Helloo! It's a bit late but this was supposed to be one chapter but it kept getting longer and longer so I just finished writing it until the whole arc was finished. Hope you enjoy!
Shout Outs!:
WeAreNumberOne
ch.25:
Attack, it was in a note at the end of, a chapter or two ago.
Yes, when he first met the Wakandans he fought the Black Panter of the time but he and they didn't have any sort of technology that T'Challa has now.
Thank you. It probably won't be brought up again until WS but it's set up for stuff.
I honestly have no idea where he went to by the time of the Avengers but I'm assuming he's chilling in Fury's office. I'll have to bring him in again some time, he's such a fun bundle of floof.
You could but it's not as entertaining and I had to get some really good bonding time in with them.
ch.24:
Aren't we all? Soon you'll be able to find out. All in good time
Thank you, I really wanted to bring them in somehow in all their full glory and it was the perfect reason. Oh, he will always prefer being a dragon.
:) I have been planning Phil for quite a while. I'm glad all the changes work out, makes me happy to know they're well received.
A few reasons. One, he wasn't real sure of Fury at the time. Two, that could take a while to explain it all. Three, he wasn't sure how much she remembered vs not and he didn't want to waste too much time since the Kree were already on Earth. Four, I also didn't want to write all that.
Always. Everyone in Hiccup's history would agree that he's a menace in some way, shape or form.
SmolAvidReader
I had to bring in the knife again, no point in Hiccup giving it to him if we never get to see it in action, also we needed some 'Tony cares' fluff in there. At the very least, the Archipelago and Wakanda can start looking into the matter and trying to find ways to fix it while they try and find Bucky again. Oh, he definitely would, no question there. He's a Thorston, he's got to prank people, it's the way of his family, and what better way to do that than infiltrating a top secret agency and fooling them all? Same, he's a great character. Oh, yes, I think they're long past suspicious they just have nothing to validate their ideas. You're welcome, thank you for reading and enjoying it :)
CHSHiccstrid
They are amazing and so fun to write. Yup, we'll have to wait and see ;) Thanks, hope you enjoy this one as well.
Journal 2, Entry 26: "Iron Man Pt.1"
Hiccup sat with the Ancient One as they sipped some of the local tea. They watched on in amusement as some of the acolytes sparred against the Toothless, most ending up on their arses while the Night Fury laughed at them.
The Ancient One smiled and laughed softly at the antics. "You have been rather busy recently."
Hiccup sighed and took a long sip. "I'd say you have no idea but you've probably seen it six ways from Solsday already."
She smiled knowingly and Hiccup rolled his eyes. "The world will start moving quickly very soon."
Hiccup twisted to stare quizzically at her. "In the grand scheme of things, I'd say 'the world' has been speeding up since the mid eighteen hundreds."
She laughed ruefully and looked down into her cup. "My apologies, I am used to speaking differently for my students. I sometimes forget how to speak to a friend."
Hiccup shrugged. "So, do you mean technology is going to advance rapidly? Because if that's what you mean, then I already guessed that with Tony really coming into the world. Even if he does specialize in weapons, he still creates a lot of other non-lethal tech that is pretty impressive.
"Or do you mean the literal the world is going to speed up—because that one is a bit more troublesome."
She smiled brightly and had to set her tea cup down lest she spill. "A bit more of the first, but also neither. No. I've been looking into the future, as I often do, and many events are set to happen—they will rock the world, Hiccup. I have seen many futures and many events are near certain. There are several trials to come, for you and the world."
Hiccup blew out a slow breath and stared into his half-drank tea. Toothless crooned over the bond, sensing his sudden worry, and Hiccup sent back reassurance before thinking over the Ancient One's words more deeply. "Thank you for the heads up."
She nodded. "It is the least I can do for my oldest friend."
Hiccup chuckled and settled in to watch Toothless play with the sorcerers in training, many of the proficient ones watching them fail miserably against Toothless who was far too used to their types of attacks.
The Ancient One shifted in her seat, expression souring. "I must admit, I am quite selfish to tell you this but I wanted to before my time came…it is not too long out now."
