Greetings all!
Many thanks to folks who left reviews last chapter. It's so fun to see the different reactions, insights and comments these stories inspire. Big shout outs this time to my long time supporters 'Transformers 0' and 'thearizona' and 'mc arno'. I really appreciate it when you guys get in touch and you always have something interesting to say.
To reply to a FAQ, Most High School AU's have the romance / redemption story between Hiccup and the others take place because Hiccup and Astrid got paired with each other on the well-used plot device of 'the school project' so while those are awesome, I figured why not see how it affects everyone when that doesn't happen?
Well, here is the climax of the current arc. I hope you guys like the structure it uses. Originally this arc was going to finish last chapter but thanks to the aforementioned 'Transformers0' I managed to figure out a way of writing what I hope will be a compelling chapter as well as expanding on Hiccup's relationships. Be forewarned I still know nothing about cars so it's all either made up, what I've seen in movies or stuff skimmed from Wikipedia. Also this chapter does contain talk about suicide and dealing with that issue so while I have no experience in that area I hope I handle it well enough.
That said ...
... Enjoy!
Gone
Chapter – 4
Fury Road
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The ever-repeating markings that divided the road had become one barely perceptible blur that pulsed beside 'toothless' as he and Hiccup sped along the coast road towards to the base of Raven's Point. The trees that lined the road on the left were nothing more than a verdant haze as they seemed to hiss in pain in Hiccup's wake, begging the boy not to go through with his plan. In contrast, on the right, the sea was a detached calm witness to what was transpiring, as the black bolt of flesh and steel powered towards its goal.
Hiccup glanced out the window towards the ocean. There were dark clouds on the horizon. A storm was coming.
'Good!' Hiccup thought, 'a heavy cleansing shower of rain to wash the remnants of his life away.'
By now the Hiccup and 'toothless' were at the base of the cliffs and due to an intersection in the road Hiccup had to shift all the way back down to first gear and bring the car to brief halt. After waiting a few moments to ensure no other traffic was coming Hiccup and 'toothless' launched off again, building up torque and momentum to reach the summit where his life would end.
First Gear
As he began to pick up speed again, Hiccup watched the Tachometer on the dashboard climb. A deep bassy, yet mournful warble from 'toothless' not only made the whole car shake but seemed to question why Hiccup was doing this. Hiccup gripped the gear stick, feeling it shudder as old memories he had wrestled with shivered their way through his body.
"Hah! Look at the fraidy cat Hiccup!" Snotlout's taunting voice rang out in his memory, "What ya gonna do now fishbone? Runaway and cry like a little baby? Like always! Ha ha ha!"
"I'm not running away!" Hiccup growled to himself as the road began its incline. It seemed that even the landscape itself was conspiring to stop him, reminding him just how powerless and insignificant he was.
"Gods Hiccup! Why are you so weak?" the memory of Dogsbreath now cut in to Hiccup's imagination, the feeling of the large boy's boot from a particularly memorable beating tingling on his chest.
"I'm not weak, I'm doing this because I don't have any other choice!" Hiccup retorted his grip on the wheel becoming ever tighter.
"Liar!" Stoick's voice now roared at him as Hiccup recalled how he had vehemently yet futilely denied he had anything to do with the garden shed burning down that time. "What am I going to do with you boy?!" His father had scowled as he roughly cuffed Hiccup on the back of the head, "And as usual it's going to be me who will have to clean up your mess! Why can't you follow even the simplest of orders!?"
"You never gave me any orders that were worth following!" Hiccup screamed at his non-existent father, his high pitched nasally voice actually hurting his own ears as it bounced around the sealed interior of his car.
"I'm not weak! I. AM. NOT WEAK! I am not afraid and this is only thing I can do to stop you all!"
Hiccup hated how hollow his own words sounded against the life of misery that was playing itself on superfast repeat in his head. In a way he knew every single word his bullies and tormentors had said was true. Hiccup just didn't want to admit it. He knew he was fighting a losing battle and what he was planning was indeed the ultimate act of cowardice.
To find some respite and to drown out the taunts in his mind, Hiccup hit the button that lowered the car windows. A loud whoosh of the passing wind and the cacophony of nature filled the vehicle along with a small maelstrom of air that chaotically tousled Hiccup's wild auburn hair.
Immediately Hiccup felt some relief but no matter how loud the noise of nature was, it still didn't ease his pounding heart as he pushed in the clutch and pulled the gear stick towards him.
Second Gear
The noise of the engine stepped up a tone as more power filtered into the pounding V-8 engine that was dragging both man and machine forward. The mixture of oxygen and gasoline seemed to couple with Hiccup's pain and self-loathing, fuelling the deadly beast-machine and made 'toothless' roar angrily as the car literally devoured the road in front of him.
