Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon or any of the characters mentioned, all rights to their respective owners.
Modern gender-bent/ bi-gendered. Hiccup's been lives a double-life. By day, she's the school nerd, the shy girl, the loser, by night, he's the secret performer, the Night Fury, at a most popular local nightclub, Dragon's Edge. Hicstrid
Prologue:
Berk is a fairly standard, if slightly smaller than normal town, normal expectations, below average crime-rate, average working people, nothing particularly special about, although it's citizens were still very proud of it. The only thing that's even remotely interesting is the old deep woods backing onto the edge of it, and the old stories about the animals that live it them. Nobody's really sure when they started, some people say they've been going on for hundreds of years, some say just decades, but for as long as anyone can remember, people have been telling stories about the huge, mythical fire-breathing dragons that supposedly roam the forest. The huge area itself is actually nature reserve, has been for nearly half a century. It was pretty much the only thing they could do with it, seeing as the land is practically useless for anything else. They say that someone tried to develop it long ago but the task quickly proved to be impossible. Every time the developers got close or tried to do anything, something akin to a miniature natural disaster would occur, preventing them from touching the thick woodland. The more superstitious people say that it the forest is enchanted, protected by the supposedly 'magical' creatures that live there. These strange occurrences range from temporary forest fires that spring up out of nowhere and miraculously die down instantly the second that the workers retreat form the tall trees, miniature rock falls, temporary floods, random lightning storms that blow in just like that and strike down all of the machinery, even a few of the workers, only to subside a few seconds later when the invading people take cover away from the forests edge, to everything in between. The developers eventually gave up trying and a few years later it was declared a nature reserve. Nobody was technically allowed to go into it, not that anyone could. The heavy foliage surrounding it makes it extremely difficult, almost impossible to get through, especially giving the burly nature of most of the locals.
Another odd quirky of the town, this time found among the younger generations, was the need to give each other strange, and sometimes downright embarrassing nicknames that practically the entire town knew them by. By for them though, that was considered normal. The teenagers of this town were particularly rowdy when stirred up, which was not at all, a very difficult thing to do. One of the most popular hang outs for the kids of the town during after-school hours was a local nightclub, better known as Dragon's Edge, named after the town's myths and run by one of the town most well-liked citizens. Gobber Belch, the town's mechanic, ran the local garage shop alongside the club, which was common knowledge that he'd inherited from a distance uncle who'd died suddenly. Not a particularly musical person and with very little patience for marketing, the old mechanic didn't have a clue what to do with the place and probably would have had to sell it if it weren't for the Night Fury.
The performer was a whirl-wind of talent that had transformed the simple, raised stage into a ten-foot wonderland. The mysterious person took up the mic almost every night and sang and danced until the rest of the teenage population came pouring, as much for the riddle as for the music. The one thing that intrigued the audience about the young performer, beside their obvious talent, was their inexplicable ability to change their gender each time they performed. It baffled the club's customers to no end when the Night Fury came in on some nights dressed in female clothes, singing female songs with the perfect feminine pitch, then abruptly switch and come in the next night dressed as a boy and sing male songs in the same perfect voice without missing or hitting single note out of pitch. This mystery dancer always 'appeared' in a secretive manner, never spoke during songs, and NEVER hung around. Most people believed that the Night Fury was two different people, a boy and girl, maybe even twin siblings who took in turns preforming, while some of the more crude students said that the Night Fury was a hermaphrodite, or cross-dresser. But honestly, nobody really knew the truth. The Night Furry appeared each night wearing a various assemble of similar black clothing, with matching masks to cover his/her face, leaving all of the people wondering. Astrid Hofferson and her loose group of 'friends' were no different.
The spacious outside carpark was filling up fast and the club itself was packed as young students from every corner of town pushed and shoved their way in, each group moving to grab whatever seats they could while all the rest edge as close to the stage as they could. Astrid pushed her way carefully through the crowd, coolly following the other teens that she came in with to their signature table, pushed right up against the front of the stage and slipped into in the empty seat on the right side, next to the other girl for the group. Rachel 'Ruffnut' Thornston lounged lazily, tilting her chair back to rest her feet on the back of her brother Timothy 'Tuffnut' Thornston's chair. Tuffnut himself was deep in conversation with his dark-haired friend, Scott 'Snotlout' Jorgenson about the latest drama that had happened earlier that day at school. In the seat next to them, opposite Astrid, the finale member of the group, Frank 'Fishlegs' Ingerman sat hunched quietly over his drink, watching the other people moving around them.
The stage lights spun in wide circles across the wide platform as the bulky figure of the club owner clambered up awkwardly to stand at its center, pausing to gain the audience's attention before speaking. He cleared his throat, the sound echoing loudly through the microphone, making everybody listening wince briefly. "Al'right, al'right now simmer down, simmer down. I know ya'll excited to hear some tunes, and I won't keep ya for long. I'd just like remind everyone of the rules."
