The Gentle Sniper
Chapter 40: Burning Away The Dross, Part Two
A/N: So it seems I didn't make it clear enough who was talking during most of the scene in Asgard last chapter. I apologise for the confusion, but "son of Frank" did most of the talking, and was/is responsible for what Hiccup and co have gone through.
Loki has been a good boy in this story, believe it or not, but I understand why people thought it was him, due to his title as the god of mischief and all that.
And now, before I move on to the reviews; an out of context quote from my beta reader:
"Do you think Hiccup likes the abs?" - CommanderGreya, Monday, 22nd of Nov, 2021 7:56 PM GMT
Now that I have recorded that gem for future posterity, I shall move on to the reviews, before I let you all loose on my longest chapter in this story thus far.
Eight thousand and twenty-eight words! *Wow*
Review Responses:
CajunBear73: I see your review and I raise you a question, dear reader. Who, if anyone, should be next on the chopping block? Or rather, under the blade of Old Wrinkly's axe that Hiccup now owns.
Scrumblenut: Concerning most of Berk's citizens, I think you are right in saying that they wouldn't fear death. But concerning Sven, well let's just say that facing a man in the dark armed with an axe is not his idea of a good day ;)
Regarding torturing Anja… you make a very good point. Well, it's too late now. Shame.
If anyone else shows up who deserves it, I'll ensure they get their just desserts.
…
"Come in!"
It was Sigrid who entered Hiccup's office.
"Hiccup, a word ple… are you wearing a suit? It certainly suits you. Pun not intended."
For instead of the soldier uniform he usually wore, Hiccup had opted for a black suit and tie.
Her eyes flicked up a little, landing on his head. "Though the Beret stands out a bit too much."
"Is it against the dress code, here?"
"No, but…" she trailed off, then adopted a half-smile. "Fashion. The colour of the beret is clashing with the suit."
Hiccup simply rolled his eyes, then resumed his cursive search for the contents within the filing cabinet in his office. "Tell that to the Jaeger Corps. See if they care, because I sure don't."
It was time to address her daughter's plight, so she changed the subject. "Hiccup, we need to talk about Astrid. More specifically what happened between you two, yesterday."
"Okay. Talk."
"That was your cue to tell me what happened yesterday."
"You don't already know? Astrid didn't tell you?"
"I want to hear your side of the story. See if she left anything out."
"Alright then."
…
"Hiccup," she sighed when his retelling of the previous day's main event had ended.
"You have to try to show her more of what you feel," Sigrid advised in a gentle tone, but this just seemed to anger him even more.
"I've tried," he growled. "And her response was… not encouraging."
"Then try again. I'll bring her over to your place later."
He shook his head. "Can't. I'm expecting a visitor this evening."
"Who?"
He murmured something under his breath that she didn't catch, but no doubt expressed his annoyance as he peered into the filing cabinet before him. "Someone should clear out this thing. These folders are all junk to me."
"Don't change the subject. Who is visiting you later?"
"Another colleague of mine who went rogue; that seems to be a pattern now, amongst the soldiers I've worked with."
"Then tomorrow then? How does that sound?"
"It sounds like you're more invested in my current relationship than you should be."
"I am when my daughter shows up at my house, caught in the rain and not even wearing a rain jacket. Do you not love her?"
His head snapped up. "Yes, I despise the person I described as better than you. And made out with just last night, before she decided to run away. I absolutely hate Astrid Hofferson."
"I'm no stranger to sarcasm, you know."
"But clearly not to dumb questions."
"I was going to say that if you love her, then you should stop avoiding the subject."
"A, I can do whatever I like. B, our relationship isn't any of your business, bet or no bet. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some questions for Johann; about what my next job here is."
He then turned and stepped towards the door to Anja's old office. "You should stop trying to push people away, like you did your own mother."
Hiccup faced her again once on the threshold between his and Anja's office. "You know how they say, 'it's been a pleasure'? It hasn't. Valka pushed me away first, I don't particularly like you, and I have places to be. Oh, and my parents were killed last night. Good day to you."
Hiccup didn't stick around to witness her reaction to that bombshell, for the simple reason of not wanting to see a grown woman cry.
…
"Pack your things. You're going on a journey to Skagen, shortly. Nice suit by the way."
Hiccup was now in Johann's office, sitting in front of his desk which was furnished by a computer and its monitor, a pen and pencil holder and two chairs placed in front of the desk.
He leaned forward in his chair, the one next to him empty. "What is happening in Skagen, Johann?"
"Your proposal for a team to deal with people like Drago is being floated before the committee in Skagen. They make decisions on most things like this."
"I see. What sort of things would they want to know? Also how big is this committee? I'm not a fan of public speaking. That and being swarmed by insects," Hiccup shuddered, unconsciously rubbing an arm.
"The latter is rather specific… where would one even find a swarm of insects here on Berk?"
