Written 9/15/2015 10:54 P.M.

AN: sorry this is a day late, people keep quitting at work and i keep getting called in, i was sitting down to revise this chapter yesterday morning when they called me. but the overtime is nice.


"So how's linear algebra?" Hiccup peaked over the edge of a felled helicopter, surveying the jungle's edge sprawling up the valley slope through his scope. He did not get a reply immediately, but he'd just caught sight of the lens glare shinning in the canopy across the valley. He steadied his breathing with the press of his thumb and adjusted the optics until they were dialed in as magnified as he could focus them. He could just see the shadowy outline of the sniper lying in the bushes just inside the jungle, he checked to be certain he had one in the chamber then released the round with the gentlest pull of his finger. The bullet arched high and to the right, falling and drifting back left with gravity and air pressure and landed true, ending his would-be killer.

"Oh come on!" His friend finally responded, his shouting coming crackly and piercing through his sensitive headset, Hiccup only laughed and boost jumped high into the air to look for his respawning foe. "I shot first, that was definitely my kill."

"Not from where I'm sitting," he stated smugly, catching sight of his friend running through the forest path where the river entered the map. "Your shot didn't even register." he pulled the trigger again, ending the soldiers life for the second time in a row.

"Sometimes I don't even know why I play with you," Fishlegs complained but the next kill was his and they finished out the game free of trash talk or idle chit chat.

"You never answered me, how's linear algebra going?"

"Ugh," he groaned, "Don't remind me." Hiccup quirked an eyebrow in surprise as he stared at the lobby list waiting for the next game to start. "I think I may have actually found a branch of mathematics that I truly won't ever need to know." He sounded lost and confused.

"No," he gasped in false shock. "Fish what are you saying? This is linear algebra we're talking about, how else are you going to calculate the minute changes in the moon's trajectory around the Earth due to meteorite strikes?" Hiccup's voice oozed sarcasm, he could practically hear his friend's grumpy annoyed countenance through the silence.

"Yeah yeah," he finally replied as the game started, "keep your voice down," he said in a low hushed whisper "my roommates just got home." Hiccup's jaw shut with an audible snap and he played the game in silence, focusing on scanning the map, strafing, diving, rolling and shooting with all his might. He failed miserably. For every kill he got on an enemy they got him twice, Fish had killed him eleven times himself. He heard every muffled sound as Fishlegs' girlfriend and her friend shuffled around the house, their words unintelligible through his friend's microphone.

"So you still haven't told her?" He asked when Fish signaled the all clear, he was watching himself die in the final kill cam, crouched in the open he'd been knifed from behind completely unaware. Pathetic.

"I'm waiting for the … opportune time." Fish said, the nervousness clear through their poor connection, Hiccup sighed in exasperation.

"In a few months time you'll both be graduated from college, I think it's going to be pretty inopportune when you two start to plan a life together and she wakes up one day and realizes that you're not actually paying the bills with your job as an accountant but rather pursing your master's degree in cosmology."

"That's the beauty of it," He explained excitedly and Hiccup got a bad feeling about what was going to come next. "my bachelor's degree is in mathematics, sure I can't be a true accountant or anything but I can get a job somewhere, theoretically she wouldn't have to find out about it until at least … I get my PhD."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever in my life." The door to his suite shut with a bang and Hiccup looked up, "look, I've got to go, you have to tell your girlfriend you're going to grad school. The longer you wait the worse this is going to be."

"Hiccup wait, there's something I have to tell yo-"

"Tell me tonight, I have to go" He was still talking rapidly into his mic when Hiccup took his headset off just as Came and Eret entered the living room.

"Have you been sitting in that chair since I left this morning?" Cami asked in reproach, bouncing across the room to drop a kiss on his head on her way to the bedroom. Hiccup checked his phone and saw that he had in fact been sitting in front of the T.V. for nearly six hours, hastily he made up a lie and called after her.

"Of course not, I just sat down really, been doing lot's of stuff today." Her head poked out the door, disbelief etched clear across her face, her hair disheveled from her state of mid-undress. She gave a skeptical 'uh-huh' and disappeared back into their bedroom. He glanced up at Eret who was rummaging in their fridge lamenting the lack of 'real beer'.

"We're going to a party being held in our honor, you don't need to start drinking now, there will be plenty of alcohol there I promise."

"Tell me again why I have to go to this thing?" Eret complained, turning away from the fridge with a whole strawberry clamped in his teeth.

