Heather was busy boxing up various items when Astrid knocked on her door.

"Hey babe, what's up?" Heather smiled at her. When Astrid remained quiet, she sank down on the bed and patted it invitingly. Astrid bit her lip nervously before approaching her.

"Is everything alright?" Heather asked with a frown, taking notice of the conflicted emotions reflecting on Astrid's face.

Astrid shot her a sad smile. "Yeah, it's.. so it really is over then, between you and Hiccup, I mean?"

Heather's gaze dropped with a sigh. "I guess so," she said. "I thought I would be with him forever, you know? But it just doesn't work anymore. Don't get me wrong, he is sweet and we may have seemed like this perfect happy couple for a while but there was always something lacking, like the relationship was incomplete and running out of time? I started to feel like I had to force myself to love him, to the point of indifference. Which is horrible. Maybe we are both too mundane, there is like, no friction of any kind? Hence, why the fire died out so quickly. Even our fights are so boring now! Looking back, I should have never gotten back together with him. Why did I do that?"

Astrid placed a comforting arm around her and Heather relaxed against her. "You don't have to explain yourself. I just want you to be happy and I always thought he was the key, but maybe I was wrong.." She still found it hard to convince herself that, though.

Heather hugged her back. "At least I'll always have you by my side," she said, kissing Astrid on the cheek. "My sister from another mister."

Astrid snorted. "If it were up to you, you would handcuff me to yourself."

"Don't tempt me," Heather snarked with a smirk. "I might take you up on that."

Astrid chuckled along, but after a moment, her smile died again.

"You want me to move out," she said rather than asked. "Hiccup asked me to stay."

Heather was silent for a long moment and Astrid dreaded she if had said something wrong.

"I just don't trust Hiccup around you," she tried to explain. "He is probably looking for a rebound and he might set his sights on you."

Astrid swallowed nervously. "I doubt it. He always loved you." He still does. She was sure of it.

Heather sighed, shaking her head. "He used to have this thing for you when we were kids. He told me himself."

Astrid's heart drummed. "We were just kids. He doesn't see me in that way anymore." She truly doubted he ever really did.

Heather didn't look convinced.

"Hiccup and I are just friends, and that's all we will ever be," Astrid added for reassurance, unusure wether she was trying to convince Heather or herself.

"Promise?" Heather held up her pinky.

Astrid paused for a moment before taking her pinky with her own. "I promise."

I promise never to be with Hiccup.

Heather smiled brightly and hugged her again. "I love you."

Astrid blinked back unexpected tears. "I love you too," she whispered.

O-O-O

Later that night, Astrid was headed towards the kitchen to grab some water when a voice called for her.

"Ast."

She turned around to see Hiccup looking at her with an unreadable expression from the couch. He sighed. "It's hard to fall asleep so I put on a movie. Wanna join?"

Astrid hesitated. "What movie is it?"

"Princess Bride. You favorite, remember?"

Astrid's cheek flushed. He looked at her hopefully and she couldn't help but notice a distinct sadnessnin his gaze.

If she was going to leave in the coming weeks, it didn't hurt to spend some time together, right? They were friends and he was all alone.

She settled down on the couch next to him.

"It's your favorite too," she added as an afterthought. He nodded, looking at her with a warm smile.

She could never be him but she could be his friend. They used to be best friends when they were kids, maybe they could be that again. No romantic lingering tension, just a platonic relationship.

Astrid stared at the screen, feeling herself starting to nod off.

O-O-O

Life passed by, faster than she had ever anticipated.

She had moved out and moved on at last. The stolen kiss and secret moments long forgotten in the midst of a hectic routine.

Heather got engaged the year Astrid begun her residency training at a local hospital. The wedding was beautiful but left her feeling somehow hollow? Why didn't Heather get married to Hiccup? This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She saw Hiccup looking dashing in a beautiful tux with a date of his own hanging on his arm. Some curly haired short blonde who quirked an eyebrow at her whenever she looked their way.

She shared a dance with Hiccup and hated herself for still feeling attracted to him. He hugged her close and she felt time stop still for a moment. Until someone touched her on the shoulder.

Heather.

Astrid turned around and found herself be hugged firmly. "Thank you for being the best maid of honor!"

When Astrid turned back to Hiccup, he was gone.

O-O-O

Years later after finishing GP training, she finally acquired her medical license. She hardly expected to see Hiccup at her new workplace.

"You work here?" she asked in mild shock after they withdrew from one another. She hated to admit that she had missed their hugs.

He nodded with a bright grin. "Chemical engineering. I work in department of bioinformatics and computational biology," he clarified. "You?"

"The hematology department," she replied in a stunned voice. "I just started last week."

"Congrats!" he hugged her again. "Thor, it's been so long.. I missed you."

She let out a laugh, realizing how much she had missed him too but being afraid to say it out loud for some reason.

Her phone vibrated and she pulled back. "I guess I should get going. It was good to see you."

He cleared his throat, his smile awkward and completely reaching his eyes. There was a hint melancholy in those emerald green orbs. "Yeah.. see you around."

As she began walking away, her heart suddenly started to get all tingly, making her halt just before she reached the door.

Despite herself, she turn around and shot him a beautiful smile. "I missed you, too." How couldn't she have? He used to be her best friend.. and had at one point owned her heart and soul. But that last bit didn't matter, not anymore.

He beamed at her, scratching the top of his head. "Maybe I'll see you at lunch?"

She suppressed another smile. "Maybe."

There was nothing wrong with rekindling a friendship, right?

At least that is what she tried to convince herself as she unlocked her phone to read through the message she had received from Heather, her life-long best friend.