"Ask the twins. Anyway, when do I leave?"
"Ideally, as soon as you are ready."
"Then I'll go get this over with. Nothing else I need to bring, I don't think."
Johann clapped his hands together. "Splendid."
…
Hiccup looked at each of the five, in turn, three men and two women, who were seated at the table in front of him. "This thing is mostly to get to know me, isn't it? Because I'm sure you people get plenty of proposals; enough that you can't waste time on this sort of thing."
"Most astute this one is," one of the five present, a woman with brunette hair tied in a ponytail responded, sat at the midpoint of the table, facing Hiccup directly. "Yes, we wanted to put a face to a name. Or, generally speaking, your file. So tell us Henry, what is it that a reserve Jaeger does, exactly?"
"Nothing. We just do regular soldier duties until we are called upon, usually following someone else retiring, or in rarer cases, dying."
"Hmm. And of course you have become a DDIS operative recently, leading to this proposal of yours. Did the idea come around as a result of your time as a Captain in the army?"
"Quite possibly. But really, I think it is down to a frustrating amount of inaction on the part of some operatives I've encountered."
"Interesting," she replied. It seemed as if the rest of the committee were content to let the brunette do all the talking. "By inaction, are you referring to one Drago Bludvist?"
"Yes. I presume Johann told you about him."
"That's right. He answers to us after all. Now I am curious what sort of actions you would take to deal with a person like Drago, and I'm sure my colleagues share the same sentiment."
"If I had to deal with another Drago, then I would find out where he would be hiding, then arrange for the person to be taken into custody. Nothing more, nothing less."
"What about the paperwork that follows? As with any law enforcement organisation, there is paperwork to be done as I'm sure you know."
"That would be done last. I don't allow things like that to keep me doing what I need to do."
"Hmm. Well that is everything we needed to know. This meeting is adjourned and we'll let you know of our decision in regards to your proposal in a few days."
…
Ascending the steps to the door of his apartment, Hiccup paused, keys in his left hand, when he heard a noise inside but muted, to the point that Hiccup couldn't identify it.
Opening the door as quietly as he could, he drew his gun from his ever-present holster, then slipped inside, making his way down the hallway.
Hearing the same sound, he was able to identify it as the sound of something hitting leather, and that it was coming from his living room.
Shoving the door wide open, Hiccup scanned the room, gun raised, only to find an unarmed man lounging on his couch, one hand clenched into a fist and partially raised in the air.
"General Kasper Hendegaard," Hiccup trained his USP9 on the man.
"Captain Henry Horrendous Haddock. It's been a long time."
"Yeah, since you went rogue. I used to like you. You and Finn both. What happened? More to the point, how did you get in here?"
The former general leaned forward and smiled. "I have my ways. In this particular instance, I arrived to find a certain blonde girl - Cami, if I remember the name of your girlfriend right - breaking and entering. I think she was here to see you about something."
"What did you do to her?"
"After she got inside, I followed, snuck up behind her, knocked her out and tied her up. She's in your bedroom, along with the cat."
Hiccup pulled back the slide on his gun. "Make me an offer I can't refuse before I kill you and dump your body in the snow next to Anja."
"Alright. So your friend. Aage No-Name. A talented explosives expert who got unfortunately caught up in our web. He's in a coma in a room in a hospital in Skagen. I can tell you the name, and ensure you and your friends are left untouched from here on out, but I want some assurances."
"Name them."
"You hand over Sven to me and don't go after my people."
"Here's the thing about hunters like me," said Hiccup. "To kill, we need but one bullet. So if you plan to get out of this situation alive, you better compromise."
"I have your friend-"
"Strike one. Don't tell me stuff I already know."
"-And I am willing to tell you where he is."
"I don't believe you. Strike two."
The man smiled a little. "What happens at strike three?"
"Someone gets hurt. You don't want to get to that point. So, counter offer: you tell me where my comatose friend is and leave my friends alone, and in turn I, or rather the DDIS, won't go after your people for the rest of the year, long enough to relocate your organisation to America and become a weapons dealer.
The government over there sure loves its weapons after all. It's up to you, but I just want you gone. I don't want to have to keep looking over my shoulder for some new asshole to attack someone I care about."
Kasper's brow furrowed. "Even after all that has happened to you? After Anja killed your parents?"
Hiccup scowled at him. "Even then, yes. Thanks for the reminder."
"Well then," the man murmured, standing and approaching with a hand extended. "Let's shake on it."
They did so, and then Hiccup glanced in the direction of the door. "Would you like a drink? As a show of good faith and all…"
"Sure."
And so they ventured into the kitchen, where Hiccup handed him a bottle of beer and a bottle opener.
Then, as soon as he finished, Kasper was advanced upon by a knife welding Hiccup, who grabbed his left arm, held it down and then drove the blade into the table through his sleeve. "I've always wanted to try that scene from Ratatouille. Don't remove the knife or I'll break your fingers."
