That was the last straw. Hiccup lost his little sister, Una, in a car crash after her 6th birthday last June. His little brother, Boden was paralyzed for life in the same accident he lost Una and he had been suffering since March 13th when he lost his sister. Hiccup was devastated when his eleven year old crippled brother spazzed as the...the...monster inside him stunned his brain and blasted it to bits, rendering him unable to blink and breathe; thus he suffocated to death. His father, Stoick was fighting for the American army over in Afghanistan, due to come home anyday now. How would he feel if he came home to only one child of three left? He had been gone for only a year and in that one year, lost two children. His mother, Valka was sobbing uncontrolably on the wooden table in the kitchen.
Hiccup rolled his eyes as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out leftovers from Saturday night's dinner. She wouldn't even get up to cook for him, go to work, or anything else. Hiccup grieved for a day or two and moved on, He was the strongest in his family. But for this to go on for almost a week? He didn't know how much more of her bitter weeping he could take. Hiccup took the steak and bacon out of the microwave and grabbed a fork and knife before plopping down on the couch in the family room and flicking on the TV. iCarly, Victorious, Almost Naked Animals, Adventure Time, My Babysitter's a Vampire, Good Luck Charlie, Kick Buttowski, River Monsters, Pawn Stars; there was nothing good on TV tonight. he finally settled on watching some stupid show called 'I Survived a Japanese Gameshow' where Americans made utter dorks of themselves by participating in game shows in Japan. It was like watching Wipeout, but stupider and more extreme. Hiccup finished his dinner, cleaned up his dish, and turned off the television. he looked out the window, "Hey cool...its snowing a blizzard out there..." Hiccup mumbled out loud.
He walked to the kitchen after much hesitation and decided to console his mom. Hiccup put a hand on her heaving back, shaken with each gasping breath she took. She looked up at you and stopped crying for a few minutes. "You looked like you need a friend," he smiled.
"Why are you so freaking happy?!" she snapped.
Hiccup blinked and stepped back, "I'm trying to help you."
"Well I don't want your help! I can take care of myself! You never give me any credit!" she yelled, rising from the table.
"Just like you never give me any credit!" he yelled back.
"Why should I?! You're just a stupid teenager who doesn't know anything!"
"You don't know everything! You're pathetic, you know that?" Hiccup snorted.
Valka screamed in his face, "wait a minute! I never give you any credit? What the heck is wrong with you! I always give you what you want and-"
Hiccup cut her off by screaming louder than her, "YOU NEVER GAVE ME WHAT I WANTED MOST!"
She fell silent, but still stood firm and tall, "Then what the hell do you want?"
"Your understanding." He stated boldly and she punched him in your jaw and he fell to the floor.
"My understanding?! MY UNDERSTANDING? You lazy piece of crap I give you understanding all the time! You're always on that damn computer and you never spend time with me when I want to go somewhere with you or help you!" Valka yelled.
"Yeah?! Well did it ever occur to you that I might not want anything to do with you at the time you ask me to go somewhere or do something? Maybe I had a bad day and I want to be left the hell alone. Maybe I'm angry and I don't want to hurt you so I keep my mouth shut. And when you drag me where you want to go you get all angry because I don't say anything. News flash genius! I didn't want to go in the first place!" Hiccup kicked Valka's shin and she gasped, holding on to the table to keep from falling.
"All I want is to spend time with you! And you know that its hard to do with your dad overseas and me working all night and you in school all day! You need friends!"
"Your the idiot who won't take me anywhere to see what little friends I have! Your the one telling me to be social but wont let me out of the house! In the end you can only blame yourself for being so clingy! I have my face in front of a computer whenever I can because I have friends who actually care, even if they do live in Texas or Nevada or California or Pennsylvania! UNLIKE YOU THEY ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT ME AND RESPECT ME FOR WHO I AM!" Hiccup jumped to his feet and kicked Valka to the floor, then stomped on her hand for extra measures. He then ripped his scarf, winter coat, and hat from the chair and off the floor and slid into his snow boots before storming out the front door.
" HICCUP HORRENDUS HADDOCK GET YOUR SORRY, LAZY BUTT BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" He heard Valka screaming herself stupid from the house but he ignored her as he hurtled himself into the swirling blizzard. Hiccup yanked his hat down first then pulled the jacket on snug and tight before wrapping the scarf around his neck and up to his nose. Hiccup then found his gloves in his coat pocket from school earlier that day and pulled those on too. He found himself crunching through the snow up the driveway to his friend, Fishleg's house moments later. Hiccup knocked on the door and got no answer. Then he rang the doorbell once, twice, thrice before giving up and bounding off her porch back into the snowstorm. His thoughts wandered aimlessly at the past year's events and soon found himself staring at the neighbor's door. The Ingerman's residence. He knocked on their door and their alarm, a gronckle dog named meatlug, went off, announcing his arrival. Again there was no reply, so he rang the doorbell once, twice, thrice with no reply either. This time Hiccup practically pounded on the door and waited a good ten minutes in the cold before dubbing it they weren't home either.
