The day of their graduation project's final installment had arrived. And everything was set to perfection. Rows of chairs were lined in the garden, flowers adorned every corner, the improvised platform was neatly painted and decorated with flowy lace curtains that danced in the afternoon breeze. Guests were arriving and seating themselves, and pretty much all the seniors were already in their designated posts.

As long as there were no unforeseen delays in the schedule, they should be starting soon, so Jack decided it was time to check on the other fronts. After exchanging some casual parting words with his own team, Jack began his stroll around the venue. He kept his eyes and ears alert for any signs of trouble, but everything seemed to be under control. Once inside, he headed straight to the preparation room the girls had claimed as theirs. He knocked.

"Hey." Andy opened the door and let him in.

"We're all set out there. What about—"

Jack's words died in his mouth as his gaze fell on the girl in the center of the room. The beautiful blonde wore a long white dress, her silky hair had been arranged in a complex hairdo with tiny flower accents that were weaved together in a bun in the back of her head, her smoky eyes were fierce yet classy… all details that only helped accentuate her natural beauty. Whether she was aware of it or not, Astrid was glowing. And Hiccup was going to have a heart attack when he saw her looking like that.

He grinned. "Look at you, all stunning now that you don't have your cast on."

Astrid glared at him. Some things would never change, no matter the circumstances. "Don't you have anywhere else to be, dipshit?"

"Easy, bridezilla." Jack raised his hands to appease the girl. "As a matter of fact, I've been everywhere else. We're ready when you are."

At his words, the rest of the girls proceeded with the final touches to their appearances. They started smoothing their pink dresses, and adjusting the flowers on their hairs, and checking their makeups on tiny mirrors, and overall looking for blemishes too small for the untrained eye to spot.

Elsa came over with a veil and carefully tucked it into Astrid's bun, adjusting it over the blushing bride's face and shoulders. Once satisfied, she stepped back and glanced around the room with pursed lips. "Thoughts?"

"You did an amazing job with the dress, Elsa. It's perfect," Violet said, and Jack had to agree with her.

Somehow, Elsa had managed to turn an old grandma-style secondhand dress they had stumbled upon in a thrift shop in town into a disturbingly realistic-looking wedding dress. The upcycled dress was a sleeveless A-line dress with a classic sheer neckline, whatever that meant. It went down to Astrid's feet in light and flowy waves of tule that gave an ethereal graciousness to her steps. That, added to the jewelry and sophisticated makeup kind of made it look all too real.

Andy nodded. "As tradition dictates, something old…"

Jack gestured to Astrid's veil. "Something new."

"Something borrowed." Violet slid a finger across her own collar while pointedly looking at the silver necklace Astrid wore.

"And…" In perfect sync, Elsa brought the lily bouquet tied with a baby blue satin ribbon and handed it to her friend. "Something blue."

Astrid frowned as she accepted the flowers. "You do realize this is not a real wedding ceremony, right?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Jack smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that it's fairly easy to get ordained online nowadays."

Andy blinked slowly. "... You're joking."

He shrugged. "Guess we'll have to wait to find out."

"I swear to God, asshole, if you pull this crap on me, I will kill you. And I will tie your body to a rock and throw it into a lake so no one will ever find it."

"Such an innocent and pure young bride," Jack mocked, clicking his tongue. "Just try not to get blood on your dress, okay? Elsa worked really hard on it and I would hate to see her efforts ruined by your clumsiness."

"Thank you, that is so thoughtful of you, Frost," the other blonde mumbled dryly.

"You're welcome." Jack opened the door and looked back at the rest of the room. "So should we get this ball rolling or what?"

"There ain't no better time than the present," Andy sighed, tiredly, as he adjusted his tie for the umpteenth time. "Bridesmaids? If you could get in line, please?"

The rest of the girls nodded, grabbing their matching bouquets and exiting the room in order.

Lingering at the back of the line with the bride and her escort, Jack smirked. "The garden was already pretty packed by the time I came here," he confided. "Even our mighty headmaster is out there to bless your big day."

"Great," Astrid grumbled through gritted teeth. The poor flowers in the bouquet had their stems mercilessly crunched by her tiny hands.

