6 months later
It was a day. A strange, weighty day.
Everything was fine. Or at least, that was what Elsa kept telling herself. If she repeated it enough, maybe it would become true. No one had mentioned Jack. And if they did, it was in passing, treating the relationship like any other short-lived romance, the kind that faded quietly into memory.
The story had already been written, told, and accepted. Their friendship had drifted. The marriage had been fake. That was all. There was no romance at all.
Only Astrid and Hiccup knew the truth. Only they understood the real reason for the parting...the impossible weight of past lives, of choices too painful to say out loud.
For a man who never changed his plans for anyone, Jack had once intended to transfer to Berk for work. It had been set in stone, a step toward something new. But when the time came, he didn't. He stayed behind. Hiccup had been the one to go instead, settling into his engineering position with The Edge, a Haddock-owned company.
And yet, today felt different. Off-kilter.
Jack was coming after all.
No one knew why.
Yesterday, Hiccup had announced it so casually that it felt unreal. Jack would be working alongside him at The Edge, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. As if it weren't the most complicated thing imaginable.
So here Elsa stood, in Hiccup's house, a drink in her hand, surrounded by friends. A welcome party had been thrown for the man who once made her believe in love.
The dress she wore was red. She had grown strangely fond of the color, though she didn't know why. It wasn't a shade she typically reached for, yet there was something about it that felt right tonight. Maybe it was the way it stood out, bold and unyielding, as if daring her to feel something other than the tightness in her chest.
Beside her, Ruffnut was in the middle of an animated, unapologetic monologue about her boyfriend, Eret. She spoke with the confidence of a woman who thought she was the leading protagonist in every room she entered. Her gestures were exaggerated, her smirk infuriatingly smug.
"And then," she drawled, flipping her hair over one shoulder with a flair that belonged in a soap opera, "he smacked me on my juicy ass."
Elsa barely had a second to process the words before her body betrayed her. A sharp inhale turned into disaster, and suddenly, she was choking on her drink, coughing violently as her eyes widened in sheer, unfiltered horror. She slapped a hand against her chest, gasping for air.
"Goodness, Ruff!" she wheezed, barely regaining control of herself.
Ruffnut, however, looked thoroughly unimpressed. She rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically like she was the one suffering. "Ugh. How boring."
With no warning, she planted a firm hand on Elsa's shoulder, her expression shifting from smug to deeply, concerningly serious.
"So tell me, child," she said, lowering her voice as if she were about to impart some ancient Viking wisdom, "you aren't constipated, right?"
Mid-sip, Elsa froze. Her brain completely short-circuited. Of all the things Ruffnut could have followed up with, this was not on the list.
Very, very slowly, she set her drink down. As if that would somehow make the situation less insane.
"Why in the world would you ask me that?"
Ruffnut shrugged as though she had just asked about the weather. "You look stuffed. And your butt cheeks are clenched."
A long, deep exhale left Elsa's lips. Her grip on reality loosened slightly.
There was no winning here. She had spent enough time around the twins to know that most of the time, surrendering was the best course of action.
"Yes, Ruff," she deadpanned, exhaustion pressing into every syllable. "I am absolutely, painfully constipated."
The reaction was immediate. Ruffnut's eyes lit up as if she had uncovered some great cosmic truth. A victorious grin spread across her face.
"Told ya!" she declared, before slamming a hand against Elsa's back so hard she nearly catapulted forward.
Elsa caught herself against the counter, a stunned, betrayed look flashing across her face.
"Take some laxatives," Ruffnut continued, undeterred, "and you'll be pooping like Tuffnut."
A long, deeply suffering silence stretched between them.
Elsa simply stared. Blinked. Considered every choice in her life that had led to this moment.
It was information she never wanted. Never needed. And yet…now she had it. Against her will.
That Tuffnut had diarrhea. Constantly.
Her voice came out dry. Hollow. "Thank you, Ruff. You're so wise."
Ruffnut scoffed, flipping her hair again, her stance shifting to one of pure superiority. "Of course."
She checked her phone, scrolling with a bored expression before her lips curled into another smirk. "Okay, Eret's calling me. Probably wants to smack my ass again."
Elsa groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples. "Ruffnut! Please. No details."
A wicked glint flashed in Ruffnut's eyes. "Fine. For now." With a wink, she turned on her heel. "Love ya, sista!"
A quiet chuckle slipped past Elsa's lips despite herself. "Love you too."
As Ruffnut disappeared into the crowd, Elsa grabbed another drink and took a very, very long sip. She needed it.
Across the room, Astrid caught her eye, her expression a mixture of amusement and deep concern. She mouthed, Why are they like this?
Elsa just shrugged. Life with the Nutts was chaotic, confusing, and often deeply disturbing. But, somehow, she wouldn't have it any other way.
The noise of the party hummed around her. Friends lost in their own worlds. Ruffnut and Eret, tangled together and utterly shameless in the corner. Fishlegs gesturing wildly, making Heather laugh so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes. Snotlout locked in a heated argument with Mindy, who looked seconds away from smacking him. Tuffnut having a serious conversation with Chicken, nodding solemnly as if the bird's silence was actually a profound insight.
And then there was Astrid and Hiccup.
By the doorway, adjusting balloons, but not fully paying attention. Their eyes kept flickering toward Elsa. Concern laced in their expressions.
They didn't know what to say. How to act. Jack's return had cast a strange guilt over them. Like they had played a role in the universe pulling him back into her orbit. A part of them hoped things would work out. A part of them wanted it.
Elsa walked toward them, shaking Astrid's shoulder in a playful way. "Milady, would you like any help?"
Astrid turned, a small smile playing at her lips as she opened her mouth to respond.
Then came the sound.
A quiet click.
The door unlocking.
The air in the room shifted. Energy crackled.
The handle turned.
Slowly, the door swung open, and there he stood.
Jack.
Her Jack.
The response was immediate. The moment he stepped inside, the room erupted with cheers, a chorus of voices calling out together.
"Welcome!"
He smiled. That same effortless, charming smile. Moved through the crowd with ease, laughter slipping from his lips.
He looked the same. Handsome, dressed sharply in a dark green suit that complemented his icy blue eyes.
And yet…he wasn't.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.
The way he spoke. The way he moved. The way his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
Astrid and Hiccup greeted him with warmth. They didn't notice.
But Elsa did.
He was Jack. And yet…he wasn't.
Her breath felt tight. The walls suddenly closer. The noise distant and muffled.
She needed air.
Stepping onto the balcony, the cool night hit her like a sharp inhale of reality.
Hands gripped the railing tightly as she lifted her gaze to the sky. The vast, endless expanse of darkness stretched above her, jeweled with stars that shimmered coldly in the distance.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, fast and unsteady.
A soft, unexpected wetness trailed down her cheek.
Lifting a hand, her fingertips brushed against her skin, startled to find the warmth of a tear she hadn't realized she had shed.
And in that moment, she understood.
It wasn't just her who walked through life with a broken heart.
Jack did too.
The weight of it all settled deep within her, pressing against her ribs. The past would never truly leave them. It lingered in the spaces between, in the shadows of unspoken words, in the ghosts of memories that refused to fade.
For the first time in a week, Elsa closed her eyes and let herself feel it.
The grief. The love. The ache of something that had once been, and the knowledge that it could never be the same again.
And inside, the party continued. The voices of her friends carried on, unaware of the storm brewing in her chest.
And then a pair of hands joined her on the railing.
"You look stunning."
Sorry for the late updates. My uni has kept me busy. I'll be making sure to upload one chapter once a week. I only have 10 chapters left!!!
And thanks to the guests for reading my story!