Hiccup stiffened and his head jerked around to stare at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"
She looked down and thumbed her cup, lips curling in. "I have spent many centuries looking into the future, trying to prevent the event that cost me so much the first time…however, every future becomes black to me at around the same time. It is about a decade away now."
Hiccup looked down, eyes hooded, and bit his lip. She sounded so accepting of it. He supposed he couldn't blame her for that but it was a bit of a shock for him—she was one of his oldest friends. Losing her would hurt more than most for that fact alone.
She reached over and took his hand. "I do not say this to hurt you…but, if I speak truthfully, I do want to share my pain a little, selfish though it may be. I am ready to go. I have spent so long here on Midgard, but I am a little frightened by the notion."
Hiccup gripped her hand comfortingly and smiled understandingly. "I understand. If there is anything I can do to help or just to offer an evening away…"
She smiled thankfully. "I may take you up on that. For now, I must focus on finding my replacement. I have seen his face but I know not his name and the flashes I see of him in the future are too sporadic to see when or where we first properly meet."
Hiccup nodded. "I wish you luck then."
She laughed, eyes distant again as she thought of the possible futures she glimpsed. "With what I've seen of him, I believe I might need it."
Hiccup landed on the cliff next to Berk and shifted back to human form as his feet touched the ground. Toothless landed near him only to take off again and chase after Dart who shot at him. Hiccup chuckled until he was swarmed with fledglings and tackled to the ground. They chirped and chittered excitedly, all gripping his tunic and vest, begging him to come flying again even though his feet just hit the ground. Several amused gurgles rose from the mother dragons perched around the cliff.
He glared lightly at them and scratched the young dragons' heads the best he could with every one of them trying to shove the others out of the way for his attention. "Alright, one more flight then-"
His communicator pinged then rang, indicating a call from outside the Archipelago. He smiled fondly. Only a few people outside would call him personally and if he remembered correctly, Tony had some kind of demo today or yesterday. Probably calling to brag about how well it went.
He started to answer the call then paused. He didn't recognize the number that the identifier patched through. Warily, he answered. "Hello, who is this?"
:Mr. Hyse?: A nervous woman asked and Hiccup swore he recognized her voice. :This is Pepper Potts…:
Hiccup's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah, I remember you." He coughed then adjusted his voice, it would be awkward to sound so young even over the phone. "I don't mean to be rude, but how did you get my number?"
There was a pregnant pause with a shaky breath before she responded. :Tony gave it to me for em-emergencies.:
Hiccup's blood froze, not in the comforting way, and he shooed the little dragons away—their mothers carrying the reluctant ones off. "What happened?"
Pepper took a steadying breath before replying. :Tony had a weapons demonstration the other day.:
Hiccup nodded and stroked Toothless who landed upon feeling his distress. "Yeah, Tony told me."
:There was an ambush…Tony wasn't found but they haven't identified all the bodies yet.: Her voice shook again and Hiccup could hear her fighting back tears.
"Thank you for calling…I'll see what I can do. I have some friends that might be able to help." Hiccup reassured her.
The line went dead and Hiccup grabbed Toothless' saddle then opened the branch to Berserker Island. As he stormed into the Changewing Guild, he was already in communication with Wakanda for satellite feeds and any rumors that might have traveled through their borders.
Toothless whined and bumped into his side as he stared at dozens of screens, all of their operators trying to find Tony. He breathed and carefully released the table he held in a death grip to rub an earflap. Toothless purred and leaned into his hand, sending waves of comfort over the bond.
Hiccup's eyes hardened before he started barking orders out in a zeal he hadn't had since his unhealthy obsession in defeating Viggo. But he couldn't help the feelings rising; he failed to protect Erskine, Steve, and Howard—he refused to add Tony to that list, especially so soon. "Get me a team of available riders, Rumblehorns and Nadders—I want them at Tony's last known coordinates. They've probably taken him into the hills somewhere. See if there's a Caverncrasher willing to leave the Archipelago."
One of the officers turned to him, shoulders tense. "Chief, we've never had anyone with a Caverncrasher as their dragon."