Kasper appeared calm but raised an eyebrow at Hiccup. "And what does this prove, exactly?"
Hiccup drove another knife into Kasper's sleeve before responding. "Well, with how you and your buddies have acted these past few years, and especially this month, how can I trust you'll honour our agreement? I want you to make me believe you will, but that will take some doing, so while you think, I'm going to go untie Cami."
Driving a third knife into the table, Hiccup headed for his room.
He immediately noticed the bruise on his tied up guest. "You need better spatial awareness, Miss Cami 'I'm the best bog burglar' Berthadottir," he murmured, as he approached the headboard, where she was tied to a bedpost.
"Yeah, I guess I do. I must be getting sloppy," she groaned, rubbing feelings into her arms then standing up to stretch as all her limbs were unbound. "I thought Kasper had died after all this time. He had been gone for a bit before Finn ran off."
"Go and see for yourself. He's pinned to my kitchen table."
"Pinned how?"
When they went to the kitchen and she saw Kasper there, she burst out laughing. "Y-you've been watching too much Ratatouille my Auburn friend."
"What? It's a good movie. Any ideas, Kasper?"
"One, and if it doesn't convince you that I will honour our agreement, then nothing will."
"Let's hear it, then."
He hesitated, then sighed in resignation before at last speaking. "I will hand over one of my people to you; someone in my inner circle, in exchange for one year of your time. You of course get your comatose friend back."
"Done," said Hiccup. "Now I'll just need to call it in. Wouldn't want the DDIS to act on my behalf."
"Indeed, that would be bad."
So stepping into the hallway, Hiccup sent Johann a text as follows.
Kasper Hendegaard has come to pay a visit and is offering me a deal in exchange for the location of Aage No-Name, who has apparently been comatose all this time. Send some people along to take him in, post haste.
Sending the same text to Viggo via Naja, who quickly responded with On my way, Hiccup then pocketed the device and returned to the kitchen.
"My colleagues have expressed a desire to meet you. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
"So I gather that they intend to arrest me. You, by extension."
"You practically already are."
Kasper grit his teeth together. "It's very bad manners to lead someone on, especially during a discussion to postpone a war between people who are alike."
Hiccup's eyes turned to ice. "We are nothing alike. We're not friends. We were once colleagues, as Cami can attest, but you want to know what happened to a former colleague of mine who I thought, just for a moment, I could one day trust? I killed her and left her body to freeze after she killed my parents."
Cami gasped in shock. "H-Hiccup… b-but when!? How!?"
Hiccup mouthed 'later' at her then continued addressing Kasper. "And since you gave the order, how much worse should I treat you? Now I'll remove the knives for you to call your people and tell them that if they even think of breaking you out of DDIS custody, you die. If they even consider offing my comatose friend, you die. Also, in the case of the latter, bye bye Kasper Industries."
So saying, he handed his gun to Cami, who was more than happy to aim it at Kasper's head, right between the eyes as the man slowly reached into his pocket for his phone.
"This is what I get for trying to be nice for a change," the man grumbled.
Once the matter at hand had drawn to a close, with Kasper in handcuffs, restrained by Naja and another DDIS agent who led him out of the kitchen and the apartment as a whole, Viggo addressed Hiccup and Cami.
"Good job you two," he said simply, before leaving.
Once Cami ascertained that she and Hiccup were alone, she rounded on him. "'Later' has now arrived. When were you going to talk about the fact your parents died? Have you told anyone about it? Astrid or otherwise, I mean… you must feel horrible."
"Hold that thought," said Hiccup, taking out his phone. "I need to make a note on some things before I forget."
As he did so, he began to ramble to himself. "So Aage is in a hospital in Skagen, which Fishlegs and I will need to determine. Might have Kasper's people keeping an eye on his room, so we'll need to handle them… his people may go for me or Fishlegs so I'll need to tell him to keep his gun around at all times… Astrid, Dagur and Heather as well… that's about everything," Hiccup put away his phone.
"Now to answer your question, Cami, I didn't plan to tell anyone about my parents' death, because I tried with Astrid but she ran away. I don't want to talk about it with anyone now."
"That's not healthy."
"I know, but why do you care? In fact, why are you telling me that after keeping your brother's existence a secret from me for the entire time we dated? Please leave, Cami. I'm not talking about this with you of all people."
She sighed. "Well I can't blame you for that, but find someone-Astrid. Find and talk to her about this."
"I tried that last night. Guess what she did?"
"She didn't take it well?" Cami guessed.
"That's an understatement. She ran away to her parents house."
"Hiccup…" she whispered, as he sighed and sat down.
"Did I do something wrong, Cami? You speak woman, don't you? Can you translate?"
The blonde smiled a little at his words before it died a harsh death. "Did she say anything before she left?"
Hiccup told her the full conversation, and at the end, she sighed.