"Lose the scowl, Hofferson. You're gonna smudge your makeup, and nobody wants that ruining the photos."

"How about I give you a black eye, huh? Would that ruin your stupid photos?"

"It would. So hold back until the ceremony is over, will you?"

"Jesus, you guys," Andy mumbled, scowling at the floor. "I am gonna pretend I didn't hear any of this."

Astrid closed her eyes, restraining herself from acting on her murderous instincts. She raised her fingers to her temples but stopped right before she could ruin her eyeshadow. Instead, she let out a disgruntled huff. "Why the hell am I doing this again?"

"The masses voted and they all wanted a wedding to happen." The silverhead shrugged. "And technically, you and Hiccup are the longest-lasting couple in our year."

"Why couldn't you do it?"

"Because Elsa and I are already singing at prom."

Astrid groaned, glaring at the ceiling. "This. Sucks."

"A little late to be complaining now, isn't it?" Andy mused with a hand scratching his chin in thought.

"I was kinda hoping a meteor would destroy the gardens and we'd have no choice but to cancel the whole thing."

"Hmm… Pretty sure we could still do it inside, like in the grand hall even if that happened." Andy reasoned.

Jack chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, you'd need a little more than a stupid space rock to cancel the event of the year."

"It's a fake ceremony."

"So why are you making such a big deal out of it? It's all just a big performance—"

She poked his chest with her index finger, hard. "Here's the thing, Frost: despite what you may believe, not everyone is an attention whore like you. Not everyone would voluntarily jump right into the spotlight like this."

"I'm guessing you're talking about yourself?"

"No shit, brainiac."

"Relax, Hofferson." Jack smiled, encouragingly. "You'll do great, everything will be fine, and in a couple of days, no one will even remember today happened."

"That comforts me none, asshole."

He looked at Andy, commiserating. "Hey, you can't say I didn't try." He checked the time on his phone. "Listen, we don't have time for this. So suck it up, woman." Narrowing his eyes, he locked gazes with the girl. In all seriousness, he instructed, "You're gonna walk down the aisle, and you're gonna do your part, capisce?" He waved a hand in the air dismissively. "Then you can sulk all you want later."

Calling for the attention of the rest of the girls as well, Jack took the opportunity to give the group a final run-through. "Alright, I'm gonna walk back to my post so we can get started. Are we all good with that?" Nods. "You can start coming out as soon as you hear the music playing and then it'll be just like we practiced."

Andy nodded. "Piece of cake."

"Yup. Questions?" Nobody had none, but Astrid kept tensing and relaxing her first and her eyes still looked wide like she was a deer caught in headlights. Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "Hofferson. Just breathe, okay? It's not that big of a deal."

"Yeah, babe. You got this." Violet smiled, encouragingly and gave the blonde an affectionate hip bump.

"Whatever happens, we're gonna be with you every step of the way," Elsa added.

Astrid closed her eyes, breathing in slowly. Then her eyes opened, sheer determination overriding her insecurities. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit." Feeling reassured that Astrid would be fine, Jack smirked. And attempting to ease some creeping nerves, he winked at the girl with his usual charismatic charm.

"Knock 'em dead, Astrid."

Hiccup was suffocating. His collar was too tight; the sun was hitting him too hard and there were too many eyes on him. He felt stupid with his hair combed back and that dorky-looking bowtie around his neck.

"Good Lord, why the hell am I freaking out so much?" he muttered, pacing back and forth on the small wooden platform as he rubbed his hands together. He could feel his hands getting clammy.

"Easy, my little baby-faced friend." Wilbur reached over to pinch Hiccup on the cheek. "You're freaking out right now because despite what you may have told yourself, this whole fake wedding shtick holds a lot more meaning to you than you realize."

Hiccup frowned. "Like secretly I've always dreamed of performing an onstage wedding in our schoolyard, humiliating myself and all the people involved in front of everyone I know for what, shits and giggles?"

"Okay, so maybe not that literally," Wilbur conceded, smirking. "But the mates for life, getting to spend your entire future with her thing? Definitely."

"That's… not making me feel any better."

Sorry, Hics. But it's the truth."

"Again, not helping, William."

