Chapter Twenty Five
It was funny how life could take a turn for the worse in just a blink of an eye. It was funny how friends could become more than that in just a blink of an eye. Funnier still that I could never admit my feelings when it came to love.
I'm not even sure what made me think of that. Maybe the cold wind was getting to me. Either way, I tried to shake off the uneasy feeling as we followed the coordinates on my phone's GPS. Thank goodness the satellites were still working. I wasn't sure how we'd make it without my phone.
We flew on in awkward silence. Eventually it started getting a lot colder – something Hiccup was more accustomed to. Unfortunately, I wasn't. Snowfire had to use her abilities to regulate the temperature around her, since I clearly wasn't dressed for the occasion.
"Remind me to pack warmer clothes the next time we go somewhere north," I muttered through chattering teeth.
"No problem," Hiccup replied cheekily.
I just rolled my eyes at that. Luckily it didn't take us long to reach the outskirts of Rosehill, Tennessee. Toothless was quick to bound through a pile of snow while Hiccup hopped out of his saddle. Snowfire eyed the small town curiously when Toothless suddenly reemerged with snow covering the top of his head.
'This is the village you were searching for?' Snowfire asked in surprise.
"Yes, and it's not a village, it's a town," I reminded her.
Though there really wasn't much of a difference.
Seeing the small farms and buildings reminded me of Berk. Only here there were bars, grocery stores and a shopping mall that people could visit. Not to mention cars that were driving to their destination. Other than that, it could easily pass for a village like Berk.
"Do you even know what we're looking for?" Hiccup asked as I grabbed my supplies from Snowfire's saddle.
The one good thing about having a saddle was I could keep all of my stuff in there, including my wallet. Snowfire made sure to keep it secure, which was definitely a bonus in a world like ours.
"Well… not exactly," I admitted sheepishly. "But I'm sure it won't be too hard to find, especially given how small this town is."
Hiccup gave me a skeptical look, but we went on despite that doubt. Snowfire and Toothless were forced to stay on the outskirts of the town, much to their disappointments. Having two large dragons wandering through the town might send the wrong message. Besides, a kid with a prosthetic leg was already earning us some strange looks from the people brave enough to be outside in this bitter cold.
To my surprise, Hiccup was pretty quiet throughout our wandering. By now he was used to seeing all of the fascinating things our world had to offer. So something told me that something else was on his mind at the moment.
"Why are we doing this?" he suddenly asked when we stopped near a small grocery store. "Shouldn't something like this be SHIELD's responsibility?"
That stopped me in my tracks. I bit the bottom of my lips and realized that he had a good point there. On any normal occasion, I would've been more than happy to avoid doing something like this. But what happened to Tony was just another reminder of how vulnerable the people of this world were.
"Because he wouldn't want SHIELD involved in this," I said out loud after giving it some thought. From what I gathered, Tony didn't trust SHIELD, and understandably so. "And because of what happened to him, I feel responsible."
I let out a sigh of frustration after realizing that was the truth. I did feel responsible for what had happened to him. Maybe if I had paid better attention this wouldn't have happened. He would still be alive, and searching for the Mandarin instead of us. My heart nearly skipped a beat when he suddenly grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently.
"None of that was your fault," he reassured me. "Stop blaming yourself for something that couldn't be stopped."
For a moment, I couldn't say anything to that. I did have a tendency to blame myself for things that weren't my fault. When something happened while I was around, I always felt as if there was something I could have done to prevent it. I was about to answer when suddenly we both heard voices from nearby.
"Hey, freak, where do you think you're going?"
Hiccup and I exchanged looks of surprise as we peered around the corner to see a group of kids rounding up on a smaller kid holding a bag of groceries.
"Ah, this looks oddly familiar," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes as the kids started teasing the smaller boy.
I glanced at him uneasily before suddenly tossing a snowball at one of the bullies. By now I'd gotten used to Jessica and Abigail's constant teasing. But when someone picked on a younger kid, that was a new low to me.
"Leave him alone! You jerks!" I shouted after tossing another snowball at the kid who'd made himself look taller than he was. The four kids rounding up on the younger boy spun around and stared at the two of us in surprise before making a run for it. "I hate bullies, especially when they think they can pick on anyone."
The boy they were picking on was gaping at us in surprise before he finally closed his mouth. More likely he was staring at Hiccup, who didn't exactly look like he was from around here.
"You okay?" was all Hiccup asked when the kid nodded, still looking flabbergasted that someone had stood up for him.
"Y-You're one of those strange people they were talking about during the summer," he stammered after hoisting up the bag full of groceries. I couldn't help but smirk at the look of confusion written across Hiccup's face. "Why are you here?"
"We're sort of studying something important here," I replied with a shrug, trying to keep it as discrete as possible. "So, what's in the bags?" I asked curiously.
Though to be honest I was hoping that would change the subject. The last thing I wanted was to explain why we were in the middle of a snow-covered town. Or my distaste in bullies.
