story." Finnian glanced at Hiccup for a green light, who nodded slightly to proceed.

"Like I've said before, Hiccup and I used to be inseparable. I've known him since elementary school and always had at least two classes together; it was like fate was making sure that we were friends. just like you guys – er girls – we had many sleepovers and late nights together."

"But, of course, things change. And, of course, it was because of a girl." Hiccup seamlessly picked up where Finnian left off. "I'm ashamed to say that I was the reason why Finnian and I haven't spoken to each other in a very long time.

"It was our senior year of high school and still thick as thieves. Then there was this new girl named Heather. Finnian was head over heals for her, but she asked me to go to prom with her instead. I, being a scrawny hormonal teenager that had barely said more than a few words to a girl as beautiful as her, accepted without thinking about how my actions would affect my relationship with my best friend.

"I, being insanely smart, decided that it was something that I could try and keep from him." A slight gasp escaped my lips and Hiccup glanced at me. "Yeah, it was one of the stupidest things I've ever done; I realize that now."

"So," Finnian picked up, "When I found out from one of the other students that my best friend was going to take my crush to prom without telling me, I was pretty pissed.

"I confronted him. Things got heated and we both said things we didn't mean. Hiccup tried to fix his mistake by cancelling with Heather, but it was too late for me. I ignored him until he stopped trying and I talked to him since."

We all sat in silence for the next few moments, absorbing it all in. It was like something you'd see in a tv reality show, or read in some fanfic. Those types of fallouts just didn't happen in real life.

"One thing I don't understand is why, after all the pain Hiccup put you through, is why you seemed so eager to see him again." Ruff said. "I mean, it sounds like he ruined your senior year and yet you welcome him into your apartment with open arms?"

I'd been wondering about that too. They made it seem like it was nothing more than a simple disagreement, but it was so much bigger than that.

Hiccup glanced at Finnian before answering. "Well, we were both young and stupid back then. And we've both had a lot of time to think about it. I came to the conclusion that one bad experience shouldn't have ruined that strong of a friendship. There aren't too many people like Fishlegs, as I'm sure you've noticed Ruff.

"I went to call him to try and make up after graduation, but I'd gotten a new phone recently and his number hadn't been transferred over. I decided that it was a sign that I should let him go, only to find out that he'd come to the same conclusion as me all those years ago."

"As much as I hated Hiccup for betraying me. I might have done the same thing back then if someone that pretty asked me out. Neither of us had had a girlfriend at the time." Finnian admitted. "We're all humans, and as humans it is inevitable that we make mistakes. That's what make's us human. As long as get back in the saddle and learn from the experience, then everything should work out.

"I mean look at me. I didn't get Heather, but I ended up dating you Ruffnut; someone far superior in my textbooks." Ruff blushed lightly and I smiled. I was very happy for them. I could tell that he really cared for her. And, even more surprising, was that she cared for him too.

Ruff. She'd taken more men to bed than I was willing to count. Yet, here she was, dating Finnian. The man was a giant teddy bear (no offence to him, I just would've never guessed that was her type from her previous record).

Hiccup got up and grabbed everyone's plates before heading to the sink. "Finnian and I have missed a huge chunk of each other's lives because we were unable to communicate and own up to our mistakes. Don't make the same mistakes that we did."

Finnian nodded in agreement before grabbing the cups and joining him in the kitchen.

"It's crazy how well they know each other still," Ruff commented. "They end on bad terms and don't see each other for years, only to hug it out and act like they were never separated. I can't wrap my brain around it."

Ruff and I just stared at them. Hiccup was washed and Finnian dried before putting them away. They didn't even have to say anything to one another.

"Do you think we're like that, Ruff?" I asked. "Do you think we could be?"

Ruff just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think I've seen anyone with a friendship quite as strong as the one they have."

My heart fell, but she was right. Not everyone could have something so unique. Ruff gently grabbed my hand as a shooting star slowly crawled its way down my cheek.

"Maybe we can try, though."

"Alright, so what is the deal with 'fishlegs'?" it was after dinner was all cleaned up and we were lounging around in the living room. Ruffnut, Finnian, and Hiccup were on the fake leather couch and I was splayed out on the one-person chair. I was laying on it sideways to maximize my comfort.

Hiccup chuckled. "It's just what everyone called him back in the day. It was just some mistake he made in science class one day. Since he was regarded as the smartest person in the building, he was never able to live it down. Fishlegs being Fishlegs took it in stride and was never bothered by it. We all used it more and more often and eventually it just sort of replaced his real name.

"Even the teachers started calling him that. I remember spending hours trying to convince him to get it legally changed when he was old enough." Hiccup let out another laugh as he dredged up other memories from his childhood.

One time they had saved up two months of their allowance money to be a Star Wars Lego Set, only for it to be sold out because it was December.

