Twenty Five: In demand
If Hiccup had hoped that Monday morning would be quiet and uneventful, he was sorely mistaken. The moment he walked through the doors into the hallway, eyes were looking at him with curiosity and some admiration...though others looked scornful or disappointed. He unwound the scarf from around his neck and unzipped his jacket, feeling the weight of eyes on him. Consciously, he patted his shoulders and shrugged.
"Nope-haven't grown a second head yet, so that can't be it..." he muttered as the solid shape of Fishlegs came barrelling down the corridor, his eyes wide and panicked. He saw the tall auburn-haired teen and headed straight at him.
"Oh Thor-thank goodness I found you first!" he squeaked. Hiccup looked behind him and then frowned.
"Me?" he checked as Fishlegs pulled him to one side, his face almost panicking.
"Yes," he said urgently. Hiccup frowned.
"Okay, Fish-spit it out," he said sternly. "Why is everyone staring at me?" Looking very self-conscious, the husky blonde boy lifted his phone and displayed his social media page, showing an image displayed of two people sitting at a table. Eyes widening, Hiccup recognised himself, sitting opposite Astrid in the little cafe over two mugs of chocolate. And his heart lurched at the caption.
SHOCK! PAUPER HICCUP THE USELESS GOING OUT WITH NERDSTRID LOSERSON.
"Oh Thor, Astrid is going to kill me," he murmured.
"But how...?" Fishlegs whimpered as Hiccup stared at the words.
"Tuffnut," he growled. "It has to be. He and his sister came up with that nickname for Astrid..."
"TUFFNUT!" Astrid's voice echoed down the hall and the two boys spun as the blonde stormed up the hallway with Hiccup and Fishlegs in hot pursuit. Tuffnut was by his locker-which adjoined his sister's-and was smirking cruelly. The blonde stomped up, seeing Snotlout, Eret, Thuggory, the twins, Heather and Cameron all sneering as the bruised girl arrived.
"Hello, Nerdstrid!" Cameron sneered and Astrid's fists balled.
"Hey Cameron-did you enjoy your chat with the Meathead Captain?" Hiccup asked, walking up behind the furious Astrid. His former girlfriend glared at him. "Does the Coach know you were talking to her just before you nodded for her to take out your competition?" There was an icy silence as the girl fumbled for her words.
"Poor Hiccup," she managed in a sickeningly sympathetic voice. "So jealous that he's seeing things..." The boy gave a bright smile.
"I think only one of us is deluded...and I'm certainly not jealous of you," he told her in the same, pleasant voice. "Maybe we should talk to Coach Markstrom and see what she has to say. And the video we got of the talk as well..." Blue eyes widening, Cameron's mouth worked soundlessly. "Or not. Perhaps. Maybe you wanna keep out of this?" His eyes were cold and determined but Astrid was still furious.
"What the hell were you doing, posting that picture?" she yelled at Tuffnut and the male twin sneered at her.
"Because it was hilarious!" he scoffed. "I mean-that is the only way he'll get girlfriend-someone who's popular as a case of eel pox and looks like she's lost a fight against a dragon!"
"Why you..." Astrid exploded but Hiccup was quicker, lunging forward to grab her round the waist and lift her, kicking and screaming from the ground, preventing her from flattening the twins. He leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"He's not getting worth suspended over," he hissed. "Let me deal with this. Please?" She writhed and then nodded, so he warily put her down.
"Nerdstrid Loseron," Hiccup mused, peering at the picture. "Nope-that's her cousin from Freezing-To-Death. That picture shows me out with Astrid-doing our Project." There was an awkward pause. "You remember the Project? About an unmarried couple dealing with everyday life? And I'm sure you've all read your project packs and know that the next section deals with budgeting, working and taxes? Who wants to sit in a room poring over books when you can sit in a cafe in the park, planning our next assignments?" He looked at his former girlfriend, the female twin and his cousin. "Haven't you already done that?" he added guilelessly.
There was an awkward pause before Snotlout muttered" "Shut up, Hiccup." Chuckling, the auburn-haired boy turned away.
"I'll take that as a no," he smiled. "See you later. Wanna come with?" Astrid turned at the gentle invitation and he nodded.
"Ugh, yes-it stinks around here," she huffed and followed him as he walked away.
They headed for the first class and Hiccup made a bee-line for Fishlegs, who was already seated, reading a book on Berkian Flora through the seasons. He sat down and leaned close to him.
"I need your help," he hissed without preamble. "I need you to trawl the social media pages of the school and find someone who videoed the cheerleaders-because they will probably have captured Cameron talking to the Meathead. I need that video because then I can get her out of the Team." Fishlegs stared at him in shock and he heard Astrid gasp as well.
"I mean...why...?" the husky boy asked timidly. "That seems a bit...extreme..."
"Vengeful," Astrid added in.
