=Normal POV=
[Saturday, 6/11/2022-4:30 pm]
[Isle of Berk; Bazirk Residence]

As it was known about months in advance; Dagur and Mala decided to do military housing, off base. The house wasn't ready and all the paperwork needed to be completed still, which is why Heather and Mala came to Berk with the twins to finalize everything. Thankfully; they were moved into the house now. It's was a nice three-bedroom one and a half bathroom, two-level home. There was also a two-car garage and nice-sized, fenced in backyard for the kids to run around and play. Heather and Mala got most everything all set up on their own, but Fishlegs helped some too when Mala and Heather needed some extra hands aside from the movers. Heather would be living with them, obviously, but Hiccup said he'd probably either live with his parents again, or take up military housing on base. Hiccup hadn't yet decided because he still had four months on his deployment, so there was time. As for the next two weeks; he would be staying with Dagur, Mala, Heather, and the twin Bazirk children. Hiccup would be staying in a small room that was likely meant to be a den or office.

The picnic was now over, everyone returned to their homes after saying goodbye. It had been a nice little reunion, mostly chatting and catching up since no one had seen Hiccup in eight years except his parents and Gobber. Snotlout and Adelaide didn't see Hiccup much other than quick visits over the years, and only when Hiccup came home for his leave time from deployments; this was the same for Stoick and Valka, but sometimes, the two of them and Gobber would make the trip to visit Hiccup where ever he was stationed at the time. Now, The Bazirk Family, and Hiccup were at Dagur and Mala's new house.

"Ain't gonna even try to deny how awesome military housing is," Dagur said once he stepped through and door and got a good look around at the house and Mala now lived in.

"Pretty nice," Hiccup agreed. "You only get this level of housing if you're married, through," he added.

"True," Dagur nodded.

"Hiccup," Heather grabbed onto his arm with a broad smile. "You…Want to catch a movie tonight? My room or yours?" she offered.

"Uh, rain check?" Hiccup replied. "I'm…Kind'a just looking to grab a shower and some sleep," he added.

"Alright, no problem," Heather laughed a bit. "See you tomorrow?"

"Probably," Hiccup nodded. "Night, guys," he waved, heading to the room he'd been shown where he could stay for the next two weeks. As soon as Hiccup was out of sight; Dagur faced Heather sternly.

"You need to back off, sis," Dagur stated.

"What am I doing?" Heather inquired.

"You've been awfully clingy to him since he saw Astrid again," Dagur informed.

"I ain't worried about her. Hiccup isn't gonna take her back; it's been eight years, and he's said he doesn't care what happened in the past; she hurt him," Heather responded.

"It doesn't matter, Heather…The interactions between Hiccup and Astrid are proof enough that the feelings between them still run very deeply. And as long as there is love; there is a chance it can mend the wounds and bring them back together," Mala interjected softly.

"Hiccup and I have been talking about getting together. We're the same age, we have a lot in common, we go on dates all the time…Well, at least until the tour came up we did. We e-mail, instant message, and Skype all the time-," Heather started.

"I'm just forewarning you that if you push too much; you're gonna push him away," Dagur cut her off. "You're gonna do the same thing others have, and all he's gonna see is that you're no different,"

"I'm just…Trying to show him that he'd be happy with me," Heather remarked. Unknown to them, Hiccup had actually come back to get something he left in the car, but he happened to overhear the conversation regarding him.

"Heather, you don't get it. The only person Hiccup is ever going to be happy with; is Astrid," Dagur sighed heavily.

"He's happy with me already!" Heather glared slightly.

"For Odin's sake," Dagur facepalmed hard. "Heather, it's always been her, and it always will be. You, as all the others, can't take Astrid's place in his heart and life. Hiccup has said this to you, me, Eret, and Thuggory. Right before the first tour, in fact. No matter where he goes, what he does, or who might be with. Until the day he takes his last breath; he'll always love her,"

"But you can move on and love someone else more," Heather countered.

"Heather! Listen to me! You will fail, like all the others have. And it's not because you've done anything wrong, but due to Hiccup being unable to move on from Astrid. He loves her; he never stopped," Dagur argued.

