Okay, just a quick memo. This is rated T, but there is one small scene in this first chapter that should be Rated M. If there is anything like this after this chapter, it'll be fade to black. Just a warning in case anyone doesn't want to read it.

A challenge.

One challenge, between Hiccup and Dagur, and then he could get...say, a month's worth of bragging rights. And the reward, obviously. These things did not come easy. It was hard to get an hour's worth of bragging rights in this place, let alone a month. If he could beat Dagur, then not only would he be looked at differently, then Astrid might finally notice him.

Well, notice him and not scowl at any rate.

The only catch was that Dagur was to choose what the challenge was. It could be jumping from a cliff or a simple game of chess. It wouldn't be chess, the cliff situation was more likely. Dagur was crazy.

Fishlegs had warned him against it, Tuff and Ruff had urged him on, and Snotlout had merely stared Dagur down threateningly (as though Dagur was someone who could be stared down). Hiccup had accepted, but he wasn't looking at Dagur when he did, he was looking directly at Astrid.

She had been standing behind Dagur, with her signature blue leather jacket and her helmet in her hands. She had raised an eye when he accepted, and then her cheeks had reddened in anger when Hiccup blew a kiss to her.

He would see her again today.

That was the only thing on his mind today. Not that he could possible die if Dagur chose a challenge that was out of this world. There would be no backing out. But he knew Dagur well, he knew that there would be no death. Dagur would want him alive so he could gloat. Seriously injured, now that was something he should have been worrying about, but how could he when he imagined what it sounded like when Astrid laughed?

She had never laughed in front of him. Sarcastically? Yes, definitely. Genuinely? No.

He had a ball in his hand as he lay down, throwing it from one hand to the other. It had been Stoick's, but now that he was gone, he inherited everything. Everything that he didn't want. He didn't want memories. All memories did was make you hurt.

But the ball was cool. It had been dusty when he found it, so his suspicion that his father had never shared these things with him were proven right.

Astrid Hofferson was what it all came down to tonight. She might not have known it, but everyone considered her Dagur's...property. Dagur himself was the number one supporter of that.

But he knew that she would hate anyone comparing her to a thing. She wasn't something to be owned. So when he won whatever challenge this was, that would be the reward.

He was going to ask for Astrid Hofferson. To hang out with her for a day. And when she was with him, he would spill everything. Astrid would hate Dagur. They would be done. Astrid would be free. And he was no longer the shy boy who doodled her in middle school, never having the courage to actually talk to her.

He would make a move.

Astrid gasped, her nails scratching Dagur's back as he thrusted in and out of her. Her nails didn't seem to pain him in anyway, but he still growled, so she stopped, clenching her fists instead.

This was not the right place to be doing this.

They were in front of the college. The only thing that kept people from seeing them was a giant tree. Not to mention if anyone interrupted them, Dagur wouldn't hesitate to pull out his switchblade and stab them. And he wouldn't miss. No one from his own gang would interrupt him when he grabbed her hand and brought her to the spare bedroom in their hideout. Dagur was not someone to be messed with.

And she didn't even have to do anything. All it would take was wearing a bit of a short skirt, or maybe a swear coming out of her mouth, and Dagur would be jumping her as though there was no tomorrow.

Not that Astrid didn't like the sex. It pleased her, and it took the tension off. But maybe reading all those books made her feel bad that there weren't any feelings behind it. Or rather, not the feelings that she wanted. Her parents would be rolling in their graves if they saw her now.

Dagur didn't keep her with him against her will. But staying with him stopped everyone from thinking they had a free pass at her. And they came to know that she wasn't some weak girl to be messed with. Dagur's skills with a knife were rivalled by her own.

Astrid heard Dagur's moan of pleasure in her ear, and a second later he came, wearing a condom, of course.

"They're waiting for us," he said as they both put on their clothes.

"I know."

Why, honestly, did he have to challenge Hiccup Haddock? Whatever he was planning, Astrid knew that it would be physical, because the boy was the skinniest dweeb she had seen.

He only looked like it, Astrid mused, because she knew he was actually strong enough to do heavy lifting in the car repair shop he worked at. That along with his clever moves would be enough to best him.

But even if Dagur did go down, it wasn't as though anyone would think Dagur was weak, only that he was weaker than Hiccup. So why did it bother her so much?

She supposed it was because Hiccup was everything that infuriated her.

Dagur was cocky, yes, but he didn't run his hand through his hair like it was the smoothest thing in the world. Dagur was a braggart, but he didn't invent his own motorcycle and go riding in the middle of the night to show off. Dagur acted like he owned her, but Hiccup acted like he didn't need to own anyone to make them listen to him.

It was infuriating.

Her and Dagur both got on their respective motorcycles, and took off, with Astrid still having one burning question left. Why had Hiccup accepted the challenge? Why had he smirked at her as he did so?

What, in short, did he want?

"This," Fishlegs said crossly, leaning on the wall with a grumpy expression, "is a really bad idea."

"You think?" Snotlout sneered, giving a pointed look at Hiccup.

Hiccup ignored him. A lot of motors suddenly resounded, and he casually rested his arms on the front of his bike. Astrid Hofferson zoomed in, landing right in front of him. Hiccup smirked at her, giving her a small salute.

Dagur hopped off. Him and Hiccup shook hands, and then Hiccup grinned. "So, what's the game?"

"Hardly a game," Dagur drawled, as though he was bored. "You're way too good at games for my taste. Hiccup."

That irked him, but only a little So it was going to be a physical fight. That was fine. He would play. Next to Dagur, Astrid wrapped her jacket around herself tighter.

Dagur smirked. "What we're going to do is a bit more...challenging."

"Define a 'bit more'," Hiccup said dryly, not liking his triumphant expression. They hadn't even started yet, for Thor's sake.

Everyone in his gang started following Dagur. Sharing a bewildered look with Ruffnut, he went after them until they reached a cliff. Hiccup looked up at it. The entire area was jagged, filled with rocks that could cut you so swiftly you wouldn't know until you were bleeding to death.

"This is the challenge," Dagur said with a maniacal gleam in his eye. He pointed to the top. "That is the challenge, and we...are the challengers."

He walked forward and grabbed Hiccup's arm, shoving him so only he could hear.

"Hope you're ready to climb, brother."