"Because Red Bull is throwing their season kick off party and we work for them. Attendance is compulsory."

"You work for them," he corrected, face lighting up for a second, "I'm just your manager, your account with Red Bull is just a small facet of my job, our interaction is minimal at best."

"We work for them," he over ruled, "Or had you forgotten that I worked you into my endorsement contract this year?"

"Take the money, I don't even want it," Hiccup didn't believe that for a second, just rolled his eyes and stood.

"Go get dressed," he commanded, exiling his friend into the hallway so that he could change himself. Cami was seated at the vanity when he entered their room, applying a generous amount of mascara to her full eyelashes.

"Is he getting ready?" She asked, not looking away from her reflection.

"One can only hope," he said wearily and disappeared into the closet. The space was relatively bare, as empty as a closet ever was when Cami was traveling, they'd only packed for the weekend. He unzipped the hanging suit bag and pulled free the expensive Italian suit with apprehension.

"Tell me again why I had to buy another new suit?" He called through the door as he dressed, stressing over the jade green tie and trying to tuck the matching pocket square in just the right position.

"Because you've grown two inches since you tailored the last one and it looks ridiculous." she said matter-of-factly as he emerged into the room again.

"And why did it have to be a twelve thousand dollar suit?"

"Because you're filthy rich and deserve only the nicest of things." She said sweetly, planting a chaste kiss on his lips and dancing across the room to gather her purse and phone. She looked so good in her emerald dress that he found he could over look it's ungodly price, it's not like he spent his money on anything important anyway.

The party was a droll affair, made slightly better by Eret's tipsy good humor and shenanigans. There were a few of the rider's that raced under Red Bull's colors that Hiccup got along with well enough. Heather, a woman a few years his elder was there but he didn't get much chance to talk with her because Cami always insisted that she looked at him wrong and did her best to keep them separated whenever possible. Others, like Dagur who raced for Honda and seemed to have it out for Hiccup, were a few shades less savory. Hiccup as a general rule stuck with Eret by the bar and sipped terrible liquor watching the minutes tick by as free of conversation as the two could manage, aside from their own sidebar of course. Cami loved the public side of his career, she would flit from group to group and occasionally swing back by their secluded table and check up on them. He figured it was good at least one of them enjoyed it, if it were left to him and Eret they would never find endorsement deals, it was a wonder how they'd ever been endorsed at all really.

"I swear mate, that girl's going to get you seventeen million on next years contract out of those old blighters tonight." Cami was chatting animatedly with a few graying men in pristine suites seated at a table by the stage closest to the D.J.. "How you ever found yourself a girl like that is beyond me," Hiccup contemplated the query for a second, furrowing his brow and turning to his friend.

"The same way you find all your girls, you just do away with them before the opportunity to learn anything about them presents itself."

"Well isn't this the pot calling the kettle black," Eret exclaimed in indignation, "so some layover lay tags along for a little while and all of a sudden your standing up there on high pissing judgment down on the lower folk." Eret articulated with his hands dramatically, accenting his tirade.

"It's been over two years," Hiccup pointed out sardonically, Eret simply rolled his eyes and waved a hand in his face.

"The point is, you were right there with me 'till you met this one mate, watch your tone." Hiccup rolled his eyes but didn't fight him, taking a sip of his iced whiskey and surveying the crowd once more. Normally he would find someone interesting to point out and he and Eret would come up with rather unfaltering assumptions about their personalities, traits, familial history, and all around well being but tonight his heart wasn't in it. Tonight he had a small, square, velvet box in his pocket that felt as if it weighed a ton. He slipped his hand in his pocket and fingered the case, it's weight pressing on his mind.

He hadn't looked at the ring itself in years, not since shortly after he bought it, right after graduation. He could remember every detail of it as if he'd bought it yesterday, it had been picked out perfect for another girl. He didn't know why he didn't just go buy a new ring, a bigger, slightly more expensive one, or perhaps he did and just didn't want to think about it all that much but he pulled it out and opened once more. The ring sat in black satin, a thin silver band that split into thinner braided strands at the top on either side of a slender oval diamond, nestled among the gaps in the metal on either side of the stone were smaller light blue and amber-orange crystals. Eret looked on the ring with apprehension then back out at the crowd to track Cami's movement through the mob.

"You going to put that to use tonight mate?" He asked, his tone weary, and when Hiccup looked up he saw that Eret was glancing between Hiccup and Cami with a furrowed brow.

