the sea foam of burgess island

best friend (04)

"i wanna be your favorite boy. i wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake."
****

"another text from belle?" elsa snickered, taking a glance at hiccup's phone.
"don't look at my texts," hiccup scoffed, pulling away from the girl next to him. "busybody."

"i can't believe you scored a college girl," elsa shook her head, "you, of all people. no offense."
"what do you mean, me of all people? i'm taking offense for that. and i didn't score her. i'm not even sure i like her yet," hiccup replied, putting his phone down.
"how can you not like her? belle's everything you ever wanted," elsa replied.

hiccup, with his built body and brain, was like the unsung hero of the male part of the class. he had always been cool and collected, people considered him mature for his age. it shouldn't have been a surprise that he was able to attract the attention of a college girl.

the truth was, belle really was amazing. she was a freshman at berk university with a double major. she was smart, pretty, and quick-witted. hiccup met her one late night at the public library when the two of them were going for the same book. when he introduced belle to elsa, elsa automatically knew belle was the apple of her best friend's eye.

"i just don't want to take things too far right now," hiccup shrugged.
elsa shook her head. "ever the gentleman."
"you know, i don't remember asking for your opinion," hiccup snorted, taking his book out to read.
"but i am your best friend, so it kind of gives me the right," elsa retorted. she took out her earbuds and put one of the earbuds in hiccup's ear. the two's favorite activity was sharing a pair of earbuds and listening to music.

elsa and hiccup were the best of friends, even though there was constant speculation of whether or not they were dating. the prettiest girl and one of the most handsome guys of the class? a recipe for disaster.

"HOW CAN YOU NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH HER?"

hiccup shook his head at kristoff bjorgman. the two were lounging in hiccup's garage, drinking countless cans of beer.
"i thought you were dating anna winters," said hiccup.
"yeah, 'course i am. but objectively, elsa's the prettiest girl in our class. the fact that you guys are 'just friends' is bogus to me," kristoff grunted, making finger gestures when he said 'just friends.'

"not just friends. best friends since sixth grade," hiccup hummed, taking a sip.
"that's what i'm talking about," kristoff groaned, "you're the only one who's able to melt that ice queen's heart. are you really telling me you've never liked her? or she liked you?"
"melt the ice queen's heart? what is this, a movie?" hiccup snorted. "she does have friends you know. she's not completely cold."
"no, i know," kristoff said, "but she does tend to, y'know, keep to herself a lot. more than most. but with you it's different. we've all noticed it."
"it doesn't always have to be romantic," hiccup said, a sense of finality in his tone. kristoff just shrugged, muttering "okay then..."

no, elsa swore off boys. hiccup knew this, and he respected it. of course, being a teenage male, that didn't mean he hadn't thought of her in that way...
but what good would it do?

besides, he couldn't deny that rush of heat in his face whenever he thought of belle. and there was just something so attractive about the way she spoke about literature. did hiccup tell elsa belle was bilingual with french and english?

yes, elsa and hiccup were best friends. period.

he felt something on his shoulder. elsa had already fallen asleep, despite the noisiness of their peers and the bumpiness of the road. he smiled, turning the page in his book.

he was going to miss days like these.

those days where elsa had just come from her usual run, exhausted but satisfied. that had always been something that drew hiccup to her. she always persisted, no matter how hard the task. elsa would complain of her legs aching, but she'd still walk home with him, and they'd share a pair of earbuds. a comfortable silence between them, because sometimes there was no need for words.

he was happy that she picked him. the prettiest girl in the class who could run a 4 minute mile, yet also the most aloof and detached one. he supposes, after meeting each other in the hospital, no one can ever break that bond.

not everything is meant to be romantic.

"NO, IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE AND SEE, I WASN'T MADE FOR YOU. AND YOU WEREN'T MADE FOR ME."

he remembers this lyric from one of the many times they walked home together.

in a way, he knew this was true. in the romantic sense, at least. but he knew they were made to be best friends for each other.

it was meant to be.