He ticked the number of things off on his fingers as he said them. "No jumping up onto the stage, if our performers want you up there with they, they'll ask ya! No grabbing at our performers, or tackling, I don't want to anyone getting sued for physical harassment under my roof!"
There was a round of giggled from the majority of the audience at this. Encouraged, Gobber continued. "No smashing glasses, or throwing them, along with anything else at the stage OR at the performers. And finally, last of all, ladies and gents, lease just enjoy the show."
He grinned toothily, stepping back as the audience cheered excitedly. "And now I give you…..THE. NIGHT. FURRY!"
The entire crowd surrounding the teen's tables erupted into ear-splitting screams and shouts as the large man immediately lumbered back off of stage as the lights went dark, and a lithe figure darted out onto the stage, lit up by the rainbow colored spotlights that flashed in an over various point of the stage in a manner that would send an epileptic into a frenzy. Astrid had to clamp her hands over her ears to block out the racket made by the people jumping and waving frantically around her, her companions, with the expectation of Fishlegs, making no attempt to do the same, the twins even jumping up to join them. The lights continued to flash for another moment before blacking out completely for approximately two seconds, only to switch back on a deep red focused still on the dark figure of the Night Furry, where (she, this time) crouched on stage, hands held above her head in a claw-like grip, the eared hood of her signature hoodie pulled up over her head, a bejewelled black mask covering her face above a matching scarf. The lights began changing again, turned into a playful magenta, making the glittery wings and swirls on her leggings, skirt and converse come to life, before morphing into jazzy purple, and then into a blinding green and the singer scooped up the mic that had been left on the stage by the clubs owner as the speakers came to life behind her, blaring a familiar beat across the room.
Everybody else in the room who had not been standing already sprang to their feet and launched themselves into the air, fist first, heads banging like mad, the front table among them. Astrid got to her own feet warily, already being buffeted by the excited crowd, feeling strangely eager herself, something she hadn't expected to feel when getting dragged out the her companions earlier that day. Night Furry raced back and forth across the stage, riling up the crowd before throwing herself forwards to crouch on one knee at the front on the stage, only a couple of feet away from Astrid as she started to sing.
"He was a boy, she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? He was a punk she did ballet. What more can I say?"
The signer shook her head slightly, as if she were in a genuine conversation matching the lyrics of the song. Astrid was momentarily stunned by the sudden closeness of the mystery performer, noting absent mindedly that she also rolled her emerald eyes behind her mask as she did so.
"He wanted her, she'd never tell. But secretly she wanted him as well. All of her friends, stuck up their nose. They had a problem with his baggy clothes."
She made a gesture of wiping across the nose of her mask with her index finger pointed outwards before she rocked back on hers heels and pole-vaulted to her feet further towards the center of the stage as the song picked up again.
"He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy. He wasn't good enough for her! She had a pretty face, but her head was up in space, she needed to come back down to earth!"
The crowd went ballistic as the Night Furry made a show of almost sinking back down to her knees on the last note, only to pop back to her feet again, starting another lap of the stage and it suddenly hit Astrid where she'd heard it particular song before. It had been playing on the radio all the time a few years back, when she'd been younger.
"Five years from now, she sits at home. Feeding the baby, she's all alone! She turns on TV, guess who she sees? Skater boy rocking a band to-be!"
Night Furry preformed an air guitar, many of the people in front of her mimicking the move, almost making Astrid smile.
"She calls up her friends, they already know, and they've all got tickets to see his shows! She tags log, stands in the crowd, looks up at the man that she turn day-own!"
The whole audience was bouncing up and down on the spot, the entire room becoming one large combined dance floor, Astrid finding herself swept up in the madness, feeling bizarrely light-head and free for the first time in years. Night Furry raised a hand teasingly to point up, making a swooping motion with her arm downwards before jumping up into a high kick, spinning around with the next chorus.
"He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy! He wasn't good enough for her! Now he's a super star, slamming on his guitar! Does your pretty face see what he's worth?"
The whole club went mental, as everybody rocked out to the music. Astrid found herself eyes closed, open head banging along with the rest of them, barely even aware of her own actions anymore.
"Sorry girl but you missed out! Well touch luck, that boy's mine now! We are more than just good friends, this is how the story ends! Too bad that you couldn't see, see the man that boy could be! There is more than meets the eye, I see that star that is inside!"
She opened her eyes just in time to see the Night Furry throw herself down to her knees again, sliding up to the very edge of the stage until her own surprised face was mere inches away from hers. Too stunned to do much of anything else, she simply stared curiously into the other (girl's?) forest green eyes that gleamed brightly and followed her gaze lazily as she quirked her head playfully at her, voice dropping quietly into the last verse of the song.
"He's just a boy, and I'm just a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? We are in love, haven't you heard? How we rock each other's worlds?"
The spell was broken as Night Furry suddenly rocked back, raising a fist into the air at the last, sharp, whistle-like note, before shifting her weight, actually rolling backwards to the center of the stage where she sprang back to her feet like a jack-in-the-box.