"I was thinking about it, you think I shouldn't?"

"Well, I don't know if this is the right place and time friend, if it were me I'd definitely wait until we were back in Europe. You know she doesn't like it here all that much and she's always going on about how romantic Paris is and shit. Best to wait."

"Well well, look at Mr. Romance over here," Hiccup applauded him mockingly, Eret narrowed his eyes. "Maybe it's you who should be in a committed relationship, maybe you should try working on that." Hiccup felt kind of bad about the jab after he'd said it, but he was on the defensive and he never was all that good at containing his barbed tongue.

"Maybe I will," Eret said haughtily, shrugging himself out of his chair and turning to jab a finger at Hiccup. "Stumble out there half drunk and take a knee with that ring and see what happens, I won't. I'll be at the bar when you're done here." He sauntered out, ignoring Hiccup's call of 'maybe I will!'. He did no such thing, he stayed in that seat for a while longer, staring at the ring and thinking about all it's implications and associations, somewhere during that twenty-thirty odd minutes he came to a realization and made a decision. He looked up, catching sight of Cami talking to Heather and what looked like an assistant. He snapped the ring box closed and returned it to its safe storage, with a smile and a small gesture he beckoned her over. He had to do it, not tonight, not here, but he had to. It was the only thing that made sense to do now.

-o-o-o-

Eret strolled the short trip down the street at his leisure, enjoying the chilly spring night. "Doesn't even deserve her, he doesn't." He muttered to himself as he reached the top of the hill and his destination was in sight. It would not have been his first choice in watering holes. In fact if left up to him he would've passed it over for a restaurant not a pub. Americans, he thought a pub should be a hole in the wall with a dusty analog T.V. and a pack of withered old men inside drinking black beer. Needless to say this was not what he found. He reached the door with a party of three, ever the gentlemen he held the door open, smoldering at the two ladies that passed through. The massive guy leading up the pack offered a nervous thank you but Eret just nodded, disappointed in his failed seductions. Was he loosing his touch? He ordered a Genius and drank heartily to that worrying thought. He inspected the bar as he drank his first beer, growing depressed at the lack of bang-able chicks, everyone seemed paired off or way to old. He pondered on the age of one of the pretty bar flies huddled around the pool tables with some unsavory looking guys in leather vests when she walked up to the bar.

"Well hello," He hastily offered, leaning on the bar in her direction, he cracked a sly crooked grin and turned on the charms without even really taking in her appearance

"Hello... again," she said awkwardly, standing by the bar uncomfortably while she waited for the woman to finish getting someone else's drink order.

"Have we met before love?" he asked, laying on the accent thick because he knew the women State-side when crazy for it, "'Cause I think I would remember a face like yours." She laughed softly to herself, facing forward, she turned to look at him, changed her mind and turned back, shook her head and faced him again.

"Yeah, you held the door open for me when I came in, gave me that same stupid look you have on your face now." Eret didn't even feel the indignation he should have at her terrible jest. Something was really bothering him about the girl, he gave her a full once over squinting at her figure. "Unbelievable!" She burst out, but he paid her no mind, "Did you seriously just check me out? Now?"

"Hold on," He said raising a hand to stop her rant, "Seriously, have we met before? Name's Eret," She stared blankly at him, "Son of Eret? Northampton? No? I know! Were you that girl dancing in the fountain in Monaco last year? The Grand Prix afterparty?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about man, vodka tonic," she told the bartender when she arrived, "I've never seen you before in my life." She received her drink and turned to leave, he called out to her, catching her wrist as she walked away. Quick as a snake she snatched his thumb and twisted his hand off her arm, leaving him half out of his bar stool half on the ground whimpering, her friends called her name and she threw his hand away relieving him from his painful bind, he gasped slightly, sitting back up. "Don't touch me," she said coldly and disappeared behind a crowd of people making their way to the bar from the door.

"Crazy bitch," he muttered to himself, shaking his hand and going for a drink to find an empty glass, he raised it in the woman's direction but she sent him a scowl from further down where five people were vying to get their order in first. It was then that he registered his attackers name, "Astrid? … Astrid!" He whipped around, scanning the booths quickly and laying eyes on the table. Two blond girls and the chubby guy who'd thanked him for holding the door open. "... shit."

"You really can't be here!" He said fretfully, standing at their table and casting frequent looks toward the door.

