A/N: We're back! I know it's been awhile (like a bazillion years!) but what can you do? Life's catching up with us, you know. Anyways thanks to everyone who's still reading! We have to apologise for the third chapter. It explains everything but...terribly. It's awful and we want to redo it but we're horribly lazy. We may get to it but don't expect any miracles.sweatdrop

BUT: Thank you to everyone who suggested new names for Dragons Pending however, after deliberation by both Nicole and myself, we've come to the conclusion that we like the title as it is after all. But, as a consolation prize to those who suggested titles, you or your OC will have a brief cameo in either HTTYD world anyways!

rne123, please let either Sebastian Heiwajima or myself know if you'd like yourself or a HTTYD OC to appear in our story.

We love you all who put up with us. *bows*

Disclaimer: How To Train Your Dragon is copyrighted to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.

Chapter 4: Hiccup vs The Bedrest

Hiccup woke up slowly but didn't open his eyes just yet, instead he listened and felt around him, attempting to take in his new surroundings. Heavy wool blankets were on top of him and he was lying on a wooden bed with a relatively comfortable straw mattress (he could feel the stiff grass poking him in the back). He was cold, which didn't surprise him as Big Hiccup had told him that there was a raging snowstorm outside, just as there was in the Barbaric Archipelago.

Hiccup could hear two large people breathing on him and decided that it was time to wake up. He opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room without being too obvious about doing so.

He was in a bedroom – "his", he presumed. The walls were covered in various designs for mechanical objects. Hiccup didn't understand them but they were really cool to look at! He turned to look at the two men looming over him. One had crazy, out-of-control red hair with a beard to match that Hiccup could only assume was Stoick, "his" father, though the large viking's hair seemed tame in comparison to Hiccup's true father. The other's blond mustache was long and braided and Hiccup took an educated guess that that man was Gobber.

"Hiccup, what were ya doing outside? I told you to stay in until the storm passed," Stoick said, frowning. "You're lucky we found you. You really should stay inside while the rest of us deal with keepin' the village safe."

"Sorry dad," Hiccup looked down, feigning embarrassment. "Is the storm still going?"

Stoick nodded. "Aye. Though it's not as bad as it was earlier, it's still not safe for you. Stay inside."

"But Thuggory - !"

"No 'but's, Hiccup. You stay inside. Ruff and Tuff are still downstairs, why don't you stay with them? You worried everyone out there, lad," Gobber raised an eyebrow.

"W-where's Toothless?" Hiccup asked, worried for the Night Fury he had yet to meet in the real world.

"Downstairs too," Stoick said. "Stubborn beast was curled up around you after you fell, trying to keep you warm," the viking turned to his companion. "We should go back out. There's still a lot to do."

Gobber nodded. "Stay inside, Hiccup," he said, pointing to Hiccup almost threateningly before following Stoick downstairs and into the cold yet again.

Hiccup lay in bed for a few moments more, trying to warm himself, though he realized it was a futile effort, as he'd been stripped of his wet clothes. Shivering, the boy got up and abruptly fell on his face. Looking at his left leg, Hiccup remembered what Big Hiccup had said about losing it. It took some experimenting until the boy could successfully walk with the metal appendage and he limped more than was necessary, but it was difficult with one leg weighing significantly more than the other. Hiccup rummaged through the other Hiccup's clothes chest, trying to find something to wear. Eventually he settled on a woollen tunic and thick fleece pants. He put on wool socks as well and, closing the bedroom door behind him, went downstairs to meet Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston.

Hiccup was tackled to the floor the moment he entered the living room. The boy exclaimed in surprise and opened his mouth to talk to the Night Fury licking his face but was interrupted.

"Don't speak in Dragonese here, Hiccup. Ruff and Tuff will ask questions. We can talk once they go home, okay?"

"Glad to see you're okay, buddy," Hiccup responded, showing that he understood. Hiccup stood up and turned to the Thorston twins. "How're you guys doing?"

"Better than you," Tuffnut said, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, you moron. Think before running off by yourself," Ruffnut huffed. "He's just a Meathead, after all."

"Right. Sorry," Hiccup remembered what the other him had said about Thuggory and his relationship with Astrid. The boy tried to imagine his proper response as the three viking teens sat in relatively comfortable silence, Hiccup scratching between Toothless' ears absent mindedly.

"Did I...miss something?" Hiccup finally said. "With Astrid, I mean. Was it...obvious that she had someone else?"

Tuffnut shook his head. "She seemed genuinely happy that you liked her. Either she's a better liar than we thought or we're all clueless."