"Come on bud! Let's go!" Hiccup rasped, feeding off the heat and rage pouring out his car's engine bay as the Tach climbed steadily higher and the incline of the road got steeper. "Come on, Come on, Come on, Come on!" the teen repeated endlessly as he let his hatred of himself turn outward and Hiccup finally allowed himself to acknowledge his righteous indignation at those who had incessantly hurt and wronged him.
"Damn you! Damn you all!" Hiccup raged as he switched hands and pounded his good arm against the steering wheel, 'toothless' eyes now glaring to reflect his owner's ire that was pouring out of him.
'They did this. They all drove him to this course of action and they would all pay the price!' Hiccup growled again as more memories threatened to overload him.
"Hey useless! You got an appointment with your locker door! BAM!"
"No! I won't go out with you, Ewwww!"
"Hey Hiccup! You do know your name means runt don't you? Oh yeah of course you do! Because you are one! Ha!"
"Stop squirming and take your lumps like a man fishbone! THWACK!"
"He'll only drag me down and I won't let that happen!"
"Ugh! Why do you waste your time with all these foolish gadgets and toys?! Why couldn't you be more like your mother?!"
Hiccup's vision became watery as tears once again threatened to pour down his stricken face for the second time this day. The emotion that had been building in his soul for most of his life was now violently erupting out of him as he and 'toothless' stampeded up the road to the most dangerous corner in all of Berk. It was a deadly, explosive mixture and Hiccup knew the fuse had been ignited in him by the day's events and a lifetime of misery.
Cocooned in his dark armoured shell, It was a far cry from the idyllic, joyful scene he had witnessed his former classmates enjoying in the forest.
'Why did he go there?' Hiccup wondered to himself as the memory of only an hour ago served to exacerbate his rage. 'Why did he even care about what they were doing? Why should they sit there carefree and fun-loving and he be left to fade away into nothingness with no-one to even care about him?'
"Let's see them laugh after this!" Hiccup mockingly scoffed as he took his hand off the wheel and with another swift push of the clutch pedal he jabbed the gear-stick with all his might forward, propelling the car faster.
The spark of pain that went up his arm, seeing it was his injured hand he was using to change gears, reminded Hiccup of all the pain he had suffered and he vowed he would never feel it ever again. He had seen his bullies one final time and they would stay there, locked away in his mind, never to be seen in the flesh again. He had been in their presence, tested his resolve ... and let them go.
Hiccup knew how tempting it could have been to simply plough 'toothless' down the grassy bank in the forest and mow down as many of them as he could, brutally claiming the vengeance and retribution his darker thoughts so desperately sought and tried to convince him he deserved.
But Hiccup was not a murderer. The only life that had been at stake was his and Hiccup was determined to keep it that way. At least no-one could accuse him of ruining anyone else's life now. Because Hiccup was now free. Hiccup would be beyond all of their reach now.
Third Gear
The change in the engine's tone and the sudden jolt of speed startled Hiccup in way that was quite foreign to him. He was so deep in his thoughts, he realised he was drifting to the wrong side of the road. Snapping the wheel to instantly correct his mistake, jarred Hiccup on every level to the point where he was shaking as wildly as the needle on the speedometer as it danced inexorably to ever higher numbers.
As Hiccup trembled, the wind in the car seemed to target his neck and breeze down the collar of his hoodie. In a chilling instant he could feel the cold wash down his spine, lancing every vertebra on the way, only to plummet into his stomach and latch on with a firm, nearly paralysing grip.
Hiccup's pressure on the accelerator pedal lessened slightly as the enormity of what he was doing came back to him.
"How can I do this bud?" Hiccup asked 'toothless' knowing he wouldn't get any response but not caring anyway, "it's too much … it's always been too much!" he lamented as 'toothless' continued to growl at Hiccup's sadness.
"Maybe I could go back?!" the boy posited, going through the myriad of ways he could try to undo what had happened so far. It would be difficult but not impossible as Hiccup's resolve began to weaken, a lifetime's worth of fears and insecurities piling back on to his shoulders weighing both him and his car down, slowing their ascent up the road.
"look at him shake lads! I think he's going to wet himself!" one of the jocks sneered during one of his many rounds of mockery. High-School should have been a sanctuary that would prepare Hiccup for life in the real world, but it had become a prison with corridors filled with fear and tension. It became a gauntlet Hiccup had to run everyday to try and avoid his peers' capricious desires. A gauntlet he usually lost.
It seemed no-where was safe as Hiccup then recalled one distant Saturday afternoon,
"But dad, I don't want to go outside with them!"
