I guess this story starts when I was in the 10th grade. So, imagine me - a 15 year old girl – casually walking down the halls of our school, Berk High, when out of nowhere a huge explosion sounds. We found out later that it was the result of a particle accelerator exploding in the middle of Berk.

But anyway. The school's alarm sounded, all of the students were rushed towards the lower levels of the school. We had no idea it was a particle accelerator, it could have been anything. I dimly remember looking up into the sky through the skylight and seeing a bolt of lightning strike the school's lab, and a second explosion sounded. The lab went up in flames. The lab was close by, I don't know why, but my feet veered off towards the inferno. The teachers were too busy rushing the kids down the stairs, trying to get them into the school's basement.

There was a huge man standing at the doorway of one of the labs, he was trying to get inside. I recognised him as Gobber, the school's science teacher.

"Hofferson" he called "Get me a fire extinguisher, NOW!" he bellowed, I didn't have time to process what he was saying, my body worked of its own accord, rushing down the hall and retrieving the emergency fire extinguisher.

I rushed back to Gobber, it didn't take me long to get the fire extinguisher, I wasn't the schools fastest track star for nothing.

He snatched it from my hands and began to spray at the doorway. The fire subsided a small amount, enough for him to get into the room. I realized then that it wasn't a huge fire, some chemicals had caught when the lightning hit, plus rain was pouring through the broken skylight, dimming the fire down a great deal.

"HENRY!" Gobber screamed

Wait, what?

"Henry, where are you?" he screamed again, spraying the fire.

That's when I saw him, a small boy, probably a freshman, sprawled across a desk. There was nothing noticeably wrong with him, other than the fact that his left leg had been impaled by something, I couldn't make it out. It also looked like it had been badly damaged by the fire. This kid didn't look familiar

"Oh gods. Henry" Gobber called rushing over to him. Gobber peeled off his button up shirt, I didn't have time to register it as strange or weird. He wrapped the shirt tightly above the wound on his leg. It was only clinging by a few threads of skin and muscle on the outside, it had nearly been cleaved in two, and it looked like the fire had done its fair share of damage.

"Hofferson, call an ambulance, get a teacher. Just do something" he cried, moving Henry off of the table and onto the ground, he sat henry's head in his lap and cradled his limp form. "Henry, you're stronger than this, just hang on" Gobber pleaded

I went and got help in the form of a stray teacher, who was scourging the classrooms for any other kids. I also ended up calling 911 and getting an ambulance over here. I was herded down to the basement with the other children, I never really got to see what happened to the boy. After they took him out I heard nothing. Not for another 9 months anyway. Over the course of those nine months strange incidents had started to happen. It was as if Berk had gone mad. Crime rates were up, it was no longer safe for people to walk on the streets past sundown.

One day at school, when the teacher began calling names off of the list she noticed an absence, again.

"Hiccup" the teacher called. No one responded. The teacher sighed "Astrid" she called

Astrid responded by raising her hand "Here"

The teacher nodded and continued. Hiccup, she knew that kid, he'd gone here his entire life and he'd been gone from school for almost a full year. He probably didn't need it, she remembered him being the top of their grade, he was smart, like really smart. He probably knew all of the stuff they were learning now, even though he hadn't attended school for like a year.

Suddenly the door opened, and in fell a tall teen with a messy mop of auburn hair and a slight limp. He wore baggy jeans and a tight shirt. Like a really tight shirt. She could make out the outline of his pecs and could almost see the rivets in his stomach.

"Sorry" he said, addressing the teacher "But you know Gobber, he tried to trap me in the house. He said it would be" he lifted up his hands and signing quotation marks "too dangerous for me to come back"

The teacher looked him up and down "Well, you look fine. Good to have you back. Now go and take your seat"

Hiccup nodded and walked my way. He sat behind me, the seat had been empty for a long time, it felt good with it occupied again. Like a piece of the puzzle was fitting in.

She soon lost interest in Hiccup and began taking notes. She was top of her grade since Hiccup had been missing, and she assumed she'd be knocked down to second best in no time. And she was. In no time Hiccup was back on top, it had been four months since he had come back to school. We were nearing the end of our eleventh year of schooling. In that time the Night Fury had shown up, they say that he was faster than a speeding bullet. He wore a midnight black suit with two red wings as ear pieces. She had seen the suit close up one time, when the resident jock, Snotlout, has somehow turned himself to metal and kidnapped her, that had not been an enjoyable experience. But Nighty Fury had shown up, and he had managed to knock Snotlout out with one punch. Of course I had to some in and finish the job, since the Night Fury was slumped against the lockers cradling his wrist.

The suit had red streaks down the sides, going around his waist and traveling down his legs. It looked really cool. When she had met him he vibrated his face for some reason, as though he thought she knew what he looked like. She was kind of curious about what he looked like. Was he hot? He probably was, he was a god damn super hero.

Also in that time she learned that she had helped save Hiccup's life.

It was after one class when she packing up, she heard someone clear their voice from behind her. She turned to see Hiccup, standing next to her desk.

"What?" she snarled, please don't tell me Hiccup is going to hit on me

"Um" he stuttered "You don't recognise me?" he said

"Of course I do, idiot, you're Hiccup" she replied, standing up

"No…I mean…ugh. I just wanted to say thanks" he said, not meeting her eyes

"What? What did I do?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her

"You don't remember?" he asked

"Hiccup, make sense soon or I will hit you" she warned, clenching her fists

"Woah" he said, raising his hands "Lightning strike, fire, leg impalement, me, Gobber, you. Ringing any bells?"