Everyone always lies. They say that they'll be there for you but when you need them most they're never there. Best friends, friends, teachers, parents, other family members, the counselor at school. Not even Church is in session when you need guidance from the spirits or the Priest. He broke into a run, sprinting through the snow and slush on the road that was dimly lit by the occasional streetlight and the next thing Hiccup knew, he crashing through the trees of the neighborhood forest. He ran so far into the forest, blinded by crying and your foggy breath, constantly being whipped by tree branches. He didn't care where he were going; all Hiccup knew was that he needed to get away from there. He came to a stop in the middle of a huge clearing, where snow was falling gently. The clearing was beautiful and the snow lay undisturbed; Hiccup had never been this far back into the forest before and he wondered where he was. Something moved in the forest ahead of him and curiosity took over. Hiccup took a few small steps forward and the shadow came forward as well, just as slowly and cautiously as him. It was only a deadly nadder dog; how cute. "Are you lost little guy?" Hiccup asked and inched forward, noting the dog was caught in a snare. "Aw your hurt...here let me help you..." He began to untwine the wire and the dog yelped as it cut into his skin. "Shhhh..its okay...shhh..." He tried to soothe the creature and it finally began to calm down and Hiccup began to work again.
About half an hour later, the deadly nadder was successfully freed. It was weird because deadly nadder's didn't usually live this far away from people. Hiccup watched as it toddled off and disappeared into the shadowy forest. He blinked and wondered if he'd been hearing and seeing things but brushed it off and looked down at his handiwork. The wire Hiccup had uncoiled lay in a mangled heap at his feet and kicked it across the clearing, cursing whoever had set it and hurt such a small, innocent creature. Hiccup turned to walk a different way when suddenly CRACK! Well that didn't sound good. He looked down and saw a faint line in the snow. He blinked and stooped over to examine the line, brushing the snow aside and hitting something hard. Curious Hiccup began to brush away more snow and looked down, and gulped. Fish were frozen beneath him and he jumped up, Hiccup covered his mouth with gloved hands to muffle his scream as the ice gave another loud CRACK! Without thinking, Hiccup began to run in towards the treeline. Bad choice. The ice splintered beneath him and he plunged into the freezing water below, his cry for help cut short as pond water swamped into Hiccup's mouth, sucking him down to its depths. The moment he hit the water felt like a million tiny knives stabbing him all over at the same time.
No! Somebody save me! Please! Help me! Hiccup screamed mentally and swam upwards, only to hit his head on ice. Hiccup wailed and oxygen bubbles escaped his mouth as he began pounding on the ice, begging and praying somebody would hear his pleas. In his own eyes, he watched as his movements became slow and lucid, as if Hiccup were swimming in honey. Hiccup's body began to feel like led and his lips parted, letting whatever air he had in his lungs escape. Hiccup was unable to tell what was down, even though he was pretty sure that was the direction he was headed. A light headed, fuzzy feeling washed over Hiccup.
Hiccup begin to remember things. Like the time he closed his locker on his fingers in middle school. And the time Hiccup threw a cupcake at the class bully, Snotlout in first grade and he got sent to the principals. What? Snotlout deserved that cupcake to the face, and it was worth wasting his mom's homemade cupcake to see his expression. For months afterwards Hiccup's classmates cheered him on and congratulated him on manning up to the class bully. And the first Halloween he spent with Boden and Una. You were dressed up as a night fury, Una was a princess, and Boden was a sorcerers apprentance. They were all headed to a costume party down the street but there parents forgot to dress up so they missed out on all the fun stuff and Una was too scared to go in the haunted mansion somebody had set up in their garage and Boden was petrified of the high school kids dressed up as vampires and mummies. Meanwhile, Hiccup stood by and laughed at them for a while until you saw this huge spider decoration and started crying he was so scared.
His life began flashing by in seconds. First day of school, chorus, band, soccer. His first trophy, winning third place in a track event because the kids who won first and second cheated, failing his algebra exam, turning the class bully into a nice person, his first detention with the science teacher, the last day of eighth grade, all his friends. Yet Hiccup had never once been in love. Sure a few anime crushes on the hotties in Oran High School and Naruto, but those didn't count. It was painful for him to watch others love and be loved, but know he could never have any of that love. It hurt more than words could explain, and it was even harder when your siblings died. Finally the lights began to fade and the edges of Hiccup's vision grew black. The last thing he remembered seeing was the outline of a person swimming towards him...