Hiccup glared at her and felt a tad bad about it. "Well, then find me one so I can talk to it!"
She jumped and nodded, turning away to start calling islands for recent sightings.
Hiccup bit his lip. He should probably apologize to her but they needed to find Tony before the usefulness of this lead was up. And they had no idea how long that would be.
Tony stared into the dim fire, thinking about all the weapons these terrorists had—all his weapons. He thought he'd been careful about who they sold to, added safeguards to the weapons themselves, but somehow someone managed to figure out how to circumvent those. All of them.
"I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark," Yinsen said, walking around him to sit next to the fire.
Tony couldn't help but to agree. Rhodey and Pepper probably had the entire military out but it was unlikely they'd find him—they'd spent years scouring these mountains and fighting these very people. He provided the weapons and technology for them to do so. Instead, he held out hope for his godfather, that Pepper had called him, and he would turn the world inside out to find him like he had when he was stupid in college and got high and then kidnapped…Maybe it was childish to hold onto that hope but as of now, he had little else left.
"But they will never find you in these mountains. You know that. What you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark. You're life's work in the hands of those murderers." Yinsen glared at the metal doors before turning back to Tony. "Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?"
Tony tried to withhold his snort but it still came out as a tiny, bitter smile. He knew what Yinsen was trying to do and he couldn't help but wonder if Steve made such speeches. His father never mentioned any in particular but he always envisioned the hero to be the type. "Why should we do anything? They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don't, I'm dead in a week."
The realization stung, a bit because he would never see Rhodey, Happy, or Pepper again nor would he get to hear JARVIS pestering him about his health choices of little sleep and copious amounts of caffeine, but mostly that he would never get to see uncle H or Tor again. Hewouldn't get to pester him about the dog and how every dog was so identical that it was statistically impossible, wouldn't get to invent impossible things or go on anymore pranking sprees with him again.
Yinsen's face fell but he hardened it a moment later. "Well then, this is a very important week for you, hm?"
Tony's forehead pinched. He didn't have much to truly live for but he had a few people and if he just gave up he had little doubt that Hakon would somehow find a way to the afterlife and give him a royal dress down for giving up. Giving up? What Stark just gives up?
Light shone in his eyes as the horror accosted him. Was he really just about to roll over and give up? His father was undoubtedly about to roll over in his grave and he honestly couldn't blame him for it. He glared into the fire and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and tried to come up with a plan, but the wires attaching him to the car battery pulled him back.
He scowled at the brick. First thing's first, that has to go.
*O*
Tony carefully worked on uncapping a missile that his captors thought he was scavenging to build the Jericho missile. Every time he thought about that he had to bite his cheek in order not to scoff, idiots. It was terribly silent in the cave. He didn't like it quiet like this, so he started talking to Yinsen to relieve that. "How many languages do you speak?"
"A lot." Yinsen shrugged before looking down again at the missile head Tony took off. "But apparently not enough for this place."
Tony smiled at the dry admission, then asked. "Who are these people?"
Tony pulled out the system guidance of the missile as Yinsen's nose wrinkled. "They are your loyal customers, sir. They call themselves the Ten Rings."
Tony filed away the information as he started digging deeper into the missile to find all the pieces he needed. Yinsen grew aggravated simply sitting back and watching Tony do all the work. "You know, we might be more productive if you include me in the planning process."
Tony gave a non-commital grunt and struggled to take off the cap of the chamber housing he really needed to get to. He finally gave up and took out his dagger, bewildered that no one had spotted it on his person, and jammed it in a tiny, near nonexistent gap between cap and body before wiggling the knife in deeper and slowly separating the two. Normally he wouldn't hope to dream of a knife that could take being used as a wedge but he prayed its Vibranium properties would make it the exception.
Yinsen stared at the dagger in shock and looked over at the camera. "Where did you get that?"
Tony carefully wiggled the dagger around the cap, loosening it up. "A gift from my uncle."
Yinsen's eyebrows rose and he fought to keep himself from looking back at the camera again but he did shift to block its view. "But how did you get it past them?"