"Relax, Haddock." Hiro rolled his eyes. "What's the worst that could happen? People see what a major sucker you are for Hofferson? Trust me, we've all known that for ages."

Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to run his fingers through his impeccably styled hair. "You guys should really work on your pep talks."

"Yeah, sure. We can do that, but later," Wilbur said distractedly. He nodded at the silverhead casually making his way to their little gentlemen's hub. "Now, we gotta get you married, handsome."

"Hey," Jack greeted, a little out of breath. "Are we doing this or what?"

"Just waiting on your pretty face," Wilbur said.

"All set on the bride's side?" Hiro asked.

"Yup." Jack nodded at Freddie, their officiant for the day. "Let's rock this."

"Last chance to bail," Wilbur sang as the four of them each took their places.

"Yeah, pretty sure someone's gonna strangle me with my own necktie if I do that."

"Fun," Hiro mocked.

Shortly, the wedding march started playing and one at a time, out came the girls, strolling down the aisle at the rhythm of the music with their pink dresses and the matching flowers in their hair. And then, came the star of the show.

Astrid's eyes were hard, making contact with no one, staring ahead unblinking as she was walked down the aisle. The girl didn't smile. She remained stoic like a white spirit swaying with its ethereal presence. Or a condemned criminal walking to an electric chair. But none of that grumpiness mattered to Hiccup; she stunned him at first sight nonetheless.

She was beautiful. Hiccup always thought that about her, but the vision in front of him at the moment was on a whole different scale of beauty. Astrid looked stunning. It made him feel butterflies in his stomach and it made his throat go dry. Her hair, her makeup, her dress—Hiccup couldn't remember ever seeing her in a dress before… it all made her look so… mature and different. He'd never guessed a couple of fashion tricks would make him feel the way he was feeling. It was like someone had poured a bucket of water right on his head.

By the time he returned to his senses, Astrid had finished her walk and Andy was patting him on the shoulder, grinning like a proud parent. Which was fitting… but also not. Unable to do much more than give her a sheepish smile and the curtest of the nods, he took her hand so they could take their place in front of the officiant.

Turning the microphone on, Freddie tapped it with his finger twice, getting all the attendants' attention. Solemnly, he started, "Welcome, family, friends, and random school associates. We are gathered here today, in this beautiful garden to take part in the fraudulent and completely not-legally-binding marriage of our very own Astrid Hofferson and Hiccup Haddock III. On behalf of our senior class, it is with great appreciation that I thank each and every one of you for taking time off your busy schedules to come celebrate with us this joyous expression of love. So thank you for coming today. This wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for all of you. Like, really."

Opening his little leather-bound book, Freddie looked at the couple and his warm smile widened. He cleared his throat. "I could not think of a pair more deserving of having this beautiful fake ceremony in front of the entire school than Hiccup and Astrid. 'Why?' you may ask. Because they are an attractive, popular, and totally dreamy couple that will make the most beautiful cherubic babies someday—sorry, can't talk about that, there are children in the audience." Freddie chuckled as if sharing an inside joke with the audience. "Where was I? Right. Hiccup and Astrid are both hot. And that may have persuaded our pick for figureheads. But that's not even the main reason why these two"—he pointed to the couple—"are standing right here at this exact moment. No, siree."

Heated by his own speech, the officiant slammed his book shut, took the mic off its stand, and walked to the front of the stage, forcing Hiccup and Astrid to turn to keep their eyes on him.

"These two, ladies are gentlemen, are the embodiment of all a marriage should be about. Yes, they are great people when apart, what with Hiccup's charming self-deprecating humor and golden heart and Astrid's takes no crap attitude—sorry, children—and drive. But they are even greater when they're together!"

"And I know what some of you are about to say: 'Freddie, they are too different!' and 'There's no way a couple like them could ever work'. Au contraire, my friends. Astrid and Hiccup are able to do something very rare in this day and age, which is to bring out the best in one another. They have what in physics is called synergy, which is nothing but a fancy way of saying that together, they are more than the mere sum of all their parts. And I believe that can only happen because they are true soulmates."

Slowly, Freddie made his way back to the pulpit.

