=Normal POV=

It had been a week since Hiccup was left heartbroken by Camicazi on the day he got home from his eighteen-month tour of duty, then went to her apartment to propose; only to find that she was in bed with someone else. After the argument at his father's house, Hiccup learned that Camicazi had been cheating since the night of her nineteenth birthday in August 2010, which was also their four-year anniversary of dating, and Camicazi had only done it because she assumed she wasn't first in Hiccup's life. The pain of knowing that was excruciating, and Hiccup refused to stay in Camicazi's presence afterward; that's why he left with Toothless, and got himself a motel room. Hiccup's twentieth birthday was on Wednesday, but today was Sunday the 26th, and he was still at the motel. Hiccup had let his father and Gobber know where he was so they wouldn't panic about him taking off in a sad state of mind. Yet, Hiccup asked to be alone, and his father and godfather were happy to respect that as long as Hiccup promised to check in once a day with one of them.

Hiccup mostly stayed in the room, but he would go out for a fly with Toothless at night when he knew nobody could see him in the dark sky. Hiccup would wear all dark colors, and the flight took his mind off things for a bit. However, when he was back in the motel, it would come back and he'd be miserable again. Hiccup hated how much it hurt to know Camicazi was unfaithful to him over everything he went through in Afghanistan, but a small dose of comfort resided in the fact that at least he caught Cami cheating, and now, he couldn't be lied to again. Hiccup had blocked Cami's number from calling and texting him. Also, he removed her from Skype, and set her e-mail to the spam folder so he wouldn't have to see it. Today was one of those ones where he just wanted to lay on the bed and try to relax. Much to his dismay, there was a knock on the door. Hiccup sighed as he got up and turned the handle. Hiccup laid eyes on Thuggory, Eret, and Cody standing there.

"Your dad told us you'd be here," Cody said.

"We went by to see if you were okay because you haven't been answering any messages," Eret informed next.

"Gobber and your father wouldn't say what happened to make you ghost on everyone, they said we'd have to ask you," Thuggory mentioned. Hiccup sighed as he moved out of the way and motioned for them to come into the room. The three friends sat down somewhere, then Hiccup closed his eyes.

"You three know that I planned to ask Camicazi to marry me when I finally stepped foot on island soil. Well, I got there with a dozen roses, and the ring, then I found her in bed with another guy," Hiccup said. Eret, Thuggory, and Cody gasped, their eyes widening in shock. "And when I asked how many times she had cheated, she told me since her birthday and our four-year anniversary. I questioned why, and her reason was that she assumed I didn't have time for her anymore. That…I had changed, was distant, and seemed uninterested all the time when we talked. I told her that it was because of all the deaths, that I didn't want to burden her with. Of course, after she found that out, she felt guilty. I told her to leave, and she wouldn't. I decided to go instead, and I've been here since," he explained.

"Why didn't you come find one of us, Hic?" Cody inquired.

"I don't know. I guess I knew you all had your own lives, and we'd just gotten home. All that aside, I wanted to be alone for a bit," Hiccup shrugged as he sat on the edge of the bed with his arms draped over his thighs, and his head down.

"Hiccup, you're our best friend. Regardless of just getting back or not, you can always come to us," Thuggory sat next to him.

"I know that, Thug, but come on. You all have girlfriends, and families too. I didn't want to intrude on anyone's homecoming. As I said, I wanted to be alone to think about how to deal with this," Hiccup enlightened.

"That doesn't matter to us. If you need a place to go, a shoulder to cry on, or just someone to listen; we are here for you," Eret reminded.

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it," Hiccup tried to smile.

"Anytime," Cody nodded. "Have you figured out what you're gonna do?"

"Well, I can't be with her. If she had…cheated once in a drunken stupor, or told me what she did; maybe I could forgive it after some time. But this, actively knowing what she was doing because she chose to do it? Added to the fact that she cheated on me before my two-week leave, and acted like nothing happened, then continued to sleep with someone else after I left? No. I can't…forgive that. I told her before I went last week, that perhaps I can forgive what she's done, but I'll never forget, and also that there would never be an us again," Hiccup informed softly.

"What did you do with the ring?" Thuggory inquired.

"Over there in my bag. I can't get pawn it, or give it back because it was custom made. And it seems like a waste to throw it away," Hiccup sighed.

"You could pawn it to a jewelry store, Hiccup. They could replace the band to remove the names, and change out the stones on top. There is no sense in keeping it, and if you ever got with someone else to the point of asking for their hand, you wouldn't want to propose with a ring you were willing to give your ex," Eret stated.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true. I don't know if I'll ever get back to where I was with Camicazi, guys. You know I loved her with my everything, and she just threw it all away on…what? An assumption that I didn't care about her? That she didn't…take priority in my life? Did…joining the Marines do this? That's…what it feels like," Hiccup closed his eyes.