"Well it sounds to me that she had better parents than you, and couldn't cope with someone hating their parents, so she ran. Basically, you took your parent's death too well for her taste."
"So what do I do? I can't just cry over them. Crying isn't my forte and I can't act very well either. Anyone would be suspicious if I acted the exact opposite to how I did yesterday."
"Alright, here's what I recommend. It's a simple thing: you go find Astrid, you talk to her and since I'll be with you, I'll set her straight if she objects to you being you. If you date someone, that person should be okay with you being you. Otherwise you shouldn't be with that person."
"How… wise of you."
She grinned. "I have my moments. Now, let's go find the muttonhead, but first; lunch. I'm starving."
Hiccup chuckled. "And you've earned it after being tied up. C'mon, I'll pay."
…
A little while later on, at the sandwich section at Aldi, Hiccup and Cami were greeted by a somewhat unusual sight.
"That's a lot of sandwiches you're taking, Mr Agnarsson. Are you planning a party or something?"
The hairy-faced man glanced at Hiccup and smiled, then deposited the triangle-shaped sandwich container into a nearby basket that contained a selection of other sandwiches before his baritone voice rang out. "Not quite, but I'm planning something similar. I was thinking the Outcasts would appreciate receiving free food, so I decided to chip in for our former kinsmen."
"That's a nice idea. Mind if I join you?"
"I suspect they won't like you being there, given who your father is…"
Hiccup sighed, then shrugged. "Well if they want to dislike me because of a dead man, then I guess I should stay away. Allow me to make a recommendation though; chicken and mayo sandwiches. They might enjoy them."
The man blinked, shaking his head. "Forget about the sandwiches for a minute. Did you say 'dead man'?"
Hiccup nodded. "I did, yes."
"Stoick is dead?!" Ulf Agnarsson shouted, before continuing with a quieter tone as people looked their way and murmuring began. "When did it happen?!"
"Yesterday. He was shot and the killer wasn't found by the police," But dealt with all the same, Hiccup thought darkly. "Now do you mind if we drop this? I'd rather not be bombarded by questions."
The man sighed but nodded. "I understand. It still hurts to talk about that, doesn't it?"
"Yes," Hiccup lied. No, or at least not as much as you would expect it would, and you'll probably all hate me for being relatively unaffected by it. Hence me avoiding the subject as much as I can. "Anyway, I'll leave you to acquire your many sandwiches."
"Alright. And if you ever feel like you want someone to talk about this, swing by my bakery. You can have any cake or pastry, it's on the house."
"I'll… thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Just uh, if I can squeeze by you; I came here to get my lunch, so…"
"No worries. I think I'll get out of your hair for now. I think I have enough sandwiches."
He didn't. There were no less than twenty Outcasts, and his basket contained no more than ten sandwiches and both knew it, but neither chose to mention this fact.
A little later, in Aldi's self-checkout area, Hiccup was just finishing scanning each item of his shopping that made up his lunch, in addition to Cami's, when two girls arrived, one carrying a shopping basket and both coming to stand at the machine directly behind him.
"Hey Hiccup," Heather greeted, making him look at her.
"Morning, Heather," a pause as his eyes slid to the other girl, a certain Hofferson, who he then addressed, a note of annoyance audible in his voice. "I hope you had a good night at your parents house without me."
Cami elbowed Hiccup in the stomach but went ignored.
Astrid's face fell. "Yeah, it was nice. How… how did you sleep?"
"As well as I could, considering my parents recent death…" Hiccup snapped, then paused, closed his eyes and took a quick breath. "Sorry. Forget I said anything, if you can…"
Hastily finishing paying, Hiccup all but ran away, Cami in tow.
"What was that!?" She hissed, drawing him aside once they were out of earshot of the pair.
"That was me expressing my annoyance at my girlfriend, Cami. I'm not cut out for this."
"If you can handle almost getting killed by an IED and everything else that has happened here lately, you can damn well handle talking to your girlfriend," Cami paused and looked back. "Especially since she seems concerned for you."
"What?" Hiccup followed Cami's gaze to see Astrid looking between the self-checkout machine and him every few moments, concern visible on her face. "I see."
"Looks to me like she wants to talk to you about what just happened. When she does, don't mess things up again."
"What do I say again?"
"I don't think you'll need to. I bet you fourth Krone that she'll apologise first, then say something like. "I'm sorry for what I did. Can we talk about it?" said Cami, adopting a falsetto voice that made Hiccup snort.
Then, in her normal tone, she added. "Either that or she'll kiss you stupid to say she's sorry."
His eyes lit up. "How certain are you of the latter? She's quite good at that."
Cami smirked. "Eager for a kiss?"
"Oh gods yes."
Her smirk became a grin. "Well here they come, so you'll find out soon."
Hiccup watched as Astrid stepped over to them, while Heather stood at a bit of a distance.