"Now I know the vows you are about to exchange have no legal value whatsoever, but that shouldn't make them any less meaningful in the heart of this humble guy who speaks to you, in the hearts of our audience, much less in the hearts of you two, my dear bride and groom. Not only they are a symbol of your bond as a couple, but they are also a symbol of our bond, your extended family, to the both of you."

He looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup, my man. Do you promise to be this feisty lady's confidant and emotional support even when external forces may cause her to reach the verge of insanity? Do you promise to take care of her beaten-up shape and put her back up on her feet again? To respect her before anything else but also to keep her from resorting to violence whenever she's too pissed to consider a more civilized approach to her troubles? Do you promise to ease her heart in moments of need? Do you promise to be her friend, but most importantly, to be her lobster for as long as you shall live?"

Hiccup smirked. Freddie's speech had derailed from the version they had used during rehearsals, but he couldn't help but feel amused by it. It also made him wonder how much say the rest of his friends had had in those vows. Into the microphone, he announced, "I do."

Satisfied, the officiant smiled before turning to the bride. "Astrid, my dear. Do you promise to take care of this handsome one-legged boy we all love and care about like he was our own shared-custody pet? Do you promise to protect his idealism from the harshness of this awful world? To make sure that he doesn't overwork himself to death and to keep an eye on him for when he's thinking about doing something really stupid? Do you promise not to get mad at him to the point of breaking all of his bones with your bare hands, even if you have every right to do so? Do you promise to bring him down to earth when he starts drowning in a spiral of self-doubt? Do you, Astrid, promise to be his lady-lobster for as long as you shall live?"

Through clenched teeth came her answer, "I do."

Freddie nodded at the best man. "Jackson? The rings if you would be so kind."

The silverhead boy pulled a velvet box from his breast pocket and handed it to Hiccup. Awkwardly, the couple exchanged the novelty rings and Freddie raised both hands in the air.

"By the power vested in me by a fairly democratic election, it is with great pleasure that I now announce you Lobster and Lobstee. You may kiss the bride." Covering the microphone, he muttered in a low tone, "Real talk, though, try to keep it PG, okay? We don't wanna scar any innocent children today."

Endorphins pumping in his veins, Hiccup laughed as he pulled his girlfriend by the waist and dipped her for a long and romantic kiss. He felt Astrid stiffening in surprise, but he was too over the moon to process her discomfort. Cheers and clapping erupted from the audience, and soon enough, the newlyweds were being shoved around for congratulations. He was patted on the shoulders and pulled into tight hugs, and people were shouting in his ears and everything was a mixture of giddiness and nonsense until he registered that someone was speaking on the microphone once more.

"Hey, everyone," Jack said from the center of the altar, raising his voice to be heard over the mess. "So just to reiterate Freddie's words, I wanted to thank everyone again. This would not have been possible without all of your help." He winked at Hiccup and Astrid. "And also, congratulations to you two, may your married life be full of love and all that good stuff.

"Now, we were planning on buying one of those fancy seven-layered wedding cakes for today but boy, those do not come cheap." He laughed. "So we had to come up with an alternative."

With the snap of his fingers, the curtains around the altar came down, making visible to the audience the mountains of flour and milk and sugar packs that had been set up there long before the ceremony had begun. At the same time, a handful of seniors appeared pulling trolleys piled with all the basic ingredients necessary to bake a cake.

"At the end of the day, cakes are nothing but a bunch of stuff mixed together." Jack jumped off the stage, an egg already prepared in his hand. "So everyone please help yourselves to your share and let's get this party started!"

A wedding ceremony that ended in a food fight. How… memorable. Apparently, the mock battle was supposed to be cathartic. Hiccup had even sent her an article about organized food fights that had become tradition around the world so she wouldn't call their claim unfounded. But all she saw was chaos. And after the carnage was over, it left her sticky, grumpy, and with a ruined venue the seniors were supposed to return to its original pastoral glory. Over the course of the next couple of hours, hoses were brought from storage, chairs were washed, empty packages were bagged, pounds of that sad excuse of cake batter were gotten rid of and yet, they were still not done with the cleanup.

"This is disgusting," Hiro said as he pushed eggshells into a pile with a water spray.

