Chapter Fifty Two
"See, this is why we can't have nice things," Hiccup sighed as the twins had Barf and Belch destroy a set of targets we'd set up earlier.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut just banged heads together and cheered at the sudden destruction. Knowing that destruction was what the twins lived for didn't make the situation any better. Though, I was hardly surprised that they acted the way they did.
"Yeah, but what's the point of target practice, when we're already the perfect team?" Snotlout asked cheekily.
"There's no such thing as a 'perfect team'," Astrid scoffed as Stormfly flew down to join us.
She'd taken the course we set up in the forest with her agile Deadly Nadder. Hiccup and I had set up target rings throughout the forest a few days ago.
These were tests to see just how skilled we were at target practice. Since there was nothing better to do, and it kept our senses sharp, this was how we spent our afternoons.
Within a week I'd made it clear that I was staying on Berk. I stopped by to see mom every couple of days, and to reassure her that everything was fine. To make things more interesting, Jacob had decided to choose a dragon of his own. He got along well with Fishlegs of all people, and was learning the ropes with his new Monstrous Nightmare friend, Sniper. To compensate over the fact that Jacob was visiting Berk more often, Tony had a third portal built so that I could keep it in my backyard, with some help from Thor. That helped alleviate any concerns Jacob had about me spending time with the Avengers at all, though he was still suspicious.
He was still dating Jessica, but she refused to visit the portal or even see what we were doing with ourselves. Jessica's behavior towards me hadn't exactly changed over the last couple of years. While Jacob assured me that she wasn't nearly as bad as she made herself out to be, I still had my doubts. I at least tried giving her a chance, even if she couldn't make the effort to.
Either way, life was good for us, now. Hiccup was doing his best keeping the Riders together as a team, constantly running missions and finding things to do along the island of Berk. If there was one thing I'd learned about the gang, keeping them busy was the best idea he could come up with.
"Quick question, why are we here?" Tuffnut asked.
"To keep our senses sharp," Hiccup replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"And to keep them from destroying the village," I added under my breath, earning a smirk from said leader of the Riders.
The twins really had their own way of ticking off everyone in the village. I quickly learned that Tuffnut and Ruffnut were only happy when they would prank everyone else. But, keeping them distracted for the rest of the afternoon was also an exhausting challenge.
"Alex has an unfair advantage," Snotlout suddenly complained as he had Hookfang fire at what was left of the targets. The Monstrous Nightmare was only all too happy to oblige, firing at everything he thought was a target. "I mean, she did train with the—" Snowfire cut him off before he could finish that statement.
'I would not continue speaking, hatchling,' she growled, her tone threatening as she glared daggers at the Jorgenson boy.
Snotlout clamped his mouth shut after realizing why my time with the Avengers had to be kept a secret. Although, I'm pretty sure that Jacob was suspicious of my departure already. His glare told me that he'd already reached that conclusion.
"Actually, the fact that she did train with them means she can give us some valuable fighting strategies," Astrid remarked, a smug look on her face that said she didn't plan on stopping just there. "Of course, it would help if everyone knew."
"Uh, Astrid, I wouldn't…"
Too late, Hiccup couldn't stop the curiosity from getting the best of everyone. Astrid and Hiccup were the only ones aware of why I had been gone for those three weeks. Seeing the curious looks everyone gave me, including Jacob, I knew it was unavoidable.
"It's okay, they were going to find out sooner or later," I sighed, patting him on the shoulder for his efforts to keep it a secret. "But you have to promise me that you won't make such a big deal out of it."
My eyes fell on Jacob, who just looked at me sheepishly. He did have a tendency to freak out when I didn't tell him things that were happening in my life. But it wasn't like he needed to know every little detail of what I was doing.
With a sigh, I explained where I had been spending the last three weeks best as I could. Jacob's eyes went wide as moons when I told him about the Avengers. Even Snotlout, the twins and Fishlegs looked impressed with how I managed to survive with the team.