Tony shrugged. "I don't know how it got past you but I'm not complaining. It's kind of one-of-a-kind so I'm grateful they didn't find it…or else my uncle might come in and kick their cans to get it back."
Yinsen snorted, a bit humored. "If only it's possible."
Tony paused and looked over at Yinsen. "My uncle, or godfather really, is Hakon Hyse. Now, he may be old but don't let that fool you, his mind is still sharp as a whip and he probably has a couple solid punches for whoever leads the Ten Rings. The army may not be able to find us but I know he can—it's just a matter of staying alive until either he can get here or we help him out a bit by kick-starting our escape. Right now, I need to make sure I stay alive long enough for either to be viable."
Tony pulled out the palladium container and smiled while Yinsen frowned, not wanting to believe in a false hope. "I hope, for both our sakes, that Hyse's legends live up to the man."
Hiccup had spent the last month pacing the hallways of the R&D labs, the Changewing Guild or the Academy of Berk. Month! Whatever route the terrorists had taken Tony on wound through the mountains so much that the tracking dragons kept getting lost and the satellite feed kept blurring over the mountain range.
That made Hiccup's blood freeze in fury. He'd already read the reports that the shrapnel found was from Stark tech and it wasn't from the squadron trying to defend themselves. Now it seemed they also had some of Tony's jamming technology. There weren't many times when Hiccup wanted to strangle his godson, or times when something actually outclassed Archipelago-Wakandan technology, but Tony's jamming technology was one of those rare instances. It didn't help that it was only released a few months back so they were still working on a way to overcome it.
He spent the first week of worry whipping up a com for Tony equipped with a tracker that no jammer could beat, thank you magic, but they had to wait for Tony to be found.
In that time, a small team was set up in the Changewing Guild and they were trying to track down any organizations in the area and infiltrate them. However, that was proving troubling because the groups they had found required cover stories almost to the depth of Hydra's needs. Hiccup silently wondered if Hydra had some hand in these groups and reminded himself to ask the Guild leader to have it checked out later.
As of now, he sat on a boulder in a small glade on Dragons Edge. Loki sighed and wrapped an arm around Hiccup. "I am sure he will be alright, Liten Listig. He is not someone they would want to kill right away."
Hiccup suppressed a growl and glared off into the trees. "I just feel so useless. I'm his godfather and I have magic but I can't do anything to find him faster."
Loki's lips curled in and rested his nose in Hiccup's hair, wrapping comfort around their bond. "Times like this are never easy." He said it with care but also a slight edge to remind Hiccup of all the times he put him through similar experiences.
Hiccup snorted, looking away. "Are you saying because my kids were good and never gave me serious heart attacks that I'm now finally being punished?"
Loki suppressed a smirk but bobbed his head. "If that's the way you wish to put it."
Hiccup glared at him. Loki sighed and fixed Hiccup with a look. "His dagger has not returned to you yet, has it?"
Hiccup looked away and his shoulders fell slightly in relief, saying quietly. "No."
Loki nodded. "Then he is still alive. Your Trackers are getting close, they have said so themselves. It won't be long before you can rescue him."
Hiccup sighed, lips pursed unhappily. Their momentary silence was interrupted by another presence entering the glade and he turned worried eyes to Ivana.
She smiled at him before standing next to them. "The teams have narrowed the search area to about a fifty klik perimeter. It should be enough for the Caverncrasher to find Tony, or at least an active cave system."
Hiccup nodded and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Ivana."
Loki looked at him, eyebrows raised in a 'see' fashion. Hiccup promptly ignored the look but breathed in relief.
She took her father's hand and started walking back to the branch. "The Defenders already have a team ready to evacuate. They're preparing to infiltrate as a band of traveling doctors. I'm going to join them. Nuffink's reported that the military has mostly stopped searching, only small teams led by Rhodes are still looking for Tony. Folke's checked in a few times, SHIELD's looking but they're having the same luck as the army. From what he's said, Fury's running them ragged trying to find Tony."
Hiccup laughed mirthlessly. "Missing his golden boy, no doubt."