Hiccup was quaking before his huge father as Stoick lectured him on the porch in front of his so called 'friends' who had all come to his house and politely requested if Hiccup could 'come out and hang with them'.
"Nonsense Hiccup!" Stoick sternly declared, either not noticing or caring for the terror in his son's eyes and the predatory glee in his bullies' eyes behind him. "You really need to get out and play with your friends!" Stoick continued patronizingly, "And I'm locking all the doors and windows, so don't even think about sneaking back into the house! You have to learn how to socialise or you'll end up with no-one liking you. Do you good too, so it will!"
"But dad….." Hiccup pleaded, no longer above begging and debasing himself in front of everyone for the slightest scrap of respite.
"ENOUGH!" Stoick bellowed, "Go along and play now! You lot will take care of my son and make sure he has fun!"
"Oh don't you worry uncle Stoick!" Snotlout crooned with amazingly convincing sincerity, "Me and my little cuz are gonna have a whale of a time!"
"Excellent! See you later Hiccup!" and with that the vast man was gone, back into the house to watch the game with his adult friends. While macho cheers came from within his home, Hiccup didn't even try to hide his fear filled, rabbit-in-the-headlights expression as he turned to look at the gang. They were hunters and he was the prey.
He had always been the prey and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it. How could he for he was nothing but weak, scrawny and ultimately … terrified.
Hiccup was so consumed he barely registered himself changing up another gear. His moves had become second nature as he sub-consciously slid the gearstick smoothly back, drawing a more gentle surge out of his black muscle car to combat the increasing steepness of the cliff-side road.
Fourth Gear
"I tried bud, I tried so hard … but no matter what I did, nothing was ever good enough!" Hiccup groaned as he cycled through everything he had done to find favour with those that seemed bound and determined to destroy him, physically, mentally and emotionally.
And for absolutely no logical or justifiable reason the genius boy could discern or understand. He had literally used every trick in the book to get them to leave him alone, but it didn't seem to work.
"Sure I'll do your homework Dunbrain!"
"Chores are all done dad! The house is spotless!"
"Shouldn't be a problem to edit the film for you … oh don't worry, I never wanted the credit anyway, you take it!"
"Look Fishlegs, I get it … it's cool … you can't be seen with me in school but we can hang out during the holidays …. That just makes the holidays more fun right?!"
"Ah, didn't need those shoes anyway …. they weren't my style"
"Need a wingman to make you look better? …. Sure no problem …just let know when to scram."
"Oh yeah! that was a really funny thing you put on my Facebook page Snorri … ha ha … got loads of 'interesting' responses!"
"Please Snotlout, just leave me alone….I'll give you whatever you want!"
"Whatever you want …" the words poured involuntarily out of Hiccup's mouth as the world continued to race by and the brooding cloudy sky along with the blind-man's corner at the peak of Raven's Point got closer and closer. Hiccup thought about those three words which had become the mantra of his adolescence.
"Whatever you want"
And Hiccup had given them whatever they wanted. He played whatever role his various tormentors designed for him. For a while Hiccup figured he could trade away parts of himself for a better life or a sliver or respect. Everything that was him seemed to be on offer, to be taken by others or bartered away by himself. If Hiccup bowed and scraped and cow-towed to whatever was demanded of him then maybe he would be accepted … maybe even liked. In the forest park as he watched his former classmates, he even considered driving down and showing 'toothless' off to them, knowing they would love the car and possibly even him by default when he told them he had built 'toothless' himself.
But no.
They had already abused 'toothless' simply by how he looked and Hiccup knew the chances were high they would try and steal the new and improved version if they had the chance, leaving him in the dirt.
It was a sad state of affairs, as much now as it was then.
No matter what Hiccup offered, a happy fate was not destined for him and so when Hiccup turned 13, he decided on a new course of action. A course of action that was culminating in this high-speed rampage as Hiccup thrust the gearstick forward for the last time, the car now feeling more like an extension of his body that was bonded to him rather than a separate mechanical entity.
Fifth Gear
The peak of the cliff was now clearly visible and Hiccup licked his dry wind swept lips as he tried to focus on his target. The red light marker that would flash when traffic was coming from opposite side of the blind-man's turn was reassuringly still dark. It also warned motorists at night of the sheer drop that awaited anyone foolish enough to take the cliff-top turn at high speed, lest they launch off the edge and down to the crushing rocks far below. At this time on a Saturday afternoon the road was always quiet, seeing most residents preferred the more direct inland roads. Everything was free and clear for what Hiccup planned to do and so he wouldn't screw up and hurt someone again.
It always seemed to be like that. Hiccup was always being accused of hurting those around him, either by his actions or by association. And yet the irony was, the only person who really got hurt was him.