"Didn't think that one through now, did you?" Andy mocked as he threw another shovel of flour paste inside a trash bag.

Jack huffed as he stopped sweeping for a moment and leaned on his broom. "We just underestimated the scale of things, big deal. It's not even all that bad. Like, I hear raw eggs are great for the skin."

Elsa shook her head. "You're an idiot."

He craned his neck so he could wink at her, and a streak of yolk started running down the side of his face. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"It wasn't a compliment."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly before returning to work. "All things considered, I still see the whole thing as a success."

"How did you figure?" Andy inquired, curiosity piqued.

Jack smirked. "Did you see North's suit? The thing was covered in so much gunk you couldn't see the fabric underneath."

"I guess it's not every day our mighty headmaster partakes in our brand of fun," Andy conceded, covering a laugh with a cough.

"I'm really hoping there were photos," Hiro mused. "That would be top-tier blackmail material."

The boys exchanged looks, communicating for a moment with facial expressions alone.

"We gotta get our hands on those pictures," Jack said at last.

Hiro nodded. "I'll see what I can dig."

"That's my boy."

Elsa blinked, her jaw ajar. Once more, she was taken aback by the casualty of the boys' interactions. Both incomprehensible and obvious at once, that odd sense of loyalty and kinship honed by years of working together as a team impressed her. "I'm not sure whether to feel disturbed or amazed by your hive mind."

Andy chuckled. "The latter. Pick the latter, Elsa."

"Give it a few more months and you'll be thinking just like us, Your Majesty."

"No, thanks."

The silverhead smirked. "You know what we should do? Bake a real cake."

"Didn't you already have enough cake for a day?" Elsa countered, frowning deeply.

At the same time, Andy admitted, "I'm down for cake."

Hiro shrugged, nonchalant. "Same."

"How does tonight sound?" Jack suggested.

"Fine by me."

"Don't forget to get the newlyweds, Wilbs and Vi."

"Just our usual crew, then?" Andy asked.

Jack slung his broom over his shoulders and shrugged. "I think we could all use a break from big crowds."

"Won't argue with you on that one," Hiro mumbled, nodding.

Andy finished tying a knot on his trashbag, then straightened up, looking around the venue with his hands on his hips. "Alright, so I think all that's left is to take these last bags to the dumpster and then take the rest of the equipment back to the shed."

Hiro stretched his arms over his head with a tired moan before mumbling, "Cool. 'Cause I don't know about you guys but I am in dire need of a shower."

Jack nodded. "Elsa and I will handle shed, and the bureaucratic part for the cake thing, and we'll reconvene again for dinner. For now, you're dismissed."

Hiro saluted. "Aye, aye, capitain."

"Later, Elsa." Andy gave her a quick nod as he walked past her.

Elsa smiled. "Thanks for sticking around until the end, boys."

"Any time."

As the pair left, conspiring among themselves about their evening plans, she then proceeded to sort out the assorted cleaning equipment they had borrowed. Working in silence, she made sure that brooms, dustpans, and everything else was properly clean before depositing them inside the wheelbarrow.

"You're awfully quiet," he casually said, joining her with the rolled hose slung over his shoulder.

"Am I?"

"Care to share what's going on inside that beautiful head of yours?"

"You volunteered me to get North's concession to your little escapade," she calmly stated as she meticulously added more items to the pile.

"Yeah, figured it'd be faster that way."

"And if I refused to help?"

He grinned. "I'd have to find creative ways to persuade you."

She rolled her eyes, shoving him out of the way. "Even if I do help, that doesn't mean I have to attend it."

"Come on, Elsa. Let's sneak into the kitchen and eat cake together like old times!"

When she finally looked in his direction, she realized he'd been giving her a big pout, paired with lawfully uncomfortable puppy eyes. She bit her lower lip, the corners of her mouth unavoidably tilting upwards. "I'm not stopping you from having your cake, Frost. I'm just saying all I want is a hot shower, a good cup of tea and my bed."

"Where's the fun in that?" he scoffed.

"I do wish you have all the fun tonight. But before that, help me take these back."