"D-Did they ask you to join them?" Fishlegs asked eagerly. Ever since meeting them, he'd become a big fan of Captain America. I don't know whether I found that ironic, or just plain creepy.
"Yeah," I replied with a shrug. "And before you ask, no, I didn't agree to join them… for multiple reasons."
'This is home,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as she caught look Jacob gave me.
"Why would the Avengers ask you to join their team?" he asked skeptically.
"She didn't tell you?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
I only narrowed my eyes at that, knowing full well I couldn't tell Jacob about it just yet. Luckily, Astrid let it drop, for now. Telling them about the Avengers was one thing, but telling them the reason behind spending time with the Avengers was a whole different story.
…
Astrid let out a whoop of excitement as Stormfly cleared the course for a third time that day. Right next to Snowfire and Toothless, Stormfly was the third fastest dragon on Berk. The look of pride in her eyes would tell anyone that she had trained hard for this. Being a shield maiden meant that she had to put training on the list of her top priorities.
She knew that Hiccup was now dating Alex. It burned her to realize that his feelings for a stranger from a completely different world were stronger than his feelings for her. And yet, she could see why Hiccup admired Alex so much.
During their time on Asgard, Alex had shown more courage than Astrid could have imagined. She fought alongside warriors who were only spoken of in legends. Heck, she'd challenged Odin's authority when Thor brought another mortal to Asgard. To top things off, she had spoken with Loki as if the two had known each other prior to those events.
As much as Astrid hated to admit it, she understood why Hiccup had chosen Alex over her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how perfect they were for each other. Where Hiccup lacked in strength and agility, Alex seemed to make up for it. She cared, deeply for him.
Why couldn't I have told him sooner? she wondered bitterly.
She hated herself for not stealing the courage to tell him how she felt. She shook her head at the thought, realizing that no matter how much she tried to change the past, sometimes, fate worked in mysterious ways. While she was more than happy to scream at fate for ruining everything, it wouldn't help get her anywhere.
Stormfly was headed back to the village when her sharp eyes caught movement in the forest down below. Astrid's eyes narrowed as Stormfly moved closer to the thick leafy canopy, where they were able to make out the form of Alex's friend, Jacob. Stormfly growled in confusion when she spotted his newly befriended Monstrous Nightmare, whom he named Sniper, close behind him.
"Come on, girl. Let's see what they're up to," she told the Deadly Nadder. Stormfly happily obliged, diving into the forest where the said Rider was.
She didn't entirely trust newcomers. While she may have opened up to Alex, in a way, she still didn't trust her friend. But, he got along well with Fishlegs, and even Snotlout at times. Maybe this would be her chance to get some real dirt on Alex. After all, the two of them had to be close friends from the way they acted.
"And just where do you think you're headed?" she demanded once Stormfly landed and she hopped out of her saddle.
Jacob whirled around in surprise after realizing he was no longer alone. Well, human-wise, anyways. Sniper let out an irritated growl at Astrid's arrival, but he made no moves to attack. The Monstrous Nightmare was still a little uneasy around humans since he'd been a wild dragon before meeting his Rider.
"I just needed some time alone," he replied with a shrug. Stormfly greeted Sniper with a series of growls and clicks, which resulted in the two dragons chasing one another through the forest. The two of them had become fast friends, just like Stormfly had with Toothless. "It's hard to believe that our worlds are connected."
Astrid sighed and plopped herself on the boulder that he was sitting on, her back facing his.
"You know; it's still hard grasping the fact that there's… different things in your world. I still don't get half of the stuff Alex talks about, or even Hiccup."
"Yeah, well, sometimes I wonder if this kind of life is better than ours," he chuckled in response. Astrid stiffened when he said that – she wasn't sure whether to find his response offensive or appreciative. "Sometimes, the people are so overwhelmed in our world with technology that they give it up."
"That's hard to believe," she said thoughtfully.