It was a ruthlessly depressing cycle and Hiccup let his tears flow further as he remembered that day 2 years ago when it all became too much and he tried to end his life in Gobber's scrapyard.
"Al … sniff … Almost …. Agh! …. Almost there!" Hiccup whimpered as he spied the end of his journey in sight whilst remembering the incident that had started him on it in the first place.
Flashback 2 years ago 'The Forge' (General POV)
"Wha in Helheim Laddie!? wha on Thor's green earth where ya thinkin?!" the huge set Iron-monger and Hiccup's only real friend begged as he cradled the traumatised boy in his arms as they both lay sprawled messily on the scrapyard floor.
The air was filled with the dirt, dust and metallic debris thrown up by the huge pile of scrap metal that had been dropped from the magnetic crane. It stung the eyes and burned the throat, but the veteran metal-worker had become immune to its effects so he recovered quickly.
It was the boy in his arms he feared for. Had he not glanced out of his office window and seen what Hiccup was doing, (deliberately standing right in the drop-zone beneath the automated machine's huge lethal cargo) he wouldn't have miraculously sprinted across the dumping yard and dived through the air pulling the boy out the way of the falling debris at the last second.
"Did ya not heard me lad?! Grey Odin's balls! What's goin on in that head ah ures?!"
Hiccup didn't respond to the flabbergasted question but continued to shudder as the enormity of what was going on hit him. Slowly Gobber got both of them up to their knees and he ran his working hand all over Hiccup's body checking for any injuries. Thanking Odin for finding no physical harm bar a few scrapes, Gobber's heart sunk as he then desperately searched the boy's desolate, dull green eyes for any sign of life or desire to live.
To his horror he found none. Just the 'thousand-yard-stare' of someone who looked like they were dead already, but didn't even know it yet. To bring Hiccup out of his daze Gobber cupped the boy's cheek in his huge calloused hand and gave him a gentle shake.
Hiccup's eyelids fluttered briefly and he seemed to come back to some form of lucidity, his green irises finally focusing on the blue eyes of his boss, mentor and friend.
"Hiccup …. Why?" Gobber asked breathlessly, fearing anything above a whisper would shatter the pale teenager in front of him.
"They made me … wear a dress …. Gobber …." Hiccup muttered tonelessly.
"Wha!?" was all the blonde man could say in his utter confusion at the statement causing Hiccup to resume talking in his emotionless monotone.
"We had gym first period …. After, when I got out of the showers … they had taken all my clothes … all that was left hanging in my space ….. was my underwear and ... a dress ….. it had blue and yellow flowers on it …. was actually quite pretty!"
"Hiccup ... Who are 'they'? Who did this?!" Gobber asked as rage at Hiccup's treatment began pouring into his tone like the molten steel in his furnace.
"Couldn't stay in the locker rooms …. Couldn't get out ….." Hiccup continued on reciting the torture like a dull shopping list "…. they forced me to wear it …. Had to get to class ….. everyone thought it was hilarious ….. except Astrid ….. turns out it was her dress ….. they'd stolen it from her locker … she wasn't happy … yelled at me for making her stay in her gym clothes ….. they all just ... kept laughing."
To say Gobber was shocked and appalled was an understatement. He made to stand, to go and do something about this, but Hiccup simply held on to his arms tighter keeping the gentle-giant's focus on him.
"Tried to get sent home ….. Principal Treacherous said I couldn't …. No adult supervision … and would …. teach me a lesson for pranking Astrid ….. for stealing from the girl's locker rooms ….. had to sit through the whole day ….. had to run home …. make sure dad didn't find out ….. only just got changed when he came home … came right here ….. and I …. I…I…."
"You wha laddie?" Gobber asked desperately as the forlorn teenager trailed off, his thin body now violently shaking as tears burst from his eyes.
"I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE GOBBER!" Hiccup screamed as he drove his head into Gobber's chest, violently sobbing "I want ….. I…. I WANT TO DIE!"
Gobber's arms quickly enveloped the boy in an all-encompassing hug. This was not his run of the mill Viking-death-grip hug but a tender embrace that practically swallowed the boy up, hiding him from the world and all the torments that seemed to be targeting him. Gobber tried to pour all of his love and affection for his best friend's son into the embrace like he would fill a mold with a new piece of molten steel. But as the boy continued to weep uncontrollably Gobber felt his own eyes water with guilt at being more or less powerless to help Hiccup, knowing first-hand how much the odds of life were stacked against him.
They stayed like that for a long time until Hiccup ran out of tears to shed and Gobber had to more or less carry him up to his office. Once there, Hiccup passed out on the sofa and Gobber retrieved a bottle of his favourite Scottish whiskey from its hiding place and took a few drinks to steady his nerves and formulate what he was going to say to the boy once he woke up.