Serious and business-like, she pointed at the wheelbarrow, and Jack grunted before taking the handles. The wheels squeaked as they made their way back to the shed.

"Okay, in case that was too subtle for you, let me make something real clear here," he said as she walked next to him, watching out for any possible avalanches. "It's you I wanna spend time with, Elsa. The cake is just an excuse."

"You're so romantic." She rolled her eyes.

He winked, unfazed by her sarcasm. "You know it. So you're coming, right?"

"I'm not lying, Jack. I'm really, really tired."

"Isn't sugar supposed to pump you up?"

Elsa let out a snort. "Temporarily, maybe. You can't function on sugar alone though."

"Not with that attitude."

She bit her lower lip, swallowing down a frustrated groan. "... I need a break from you."

"Aw, you don't mean that," he chuckled, looking amused. Then, with a more somber tone to his voice, he added, "We'll keep it super low-key, I promise."

Well aware that he wouldn't drop the matter if he didn't have things done his way, Elsa exhaled, dejected. A piece of her mourned the warm chamomille tea and soft blankets she would not be seeing any time soon. "I'll think about it."

He glanced at her with an eyebrow raised and a smug dimpled smirk. "Anything I can do to help you make up your mind?"

"Stop looking at me like that for starters."

He shrugged with feigned nonchalance. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't—"

Jack abruptly stopped, making her stop in confusion as well. Not long after the wheelbarrow's legs touch the floor, his hands were on both sides of her neck, angling her face towards his. Thumbs pressed against her jaw and glaring at her as if annoyed, he wet his lips.

"How come you're covered in flour and you still look so damn beautiful?"

"You're an idiot," she huffed. Without her noticing, her hands curled on the front of his shirt, tugging him infinitesimally closer.

His eyes narrowed even more. "Why, thank you, Your Majesty. That's very kind of you."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not complimenting you?"

Breaking out of his enraged character, a chuckle slipped past his lips. Their noses touched. "Yeah, but you still love me, right?"

Her hands slid up to his shoulders just as his tightly wrapped around her waist. "Stop being so full of yourself, Frost."

Lips lightly grazing hers, he smiled.

"Make me."

Violet sighed. It was a weird, involuntary reaction from her body trying to fill the inexplicable void she felt growing in her chest. Unable to help herself, not two minutes later, she sighed again.

"What's wrong with you?"

Violet looked up, resting her head against the wall she'd been leaning against, and stared at Wilbur, who had just finished throwing all the trash bags in the dumpster and now looked at her with a frown on his face.

"Nothing. Flour is making me itchy, I guess." She shrugged, nonchalant.

"I didn't know sighing a lot was a symptom of itchy skin," he mocked, shifting his weight between his feet.

She shook her head as she pushed herself off the wall. "Can we get out of here? The garbage stench is making me wanna hurl."

"Sure." Side by side, they started heading back through the narrow concrete path. "But don't think I don't know what you're trying to do here, Parr."

"What am I doing, William?"

"You're deflecting."

Violet laughed, flipping her caked hair over her shoulder. "Like you even know what that means."

"Harsh." Wilbur pouted, faking hurt, then, with his hands in his pockets, rolled his shoulders back. "So. What's got you all moody now?"

"You think that tone is gonna make me wanna open up to you, asshole?"

The boy smiled, apologetic. "I've been trying to adopt a more of a blunt honesty policy lately."

"Since when?"

He hummed, scratching his chin in thought for a moment. "Last night?"

Violet huffed. She crossed her arms to threateningly glower at him. "And I'm supposed to be your test subject?"

"Actually, Hiro is usually my guinea pig for social experiments. You're something else."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Stop deflecting, girl, and tell good ol' Wilbs here what's on your mind."

Violet pressed her lips tight, eyebrows knitting together in annoyance. "You are the last person I would ever tell what's on my mind right now."

"Why?"

"Because you already left once! You've proven that you're more than fine moving on."

"Where's this coming from?" Wilbur's head tilted to the side, confused.

"Nowhere, I just—" She groaned, more annoyed at herself than anything. "I think it just dawned on me that graduation is coming up real soon."

"Which is for some reason a bad thing…"

Violet shook her head. "Of course you wouldn't get it."