"Potatoes for my gun," he replied while staring at Hiccup curiously. Or more specifically, his prosthetic leg. I couldn't help but read Hiccup's reaction to that. On Berk, it was common for someone to lose their limb during the heat of battle and have it replaced with prosthetic limbs. In our world, unfortunately, it was a different story. "How'd you get the metal leg?"
He asked the question as if it was the most obvious one he could think of. Though to my surprise and relief, Hiccup wasn't angry or shocked by the question.
"It's kind of a long story," he explained warily. "Maybe you have a warm place that we could share it?"
The kid was all-too-willing to let us inside his house, which was only a block or two from where we'd been. Judging by the distance we walked, Snowfire and Toothless weren't far away. In fact, I could see Snowfire hiding in the shadows of the trees.
'Do not take long, little one.'
I gave her a reassuring nod, hoping that was enough to appease her. Fortunately that was enough for her to back away, for now.
…
"So how did you get the prosthetic leg again?" the kid, who we later learned was Harley, asked once again.
He sounded almost bored as he messed with a homemade potato gun. I had to admit, the fact that he was able to build it had impressed me. There weren't too many people who could make homemade weapons like that. Not without the necessary equipment at least.
"Well, where would I even start?" Hiccup asked, looking at me curiously.
I shrugged and gave the answer some thought. Honestly I hadn't really thought of how we would explain how Hiccup had lost his leg. Telling everyone that he lost it in a battle against a mighty dragon didn't really sound believable.
So we just made up some kind of excuse. A boating accident sounded realistic enough. And luckily, Harvey did seem to buy that.
We'd just started relaxing in the warm house when something caught my eye. I leaned forward and grabbed the object from the coffee table and gaped at the image on it. Written in large letters and all caps was one headline that sent chills through me.
The news reporters had claimed that Tony Stark was dead. Tony freaking Stark, dead. I wasn't even sure how that was possible, since I had seen him fly out of the ocean after that explosion. Something wasn't adding up here.
"When did you get this?" I asked, gesturing to the newspaper in my hand. Harley eyed the paper curiously before shrugging.
"Yesterday," he replied. "It's all over the news – there was some big explosion where he lived and he didn't make it."
Hiccup and I exchanged anxious looks. If that really was the truth – which I highly doubted – than this could possibly end horribly. I didn't want to admit that I was scared. If anything happened to Hiccup or anyone else I cared about because of my dumb curiosity, I would never forgive myself.
"He can't be dead… can he?" Hiccup asked in a whisper as I relayed the information.
He didn't read English or understand the words written on the newspaper.
"Knowing Tony, this is all just a trick," I explained under my breath, eyeing Harley warily. "I think we need to regroup and figure out what to do from here. Snowfire and Toothless are probably anxious enough as it is."
Harley just eyed us both suspiciously – though given the circumstances, I couldn't really blame him for acting that way. We weren't exactly on friendly grounds to begin with. Plus having fire-breathing dragons in his backyard would only make things that much more awkward.
Luckily I was able to drag Hiccup outside before things got anymore awkward than they were. And sure enough, both Toothless and Snowfire were waiting nearby with looks of impatience on their faces. Toothless practically knocked Hiccup over while Snowfire just narrowed her eyes at me.
'You know how I feel when we are separated,' she said in an accusing tone. 'And why do you smell so strange?'
I was ready to answer when Snowfire noticed someone standing behind the four of us. Someone who had dropped the potato gun and was now gawking at the two dragons staring back at him.
"Those are d-dragons?" Harley asked in a very small, terrified voice. Snowfire peered over my shoulders and narrowed her eyes. "As in real dragons?"
Hiccup glanced at me anxiously, and all I could do was shrug in response. Someone was bound to see them sooner or later. Toothless and Snowfire didn't exactly blend in with their surroundings here. But seeing Harley's shocked face was just another reminder of the fact that we probably shouldn't have been here in the first place.
"They aren't dangerous," I reassured him after kneeling down to look him in the eyes.
"Exactly," Hiccup nodded in agreement as he went over to join me. "Toothless is just a little over-excited when he meets someone new."
As if to prove his point, the Night Fury crept over to Harley and sniffed him curiously. I tried not to giggle at the sight as Harvey winced from the contact. Toothless didn't seem afraid of him as he gave the boy a gentle nudge with his snout and warbled comfortingly.
'You will not see me doing that with some strange human,' Snowfire huffed in an accusing tone.
"You don't have to, Snow," I reassured her. "Look, Harley… you need to promise that you won't tell anyone about them. If they found out, I'm sure Snowfire and Toothless would be sitting targets for government agencies."
As if they already weren't. I flinched at the memories of when SHIELD had targeted us. Of course they had no idea what dragons were capable of at the time, or that Hiccup and his friends hadn't even meant to visit our world.