"I'm with the skater boy, I said see ya later boy. I'll be back stage after the show. I'll be in a studio, singing a song we wrote, about a girl you used to know!"
The whole room resumed their previous pace, leaping up and down into the air, following Night Fury's example as she continued the excited jumping, complete with fist shook high above her head, head banging wildly. Astrid just stood there staring, in a sort of dazed confusion.
"I'm with the skater boy, I said see ya later boy. I'll be back stage after the show. I'll be in a studio, singing a song we wrote, about a girl you used to know!"
The music finally stuttered to a stop, Night Fury leaping up high into the air one last time, legs tucking themselves under her, before dropping back to her feet again, completing her performance with one last exaggerated air guitar before freezing in that finale pose as the music came to a complete stop, only to be replaced by the crowds deafening cheering. This scene held for a couple of seconds before the lights sudden went black, only to relight a moment later, revealing an empty stage.
Gobber got up from his place at the back of the room and waddled slowly up to the stage, pushing through the ocean of people blocking his way as they broke off into excited, chattering groups. He climbed the stage awkwardly, stopping only to pick up the mic from where it had been left on the floor and tapped the top of it to gain people's attention. All eyes turned to him as he waved a large, hand to signal everybody to shut up and started speaking.
"Al'right, al'right! Shut it! I know you're all very pleased to see our talented friend. As ya'll know, Night Fury only gives one performance per night, so I'm afraid that'll be all ya getting this evening." He ignored the round of disappointed groans coming from the audience although it was plain that to see that nobody was really surprised by this. It was common knowledge that Night Furry never did more than one song routinely each performance.
"So in the meantime, you'll have to enjoy your music from the speakers like everyone else. Please do enjoy the rest of your night and be sure to grab a drink of your way out!" With that, he turned and placed the mic back into its stand and cambered down off stage to return to his place serving behind the bar, pulling out the remote for the jukebox in the corner form his back pocket and hitting the on button in the process. The crowd of heavily packed people began to dissipate, a small few lingering on the dance floor to rock out to the song now playing from the boom-box across the room, most returning to their seats.
Astrid blinked dumbly for a second before visibly snapping out of it, shaking her head as if to clear it. She had been just about to slumped back into her seat and maybe nick a bit of Ruffnuts drink to try and calm her frantically beating heart when she felt the thick, beefy arm draped itself around her shoulders causally and smelt the hot, alcohol-scented breath spray her face, followed by the equally obnoxious voice close to her ear. "Hey babe, what'cha thinking about, is it me? I bet it is, I can just tell by the awed look on your face that you're definitely thinking about me, maybe wondering if I'll come back with you to your place later. Well I assure you, I will definitely- OWWW!"
Snotlout howled in pain and his fingerers were bent backwards, forcing his hand off of Astrid shoulder as she twisted it roughly behind his back. She held it there for a moment, leaning over to his shoulder to speak quietly into his ear. "Touch me again, and I promise you'll end up with your hand in a cast. Got it?"
He nodded quickly, eyes beginning to tear up very slightly from the pain. She released him and shoved him away from her. She ignored his pitiful attempts at smoothing the situation over without losing face in the process and stepped over to Ruffnut, tapping her lightly on the shoulder to get her attention before the lanky blonde could launched into another fight with her brother. "What's up?"
Astrid stepped back to avoid getting her toes smashed by the legs of the chair as the other girl rocked back on it, looking up at her curiously. "I'm tired, I'm gonna head home. I'll see you guys in class tomorrow."
"What!? But it's only like nine-thirty!?" Astrid ignoring the complaints of the other teens, subtly brushing off Snotlout's attempts to 'escort' her to her house and pushed her way out to doorway. She exited the club and made her way over beat-up mountain bike, swinging one leg over lazily after pulling away the chain. A loud quiet thrumming noise caught her attention and she looked up just in time to see a lithe, leather clad figure zoom out of the private parking behind the club past her on a sleek black motor bike, steering hazardously close to the edge of the curb before breaking away to the center off the road and speeding away out of sight.
Astrid stared after it for a moment before catching herself and giving her head a shake, mumbling to herself and she pushed off on her own bike. "Must be more tired than I thought I was."
Without another word, she paused momentarily to double check her helmet and before gripping the handling bars and cycling off down to the road back, eager to get back home and crawl into her own comfortable bed to get some sleep before the next, dreaded school day.
The song used in this was Sk8tor Boi by Avril Lavigne. I know I've been bouncing back and forth between a LOT of different projects at the moments as my inspirations kinda been all over the place recently, BUT I can promise that I will finish each and every one of my stories that I start. I know from first hand experience how frustrating it in when you really get into a story only for the author to abandon it or adopt it off to someone else with a completely different writing style and plot-line for it. I can assure everyone right away that I will NEVER do any of that. When I start something I WILL finish it….. Eventually. I'm extremely busy right now so I can't grantee when I'll update and what my average time gap between updates will be, only that they WILL happen at some point. Thanks for your interest, reviews do help me to work faster so tell me what you think. No Flames please, but constructive criticism welcome. SS