Astrid meanwhile, placed her hands on his cheeks, then yanked his lips to hers.
Distantly, Hiccup heard Cami and Heather both cheer, but his focus was mostly elsewhere of course.
Settling his hands on her cheeks, he deepened the kiss and she sighed pleasantly because of it.
When they separated, she, in true Astrid fashion, punched his shoulder. "That was for not caring about you know what. And this is another apology."
"Wh-mph!" She kissed him again, but it was brief. "Now then babe, shall we tell everyone about your new status as head of the Haddock family?"
"Tonight, yeah. Can you spread the word that I'm calling for a meeting at the Great Hall?"
"Sure. What will you do in the meantime?"
"I've got someone I need to speak with."
"Alright then. Later, babe. Let's go Heather."
When they left, Cami slid beside him. "You owe me fourty krone."
"How do you figure that? I never agreed to the bet."
"Can you pay me twenty Krone then? I was still right."
"You were, but I still never actually agreed to the bet, Cami. Tough luck."
…
The Concierge stared at the man in the black, full-face motorcycle helmet as he entered the hotel lobby. But below the neck, the man was enrobed in a black suit and matching leather jacket, with a bag of shopping hanging off one arm.
Clearly, the faceless man was making a statement as to his view on his morality. That or he was fond of the colour black.
"Ooh, mysterious guy. Think he's the male equivalent of Uma Thurman?" A voice behind him wondered.
Snorting, the Concierge turned and faced the woman who was standing in the doorway to the staff room behind him. "As amusing as that was, it's time for you to get back to work here. Break's over, Karina."
"You're no fun, sir."
"Damn straight, Karina. Back to work now."
Reaching and knocking on Bekker's door, Hiccup smiled at his friend when it opened. "Morning. Do you want to go sightseeing?"
Bekker yawned. "There's more to see?"
"Yep. I know a place where you can see all of Berk."
"Sure. Just give me a few to get ready."
"Alright."
…
Hiccup raced up the rugged path, disturbing the pebbles that formed it without losing momentum.
Bekker huffed irritably as she stomped to catch up with the apparent mountain goat that was her friend. "Showoff. Slow down, will you?"
"I'm able to go this fast because of years of practice," he replied from up ahead. "This is a rite of passage, so if you reach the top without giving up, I can dub thee an honorary Berkian."
"Then prepare a congratulatory speech, milord. I'm getting to the top of this place, whatever this place is called."
Though after saying this, her eyes trailed from the path ahead to the Pine trees that stretched along the path, forming a natural barrier in addition to the more artificial stone walls that were present as well, between the path and the tall vegetation.
"I'll have you know, the name is Heimdall's Peak."
Now a brief lesson on their destination: Heimdall's Peak was the highest hill to be found on Berk.
From its location on the east side of the island, it provided an unobstructed view of the whole town. For this reason, it was considered a rite of passage amongst every generation of Berkians, dating back to the time when the island was first discovered and occupied by the Hairy Hooligan tribe.
But it was not reaching and ascending Heimdall's Peak that was the rite of passage for each respective youth. Rather, it was this; getting back down and navigating the long way back to the town itself, through the forest that surrounded the steep slope.
However, there was a respite close by, that being Heimdall's Peak Café, owned by Cillie Thorston, that many a teen would be allowed to visit after completing the rite of passage, for both food and drink and to record their success for posterity and bragging rights.
At fifteen, in what was a hotter than usual summer for Berk, Hiccup, like the other teens of his generation, vowed to pass the rite of passage, but of course, nobody believed a "runt" could do it.
Even Fishlegs and Aage were sceptical, which hurt for a while before Hiccup succeeded after a week of failed attempts (which is a story in itself) and then realised he effectively had the area to himself, as it was the sort of thing that the local teens would move on from after either succeeding or giving up entirely.
Not Hiccup, who, due to his artistic mind, soon identified the spot as a great place to get away from it all and simply draw in his wax-covered notepad, or just avoid all other Berkians (Snotlout and the twins in particular) in general. One such occasion that qualified as the latter was now; early afternoon, with a view of the town set against a bright blue sky with not a cloud in sight.
The last of the Haddocks was sitting on the apex of the steep hill with his notepad in his lap and a bottle of beer in his hand, with a sandwich and a packet of crisps, tucked into a plastic bag with Aldi's logo on it, by his side.
Like him, Bekker also had a drink in her hand, brought along in the bag Hiccup had carried up the hillside. But her drink of choice was a bottle of red wine instead of beer.
Taking a swig, she downed it and then she hummed. "So you said that this is a rite of passage for you guys?" She asked.
"Mhm. And since you managed it, you are now an honorary Berkian."
"Thanks, I'm glad I managed the climb. The view from the top of this hill is certainly worth it."
"That it is. Also, I'm not at all jealous that you also managed this on the first try. Nope. No sirree."
Bekker smirked. "What? Couldn't manage it on your first go? How old were you, then?"