At least it's better than 'useless', Hiccup thought.

The door opened and closed almost before the cold got into the hut. Hiccup leaned closer to Toothless, absorbing the dragon's body heat. Two teens stood in the doorway, kicking off their wet clothes.

One Hiccup recognized as Thuggory. The girl - blonde hair braided to her neck, flushed cheeks accentuating her freckles - must have been Astrid.

"It's definitely calming out there," Astrid said. Her voice held a confidence that reminded Hiccup of Camicazi. "It shouldn't be long before you can go home," she said to Ruff and Tuff. "I figured I should come here to explain. And..apologise," saying it looked almost painful.

Definitely like Camicazi.

"I'd like to hear what's this as well," Ruffnut said, turning to her girl friend. "Please, go on."

"Right," Astrid turned to Hiccup, who blushed. "I should probably start at the beginning," she took a deep breath. "When I was little, my parents took me on a vacation to Meathead Isle. There, I was introduced to Thuggory. We hung out a lot and, right before we went back to Berk, there was some sort of ceremony that I don't remember very well.

"I didn't think much about it after that. Every summer I'd go to visit Thuggory but were were just friends in my young mind. It wasn't until Snotlout started liking me that my parents told me that I'd been engaged the whole time. I figured I was a fool for not realising it earlier and, for that reason, never told anyone.

"Hiccup, I'm really sorry about this," Astrid turned to the boy. "I shouldn't have led you on like that. I was...confused, and scared, and I didn't know what I wanted. I thought I wanted this -"

"You just gestured to all of me," Hiccup protested, a little confused.

Astrid continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "But you're my friend, Hiccup; I could never feel any other way. I understand if you're angry and you can hit me if you want, I totally deserve it, but I hope we can still be friends," Astrid looked at the floor. The expression she wore wasn't like her, Hiccup could tell, and he felt she truly meant what she'd said.

"I'm not going to hit you," he said, smiling a little, touching her knee tentatively, not knowing if he was right to do so - and afraid he'd cross a boundary.

Luckily, though, Astrid shrugged his hand off and smirked. "You're an idiot," she chuckled.

"I know," Hiccup said, his grin lopsided, too-big teeth forcing his mouth wider than he was accustomed to. He'd never been able to grin when someone insulted him before but the way Astrid said it wasn't the same as when Snotlout or Dogsbreath the Duhbrain did. In fact, he got the impression from himself that he wanted her to insult him again - before he stopped that train of thought. Instead he turned to Thuggory. "It's nice to see you're alive," Hiccup extended his hand to the older boy.

"Thank you. And thank you for taking care of Astrid for me all this time as well. I hear it's been quite interesting here on Berk since the Meatheads have last been in contact," Thuggory shook Hiccup's hand, giving a reassuring smile - the smile of a leader. It seemed some things didn't change, no matter what parallel universe Hiccup had landed himself in.

"You know, I'm really glad you've taken her; she's quite the handful," Hiccup laughed.

"Oh I can imagine," Thuggory smirked, looking at Astrid, who glared at both of them, though it was obvious that she wasn't truly angry at all.

"You're lucky, Astrid," Ruffnut said. "You've taken the only eligible guy in the ocean, I bet! The only guys I know are this dragon butt," she punched her brother in the arm but he let it go for once, "Snotlout, Fishlegs and Hiccup - no offence," she added to Hiccup, her eyes lit up in amusement, as if daring him to take offence.

But Hiccup had received far worse comments in his short lifetime, and was of the notion that insults were to be ignored, if one wanted the insulter to leave one alone. Hiccup, however, knew a game when he saw one, and gladly joined in.

"Ruffnut, how could you? I thought we were friends," Hiccup exclaimed in mock hurt, his hand going to his chest.

"I thought so too but I could never be friends with a dude as girly as you. That faint earlier was so feminine it embarrassed me," Ruffnut sneered.

"It was really girly," Tuffnut said, laughing.

Hiccup felt a blush creep up his neck in spite of himself but it receded when he realised that the Thorston twins were laughing with him, not at him. Hiccup started laughing too, soon followed by Astrid and Thuggory.

I wish Fishlegs and Camicazi were here, he thought. Getting along with everyone...It doesn't feel right without my best friends.

But Hiccup continued laughing until his sides hurt and Toothless had to jab a claw into the viking's foot (the flesh one) to get him to stop. Hiccup didn't remember falling asleep but he remembered waking up warm surrounded by more friends than he ever figured he'd see.