"Hiccup, don't do that. Don't go beating yourself up about your choices. You joined the military because you wanted to follow in your dad's and godfather's feet. Cami knew that, and she told you she supported it," Cody put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, you didn't do anything wrong. Camicazi lied to you, man," Eret added in.

"Come on, Hic. And don't put yourself in the mindset that you can't be happy because of this. The way I see it, she just isn't the one for you. I'm sure there is someone out there who will support your choices, and prove it," Cody told him.

"Someone who will love you unconditionally, and remain faithful, honest," Eret smiled.

"Someone who will be there, and give you their full heart no matter what," Thuggory finished. Hiccup looked at them, and for the first time in a week, he gave a genuine smile.

"Thanks for cheering me up," Hiccup responded.

"It's what friends do. So, come on. Let's get you set up with one of us for a while until you decide what you want to do next. I assume you're staying away from your dad's because Cami keeps coming around?" Thuggory asked. Hiccup nodded.

"Mmhm. Dad messaged me a few days ago saying that she is flying over once a day trying to see if I'm there," Hiccup confirmed.

"Well, Dahlia and I live together, but we have a spare room," Eret stated.

"But you two are also engaged, and planning your wedding for Fall of this year, Eret," Hiccup chuckled a little. "I can't step in on that, and Cody, you live with Kirsten at her place now,"

"Well, you got me, Hic. Britt and I don't live together, we're still taking things slow because of the past. However, I got a one bedroom with a pullout bed inside the couch," Thuggory smiled. "Stay with me,"

"Alright, but only until I find my own place." Hiccup remarked.

"Works for me," Thuggory beamed as he put his arm around Hiccup's shoulders for a hug. After that, the boys helped Hiccup pack up his things, then turn the key in at the courtesy desk before they grabbed their dragons and went to Thuggory's apartment. Once there in Meatsfield, Hiccup got settled in the living room, and thanked his friends again for being there for him. For now, Hiccup would stay with Thuggory, but he planned to find his own apartment to live in. All this going on, and he would be returning to work in three weeks, and he needed to recover from the heartbreak still. Hiccup was going to be a busy guy, but it would be worth it to get back to work because it'd be a distraction. Also, getting his own place could signify that he was starting over, a chance to heal and move forward in life.

{Seven Weeks Later; April 2012}

Hiccup was officially twenty-years-old and the proud owner of a first floor one bedroom apartment in Arc City. And thankfully because his apartment was more South; he could still report to the Berkville Military Base for work. Hiccup hadn't wanted to do much for his birthday, but Eret, Cody, and Thuggory threw something together for him, and invited his father and Gobber to come too. April also marked two months since the breakup with Camicazi that Hiccup was still struggling to accept and cope with. Nobody blamed him though; the guy spent his entire deployment planning to propose to a girl he was madly in love with, only to find out she had been cheating on him over a bullshit assumption. Hiccup knew things were over with Cami, but that didn't make the pain any less challenging to deal with. Hiccup has pawned the ring and got almost half back of what he paid for it in the first place. Hiccup took things slow with removing old memories regarding him and Camicazi.

It started with deleting pictures of them together, then tossing old gifts, and finally changing his relationship status on his social media account. Hiccup made sure to block Cami on there too, so she couldn't contact him. Even with all that done; he had not recovered from what she did, and that was to be expected as they had been together for four years, and she was unfaithful on their anniversary and six months more after that. Returning to work had helped out a great deal because he was busy, and distracted. The friends helped Hiccup find an apartment, and assisted him in moving in as well. The place Hiccup lived now was in an apartment complex on the first floor. This compound was called Dreki Homes, and it had a total of seven buildings, one of which was the central office. Everything else was apartments. Dreki Homes also had a gym, pool, and stables for dragon owners. Hiccup's apartment was on the first level of a four-story building labeled as A.

The layout was simple and two ways to get inside; one from the entrance to the building and walking down a hall, or because he was on the first floor, Hiccup had access to his apartment from the stable and patio entry. Hiccup was the only one who used the outside way in, but for anyone else, they would have to be buzzed into the building. From this point there were eight doors, four on each side. Hiccup's was in A-2 on the right after being let in; the first thing someone would see is the open concept kitchen. The stable/patio entrance would bring a guest in through the sliding glass doors connecting to the living room. It was a beautiful place, and he only paid $925.00 per month, which included his rent, heat, electricity, and boarding for Toothless too. Stoick, Gobber, Eret, Cody, and Thuggory helped Hiccup furnish the apartment, and unpack to get settled in. Hiccup also made sure the military got his change of address, and now Hiccup spent his days working, flying Toothless, and sitting at home trying to pick up the pieces of his broken heart because of Camicazi's betrayal.