"Fifteen. I was a small guy who hated all sports. I wasn't fat or anything, but it's safe to say that I'm in better shape now than then. It took me a week to get used to the walk and get to the top. And of course nobody believed me when I told them I'd done it. I was sometimes called the "runt" back then, because of my size."
"That's rough, buddy."
"I guess it is, Prince Zuko."
Hiccup then took a swig of his beer, with Bekker following suit with her wine and conversation fizzled out into a comfortable silence.
Once all food and drink had been consumed, Hiccup placed the rubbish they had accumulated into the bag, then turned his attention to his notepad.
Opening it, he brought out a pencil, then scanned the sight of the town before he started to draw.
"Gonna draw the town?" His redheaded companion asked.
"Yup."
"Okay," she said, nodding, and with another long look at the town, began to draw.
Before long, Bekker was treated to his singing voice, as he seemed to either forget or not care that Bekker was present.
"Lonely shadows following me-"
"Wait! Can I record you singing on my phone? I'll pay you."
"How much?"
"Twenty Krone."
"Double it and you can record away as much as you like."
"Done."
Moments passed as Bekker got her phone ready, then pointed the microphone within, in his direction. "Okay, three, two, one. Go."
"Lonely shadows following me.
Lonely ghosts come calling.
Lonely voices talking to me.
Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone."
"And my mother told me son let it be.
Sold my soul to the calling.
Sold my soul to a sweet melody.
Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone."
"Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Burn, burn, burn."
Bekker joined in, making Hiccup smile before resuming. "Oh, a thousand faces staring at me.
Thousand times I've fallen
Thousand voices dead at my feet.
Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone."
"And my mother told me son let it be.
Sold my soul to the calling.
Sold my soul to a sweet melody.
Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone."
"Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Burn, burn, burn."
"Ghosts and devils come calling.
Calling my name out, lost in the fire.
Sweet virgin, your blood is calling.
Calling my name out, lost in the fire."
"Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Burn, burn, burn."
"Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Oh give me that fire
Burn, burn, burn."
"Nice singing as always."
"Glad you enjoyed it. You were good too."
"Thanks. Here's your money by the way," she said, handing over a few notes.
"Thank you."
"Anytime."
More pleasant silence formed, then. "Bekker?"
"Hm?"
"Have you ever thought of becoming a hunter?"
"Already am one."
"Nej. Not "Hunter-Soldat but a normal hunter."
"Once. My father was a hunter. I wanted to do what he did when I was little. Then he told me about the Jaegers and my plan changed."
"I see. Was your dad good at it?"
"Best in the hunting club near our house in Odense."
"Odense? You used to live there?"
"Yeah. Then I moved to Aalborg and joined the army when I turned twenty. That was seven years ago."
"So you're a year younger than me. Good to know."
"Mhm. Now, go on. Ask."
Hiccup's brow furrowed. "Ask what?"
"Your proposal the other day. Back at that cove place. My answer is yes. Yes, I'll work with you as your second in command."
"Planning to quit the Jaegers then?"
"Not entirely. I'm going to go on the reserve list."
Hiccup looked ahead at the view before them. "That's… good…"
Bekker sighed. "You don't sound very excited."
He shook his head at once, looking her way again. "No I am. Sorry. It's just that I've realised I'm still on the reserve list, and I need to sign a discharge form for "change of employment" reasons."
"Ah. Well, how about we kill two birds with one stone? We head down to that base, you fill out a discharge form, then I'll fly us over to Aalborg and we can handle the rest there."
"Sure. But while we're on the subject, why did you decide to become a pilot as well as a Jaeger? You learn to fly a helicopter during training as one anyway, for infiltration reasons."
Bekker's cheeks turned pink. "Let's just say my boyfriend was very persuasive on the matter."
Hiccup smirked. "What kind of persuasion did he use?"
Her cheeks went from pink to scarlet, which was an answer in itself. "I see. Care to share what he did, so I can use it on Astrid sometime?"
With a nod, she told him.
He promptly turned green, and looked quite ill as he took a step away from Bekker. "Never speak of that act."
"I hear you. It's not for everyone. Sorry."
"I don't understand how that could be for anyone, but here we are."
"Well there's a similar practice…" she trailed off and made a specific gesture.
"What you just described is significantly more hygienic than the…" Hiccup looked even more ill if that were possible. "…other one. Now for the sake of keeping my last meal in my stomach, can we stop talking about it?"
"Sure thing. Onto more pleasant topics, how did you meet Astrid?"
"I met her at the local gun range. I was focusing on my own aim when she commented on said aim. The rest is history, as they say."
Bekker smirked. "You sly dog, you."
Hiccup managed a smile, but it was weak, arriving in tandem with a nod. "Shall we go now?"
Bekker's smile vanished, recognising his now despondent mood as she let out a sigh, silently wondering what had caused the change. "Yes. Let's go."