They sat there in silence for a few moments, watching as Stormfly and Sniper chased each other through the undergrowth, knocking over a few trees in the process. It amazed Astrid at how different Sniper was compared to Hookfang. Where Hookfang had taken on an aggressive nature resembling his Rider, Sniper was gentler and friendlier.
"Look, I'm sorry for suddenly deciding to join your… gang, so suddenly," he suddenly apologized. Astrid rose an eyebrow in surprise at that. "It's just, ever since I saw Alex riding a dragon, and how much dragons have changed her life, I realized… I wanted the same thing. Does that seem selfish?"
Astrid chewed the bottom of her lip as she thought of how to answer that question. She never once thought of why she had chosen Stormfly as her dragon. The Deadly Nadder had sort of chosen her, instead.
"Well, at least you're not a jerk like Snotlout," she replied with a shrug. "And you're not being selfish. Sniper needed a good Rider, and he got one."
Wow, where did that come from? Astrid stiffened when she realized she had crossed the line. Stormfly had returned to her side when she noticed something was wrong. Astrid didn't make eye contact with the Deadly Nadder, instead, brushing her hand across Stormfly's snout.
She remembered what had happened to Stormfly when they were lost in Alex's world. Those… SHIELD people had hurt Stormfly in the worst way. She would never forgive them for what they had done to Stormfly. And that was enough to give her resolve never to go back there.
"Well, I should probably be going back before people start noticing I'm gone," Jacob sighed as he stood up. Sniper let out a growl of protest and tried stopping him from heading for the cove. Astrid found it amusing that he wanted to go back at all. It just went to show her how dependable these people were on their 'technology', or whatever they called it. "Thanks for the talk, it was… nice."
"Yeah," she replied, suddenly feeling sheepish for spending the whole afternoon talking. It wasn't something she normally did, so he better not get used to it.
The awkward moment when he left suddenly evaporated, and Astrid never felt more relieved to find herself alone with Stormfly. Jacob chose to leave Sniper on Berk while he stayed in the world where Alex came from. With the stables that were currently under construction, Sniper would have a place to stay while his Rider was gone.
Astrid let out a sigh once he was gone. Something told her that this wasn't the last time they would sit and 'chat' like they were old friends.
…
"So, let me get this straight," I began as Hiccup and I made our way back to his place. "Astrid just had a 'casual' conversation with my best friend?"
'Excuse me?' Snowfire grumbled with a roll of her eyes.
"Snow, you and I both know that you're more than just a friend," I retorted without missing a beat.
Snowfire merely blew a cloud of snow that covered our faces, and I couldn't hide the grin that followed. She was always a little more defensive when it came to admitting I had more than one friend. Her protective side was something that I'd grown to appreciate, despite the constant arguments it got us into.
"Yeah, even I don't get it," Hiccup replied with a shrug. "She doesn't normally open up to anyone, especially people who aren't from around here."
I chewed the bottom of my lip after realizing something more was going on here. Jacob Faux was more than just a best friend. He was like a brother to me, who always seemed to look out for my best interests. Maybe he was just trying to find a way to fit in with the people of Berk, which made me feel even guiltier. Whatever the reason behind it, I just hoped this didn't backfire on me.
Astrid and I were only just starting to get along after our flight back home. I really didn't want to make things worse between us, especially since we were supposed to work together as Dragon Riders.
AN: So, this chapter was more of a filler than anything else. But, everyone gets to see what Jacob has been up to, and that he and Astrid finally get to have a small talk. I'm looking forward to seeing reader's reactions to this chapter :)
Retrokill - Hehe, thanks... I think :P And ouch, that does not sound like a pleasant way to spend the rest of the day. I always wear swim goggles for that reason Oo
dragologistmaster - Thanks!
Sil - Thanks! And yep, it surely does. As for the Avengers making appearances throughout the second movie, I do plan on involving them. I get the feeling it'll be fun to see Valka's reaction when she meets the team, and vise-versa.