"It's just because they need to clear the air and put what happened behind them; a lot was left unsaid eight years ago," Heather crossed her arms over her chest. "There was no closure. That's why I told her to talk to him earlier, so it can be officially over and Hiccup can move on with someone else; hopefully me,"

"You're living in a fantasy," Dagur mumbled. "Heather, what do you think is gonna happen when Hiccup and Astrid finally talk? Hm? It seems from what we heard that maybe things were a misunderstanding and Astrid has been patiently waiting all this time to get a chance to tell Hiccup the truth of what happened that day," Dagur enlightened. Hiccup's eyes widened a little. Did all this happen while he was on the phone? Astrid wanted to talk to him about what happened eight years ago? "Heather, once they clear the air and there's no more barrier between them; they are going to end up back together. Mark my words; they will,"

"You don't know that," Heather huffed.

"I know it. Eret and Thuggory know it. Hiccup's parents and unofficial uncle know it. Hiccup's friends even know it. The only people who don't know it are Hiccup and Astrid. It's going to happen, Heather. And if you truly care about Hiccup the way you keep saying you do; you'd let him go. Alright? And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it doesn't happen. But don't you think you should at least give it a chance and see what happens?" Dagur remarked. Heather didn't say anything. "I'm not telling you what to do, sis; I'm just trying to prepare you for what could happen now that they are back in each other's lives. I don't want to see you put your all into this, despite good intentions to make Hiccup happy, and end up hurt," Dagur kissed her forehead.

Hiccup stood there a moment before saying screw it to whatever he was gonna get and going to his temporary room; he needed to sit down and process what the hell he just listened to. Or maybe get that shower and some sleep; then think about it all tomorrow when he wasn't exhausted. Sighing, Hiccup grabbed a change of clothes, and headed for the bathroom on the second level to shower.

. . .

[Friday, 6/17/2022-5:45 pm]
[Bazirk Residence]

Tomorrow would mark one week since Hiccup had been home on his two-week leave, and for Hiccup; he'd spent most of the time with his parents, conversing with Snotlout Adelaide, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut. The biggest thing Hiccup did, though, was think about everything he overheard last Saturday. Hiccup wasn't mad or anything; just confused and unsure of how to react or respond to the information. Eight years had gone by, and apparently everyone thought he and Astrid needed to talk. Sadly, Hiccup had this same desire long before overhearing what he did. What got to Hiccup was Dagur telling Heather that everyone knew he and Astrid would get back together. That was probably the craziest thing Hiccup had heard in eight years. But there was more than just that to take in; it was everything he had heard about interactions, that he and Heather likely wouldn't work out because she and all the other girls were not Astrid.

"I just gotta talk to her and get it over with," Hiccup sighed, finally deciding on a course of action. Hiccup wasn't sure what would happen after they talked, but that couldn't be determined until they spoke; that need to happen first. Hiccup knew how to contact her, despite the time gone by, so he grabbed his phone and went to locate Astrid on Skype, which would start by unblocking her. Once Hiccup did that; he went to send her a message, but he was interrupted by Mala coming to the door and knocked on the frame. "Hi, Mala. Something up?"

"Your friends are here to see you," Mala smiled.

"Thanks," Hiccup slipped his phone away and moved to greet his friends, whoever had come. Hiccup was surprised to see Snotlout, Eret, Thuggory, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut there. Even Dagur. "Uh…Hi?" he waved. "What's up?"

"Come on, get ready," Snotlout informed.

"Where we going?" Hiccup wondered.

"Don't ask question; just do it," Eret mumbled.

"Excuse you; I'm YOUR boss, Trapp," Hiccup reminded. "I ain't going anywhere until I know where and why?"

"We set you up a blind date for tonight," Dagur said.

"Why? Your sister and I were gonna do something tonight," Hiccup stated.

"No, you ain't," Dagur shook his head.

"Thought you said you didn't care if we dated?" Hiccup arched a brow.

"I don't, but we both know you two won't, bro," Dagur sighed. "You like Heather as a little sister; it would never work between you two. Come on, that's how your friendship started; sibling-wise," Hiccup didn't say anything at first. He honestly couldn't argue; it had been playing around on his mind too.

"So, now that it's settled you won't be dating the person who is basically your sister…" Thuggory chuckled.

"Get ready, and move it. You have a date for 6 pm at Drake's Nest; we put it under Haddock," Fishlegs smiled.

"And it would be rude to cancel," Eret said.

"I'm not in the mood tonight," Hiccup informed. "I was…Thinking about messaging Astrid to talk to her," he admitted.

"You can do that anytime. Plus she's busy tonight," Tuffnut said.

"So you got nothing to lose by going," Dagur added in.