On the way back down, Hiccup popped another question. "What made you decide to work with me at the DDIS, part time?"
"Curiosity, really. I wonder what they do every day. What do you do every day?" She asked after a pause.
"Well for my evaluation task, I helped to detain a guy. Then I cleaned up a certain mess. So it seems like police work in a way." With death by axe allowed for some, it seems.
"Interesting. Well I look forward to my evaluation task then."
"Let's hope you don't get caught in a shouting match then, or have to throw a guy onto a table. If you do, don't walk away."
Bekker blinked before she caught his meaning. "Oi! I can handle it just fine. I was giving you space to do that to the guy. Who was that anyway?"
"Johann. To most Berkians, he's just a barman. But to me, he's the regional manager of the DDIS."
"He has two jobs? Guess he must delegate a lot then."
"He does delegate, yeah. I'll introduce you to him sometime; whenever I see him next."
"Alright. Now, what was it that made you want me to work with you at the DDIS?"
"Simple: I want someone there who I like and can trust."
"You can't trust that friend of yours? What was his name again, Fishlegs?"
"Oh I can trust him, but he never could keep secrets if anyone decided to dig for them. You, on the other hand, are better in this area, like me since we're both Jaegers who have black ink in our files."
"Good point well made. I have no more questions, so let's get to Sølvbånd base."
"No objections here amigo. Let's swing by the café on the way, though, so we can record your success at climbing the hill."
Bekker shrugged. "Alright then. Lead on."
…
"Can I just say, you look very handsome in that suit. Also, you never mentioned you could drive a car."
Hiccup chuckled. "I'm a man of a few talents. But this isn't the first time today you saw me in this suit."
"Well earlier it wasn't the right time, and then of course I had my paperwork shift at the police station to do, so I didn't get the chance until now. Who was that friend you went to go see, anyway?"
"Bekker. I wanted to show her Heimdall's Peak."
Astrid made a noise of understanding. "I guess I'll have to consider her a Berkian then. Does what I'm wearing really look good?"
Hiccup sighed, but glanced over, eyeing her navy blue suit with a sleeveless top and the fur lined coat that concealed it for her sake.
"You've asked enough times, milady. Yes, it does."
She sighed. "Sorry. It's just that I can't pull off the "sexy office lady" look as well as my cousin.
"Well I'm not dating your cousin, am I? Don't compare yourself to someone I have never met before. I don't even know her name, for Thor's sake."
"Sofia Greve," Astrid mumbled.
"I Didn't ask. The point is, I picked you and not her. I love you and not her. That wouldn't change one bit if she were here right now."
Astrid gave a half-smile. "I know you think you mean it now, but until you meet her, I can't believe you. I'm sorry. It happened before after all; my ex left me for her."
"Then your ex is an idiot. Simple as that. Now pull yourself together. We've got a meeting to go to."
She gave a nod. "You're right."
…
The din of countless Berkians made being heard in the Great Hall an impossibility, while also making the place look smaller than it was.
Hiccup sat flanked by Astrid, her family and Gobber, Johann and Viggo on his right side. On his left sat Fishlegs, Heather, Dagur and the rest of his family.
Across from them sat the Jorgenson and Thorston families, intermingled in the remaining seats on their side of the table.
Hiccup happened to be directly opposite Spitelout and Fishlegs opposite Snotlout, with Ava, Spitelout's wife, facing Astrid and Cillie Thorston beside Ava.
Meanwhile, the twins were organised at the very end of the table where the Ingerman clan was situated, with Bertha and Cami sitting there to make up for the comparatively smaller family; since the Thorstons were the second-biggest family on Berk, at least amongst the founding clans.
"QUIET!" Hiccup barked when he couldn't take the noise any longer. When conversation was a possibility, he continued. "So, now that I can hear myself think, commence with the questions."
With a nod of thanks at Hiccup when things quietened down, Spitelout spoke. "Now I would like confirmation on something. Did Stoick really die?"
Hiccup sighed before nodding. "He did. I was informed of the fact that he was killed last night. He was shot dead and his body left to rot just outside Aldi, in the parking area. That is all I know."
"Valka was there as well! I saw her body before the police arrived!" Someone in the crowd declared, apparently with a sense of theatrics.
Hiccup looked to Sigrid, who sighed but nodded, albeit with reluctance, with the scene of course failing to escape Spitelout's notice with how close he was to Hiccup.
"Yes, she was there as well, according to the police," Hiccup looked to his uncle as he continued. "I guess she became a draugr at some point, as many of us here know that she was believed to have died in the past. I sure did. So who knows what might be happening there?"
"What are you implying, boyo?" Spitelout demanded as the murmuring began anew.
"He's highlighting the possibility that your sister faked her death," said Sigrid, taking over then. "Only it is more than a possibility. It actually happened, because I helped her do it."