Her aggravation was seemingly contagious, and he waved his arms around, frustrated. "Hey, I'm trying!"

"Just say it to my face."

As if in pain, Wilbur shrieked, "Say what, woman?!"

Violet came to a halt, stomping her feet on the pavement. "That I'm being ridiculous!"

Wilbur's mouth opened. He blinked. It felt like an entire century had passed before the boy moved again. He shifted his weight in slow motion, then let out a slow exhale. His eyes were sad when they met hers. "Look. I think I get what you're saying. You've spent years in this school. In many ways, this place is your life. The people you met here are your family. And you're scared of losing… all this." He made a wide circle with an arm, encompassing their surroundings. To emphasize his point, he added gently, "You're not being ridiculous."

She clicked her tongue, not fully convinced. "Right."

"I mean it. May not look like it, but we're all on the same boat."

"Even you?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Of course." He smiled, albeit with some melancholy. "You just gotta learn to put things in perspective."

Violet didn't say anything for a while, so as the awkward silence stretched itself between them, he added, quietly, "Things change, Vi. There's no stopping that. It can be scary, and it can suck sometimes, but you just gotta keep going."

"Great."

"There's gonna be good moments too, you know. Also, you have people in your life who'll be there for you no matter what. Don't take that for granted."

"Yeah, that's part of the problem though?" she snarkily said, insecurities making her intonation lose strength. "Being surrounded by people who got their shit together all the time. Like, when was this 'get your future sorted out' party everybody went to, and why the hell was I the only one not invited to it?"

"Okay, now you're being ridiculous. Having your shit together? Please." Wilbur laughed, shaking his head. "We're teenagers. We try to look cool for everybody else but inside we're all freaking messes trying to figure things out as we go. It's called the duck syndrome."

"I hate it."

He shrugged. "You're allowed to. Just like you're allowed to feel insecure right now."

For a second, she considered denying feeling that way, but there really was no point in doing so. He could read her like an open book, and he knew that.

"I—this place is my comfort zone," Violet grudgingly admitted. "My safety net in case I fall from jumping too high. Being the wreck of a human that I am in this nice and cozy little sandbox is fine, you know what I mean? But this is all gonna be gone in less than a month."

"Find a new safety net then."

"Easier said than done."

He hummed, deeply in thought. "Why not us? Your little family away from home?"

"What, you expect me to dump all this depressing talk in our group chat?"

"If that's what will make you feel better."

"Not really, no."

"Figured. Seriously, though…" He stopped, hand squeezing her arm in a comforting gesture, and her pulse sped up more than she'd like to admit. He swallowed heavily. "You're not alone, Vi. You said I was fine moving on? That's not the case at all, believe me. But you're tough, and you're smart, and a lot more put together than you give yourself credit for. You just gotta step out of that dark place in your brain more often. Trust me if you don't trust yourself."

"I don't do well with expectations, dude," she grumbled, trying to sound mad as she moved away from him. She curled her arms around herself, rubbing flakes of dried flour off her skin to give her idle hands something to do.

Wilbur followed after with long strides. "Yeah, I don't either, but we all gotta start somewhere, am I right?"

She rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smirk threatened to form on her lips.

"Try not to struggle on your own, is what I'm trying to say. 'No man is an island' all that…"

"Sure, I'll do my best," she mocked with exaggerated cheerfulness.

"That's the spirit," he returned with the same level of emotion, making her laugh.

Feeling her chest a little lighter, she smiled a genuine smile at him. "Thanks, William. You're not so bad for a total dumbass."

He winked. "You're very welcome, Violet. And if you—"

His phone buzzed, and she waited, curious as he read whatever text he had just received.

"Okay…"

"What happened?"

He looked up. He was frowning. "Uh, Hiro said we're having a bake-off tonight."

"Sounds like a disaster."

"Yeah. That means you're in, right?"

"Fuck yeah I am!"

"You look significantly cleaner."

Hiccup couldn't help but grin at her voice. Dusting his pants while he got up, he glanced from over his shoulder at the stable's entrance to find Astrid leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. her hair was down, still damp from her shower, which he found amusing for some odd reason.