-
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losing my faith today
Falling off the edge today
Hiccup woke to somebody rousing him. Drowsily he opened his eyes, blinking to adjust to the brightness of some unknown light source. Hiccup's eyes adjusted slowly and first he saw the outline of a figure watching him closely, but not within striking distance. The details began to fill in as Hiccup opened His eyes wider to let more light in. The stranger was a girl, no more than a mere sixteen years old. Worry plastered her soft face as her blond hair pulled back into a tight braid, and bright blue eyes that were fixed on him. She was wearing a red hoodie and wore dark blue denim jeans and white socks, her soggy boots were near the entrance to her oversized tent. He must've been in heaven, because this girl was an angel. Either that or she had come to take you away and lead you to the light.
I am just a man
Not superhuman
I'm not superhuman
Someone save me from the hate
"Wou-would you like to tell me why you were on the ice?" She asked softly, Hiccup just barely being able to hear her. He groaned and sat up. He put his hand on his forehead in pain from where he had hit it on the ice earlier. The memories of the fight with his mom swarmed in his head like a hive of angry bees and he began spurting and explaining everything to this stranger. At some points He lashed out at her and she flinched, but continued listening. When Hiccup was done, he was afraid he'd gone too far but she still sat there cross legged, head tilted to one side adorably, listening intently.
It's just another war
Just another family torn
Falling from my faith today
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
Hiccup blinked and mentally choked himself, he knew who this girl was it was his best friend and crush Astrid Hofferson. "Thank you for saving Stormfly," Astrid whispered. Hiccup gave her the most confused look he could muster at the time, and it must've been terrible. or she was just terrible at reading expressions. "You found my deadly nadder in that trap on the ice, she told me." "What are you doing out hear Astrid in a tent in the middle of a snowstorm?" Hiccup asked. "I was camping and was gonna pack up and leave when Stormfly went missing and this storm hit, and when she came back she told me she saw you go through the ice, so I knew I couldn't leave you to drown. I'm not that heartless." She replied with a huff blowing some loose hair out of her face.
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero will save me just in time
Just then, a deadly nadder dog waddled - no, limped - into the section of the tent he and Astrid were in. Her left foreleg was bandaged up good and tight, and the dog looked at Hiccup in recognition. "Stormfly, say thank you," Astrid prompted.
The dog huffed and limped over to him, he was still sitting up in what he presumed Astrid's sleeping bag. The deadly nadder plopped down in his lap and looked up at Hiccup with bright blue eyes, her nose wiggling before she licked his chin, "Merci, human." Hiccup's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. The dog! The dog just! It just! No way! That deadly nadder just spoke in plain English, er, French and English, to him! Hiccup blinked his eyes and started pinching himself, trying to wake himself up from this dream.
"Hey,stop pinching yourself!" Astrid leaned forwards and grabbed his wrists and he stopped, staring up into his luminous eyes a faint blush on his cheeks.
I've gotta fight today
To live another day
Speaking my mind today
My voice will be heard today
Hiccup couldn't even free himself if he wanted to. Astrid had a monster of a grip! She let go.
Hiccup sprang out of the sleeping bag and hugged her. The dog tumbled out of his lap and onto the floor. Astrid tensed up at the sudden hug but eventually relaxed. Hiccup was quite surprised he'd made such a sudden move. "Why did you save me? I should've just died, it would've been easier that way," Hiccup began to get teary and buried his face into the crook of her neck.
I've gotta make a stand
But I am just a man
I'm not superhuman
My voice will be heard today
"There was no way I'd let you die, Hiccup" Astrid wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer to her, rocking him side to side the way he used to do to Una when she was distressed. Hiccup only sobbed into Astrid's shoulder quietly.
It's just another war
Just another family torn
My voice will be heard today
It's just another kill
The countdown begins to destroy ourselves
"Astrid i've always admired you from a distance. But you're so popular and you're always hanging out with your friends, and the boys tripping over themselves trying to get a date from you, I didn't think you'd ever consider a nobody like me." Hiccup said sniffling.
"But Hiccup you've got it all. You've got a family that loves you, and are adored by your brother and sister. Why would you even consider death?" Astrid asked, allowing him to pull away.