We ended up sharing stories all night. I told Finnian and Hiccup about the time in junior high that Tuffnut had managed to get gum in both Ruff and I's hair on picture day. We'd ganged up on him and the black eye we gave him was forever immortalized in the yearbook. The principal had tried to get Tuffnut to take another picture, talking about how it 'misrepresented the school atmosphere'. Tuff had thrown a fit and demanded that it stay in.

It was surreal; if a stranger walked in on us, they could've thought we were all friend and not the dysfunctional group that we actually were.

Unfortunately, the night had to end. It was well past midnight and everyone had work tomorrow. Yes, even Hiccup. He'd already gotten a call back from that grocery store and they wanted him to start as soon as possible. Before Hiccup and I departed, Ruff gently grabbed my arm and asked for a moment alone.

"I get it now." She said when we got into the kitchen.

"Get what?"

"Why you said what you said to me. I won't pretend that it didn't – doesn't – hurt, but after meeting him and seeing how you two interact. I get it." Ruff gave me a knowing look, only I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be knowing.

"Thanks...?" I thought about asking what she meant, but I decided to just leave it be. I was content just knowing that our friendship wasn't just hanging by a tether anymore. She gave me that knowing look once more before pulling me into a hug.

There were tears coming down both of our faces when we let go and I pulled her right back in for another warm hug.

After another minute, I softened my grip and we parted. We rejoined the boys, who seemed to have had another heart-to-heart while we were away, hand in hand.

"Are you ready to go, Hiccup?" He looked at me and tossed my jacket.

"Are you? Don't you need to give Ruff her clothes back?" Oh yeah, I was still wearing her pajamas. I went to go to the bathroom, but Ruff stopped me.

"Don't worry about it, just give them to me next time." My eyes nearly popped out when she pulled Hiccup for a hug. "You take care of her, you hear me?"

"Of course." He didn't hesitate and Ruff smiled.

"Good."

"Alright then, you two need to get going." Finnian said and before I knew it, we were out in the icy embrace of the night. The cold wind bit my defenseless legs and tousled my hair.

"I can't believe I wore a stupid dress instead of pants and long underwear." I muttered. At least there wasn't any snow or ice on the ground; I felt like I would shatter into tiny icicles if I fell.

A puff of white frost escaped Hiccups mouth as he laughed at my discomfort. "No one to blame but yourself. At least were only a few blocks away now."

A few blocks was too far for me so I suddenly broke into a sprint.

"Hey!" Hiccup laughed again as he ran after me. I would let him almost catch up to me before igniting another burst of speed and leaving him in the dust. The chilly air prevented me from overheating and I was having an absolute blast.

I came to a stop outside the door to our apartment complex and even did a little victory dance when Hiccup caught up to me. He was panting heavily and his nose was as red as Rudolph's on Christmas Eve.

"Not… fair…" He muttered between gulps of air. "You didn't tell me we were racing."

"Not everything is a competition, Hiccup." I chided. He glared at me, but only for a moment.

"I know it was all by chance and that you never intended for it to happen, but I really want to thank you for reuniting me with Fishlegs. Life really hasn't been the same since our fallout. I know I was a little distracted tonight and wasn't able to exclusively focus on you and Ruff but it looked like it worked out in the en-"

"Can we go inside?" I interrupted. I'd been standing still and my adrenaline high was fading. "It is really cold out here."

"Oh yeah, of course." Hiccup quickly opened up the door and soon we were surrounded by fluffy blankets on the couch drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows.

AN: Look at me, updating on schedule. What did you guys think of the chapter? Where you happy with how dinner went down? Do you think my story is bad? Is it too boring? Has it lost the touch it had in the beginning? I personally think that there's a little too much dialogue in this chapter, but that's just me.

I wanted to thank MarleneMCA, hiccstridontheland, and Candy_lover00 for adding this story to one of their reading lists! That's awesome! Thank you, I really appreciate you guys spreading my story around.

I also posted a teaser chapter of the sequel to The Hunt for Bill. I'd love it if you guys checked it out and told me what you thought. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted because this story is my focus right now and I'm still ironing out all the details. We'll see.

You guys can skip the next part if you want, it's just me talking a little bit about my creative process.

So, every story that I write on here, I experiment with different styles and techniques. My first story was in third person and it changed characters. This one is first person and solely from Astrid's perspective. The other one I had a lot of material to work off and had a light outline on where I wanted the story to go. This one is completely improvised (The sequel for Hunt for Bill will be 100% planned out before I start writing it seriously in case you were curious). I'm not sure what I'm going to write until it's on the word document. It's been a lot of fun, but I'm almost through with this leg of the journey, and if I want this story to continue to grow, I need a new drive. Some new problem for Astrid to face. If you guys want to leave any suggestions in a review or PM me, I'd love to hear what you have to say!

See you next week and stay safe!