Loki choked on a laugh, trying to imagine Fury looking frantic.
She frowned and stopped walking, turning so she and her father were face to face. "We'll find him. He's a Stark and you practically raised him, he'll survive…shoot, he'll probably kick their cans before we can get to him."
Loki nodded and gripped Hiccup's shoulder. "She's right, he's undoubtedly already planning his own escape while making it as flashy as possible."
Hiccup's face scrunched in anger but he took a breath and finally giving a small smile at the thought of him escaping on his own. "I know. Thank you for the update, Ivana. I need to go talk to the 'Crashers before we send them out…as well as disguise them."
She smiled and squeezed his hand before meeting up with Ruffrunner and disappearing into Yggdrasil again.
Hiccup sighed and shook his head, turning to Loki. "You coming?"
Loki feigned insult. "And miss time crawling around in caves for irritable egg stealers? Why not? A far cry better than most of Thor's adventures."
Hiccup chuckled quietly, always morbid amused by Loki's retellings of the adventures.
Tony and Yinsen played a makeshift game of backgammon, using nuts from the missiles and carved wooden dice. Yinsen poured himself a glass of water before taking his turn while Tony got himself some. "You still haven't told me where you're from."
"I'm from a small town called Gulmira. It's actually a nice place." Yinsen smiled wistfully and Tony frowned at the fact that it looked sad and reminiscent. He desperately hoped these Ten Rings hadn't razed it when they took Yinsen.
"Got a family?" Tony asked, adding more pieces to the board.
Yinsen grabbed the dice and looked over the board, saying absently, "Yes. And I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?"
Tony looked up to meet his eyes but they narrowed and his lips thinned when something moved along the wall. He squinted, trying to see it better but it disappeared into the shadows again. He shook his head and went back to playing the game. There were all kinds of little critters running around in the caves, though, this was the first time he saw something that looked like an oversized gecko. Not that he was any kind of expert on desert lizards. "I have my uncle…I never had much of a family and real friends have always been hard to come by…but I have a few."
Yinsen hummed, as if he had already known Tony's answer—which was not hard to deduce by anyone. "So you're a man who has everything."
Tony breathed heavily, attempting to smile but it fell before it came. "It could be worse, I suppose. My uncle could already be dead," or kidnapped by Hydra, "I could possibly have never met platypus in college or have an empty house when I get back."
Yinsen looked up, a sparkle in his eyes. "You are with someone?"
Tony laughed dryly. "No, but JARVIS is there. I think he's as close to me having a kid as I'd like to get. I don't need to mess up someone else's life. Odin knows I didn't turn out any worse because of uncle H. I really would be a playboy."
Yinsen looked amused. "Interesting choice of expletives."
Tony shook his head and rolled again. "Hakon is Norwegian or something with Nordic roots. His village is still pretty old style. They still even use their old tongue."
Yinsen laughed. "I have no idea what you just said but it sounds as though your uncle is a good man. He'll be happy to have you home."
Tony nodded, smile a bit dimmer. "Yeah, and then he and JARVIS will gang up on me and place me under house arrest."
Yinsen chuckled and they played the rest of their game in companionable silence.
Later, Tony was getting ready to slip into his cot with threadbare blanket when he sat on something hard. He frowned and picked it up, squinting in the low lighting. His jaw almost fell off upon recognizing what the thing was. "How in Thor's name did he manage to train geckos?!"
Yinsen looked up, squinting and trying to see the disturbance without his glasses. "Is something wrong, Stark?"
Tony quickly shoved the communicator he had untied from the gecko's back under the blanket and shook his head. "No, no. I just found a lizard in my cot. It startled me was all."
Yinsen nodded but looked a little suspicious before laying back down.
Tony grabbed the communicator and threw the blanket over himself before tapping the flat face. A rune lit up that he recognized as 'Hiccup'. He frowned at it but ignored the oddity of his uncle keeping the childhood nickname.
:Tony! Thank Loki. Are you okay?: His uncle's panicked voice came over the bracelet-like communicator, though thankfully it was hushed.