"Ugh, you guys are killing with these dates…Fine," Hiccup mumbled as he went to his room and quickly changed into black jeans, a button down green shirt and his brown sneakers. Hiccup grabbed his light brown jacked, wallet, phone, and keys. "Just gonna fail…"

"You don't know that," Tuffnut snickered.

"Now, go; it's already 5:50…" Snotlout ushered. Hiccup eyed his friends, and cousin; they were up to something. "Have a good time!" he called as Hiccup went out the door and left the house once buckling and backing out of the driveway. The guys high-fived and grinned.

"It's perfect that he wants to talk to her…" Fishlegs stated.

"Now, we just gotta hope the girls are doing their part and that this works…" Snotlout looked at them.

"All we can do is hope," Dagur added.

"How mad you think he's gonna be when he figures out it's a set up?" Thuggory wondered. The males shivered at the thought. "Yeah…I feel ya. Let's hope he'll be in a good enough mood not to kill us…Haddock rarely misses," he gulped.

. . .

[5:45 pm]
[Hofferson Residence]

"I don't want to go on another blind date!" Astrid glared at Minden, Adelaide, and Ruffnut when the proposed the idea.

"Come on…It's not like you're doing anything else tonight," Minden tried.

"And we already set it up, so go get ready," Ruffnut stated.

"Ugh! Fine, but this is the last one. I'm not doing anymore…" Astrid sighed angrily as she hurried to change and then grab her things.

"We put it under Hofferson!" Ruffnut called.

"So ridiculous," Astrid muttered as she fixed her clothing; a light, slightly off-the-shoulders blue shirt, black leggings and gray, ankle-high UGG boots. Astrid kept her hair down with just a little bit pulled back and in a braid.

"You look great!" Minden clapped her hands.

"It'll be fine, Astrid. Come on, trust us…" Ruffnut tried. "Now, hurry along. Reservation is at 6 pm,"

"Have a good time!" the three girls yelled as Astrid left her parents' house in her car. Ruffnut and Minden left and made sure the door was closed and locked for Astrid, since she clearly forgot to do it. "We're so dead when this is over," the three girls sighed before leaving to get in Minden's car.

"Let's meet up with the boys," Adelaide said as Minden and Ruffnut nodded, and they left to get to Dagur's house.

. . .

[6:00 pm]
[Drake's Nest]

Hiccup arrived and headed right inside. "Hello! Welcome to Drake's Nest," greeted an overly cheery voice from the hostess.

"Hi, thanks. Uh…My incredibly nosey friends decided to set me up on a blind date…They said they put it under Haddock?" Hiccup stated, hating it.

"I have you right here, no worries," the woman smiled. "Come, right this way. When your date arrives; we'll bring her right to you,"

"Thanks," Hiccup said, following the woman. Hiccup was taken to back booth and sat down as the menu was set in front of him; then the hostess walked away. Hiccup sighed heavily; he was sure he could survive an hour or so. When he got back, his friends were gonna get told straight up that this was the last time. Hiccup was tired of blind dates and everything; he was beginning to accept that nothing would ever come close to what he had with Astrid. The only one who was close was Heather, but that would never work as Hiccup did see her as more of a sister than a possible lover. Hiccup took a deep breath as he just sat there, and waited.

Back at the podium, Astrid walked in five minutes later. "Hello, welcome to Drake's Nest,"

"Hello," Astrid smiled. "I was told by my pushy friends that they set me up on date and it's under Hofferson?" Astrid informed.

"Right this way, Miss. Your date arrived just a few minutes ago," the woman smiled, having Astrid follow her to the table where Hiccup was. "The waiter will be right over," she said. The sound of her voice got Hiccup to turn his head and see Astrid standing before the table. Likewise, Astrid sat him sitting at the table she'd been led to.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"Astrid?" Hiccup blinked.

"What are you doing here?" the two of them said at the same time.

"Blind date, set up by Minden and Ruff," Astrid replied.

"Blind…Date as well, set up by the guys…" Hiccup informed. Instantly; it hit them.

"Oh, my Gods!" Astrid covered her mouth.

"Those fuckers set us up on a blind date with each other!" Hiccup growled a bit. Hiccup sighed. "I'm sorry, Ast; I…Had no idea. We don't have to do this, and as soon as I get back to Dagur's I'm whopping all their asses…"

"Well…I mean, we're already here," Astrid shrugged. "I was at home thinking about what to do for dinner anyway…Want to just…Stay and eat?" she offered.