Her jaw probably hit the floor. "Wait. That was you?" she asked, almost incredulous. Because he didn't look like that kid, he was taller, and was filling out quite nicely. She quickly shut that emotion down, she was not attracted to Hiccup

"Yeah. I thought you knew" he said

"I just, you look different. So that's why you were gone, physical therapy or something"

"Well…not really" he rubbed the back of his neck "Physical therapy only lasted like a month"

"So you what…left?" she asked

"No. I was kind of…uh…out of it, for like 6 months" he supplied

"You were out of it?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow

He sighed "Yeah, I was kind of in a coma"

"A coma" she blurted "How? What? It was just your leg, and some fire" she stared dumbly at him "You're not lying to me, are you? If this is some stupid trick for sympathy…"

He cut her off "No, it's not, I just wanted to thank you. And you asked. And I told you. It wasn't even the fire, or the leg that put me in a coma. You remember any lightning strikes that night?"

"Yeah" she said slowly

"Well…One hit me"

"What? How are you even walking? Wait, how are you walking? Your leg, it was…"

He cut her off by raising the jeans on his left leg "Oh" she said. She was staring at what looked like a metal prosthetic limb

"Yeah" he said "Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks. I got somewhere I have to be so…"

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll see you later" she turned to pack up her things "Wait, your name is Henry?" she turned back around to him, but he was gone. She shrugged, oh well. But a thought came across her mind. If he was in a coma, why did he come out ripped?

Then she had done what she always did after school, she went to work. She worked at a small café called Dragon's Den. It wasn't exactly a bad place to work. She usually waited tables and occasionally did some cleaning. That afternoon a video was broadcasted on all stations. No one knew how, but suddenly a speedster on red who called themselves the Red Death had appeared. Whoever he was he demanded Night Fury.

"Be at Pier 17 by 8 tonight, or I kill this woman. Night Fury, I know you're listening. Get out here so I can send you back to the dirt, this time. This time, you won't get away"

That was two hours ago, it was 7:30 now. Half an hour until the deadline that the Red Death gave him.

She was wiping down the last few tables when a gust of wind alerted her. Sitting at the table she saw him, the Night Fury, his face was vibrating so fast she couldn't discern any features.

"What the…" she jumped and clutched her heart

"Hey" said Night Fury

"What…Who…How?" she questioned

Night Fury was looking straight at her "What?" he said

"You're Night Fury" she said, as though it was obvious

He shrugged "So I've been told"

"You…What are you doing here?" she asked, still holding the cloth to the table.

"You know, gonna get a coffee, maybe some cake" he said

"You…" she looked at him "You're messing with me, aren't you?"

"Maybe, possibly…yeah" he said

"So ..." she said after a pause "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged "I take it you saw the announcement" he said gesturing at the seat

"Uh…yeah. That doesn't explain what you are doing here" she said, taking a seat

He scoffed "Yeah, well, maybe you should pay more attention, Astrid" he said

"What do you mean? Wait, how do you know my name?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah. Well…I just do" he said, rubbing the back of his neck

"Do I know you?" she asked, an idea forming in her head "That's why you're vibrating your face, that's how you know my name. You're scared I'll recognise you"

He sighed "Yes, you do know me. But…I just…you probably wouldn't recognise me anyway"

"So I know who you are, and you decided to, what?" she asked

He sighed again "I don't know, maybe I'm stalling" he said

"Stalling? But you can beat the Red Death, you're the Night Fury"

He chuckled "Thank you for the vote of confidence, but no. I can't beat him. I have faced him before, and he's…he's too fast. He's way out of my league, I can't beat him"

"But, then how are you going to save that woman, the one he was captured?"

He shrugged again "I'll probably wing it"

"If he can beat you, then why even go?"

"I guess I'm just not that type of person. That's kind of why I'm here. I don't really expect to make it past tonight. I'll probably die out there, and so will that woman. Maybe then you'll find out who I am. I'm going to die…I just…I wanted to see you" he said, looking at his hands which were rested in his lap

Astrid didn't know how to react. This was a rather unexpected turn of events. "You're about to die, and you came here?" she said, with a strange hint of sadness to her voice

"I guess I did. You see, I can't actually form a coherent sentence around you. But here I am, sprouting out more than 3 syllables in your presence. I guess that's what happens when you're faced with your own mortality"

"You won't die, you always come out on top" she tried to reassure him

"Not this time" he sounded resigned "I'm not here to gloat, or to boast of bravery or anything like that. But, if I'm going to die. Then I'll do it. As long as I die for something that's worth fighting for, saving someone's life, that's worth fighting for. And if you are that last person I see – the last person who sees me – then I'll be fine with that. If I had to choose a last person, or face to see, I'd choose yours." He chuckled to himself "Oh man, if you do find out who I am. I bet you would have never seen it coming. Oh well, I guess you'll have to wait until tonight"

"You…I" she tried, but failed to make a coherent sentence

"I have made the Fearless Astrid Hofferson speechless, that is an achievement to boast of" she could hear the smile leave his face "Goodbye Astrid" she saw a flash of green through the holes for his eyes.

"Good luck" she said before he could run away

"Thanks I'll need it. See you around, milady" and with that he was gone. Leaving a gobsmacked Astrid seated on a chair in an empty café.

He had came here to see her, to see her before he died. What did that make him, creepy? Romantic? And on top of all that she knew who he was. With increasing trepidations she finished her work and headed home. She wanted to turn the TV on to watch the events unfold. If they unmasked Night Fury then she would undoubtedly find out who he was. She turned the TV on just as the fight was reaching its climax. She didn't want him to die, whoever he was. Night Fury was a hero, and she knew who he was. But she had never picked up on it. Maybe it was a regular that came into work. She watched the fight, things weren't looking good for Night Fury. Maybe she would find out who he is, but at what cost?

This is just a random idea that came to me. It was originally going to be a lengthened out version of the café scene. I don't know if this will just be a one shot or if I should continue. But either way, leave reviews.