End Flashback, The present with Hiccup, nearing Raven's point
The sound of gulls trilling through the air brought Hiccup from his dark memories setting him back firmly on course. The large white sea-birds where rising and swooping on thermals from the sea below and they seemed to be following the raging muscle car as it came within a only few hundred yards of the tight hairpin turn showing no signs of stopping or slowing down.
Hiccup was loudly sobbing as he drove, his breathing erratic. At this point he could feel 'toothless' was resisting him, the vehicle itself trying to pull Hiccup back from the edge of his insane drive to 'freedom'.
But Hiccup knew how to motivate his black steed, having built him from the frame up and knowing his bud as thoroughly as he knew himself. Taking a huge gulp of breath, Hiccup steadied himself just long enough to slam down the clutch and rip the gear stick back into the car's highest gear, sending the speedometer on a smooth course to its highest number and the Rev counter vibrating wildly into the red zone, showing just how much insane power he was now wielding.
Sixth Gear
As the top of the cliff approached even faster now, Hiccup's vision began to blurr and a white haze began to encroach all around him. It looked as if the world itself, anticipating the young man's designs had decided to erase all that it was, leaving Hiccup with only a narrow tunnel vision of the road between himself and his final destination.
Hiccup narrowed his eyes in response, bringing what he saw into razor sharp clarity. He could see everything, feel everything. The smoothness of the tarmac beneath him, the fluffy yet dark clouds overhanging the cliff top ready to catch him like a huge comfy mattress, the warring winds he cut through like an infernal sword and the fiery heat from 'toothless' pulsing core.
This was it. The culmination of his 18 years of life. This was day that it all ended. The hurt, the betrayal, the neglect, the disappointment.
Like dying wounded animals refusing to accept their fate, the voices in Hiccup's head lashed out one final time as if to convince him he wasn't capable of doing what he needed to do:
"You're such a Fishbone!"
"Learn to fight back Hiccup, you can't let yourself be a wimp!"
"I'm sorry Hiccup but they won't leave me alone if I hang around you!"
"You're the son of Stoick the Vast? What a loser!"
"I can't believe I'm related to you hic – hic – Hiccup!"
"Why do you constantly embarrass me like that!? Ugh! Your mother would be so disappointed!"
"WEAK ….SCRAWNY ….USELESS …. HOMO …. PUNY …. MISTAKE ….. RUNT ….. WASTE ….. DORK …. PATHETIC …. DIE!"
Hiccup could see the corner of the cliff now and with a roar of anger he shut the voices out of his mind for good. They had had their chance to persuade him, but this time he would not listen to them. Hiccup would not be beaten by cruel deeds and spiteful words. Not anymore.
This was the last day that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third existed.
The corner and it's infamous death drop were now dangerously close and Hiccup in his final act let his eyes close in readiness. He knew people would ask questions like 'Why did he do it?' And 'How did no-one see it coming?' But in the end Hiccup accepted that the questions were just as pointless as the answers. In the end all that was relevant was the deed.
And like that Hiccup let everything he was fall away, leaving nothing but a man with a beating heart and thrumming engine to counterpoint the gentle breeze that fluttered around the heights of Raven's Point.
This was the moment he had been waiting for and everything went white!
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The thing about suicide is ….
Hiccup Haddock no longer believed in it…
Oh there was definitely a time when Hiccup truly believed that if his life ceased, both he and everyone around him would be happy. And he felt angry at himself for allowing such wretched feelings to nearly overcome him. Very few people knew how it felt to be driven to that point and Hiccup being one of those even fewer people who managed to claw his way back from such feelings, deeply sympathized with anyone or those close to anyone who attempted, failed or succeeded in taking their own life.
He understood better than anyone else just how far one had to fall to see no way out except into the embrace of Death itself.
But now he no longer saw suicide as a viable option and didn't believe anyone else should either. For every life, including his, had value. He was lucky that he had someone to literally save him from himself and show him a better way.
He had already relived his first and only tragic attempt at killing himself on the journey here. But like then as it was now, it was the one voice he didn't shut out of his head that pulled Hiccup back from the edge, in every sense of the word.
Flashback, 2 years ago 'The Forge' (General POV)
"U've no idea how wrong yee are boy!" Gobber's words echoed in his skull after hearing Hiccup despairingly protest how much better things would be if he was dead.
After waking up, Hiccup and Gobber had talked at length about what had driven Hiccup to pull his insane suicide attempt. Although elaborating on the details of his public humiliation, Hiccup remained stubbornly tight-lipped about who exactly 'they' (the perpetrators) were. Though the old iron-monger could make a few reasonable guesses.