Tony felt ready to cry and his voice did crack as he answered in an equally soft whisper. "Uncle H! You have no idea how good your voice sounds. I'm—I won't say okay but I am alive."
:I got your location as soon as you activated the com. What's the situation like?:
Tony bit his lip and glanced up even though the blanket obscured everything. "Well, they want me to build a Jericho, so they want me alive for a bit at least. As for the rest, I'm not sure. They've got to have at least a hundred men but I've only barely got a glance at them or their camp and they have enough of my weapons to take out a military base…"
Hakon sighed and he heard a deep rumble.
Tony chuffed as he suppressed a deranged giggle. "Is that Tor? Good Thor I miss you guys so much."
:It is, he misses you. But, Tony, you are grounded as soon as we get you back!:
Tony nestled his head into the thin pillow. "Pepper and Happy will probably sit on me anyway so that shouldn't be a problem. But uncle H?"
:Yeah, kiddo?:
Tony scowled at the blanket again before continuing. "I-I have a plan to escape, one that won't draw attention to your people for the—odd rescue."
He could feel his aged uncle's scowl despite him being thousands of miles away and face not visible though the bracelet-com. :Tony, that's not necessary. We've been planning this rescue for a while, I can have people there in an hour-:
"People that will make the Ten Rings—that's what these guys call themselves— suspicious. Even if you kill them all, which no loss there, they're bound to get a message out to whoever their supplier is."
:Kiddo, I've helped plans raids for Hydra, I think we can handle these vagabonds.:
Tony smiled at his uncle's defensiveness. "I know, uncle H, but I don't want to risk it. Please, trust me. I have a plan and it will work. It'll be less suspicious than me being rescued by a group other than the military."
:I can tell our plant where you're at.: Hakon argued.
Tony scoffed. "And like I said, they have enough firepower here to take out an entire base. Uncle H, please. Trust me on this one. It means the world that you found me but—I don't want to risk you."
Hakon sighed and was quiet for a long minute before saying, sounding tired and worried, :Alright. But please, tell me when you're getting ready to escape. I'll tell Nels to get the military's butts moving to your general area.:
Tony sighed in relief but his brow pinched. "Cousin Nels?"
:He insisted.: Hakon chuckled, more relieved but still tense.
Tony shook his head with a fond smile. "Gods, it's been years since I've seen him."
:Careful when you do next. He's likely to superglue you to the seat.: There was silence before Hakon sighed. :I'm trusting you on this, kiddo. Just call every couple of days, just so I know you're okay. Deal?:
Tony nodded, holding his wrist close like he could actually hug Hakon himself. "A deal easily done. See you soon?"
:Meet you State side.:
The communicator darkened and Tony pulled the blanket off his head. He didn't try hiding his soft smile of jubilee, the cave was dark and the cameras weren't night vision equipped. He could have this moment. Determination filled him as he drifted off. Only a little while of his stay had felt hopeless and then he had a tentative hope that he could escape or be found. Now he had assurance that both were possible and very real.
All he had left was to make a show of escaping so Hakon's people wouldn't be brought into question and burn this place to the ground in vengeance as he left. That last bit was his to take and it would feel wonderful when he finally got the chance, he could taste it already. For the first time in a month and a half, he slept peacefully.
Hakon stood waiting on the tarmac with Happy and Pepper as the cargo plane bringing Tony home landed. His heart clenched as the door opened, revealing Tony in a wheelchair with an arm in a sling—we should have gotten him out, secrets be damned. We could have kept it quiet. He felt Tor's amusement over the bond, faintly pulling him to a shared memory of their stay with Hydra. Hakon scowled at his best friend but Tor remained amused.
Rhodey led Tony down the steep deck and Tony leaned on him gratefully, still a little shaky from the escape and sun exposure—blessedly short thanks to Hakon and his people watching him like a hawk as soon as he informed them of his imminent escape.
In the recesses of the cargo plane, Nels and Anna watched Tony slowly walk down, smiling softly but also terse. Hakon caught their gazes and nodded thankfully before smiling wryly as army nurses brought out a gurney and Tony glared at it. "Are you kidding with this? Go on, take it away."