"Because," Hiccup sighed, and looked down at his knees, playing with some loose threads, "I lost my sister in a car accident last June, and my brother was paralyzed in that same crash that left him unable to function properly so he suffocated, I guess you won't know we kept there funerals away from the public only telling the school what happened. But even before they died, nobody but them understood me in the way I needed others to. Others won't even listen. They don't know that I only act happy all the time. They don't know my depressed or angry side. They think my life is perfect and I have everything a teenager could ask for. They should really think otherwise..."
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero will save me just in time
"You should count yourself lucky that nobody notices you." Astrid sighs and let herself fall onto her back onto the frozen ground through the tent fabric. "I have a lot of problems and stress and nobody to get it out to."
"So how do you relieve stress?" Hiccup asked.
"I may seem docile and populare and innocent on the outside, but throw me on the ice with a hockey game going on and thats it," she made an explosion sound effect, "All that goes out the window and I just obliterate anybody in my way." You let out a small giggle at that. Hiccup had seen her many times at Hockey practice and she was really violent. He used to take his sibling to her games, and they would cheer her on, not that she'd ever noticed.
I need a hero to save my life
I need a hero, just in time
Save me just in time
Save me just in time
Who's gonna fight for what's right?
Who's gonna help us survive?
We're in the fight of our lives
And we're not ready to die
"Adults are dumb. They say they'll be there for you when you need them but they're not. Teenagers are the most misunderstood people on the planet, expected to act like adults but treated like kids," Hiccup rolled his eyes and Astrid laughed.
"And they think because they were once our age they know everything about us," She tacked on.
Hiccup nodded fiercly, "Uh, hello? This is a different generation with different stuff?" This time both of them laughed.
Who's gonna fight for the weak?
Who's gonna make 'em believe?
I've got a hero, I've got a hero
Living in me
"You're right, Astrid If lots of people were like me, who would stick up for our generation?" Hiccup asked.
"Nobody. We'd be left to defend ourselves. Wait, what am I talking about? We're already supporting ourselves. Nobody can change how adults think, they're all so thick skulled! We've got to look out for our own age group. Its clear nobody else will," Astrid agreed.
I'm gonna fight for what's right
Today I'm speaking my mind
And if it kills me tonight
I will be ready to die
After a long exchange of words and feelings, Hiccup felt as if a great weight had been lifted in talking to Astrid about his problems.
"I've got a job at the local zoo working with the arctic animals like polar bears, seals, and penguins. You should come visit me sometime Hiccup," she smiled and stood up, then helped Hiccup to stand. Astrid walked over to a different section of the tent and came back with his winter stuff. "Sorry," she blushed. "I-I took off all your winter stuff and held you close to the heater before I let you sleep it off..."
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero will save me just in time
(I need a hero)
Who's gonna fight for what's right?
Who's gonna help us survive?
Hiccup smiled as he pulled on all his winter gear and Astrid pulled on hers. unzipping the tent flap. The cold morning air smacked them both in the face, but Hiccup embrassed it warmly and the snow underfoot crunched when they stepped outside into the dawn. Astrid was close behind. He helped her pack up her things, and offered to carry them back, but she refused. Whistling once for Stormfly, they headed back to town.
(I need a hero)
Who's gonna fight for the weak?
Who's gonna make 'em believe?
I've got a hero
They walked in silence as they headed home. Hiccup reached his doorstep and sighed, then turned to look at Astrid sadly. "Guess this is it, huh?"
"Don't worry we will meet again." She said.
"Can we meet outside of school again?" Hiccup asked.
"Does the same place on February fourteenth at 9pm work for you?" Astrid answered his question with a question.
"Yes!" Hiccup responded almost too eagerly and he hugged Astrid tightly. This time she didn't hesitate to return the hug.
they embraced each other for a while before Astrid tapped his back, "I've got to go now. We'll see each other again soon, I promise." Astrid walked off and at the end of his driveway before turning to wave to him. Hiccup waved back.
"Hiccup?!" his mom's voice startled you.
"Mom!" Hiccup turned and practically tackled-hugged her into the door.
"I'm glad your home! Where have you bee- who were you waving to?" she asked.
"Uhhh..." Hiccup turned to where Astrid was standing but she wasn't there. "I was just shooing off some jerks making a mess of Miss Anderson's house."
"You must be tired. The snow in her yard is untouched, she's on vacation, remember? I guess not. Get inside so you can bathe and get some rest. I'll make your favorite breakfast while you're in the shower. Come on, come on," she ushered him into the house in a hurry.
In the shower, you were thinking over you and Astrid's departure, then blushed when he realized the day she wanted to meet him again in private. Valentines day. Consider it a date.
I need a hero
A hero's gonna save me just in time