"Vindictive?" Fishlegs added and Hiccup stared at him and then forced himself to calm down, though his emerald eyes were flashing.
"It's really not," he said softly. "And I was letting it go. I mean, Cameron cheated on me even when Dad was alive-I know that now from listening to them talking-and I know she dumped me like week-old pizza as soon as I wasn't of any advantage but I was willing to just ignore her. But she was the one who kept pushing. She was the one who hurt someone who is my friend. And I don't have so many friends that I can afford to just let them be hurt and do nothing to prevent it happening again..." Astrid stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Okay, what have you done with Hiccup Haddock?" she asked him clearly and he sighed.
"My Dad always said 'a friend protects his own'. Well, actually, it was 'a Chief' but I'm hardly the leader of a gang...I'd probably not even be the leader if it was just me and Toothless, to be honest. But you are the first person to be kind to me when Dad died...even though I was a gold-plated ass in response. And she has tried to harm you and attacked you more than once and honestly, seeing you fall and hit the floor, it made me so scared that you were dead and I had lost someone else who meant something to me and now I'm sounding needy and pathetic and I'll stop talking now..."
He started as a hand landed on his arm and Astrid smiled at him.
"You know, that's Chief reasoning if I ever heard it," she told him teasingly. "Fish-much as I hate to be the bad guy, I agree with Hiccup. If she did plot to take me out, then I can't have her as a team-mate any more. And I am never quitting the team-it was something my Dad always supported me in. Quitting would feel like I was betraying him." The husky boy nodded and thumbed his phone on, swiftly beginning to search through their classmates' pages. Then the teacher entered and they turned to the front, ignoring Snotlout, the twins and Cameron who were all sneering at 'Nerdstrid'. There was a pause and then Hiccup leaned close to Astrid just as the teacher was writing on the board.
"And I'll find a way to deal with them as well," he murmured. "Somehow, I'll make Dad proud of me."
oOo
He was sitting in the library, doing his Math homework and trying to work out how he was going to deal with the twins when he heard voices behind the stacks. Quietly, he laid his pen down and sat back, listening.
"Okay-you know the plan?" It was Eret's voice and Hiccup knew for a fact that none of the Gang ever came into the library of choice: they had chosen it because they assumed it would be quiet, with anyone working down in Study Hall.
"Yeah," Thuggory agreed cheerfully. "Hiccup is becoming a problem-and we promised Snot we'd sort it out. He really didn't like the way he spoke to Cameron and she was very insistent that Snotlout proved himself by punishing Hiccup for sassing her and making her look stupid."
There was a pause. "Well, she is stupid," Eret conceded. "Selfish, two-faced and completely unsubtle. I mean, she flirts with both of us when Snot has just gone up to fetch her a soda!"
"Just flirting?" Thuggory asked him in a surprised voice. "I mean, I've certainly had a bit more action than that..." Eret chuckled.
"You too?" he smirked. "Boy-as long as Snot doesn't find out, we're good." And then his voice hardened. "But in the meantime, we have to behave like good little troopers and help our Mayor's Son sort out his rival. We all know Hiccup is poor now and it looks like he's walking to school now because he's too poor to afford gas and someone scratched his car."
"Thank you, Tuff," Thuggory murmured dryly and Hiccup felt anger surge through his chest.
"So he should be easy to pick off on the way home. We can ask Dagur to help us warn him off. I'm sure Snot will be relieved when we catch him and give him a good kicking. And then...he will finally accept his place..." Eret sneered. Hiccup took a deep breath and slowly sat silently gathered his books and shoved them in his bag, heading for the door-and was instantly seen by the two boys.
"GET HIM!" Thuggory yelled and Hiccup took off, sprinting down the hallway and round the corner, dashing heedlessly down the stairs three at a time and vanishing round the corner-and then diving into the washroom. Urgently, he bolted the door and glanced around, realising he was trapped. Breathing hard, he realised his hands were trembling with a mixture of anger and fear as he scanned the small unpromising room for any sign of something useful that wasn't made of porcelain.
"I mean Thor-why?' he muttered, hearing a thud slam into the door. "Why do they seem to have some insane need to wipe me off the face of Berk when a couple of weeks ago, they were supposedly my friends? What have I actually done wrong to them apart from being suddenly orphaned and poor? And why am I talking to myself when I know I'm not gonna get an answer?" He spun around and peered at the window: it was small and looked painted shut but he was willing to try and he swiftly clambered onto the basin, putting all his weight onto the catch to force it open and before he peered out. It opened onto the big grey dumpster and breathing hard, he didn't hesitate. Swiftly, he thrust his bag through the window and them hauled himself up, wriggling and writhing his way through a small space that would just admit him-but would never let through the buff shapes of the two footballers. He heard the door crash open and felt a hand slide over his foot and he slithered forward and landed face first in the trash. Scrambling up, he heard Eret laughing as he saw him wriggling to right himself.