Despite being sad at being thwarted, Hiccup was then made to feel even worse when Gobber had pointed out that by killing himself within 'The Forge' and under Gobber's supervision, the authorities and Stoick would hold Gobber personally responsible. Thus Hiccup's actions would probably have resulted in destroying Gobber's livelihood and potentially landing the double-amputee in prison. It was a darkly sobering thought for the depressed teenager who launched into a tear-soaked tirade of apologies that took Gobber over half-an-hour of consoling (as well as persuading Hiccup to take a few sips of whiskey), to bring to a stuttering halt.
Bringing the distraught lad back under control, Gobber sat beside him on the sofa, his muscular arm draped comfortingly around Hiccup's shoulders.
"Think af it this way laddie!" the older man murmured carefully, "if you had died tonight ….. you wouldn't be free of those muttonheads who are making your life miserable …. In fact u'd be helping them!"
"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked, his forlorn face now furrowed in confusion, thinking it was the whiskey talking.
"Ack how do I say this?" Gobber replied scratching his head with his prosthetic hook attachment. "Um … you don't want them spending their time hurting you …. right?" Gobber asked gaining a slow nod from the boy by his side giving him the confidence to keep talking.
"Well if ya kill urself ….. ure givin them all the years of ure life you could have lived! ….. All the good things u'll do …. all the amazing contraptions ure gonna create ….. ure giving all them great things ….. to a bunch of yak-brained idiots who don't deserve or care about them! ….. Now! Do ye really wan that?
"No." was all Hiccup could say in reply, dipping his eyes shamefully to gaze at his bandaged hands.
"Good!" Gobber declared slightly more cheerily, rubbing Hiccup's back trying to lightened the mood, "Now here's what's gonna happen laddie! Were gonna patch you up some more and never mention this little incident to anyone …. Ever!"
"Ok" Hiccup replied evenly, glad someone other than him was making a positive decision about his well-being.
"And then come Monday …. ure gonna go back to school ….. an your gonna take whatever abuse those bullies dole out on ya!" Gobber announced with a more steady tone.
"What?!" Hiccup's head snapped up in alarm at being cast back into the den of vipers that was Berk High-School and by Gobber of all people. "But … but …. Why?" Hiccup begged, his voice mournful at another apparent betrayal.
Immediately Goober's arm was around Hiccup's shoulder again and the large man shifted so he was looking Hiccup square in the eyes, his face compassionate yet firm, "Ure gonna take it because you can!" Gobber crooned sagely "Don't think I don't know how thick a skin u've got on ya! ure gonna get through it, just like ure getting through this now!"
"But how? I'm just a weak fishbone!" Hiccup lamented as fresh tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
"Ah but that's the point you see!" Gobber retorted lightly as he gently brushed away the tears before they could fall, "they judge ure weak exterior when really it's what's on the inside is what they should be worried about!"
"Thank you for summing that up!" Hiccup dead-panned in response, not sure whether to take Gobber's last statement as a complement or an insult.
"My point is, they think ure something ure not!" the blonde scrap-merchant crooned leaning in, his voice lowering to whisper as if he was sharing some grand plot or conspiracy with the boy. Instantly intrigued, Hiccup leaned in as well to share in the secret "So let that be ure defence Hiccup!" Gobber continued, "Uu've been called every name under the sun …. Well! …. let them stick to ya for now! … Let them all build up around ya like a wall or a….. a …. Like a … ah! Like coat of armour a knight wears or ….. or one … even better! …. Like one those dragons ure always drawing!"
"A dragon or a knight?" Hiccup asked, dubious at the ludicrously out of date analogy Gobber was attempting to draw.
"Yeah!" Gobber retorted with more enthusiasm, gesturing with both real and fake hand now "knights are brave and noble, they always do what is right! They protect the weak and wear the strongest armour to protect themselves from what villains, life and the gods may throw at them! And you are that knight boy I see it! I see you've got the same armour as toothless over there!"
Hiccup glanced out of the office window that overhung the workshop to see his pride and joy with his temporary battered and scratched green panelling. "You don't want to leave him do ya?" Gobber questioned sincerely knowing just how much blood, sweat and tears Hiccup had shed into rebuilding the muscle car, "with no-one to drive him or look after him, he'll just sit there and rot away to nothing and he won't bring anyone happiness! You don't want that do ya?"
"No," Hiccup sighed in defeat, turning back his mentor and friend "But it's just so hard Gobber, they won't stop!"
"I know laddie, I know. But I know when it will stop!" Gobber replied, his certainty claiming Hiccup's full attention.
"Really? When?" he asked hopefully.
"Two years." Gobber intoned.
"What!?"