"Pretty sure I used my entire bottle of shampoo though," he said as he shoveled more hay into the feeder.

"Same," Astrid mumbled as she joined him.

He moved to the next stall, gesturing for her to open the door for him. "You found me."

"Wasn't that hard." She shrugged. "You're a pretty predictable guy."

"Alright, smartass." Hiccup rolled his eyes, trying to look offended, but the smile on the corner of his lips gave away his real emotions.

"So…" Leaning over the Dutch door, Astrid tapped her finger against the wood. "A Hello Kitty ring?"

"Jack lost the rings, so we had to improvise." His eyes landed on the pink glittery band on his girlfriend's finger. "Kind of an upgrade from the ring pop if you think about it."

She frowned. "How, exactly?"

"That one's bejeweled."

"Rocks are overrated. I'll take the candy one any day," Astrid grumbled, absentmindedly rotating the ring around her finger.

"Good thing I got you this, then." Hiccup smirked as he pulled the tiny plastic package out of his pocket and tossed it in her direction.

"Thanks."

Done with the animals' meal, Hiccup grabbed two brushes and headed back to Toothless' stall. Astrid joined him, taking the spare brush and running long strokes along the horse's fur, and soon, the sound of the hard bristles scraping against the animal's skin filled the stable.

Stealing glances at Astrid's focused expression with that silly lollipop bulging one cheek from across the horse's enormous body, giddiness overtook him. He giggled, making her glare at him in response.

"What?" she snarled.

"Nothing, just…" Hiccup hummed, prolonging the suspense, much to the girl's disgruntlement. "I'm your lobster now. And you're mine."

"I'm allergic to shellfish."

"Wait, are you really?"

Astrid's reply was a mere shrug. She narrowed her eyes. "I don't get it. Why on earth do you look so happy about it?"

"Because it's fun!"

"Only an idiot like you could find a moronic farce like that fun."

"There are probably nicer ways you could have worded that," Hiccup mumbled, scowling at the girl. "I mean, I'm not denying the whole thing wasn't a bit silly—"

"If by that you mean a lot."

Ignoring her interruption, he pointedly continued, "It just made me think about the future, you know?"

"... What are you saying, Hiccup?"

He paused, running his words again inside his head for their hidden meaning, confused. And then he realized he'd been talking about a fake wedding ceremony. His and Astrid's wedding ceremony, to be more precise. His eyes widened. His entire face burst into flames as he stuttered, "I—uh, I-I meant our friend group being grown up and stuff and still finding ways to mess around together."

She shifted her lollipop around inside her mouth, in thought. "I'd like to think that my days of food fighting were behind me, thank you very much."

"Yeah, I could live without that too, actually," Hiccup conceded, chuckling. "But the friends for life part? I wouldn't mind that part being real."

"Wow, you're being sappier than usual today, aren't you?" Astrid laughed, derisive. Done tending to the horse, she went to return the brushes back to their original storing place as Hiccup locked the stall behind him.

"Again with the words, m'lady."

"It's not my job to sugarcoat things for you."

"Speaking of sugar…" Hiccup smirked with a raised eyebrow as they met again by the stable's front. "Looks like we're having a little kitchen excursion later."

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask you… How the hell did baking a simple cake turn into a competition?"

Hiccup hummed, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "I'm a little unclear on that one myself. But maybe it won't be that bad…"

"Oh, it will be that bad. I'm 100% sure it will be that bad. Or worse."

He laughed, shaking his head amused. Leaning closer, he nudged her hair with his nose to murmur, "Well, try to look on the bright side, Miss Glass Half Empty."

"Which is what, that I won't end up with eggs in my hair this time?"

"Sure, that too, but I was thinking about how having us divided into teams means there will be more cake for all of us! Oh, and that winners don't have to do the dishes."

"There's that, I guess." She clicked her tongue, kicking gravel irritatedly.

"Uh-huh. So what kind of cake are we making?"

"Who said you're gonna be on my team?" she snorted.

"Whoa. We've been married for what, two hours? And you're already leaving me for another person."

She stared at him, dead serious. "I don't wanna do the dishes, Hiccup."

"... Glad to know where your priorities lie, babe."