"Guess there's no harm in it…I could eat," Hiccup responded. "Um…Sit, please?" he motioned to the spot across from him. Astrid slid into the seat and set her purse down beside her leg. "So…How's life?" he asked the obvious question.

"Average, I guess. I, uh, finished college a week ago today," Astrid smiled.

"That's great for you. You went for…Vet, right?" Hiccup inquired.

Astrid nodded. "Yeah, that's right. I forget how good your memory is," she laughed a bit. "I'm also a CNA," she added.

"Must be busy," Hiccup stated.

"Well, I did CNA as place-holder, I suppose. Way to work, and pay for college," Astrid informed lightly.

"Do what you gotta do," Hiccup agreed. "How are your parents?"

"Both good. Still married, obviously," Astrid replied. "How about yours, and Gobber?"

"Good, all good," Hiccup responded gently.

"So your job…Went with the military after all?" Astrid wondered.

"Seems like the right place for me after some debating with myself after everything…" Hiccup said softly. The waiter came over smiling.

"Hi, folks. My name is Ander. Can I start you with something to drink?" Ander asked.

"Ladies first," Hiccup offered.

"Uh…Mountain Dew, please?" Astrid asked.

"Certainly, and for you, sir?" Ander inquired.

"Carona, with lime, please," Hiccup handed the waiter his license, knowing that question was coming next. The man smiled, nodding, and handed the card back. Hiccup put it away in his wallet, and returned the object to his back pocket.

"I'll be right back with those for you," Ander smiled and walked off.

"Didn't take you for a drinker," Astrid chuckled.

"Not often, but now and then," Hiccup shrugged.

"I'm not knocking it," Astrid stated. "So…What's the story with you having a dog because he's adorable,"

"Oh, Toothless?" Hiccup smiled. "He's a military dog; used for sniffing out buried bombs, sensing others around, stuff like that," Hiccup informed lightly. "I got him right after the first tour, wasn't given a choice and since I was the highest ranking between my unit, made up of Dag, Eret, Thug, and me; I got the lucky job of being his handler. Toothless was a rough dog to work with in the beginning; very distrusting to others, snappy, etc. But…I worked with him, and I guess we're besties now," he laughed a little. "Follows me everywhere, and I think right after the second tour; I adopted him as mine. Took a bit of fight to do that legally, but since he won't listen to anyone except me…Made sense that I'd keep him,"

"So…Why the name Toothless?" Astrid arched a brow.

"No idea; just kind'a came to me and he responded during training. The name stuck," Hiccup shrugged.

"What kind of dog is he? I can definitely see Husky," Astrid pondered.

"Husky/Wolf, actually," Hiccup corrected.

"Well, I was half right," Astrid giggled a bit.

"You usually weren't wrong from what I recall," Hiccup chuckled.

"Shut up," Astrid mumbled playfully. The waiter returned, setting the drinks down and smiling.

"Have we decided on our meals this evening?" Ander pulled his pad out.

"Uh…Chicken Farfalle, please?" Astrid replied.

"Seafood Gorgonzola," Hiccup stated, handing both menus to Ander.

"Excellent choices, I'll go put that in and have it out soon for you," Ander then walked away again.

Hiccup and Astrid were quiet a few moments, sort of taking everything in. The scenery, lighting, atmosphere in general. It was nice for them to be able to sit and talk normal, but there was unspoken tension between them and a slight awkwardness to be on a date. There was no other way to put as their friends set this entire thing up to get them alone with no one else around. Hiccup wondered if this was their attempt to get the two of them to talk; it had to be. Why else would Dagur outright state not to bother dating Heather, and pushed the date so hard? Hiccup mentioned wanting to talk to Astrid, and they still pushed things. What else was Hiccup left to believe? Hiccup knew they needed to talk, no matter what; it had to be tonight.

For Astrid, she too had wanted to speak to Hiccup, but unfortunately had no way of contacting him. Tonight might be her only chance, and not to mention. Hiccup would be returning to war for another four months next week. Sure, there was no telling what would happen after this between them. Astrid wanted Hiccup back; another chance to right what she wronged eight years ago. But, if nothing else; she would take friendship and at least have him in her life that way. Perhaps this would bring them together, or it would help them move on finally. But above all else; they needed to talk. Astrid didn't want to lose her chance to speak with Hiccup, so it had to be tonight.