"In two years graduation happens and you'll get out of high school!" Gobber jumped in cutting off any protest Hiccup might have uttered, "After that day …. ya don't have to see or talk to anyone who hurt ya!"
"I guess so …." Hiccup trailed off seeing Gobber's logic but seeing the time-frame as being too long and torturous.
"But what else I do know is ya have ure father's resilience and ure mother's grace!" Gobber continued warmly, igniting a feeling of kinship Hiccup hadn't felt in a long time at the mention of his mother, "and that's what's gonna help ya to endure!..." the metal-merchant announced grandly "….. to survive and then get someplace where ya will be loved and protected by everyone around yee. It's not in Berk but it is out there and ya will find it lad!"
Hiccup nodded, now seemingly infected by the older man's certainty and hopeful enthusiasm. Gobber rested his hands on Hiccup's shoulders and though it pained him to say it he knew he had to warn his brilliant protégé "But ya just gotta hold on a couple more years Hiccup! …. It will be hard and you will get hurt, probly worse than ya are right now! … But once it's over u'll be free and u'll never have to endure this place if ya don't want to. You can be anything ya want ta be, you can go where no-one goes!"
"I understand Gobber!" Hiccup replied giving the man a heartfelt hug which Gobber eagerly returned in kind, hoping to absorb any lingering negativity that resided in his borderline adoptive son.
"Of course ya do laddie! Sure, I taught ya everything ya know! didn't I?!" the large man chuckled as he maintained his side of the embrace as long as he could so he could hide the tear falling down his cheek, " And never forget ….. Ole Gobber will be right here when ya fall down, okay?"
"Okay!" Hiccup replied as he slowly broke the hug to look at his mentor. Gobber's heart soared as he saw the sparkling, hopeful light that Valka had always possessed, finally back in Hiccup's forest green eyes.
"And no more trying to kill yourself!" Gobber mock scolded waving his hook at him "From here on out we start fighting … you and me ….together! … Not for revenge … but for survival!"
"Survival?!" Hiccup enquired as if he had never heard the word before.
"Aye laddie!" Gobber declared sagely as a huge knowing grin spread across his face from ear to ear and he raised both of them to stand "From now … no matter what … you survive!"
End Flashback, the present, Raven's Point
Hiccup's eyes snapped open as he shouted his and Gobber's private mantra, "From now on, I survive!"
In a matter of milliseconds Hiccup slammed the clutch to the floor and rather than use the main brakes Hiccup pulled the handbrake up, hard-locking the rear wheels which screeched and whined in protest as white smoke erupted from the burning rubber.
Still, with literally tonnes of momentum, Hiccup spun the steering wheel hard over to the left and with practiced precision began drifting 'toothless' around the hairpin bend. Dust and stones were thrown up in a chaotic cluster as the jet black muscle car leaned dangerously on its suspension, sailing over the edge of the road and clipping the thin gravel-trap that separated the highway from the crash barriers on the cliff's edge.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Hiccup took in every detail of his probably crazy, definitely stupid, heart-stopping manoeuvre. "Come on bud! … hold …. Hooooold! ….. HOLD! …Come on! Come on! COOOOME OOONNNNNNN!" Hiccup grimaced as he wrestled with whitened knuckles to maintain his control as the car now pointed dangerously toward the forest, threatening to wrap them around a tree instead of plunging off the edge to a fiery, then watery death.
The combined roars of 'toothless' and nature that erupted as he took the seemingly endless curve announced to all of creation that Hiccup was snatching his life back, denying Raven's Point and Berk itself another victim. With a deep gasp Hiccup thrust the handbrake down, allowing the wheels to move freely again and the car to straighten up his trajectory down the safe side of the road. Hiccup wide-eyed and sweating buckets gulped in huge lungful's of air as he realised he had overcome his greatest obstacle. It was truly a liberating feeling.
And in his liberation Hiccup realised he didn't owe anyone, anything, anymore. He didn't have to give anybody the time to bully and torment him. He was going to take himself and his life and forge something totally new that would serve what he wanted. He would finally live on his terms.
He would finally live life. He would live!
The people of Berk thus far had done nothing but take … and take …. and take from him … giving nothing back in return.
Now that he finally had his freedom, Hiccup would spend his life giving to and loving those who deserved to share it. He would not grow old and bitter. He would not become his father. He would find joy and happiness and reasons to love waking up every day to create and revolutionise the world with his ideas.
And luckily for him, unbeknownst to everybody, he had already found someone who deserved it and he was now making his way towards them with his faithful 'toothless' at his side.
"YEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH BABY!" Hiccup yelled at the top of his lungs, snapping him from his reverie as he slammed on the gas pedal and accelerated away from the drift, 'toothless' tyres once again finding adequate traction and almost lifting them off the ground to get Hiccup away from the nightmare corner as quickly as possible.