"Oh not this again," the blonde woman rolled her eyes and beat her fist into the table, "look, I'm flattered, really, also very uninterested." Her friends were looking between her and him with looks of confusion, Eret shook his head and pressed on.

"No, you really don't understand, you can't be here." He turned to the guy, "You, you're Fishleg right?"

"Fishlegs" The other blond, not Astrid, replied, "Who are you?"

"Not important," he told her dismissively, "What are you thinking mate? Bringing her," he gestured at Astrid wildly, "here?"

"I couldn't help it!" The big man finally burst out, covering his face in his hands, "He told me not to tell anyone, but they overheard us talking online and ..." he flailed desperately, letting his head thunk to the table. His two companions glared suspiciously at him, not-Astrid raising a fist at the ready.

"What is going on Fish?" Astrid asked, her tone was chilling even to Eret who was not being subjected to it. The first time he answered it was in a mumble so pathetic and low none of them could make anything out, "Say again," Astrid said, a false sweetness coating her words.

"Hiccup's coming! He's in town, we meet up sometimes, but he always told me not to talk about it and I was afraid if he found out someone knew he would stop coming!" He spewed it all out as rapidly as physically possible, in a less bizarre setting Eret would've laughed at the new nickname, instead he paid close attention to Astrid's face, intrigued by what he saw. He knew very little of what happened between the blonde girl and his best friend, just one drunken night where he'd learned her name, and of course the old phone Holland carried around with him, full of old voicemails and pictures. He never talked about her, not even a mention in passing, Eret knew only that Hiccup had loved her, and she'd broken his heart.

What he saw crossing the girls face now wasn't far off from that, and it gave him pause. She didn't seem to know whether to throttle her friend or him, she turned between the two of them for a few seconds before talking a calming breath. "Who are you?" She finally got out, leveling him with a hard stare, but it was not as resolved as before, there was weakness in those pale blue eyes.

"Eret, entrepreneur, manager, and best friend to Holland Haddock, MotoGP world champion." He flourished his arms and bow slightly, grinning.

"And Hi-Holland is coming here? Now?" he nodded solemnly, taking her in in a new light. This was the one? The one that got away? Well that explains Cami, they were practically the same person, on the outside at least. "I have got to get out of here," She said, stress evident in her voice.

"Do you though?" Eret cocked his eyebrow at the other girl at the table, the one who's name he still did not know.

"What do you mean, 'does she?' of course she does." She gave him a wordless look to rival her friend's and he shut up, glancing back to the door once more.

"He's right Ruff," what was it with these people in their nicknames? "I can't do this right now,"

"Maybe this is what you need right now!" She whispered, grabbing her friend's hand.

"Maybe your right!" He exclaimed, turning back to the table, "Have a nice little chat, get some healing done, but not tonight. It is noooot a good night for this." His mind went to the ring, had he actually manned up and done it? He gulped and leaned over the table, talking low and rapid. "Look, I will pay you to leave," he offered, getting skeptical scowls in return. "What's a night with your friend's worth? A hundred thousand? I'll do it, we have a big race in two days and I can't have him a drunken emotional wreck like last time." He ignored their confused looks, the one called Ruff mouthed 'last time?' to her boyfriend with an accusatory look in her eye but he just shrugged.

"Aright fine! I'll go." She snapped, shoving him out of the way to climb out of the booth.

"Charming," He said brightly, all smiles and twinkling eyes again. "I'll get the door for you," she did not seem altogether pleased by the notion, but that did not bother him. He jogged ahead of her angry stride and pushed the door open as she approached, in a panic he pulled the door closed in her face, shoving her back against the wall behind him. "They're here," he hissed and her fist ceased it's relentless pounding against his back, "just stay quite." He pushed the door back open and Hiccup and Cami were a few feet away this time, he smiled brightly at them calling out "About bloody time, I've been waiting for ages mate!" Hiccup gave him and odd look and allowed Cami to cross the threshold first, after he'd followed her through Eret kicked wildly behind him signaling Astrid's escape, she slipped out silently through the door as he let it fall closed stepping toward them. Cami greeted him enthusiastically, as if they'd hadn't seen each other in days or something, but Hiccup had seen the blond head whip out the door. He'd seen her turn back just outside and catch his gaze, he stayed rooted to the spot just inside the bar until Eret came over and shoved him toward the booth where Cami was greeting his old friends. He didn't even fully register that Rachel was at the table, not until Eret leaned in as he guided him toward the table and whispered. "Keep it together mate, it's going to be a long night."