A little ahead of him, Pepper practically shook in relief upon seeing Tony. Tony approached her, trying not to smile like an idiot, while attempting to seem unaffected by the entire incident. Tony made a comment about her red eyes and she responded with an equally sarcastic answer. "Tears of joy. I hate job hunting."
Tony started to respond, his eyes darkening, when Tor took off from Hakon side and ran circles around the young man. Tony laughed in momentary bliss and leaned down to pet the dog and give him the proper opportunity to greet him without toppling him over. "Oh, hey, Tor. Yeah, I missed you too."
Tor licked his cheek before nuzzling his head and chest, proceeding to lick all exposed wounds. Hakon grimaced sympathetically while Tony sighed in resignation. He'd been through too many childhood incidents to know it was useless trying to deter any dog named Tor.
Finally, he managed to break away from the large dog and stand before Hakon. He tried to smile but it quivered and he let out a shaky breath to keep from gasping in relief. "Uncle H."
Hakon sighed and drew his godson into a hug, holding him tightly but conscious of his wounds. "You idiot. You should have let us come get you out."
Tony buried his head into Hakon's shoulder to stifle his sniffles. "I should have. I thought we could get out…He died so I could get out. He always intended on dying so I could escape, but he shouldn't have needed too."
Hakon ran his fingers through Tony's hair and led him back to the car for some privacy. "Hindsight's twenty-twenty. You were trying to do right, but sometimes you just… can't."
Tony sighed as he sat in the luxury car and closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't think he really wanted to live anymore. His family had all been killed…probably by my weapons." He finished softly.
They were silent as Pepper and Happy entered the car and took up the front seats before Hakon spoke, sounding more serious than Tony had ever heard. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Where to, sir?" Happy asked,
"Take us to the hospital." Pepper answered immediately.
Tony opened his eyes and glanced at Pepper before they hardened in determination. "Something stupid."
Hakon smirked, cheeky brat, and Tor snuffed—laying his head and front paws on Tony's legs. "You've already done that."
"Happy, no." Tony countered Pepper's order which prompted an argument about his health. Tony rolled his eyes and suppressed a growl. He was so done with people ordering him around, and absently scratched Tor's ears. "I've been in captivity for almost three months. There are two things I want to do. One thing is, I want an American cheese burger. And the other," Pepper sighed and turned away from him, only guessing the numerous things he could possibly want, "I want you to call for a press conference, now."
She turned back around in confusion, voicing it as well—out of her many thoughts, that wasn't even on the top thirty. Tony ignored her confused brain spew and smirked at his godfather. "And something crazy."
Hakon shook his head with a fond smile.
"Call for a press conference? What on earth for?" Pepper asked, trying to think of what might need to be said that leaks and official releases hadn't said already.
"Happy, drive. Cheeseburger first." Tony said firmly.
They made a quick stop at a Burger King—after which Tony tore ravenously into the first burger—then they were on their way to an SI property mainly used for PR purposes.
Hakon had kept an arm around Tony throughout the drive and glanced out the window at the hoard of reporters as they drove up, thankful to every god and Norn that the Archipelago didn't have reporters or paparazzi. However, sometimes the gossip train was equally as bad but at least people didn't generally tend to mob the person—any dragon problem aside. "You sure about this?"
Tony nodded and finished up the too-small Cheeseburger. "It's the right thing to do. I can't keep making weapons when they're going to be used against us."
Hakon gripped his shoulder briefly before letting go. "I understand."
Tony took the napkin and smiled at his uncle before scooting out of the car as Obadiah held the door open.
Hakon trailed behind with Pepper and glared at the balding man's back. Even after all these years, he still hadn't shaken the odd feeling he got around the man. He always reminded him of Traitor Johann. It was in his smile, the way his eyes sparkled, the ever so slight condescension in his tone while lifting Tony up or praising an invention or weapon…
He shook the thoughts from his mind while he watched Tony enter the room then begin his announcement in the most unconventional way by having everyone sit on the floor. Yeah, he was going to have to get him into Thorston Therapy but gods would Tony hate it.