"So you really are from another world," he breathed out after realizing Toothless wasn't a threat.
"Yeah, pretty much," Hiccup replied while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Harley had started asking him more questions about where he came from when I noticed the footprints in the snow nearby.
'We noticed them earlier,' Snowfire mused as she followed my questioning gaze. 'Something big and heavy made those footprints.'
I only nodded in agreement after noticing that she was right. And to make things all the more alarming, they looked like human footprints. They were leading into an abandoned farmhouse. Glancing back at Hiccup and Harley, I noticed the two were still chatting about Toothless as if he was the only dragon in existence.
Snowfire just rolled her eyes at the sight as she followed me closely. The tracks looked like they were fresh – though it was harder to tell in the snow. But judging from the way the person had walked, it looked like they'd been exhausted. The movement was sluggish at best, until finally they stopped at the entrance of the abandoned farmhouse.
"Wait here," I told Snowfire before she could go any further. Snowfire narrowed her eyes in an instant, and I held back a sigh of frustration. "I don't think you're going to fit through these doors. Not easily, at least."
'Then I will rip them off instead,' she snapped.
Well, I couldn't beat that logic. Holding back yet another sigh of frustration, I slowly pushed the door forward until stepping inside. What we found was a bit of surprise.
Someone who was supposed to be dead lay on an old, beaten up looking sofa next to some worn out armor. At the same time, Harley and Hiccup had finally joined me, and Harley dropped his potato gun in disbelief as another shock for the night set in.
"That's… That's… Is that Iron Man?" he stammered, looking as if he'd just seen a ghost.
"No, I'm sure there's some other person wearing metal armor breaking into places and spending the night," Hiccup replied with a roll of his eyes.
I couldn't help but smirk at that. Leave it to Hiccup to make sarcasm out of an awkward situation.
Faster than anyone could react, Snowfire suddenly swung her tail across Tony's face. Harley's mouth dropped open in complete shock while Tony just looked mystified by her reaction.
'That is for what you put us through back there,' she growled in a menacing tone.
"What is it with you two doing everything together?" Tony groaned in annoyance, rubbing his voice while Harley approached the Iron Man suit warily. "So… are you two a couple now?"
Hiccup and I looked at each other once again before looking away, heat rising to our cheeks almost instantly. Tony just watched us in amusement as Harley suddenly grabbed the finger of the Iron Man suit. The silence only got even worse when the finger broke off in a loud snap.
"Oops!"
Tony spun around in alarm when he noticed what Harley was up to. His eyes widened when he saw the broken finger Harley was holding. My blush faded into a grin when I saw how sheepish Harley looked as he apologized.
"Not a good idea! What are you doing? You're gonna break his finger! He's in pain! He's injured! Leave him alone," Tony snapped.
'Perhaps he would not be that way if you were not so irresponsible,' Snowfire deadpanned, earning a glare from said billionaire.
"Sorry," Harley apologized once again as he noticed the exchange.
I had a feeling he was trying to piece together why it looked as if Snowfire and I understood each other, and why Tony was giving her that icy look.
"So… how'd you three get together?" Tony asked while trying to fix the finger.
"Well, we kind of just met," I replied with a sheepish shrug.
The billionaire nodded and looked at Harley.
"Where are your parents?" he asked.
"Well, my mom already left for the diner, and dad went to the 7-Eleven to get scratchers. I guess he won 'cause that was six years ago," Harley replied with a shrug.
Ouch. Now I could see why the kids picked on him so much. In a way, his story sounded somewhat similar to mine. Only my mom actually still looked after me. My dad on the other hand… he was one person in my life I hoped to never meet again.
Tony merely dismissed the story as if it was nothing. From the information I gathered, he'd lived a pretty sheltered life from his parents. Howard Stark was a brilliant inventor, much like his son. But that genius came with a price, and he rarely spent time with Tony as a kid.
"Here's what I need: A laptop, a digital watch, a cell phone, the pneumatic actuator from your bazooka over there, a map of the tone, a big spring, and a tuna fish sandwich," he told us, listing off each thing as if they were easy to acquire.
The look Hiccup gave him was priceless. All I could do was cross my arms in disbelief as if he expected us to get everything he listed for him. Leave it to Tony to put everyone at work the minute he showed up.
AN: Sorry for such a long wait... I've been busy... with stuff :P More like enjoying some time off from writing and all of that XD Anywho, onto review replies!
Rocker on - Thank you for reviewing so much! And yep, I love Christian music :D I even wrote an essay on it for college to prove why it should go mainstream. Of course, so many Christian songs have, but still, it would be nice for people to hear it more often.
Sil - Well, not really. Someone much worse, as you'll find out in future chapters :)
The Silent Fury - You'll have to wait and see what happens next :P I've got big plans for Alex and Hiccup... and not all of them will be happy ;)
dracologistmaster - Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. I think I might have toned down the realization that Tony's actually alive...