"I see you're where you belong!" the jet-haired boy scoffed. "Right in the trash." Scrabbling upright, Hiccup grabbed his bag and vaulted over the side of the dumpster and brushed himself down.
"Hmm...at least I'm not three-timing Snot," he shot back as the boy started at him with shock. "Yeah-I heard. Boy, Cameron really likes having her cake and eating it! So maybe you wanna not show Snot what good friends you are?"
"Or maybe we really need you out of the way," Eret growled but the auburn haired teen smirked as he slung his bag over his shoulder. His phone beeped and he saw the message from Fishlegs.
"Maybe you want to think before you do anything stupid," he smiled. "After all, Dagur's out because he was stupid enough to attack Astrid. My friends have my phone tracked and of course, there are cameras. Do you want to lose your Scholarships and your future for the stupid request of my cousin? You can be as rude as you want in school-hey, I'm prepared to give as good as I get, muttonheads!-but you touch me and my friends will hand this security camera footage to my attorney and you are both toast. Do we have a deal?"
"How do we know you won't tell Snot anyway?" Thuggory sneered but Hiccup tipped him a small wave.
"You don't," he said honestly. "But why would I want to ruin my fun? Watching my cousin-who cheated with my girlfriend-carrying on and not realising how he's being betrayed? The same cousin who wouldn't give me a home and was happy for me to go into a kid's home rather than offer me anything after my parents died?" He gave a grim smile. "I promise on my father's grave I won't tell Snot-unless you break your word and I or any of my friends are hurt." Eret stared at him...and then nodded.
"Deal," he said and Thuggory echoed his words. Hiccup gave a curt nod and turned away, lifting his phone and dialling the husky teen.
"Fish?" he said. "Can I get you to take copies of the security camera footage between the library and the caretaker's washroom over the last ten minutes or so?"
"What now?" Fishlegs sighed. "I was texting you to say I've got twenty-eight videos-and three of them show Cameron talking to the Meathead Captain. One even has sound...and you were right."
"Thank you Thor," he murmured and smiled.
"That's not the only thing," Fishlegs said in an embarrassed voice. "Um...one of them has picked out Snotlout kissing Ruffnut." Hiccup threw his head back and laughed. "I don't think that's funny," the husky boy commented in a mildly annoyed voice. Shaking his head, Hiccup tried to control himself.
"Of course not," he said though his amusement was still leaking into his voice. "But from my point of view, the girl who betrayed me is betraying the guy who she cheated with by cheating with two other guys and he's cheating on her with someone who claims to be her best friend!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Wow-my head hurts," Fishlegs said. "And the other video?"
"To stop Thuggory and Eret pounding me into a greasy smear on the sidewalk," the auburn haired teen shot back, his eyes sparkling with annoyance.
"What did you do now?" Fishlegs asked without hesitation and Hiccup stopped.
"Nothing-except protect my friends," he snapped. "Thanks for letting me know, Fish. Glad to know what you think of me." And he hung up.
His mind was a mess as he walked through the hall and out into the cold afternoon. The nights were drawing in and he wasn't working but he was walking because Eret had been right: he was tight for money and he was not driving as much to save gas. It meant he was walking a lot more and he wrapped his scarf around his neck, he stared down the road and wearily began to walk. Just now, he wished he could speak to his Mom and ask her what he should do. But she was in the Cemetery...so he headed off down the road and vaulted the closed gate, making his way through the closed cemetery to the fresh graves of his parents. There were simple wooden markers on his parents's graves because he didn't have the money for headstones and the sight of the simple markers scourged him with shame. His father was the best Mayor in Berk's history, a selfless man who would help anyone and everyone if they needed it-yet he was in a practically unmarked grave because everything had been stolen.
He stared at the markers and then folded to his knees, his throat thick with grief and shame.
"I'm sorry, Dad, Mom," he said in a defeated tone. "I've still let you down. I mean, I try...Odin knows, I try...but just when I think I'm making headway, Fish just makes it obvious what they still think of me..." He sighed heavily. "I-I guess I'm being waaaay too sensitive...but just sometimes it catches me, y'know? I mean, I know I've done a lot of stupid things but sometimes, things just happen to me. And I am trying but everyone still treats me like I'm the ass I used to be...even Astrid...though I think that was because she had a concussion. And Fish...oh, I'm being stupid and pathetic but I just wish you were here. I wish I could eat Mom's pancakes-burnt edges and all-and hear Dad sing in the shower and most of all, I wish I could hear you say you love me once more."
He sat back on his heels.
"I-I promise you I will protect your dream, Dad. And I will make you proud. And-and I will get you proper headstones that everything you did for this town deserves..." He blinked and palmed his face dry. "I promise..."
"Hiccup Haddock?" He looked up at the smooth, cultured voice and cold brown eyes of the younger of the men he had seen when Mildew threw him out of his home. "I was hoping I would find you here..."