" WOW! …. Odin's beard! … ha ha ha! …. You never cease to amaze me bud!" Hiccup triumphantly gasped out through heaving breaths snatching several glances back at the death trap turn that adorned Raven's Point. Almost refusing to believe what he had done, Hiccup smirked at the wide pair of black skid marks that had been left as the undeniable evidence of him being there. "I can't believe that worked! Good job bud! You're the best!" the teenager continued to praise his machine patting and stroking the black leather-clad dashboard lovingly, earning him a warm roar of approval from his beloved 'toothless'.
Hiccup raised his eyes, still filled with tears, but this time with tears of joy as he drove past the sign that he had so longed to see for so many years.
It was more than just a sign; it was a 20 foot high billboard, was bright green and in large white lettering, spoke the words Hiccup had been begging to read.
Quite simply the sign said:
"YOU ARE LEAVING BERK!"
Have a nice trip
Hiccup couldn't agree with the sentiments of the billboard enough. He was leaving Berk.
Correction, he had left Berk.
He had succeeded. He was no longer in the County that had been his worst nightmare since he was a child and he had now crossed over into Meathead County.
The area was pretty much the same as Berk but it held one particular difference that Hiccup held dear to his heart.
A few hours of more controlled driving later, Hiccup and 'toothless' entered Meathead City's and the state's main train terminus, a huge sprawling complex that received and sent cargo, freight and people to and from all corners of the country. Hiccup had timed his journey well and drove his impeccable beast-machine to the loading platform and skilfully parked 'toothless' inside the train cars designed to accommodate passenger's vehicles.
Getting out of the car, Hiccup could see the air ripple off the steaming hood. Resting his hand on the roof of the car Hiccup again gave 'toothless' an affectionate rub.
"You did great today bud" he whispered lovingly, "If it hadn't have been for you, I never would have escaped from there, I'll see you soon toothless, rest up bud! You've earned it!"
And at that Hiccup secured his freedom-giving vehicle, lifted his travel bag and left to find his cabin for the journey he was about to undertake.
He knew exactly where the train was going and who would be waiting for him at his journey's end and the best part was no-one else knew. Not his bullies, not Astrid, not Snotlout, not Gobber and most especially not Stoick the Vast, his so-called father.
As the train pulled jarringly out of the station, Hiccup finally found and settled into his cabin. He didn't even look out the window to see Meathead City disappear into the distance as he opened and pulled from his wallet two photographs. One was a rare picture of his mother Valka, which he had found exploring boxes in the attic and kept hidden from Stoick. The other was of him and Gobber standing beside the bare frame of 'toothless' the day Hiccup had discovered him 5 years ago and decided to rebuild him with Gobber's help.
Right now they were all the family he wanted to carry with him and Hiccup let his last tear fall as he acknowledged what he had left behind and what lay ahead of him.
The young man smiled as he acknowledged that with 'toothless' help, the world had suddenly gotten a whole lot bigger. Now he could be what he wanted to be, what he deserved to be and soon the Trans-Continental Speed-Stinger Express was picking up velocity, taking the 18 year old to a new life.
Because after to-day, no-one would ever see Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third ever again!
There you are guys!
The conclusion of this arc. The story is still going to continue as I have a plot to follow and I am far from done with our favourite HTTYD characters.
If you hadn't figured it out, Hiccup's journey through Raven's Point follows the 5 -6 stages of grief as he finally accepts what he has done and what he is going to do. For those who don't know they are Denial, Anger, Fear, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. I hope it was fun to read and insightful. Many thanks to 'mc arno' for asking why Hiccup felt the need to see his bullies again at the park and to 'thearizona' for some car information. Now you have your answers. I think. And for those who asked for more interactions with Gobber, I hope this satisfied you. The scenes with him went on longer than planned but I figured since it's a crucial aspect to Hiccup's frame of mind, it needed to be as long as it was. Once again I'm not a counsellor so I don't know if I handled the whole suicide thing right but it's just what came to me in the moment of inspiration. I hope you guys liked it and I struck the right tone.
A quick timeline for Hiccup and 'toothless' is:
Hiccup joins Gobber's firm aged 8
Hiccup finds 'toothless' aged 13
Hiccup completes and drives 'toothless' aged 15
(Some states allow driving from 14 years and up)
Hiccup attempts suicide aged 16
Hiccup leaves Berk aged 18
The next chapter is provisionally called 'The Dragon's Den'.
Once again thanks for taking the time to read this and any reviews, comments, P.M's or questions are always appreciated.
Until next time ….
Be excellent to each other!
Razor95