Spitelout stared at Sigrid, uncomprehending, with Helga Ingerman also looking her way as best she could from further down the table, in combination with numerous others at the table and in the crowd.
The murmuring got a little bit louder. "B-but how?" Spitelout managed.
"Simple. She and I work for the DDIS."
The murmuring reached a crescendo, and during it, Sigrid stood up, approaching her eldest daughter to whisper into her ear, though with the noise level, she had to talk at normal volume to compensate.
"WAIT!" Spitelout shouted this time, making the room quiet again. "I have questions that I want to voice. Don't go anywhere."
Sigrid hasn't been going anywhere, but she didn't bother to correct him. "Very well. I'll answer any questions you might have."
"Does that apply to everyone?" Snotlout inquired, then continued without waiting for an answer. "Because I have one. Is she," he pointed at Astrid, "A gold digger staying with my cousin because of his inheritance or some shit?"
"The fuck-" Astrid began with a snarl but went quiet when Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Snotlout. What. Did you just say?" Hiccup asked. His voice had started off calm at the start of the sentence, but by the end was anything but, and Snotlout, for all his faults recognised this immediately, as he took a step back.
The room was dead silent and every eye was on Hiccup, nobody more than the Twins, who had eyes on the verge of separating from their faces in anticipation.
"Care to repeat that?"
Snotlout grimaced under a multitude of eyes, his bravado quickly fleeing. "Uh, I-I asked if s-she is a gold digger."
"I thought so. Now let's get one thing straight, cousin. I asked her out. She did not approach me. She has not once asked me for a gift. She has done nothing to make me suspect her motives. She has treated me far better than a certain someone we both know. So I don't want to hear you say that again. Got it?" Hiccup grit out.
An immediate nod. "Y-yes, Hiccup."
"That's Henry Haddock to you. Henry Horrendous Haddock the third, last of the Haddocks. Don't forget it."
Another quick nod. "Y-yes, Henry."
"Good. I think we're connecting here. Now apologize to my girlfriend for that insult."
"Sorry, uh-"
"Astrid."
"Sorry, Astrid."
Then Hiccup's eyes slid to Spitelout. "You need to do a better job keeping him in line, because this insult was grounds for a blood feud on part of the Hofferson clan. If I had pursued it, I'm sure the Haddock clan wouldn't be the only one to join them in support."
"You can say that again!" Malte Ingerman called from his spot further down the table.
Spitelout nodded, then shot his son a look that promised certain things. "It shall be done."
"Good. We're done here. Fishlegs, Heather, Dagur and Cami, meet me at my place tomorrow at noon if you can. We have things to discuss."
"Will do," All four chirped.
"Astrid, with me. Sigrid, I believe you can handle any questions these people may have."
"Yes," the stout woman smiled.
"Alright, over to you. We'll be taking our leave now."
…
On the drive back to Hiccup's apartment, Astrid sported a fond smile for the entire journey.
It was playing with her lips as she gazed out of the passenger side window, but she said nothing, and Hiccup found he liked that particular smile, so he let her be.
Stepping through the door of his apartment with her in tow, he flicked on the light and she shut the door.
Then they noticed it.
Or rather, him. A guy - a soldier according to his clothes - in his early twenties, still with the face of a teenager; which is to say short ginger hair and a complete lack of a beard, with acne and freckles scattered about.
"How long has that guy been tied up there?" Astrid wondered.
"About as long as we were at the Great Hall, I should think. There's a note stuck to his uniform by duct tape."
"Found this one lying in wait, so like any good eagle, I noticed and took care of it for you. I left your intel for you as well. Now I'm off, but we should do this again sometime. Call if you need me again, and have a good night, Snow Cub. Farvel.
P.S. Almost forgot to mention this; turn him over to get your intel. Everything I could find on your guy is in the folder."
After reading the note aloud, Hiccup promptly nudged the guy onto his stomach with a foot, much to the guy's muffled protests through the gag in his mouth. "I don't speak gibberish, so shut up. Astrid, be a dear and get scissors."
She did so, and Hiccup cut the folder taped to the back of the guy's shirt free.
"Now, what to do with him? I guess I'll have to hand him over to Viggo or something tomorrow."
"Good. You've decided. Now onto more important stuff. Hiccup, do you know how handsome you look in that suit?"
Hiccup laughed. "No, I don't recall you ever saying this. Not at all. I'm handsome, am I?"
"Very. Now, allow me to show you just how much."
After saying this, Astrid was swift in grabbing both of his arms and leading the way out of the hallway, through the door and down the stairs, forcefully tugging him along in a vice-like grip.
"And just where are we going, milady Asta?"
Her smirk went unseen by him. "To the car. You'll see why soon."
A laugh rang in her ears. "I think I already know why. What I want to know is how long."
"As long as we need," came her reply.
…
A/N: There's no rest for the wicked after all ;)
B/N: Beta-read and approved for publishing by CommanderGreya.