Chapter Text
The Mead Hall was quiet, except the howling wind outside. Torch flames flickered whenever the odd blow licked them.
Snotlout put his empty mug on the table and stretched his neck. His attention was on his sore fingers before he glimpsed at Ruffnut, looking rough. It had been a long day. The face so familiar was bored, but at ease. There was no one at that table to impress, no one worth putting a mask on for. She was exhausted and she did not hide it.
"Huh…"
Ruffnut's gaze left the chatting ones at the other end of the table and found Snotlout. She didn't need her name to be mentioned to assume his "huh" was aimed at her; they were the only ones who did not put their two coins in on the conversation. Ruffnut couldn't care less which breed's feces were more beneficial to crops and Snot made it clear that Shit Talk could wait until he was finished with his meal.
"What?"
"Uh, nothing." He shook his head.
"What is it?"
"Nothing! I just… realized something."
"What?"
The voice was getting impatient so Snot shrugged, trying to look disinterested.
"I was thinking… I've known you my whole life. I can't remember when we met."
Ruffnut looked at him as if she suspected an earlier blow to his head. He was acting weird and when this tired, she could only afford an eye roll, followed by a "Yeah, wow."
Snotlout shrugged again, now regretting talking about the whole thing, and stuffed his face with the last piece of mutton. Yet, the more he thought about it, the stranger it felt; the fact that she had just been a part of his life, no questions asked. It was like noticing the air he breathed in. They've known each other since they were born, stuck on an island with nowhere to go.
Yet it was still weird to truly realize that he knew her. And she knew him.
Ruffnut finally finished her drink and left the table to go to bed and Snotlout purposefully avoided watching her leave. He was getting ready to give a very uninformed lecture on why Nightmare dung was the best.