Pepper jumped beside him and he had to suppress a chuckle as Coulson introduced himself. They talked quietly and Pepper took the 'business card' with some confusion and great annoyance. Hakon shook his head as Coulson introduced his grouping of the alphabet soup and leaned closer to Pepper. "Just call them SHIELD, I don't know why it's so hard to get them to call themselves that. People are never going to remember the actual meaning."
Phil leaned forward and smiled at Hakon. "Hyse. Unsurprising to see you here."
Hakon smiled in return. "I'd be worried if you thought I wouldn't be here."
Pepper frowned and looked between the men. "H-how do you know each other?"
"He and Howard Stark helped to found SHIELD. Happy?" Phil stood straight again.
Hakon smirked and said quietly as Tony spoke, briefly about his father before bringing it to the reason for the conference. "Delighted."
Phil shook his head and walked away, half listening to Tony as he announced his company's cease and desist in manufacturing weapons. He winced, both at the uproar of the crowd and what Fury was going to say—he's going to be furious no doubt.
Hiccup breathed in relief as he reentered the Archipelago. He'd wanted to stay longer with Tony to make sure he was going to be okay, but after a few days, Tony insisted he was fine and just wanted to get back to his toys. He'd had some idea he wanted to start tinkering around with and didn't want to share with him in order for it to be a surprise.
Hakon shook his head, eyes laughing. "This idea wouldn't have to do with the metal suit you tore out of a Thor forsaken cave with, would it?"
Tony's jaw dropped. "How did you-? Never mind, you guys would probably make SHIELD jealous, if they ever learned about you."
Hakon chuckled and relaxed into the chair as they dined on the lamb chops he cooked up. "Next time you upgrade your jamming technology, give us a heads up. It took forever to figure out a way through it."
Tony gasped and crossed his arms, looking away in mock vexation. "You didn't! That took me months to think up, and now you guys go and one up me on the one thing I did better than you guys."
Hakon laughed loudly. "Oh, you never had one up on us. There is a reason we've remained so well hidden for so long. You just figured out a way to inconvenience us temporarily."
Tony huffed and dug into his dinner.
Hiccup followed after Toothless who was running around in his true form again, preening a few spots before circling Hiccup and crooning. Hiccup sighed and shook his head but a large smile adorned his face. "Alright fine, let's go flying."
He leapt onto the saddle and Toothless took off the second he heard his other half's prosthetic click into place.
Hiccup laughed as wind ripped through his hair and leaned close to Toothless, minimizing air resistance and allowing him to tear across the skies—leaving a, recently dubbed by the Outside, sonic boom in their wake.
Toothless rumbled as he savored the empty skies and glanced back at his rider, lips splitting into a signature mischievous grin of a dragon.
Hiccup was unaware of it, relishing the rush. The solid body underneath him suddenly tipped, dangling him by the ropes of his harness. It was only then that he saw Toothless' eye. "Toothless, no-"
Toothless shook himself, dislodging the grapple, then shrieked with laughter as Hiccup fell. His earflaps rested against his skull and eased into a relaxed flight…that was until a plasma blast struck his wing and sent him spinning. He roared in indignation as Hiccup shot passed him, crowing victoriously.
Toothless snarled and fired a small blast back at him but he spun around it and roared a challenge before flapping harder and disappearing into the clouds. Toothless snorted and took off after his impudent rider.
They chased each other from New Berk to Berk, scaring a few dragons out of the woods as the pair tore through them. Most snorted in indignance at the pair's audacity before returning to their activities.
Tony stood at the bar of his own gatecrashed party. Seriously, how messed up does the world have to be when you have to crash your own event? He sipped the drink the bartender made for him and watched the people talk and dance.
"Mr. Stark." A familiar voice took his attention away from the people and he truly smiled at the man.
"Phil! It's been a hot minute, how you doing? Uncle H said he met you at the conference."
Phil's lips turn upwards but one would be hard pressed to call it a smile. "I'm doing alright, certainly better than you have been. I want to offer my deepest apologies that we could find or get to you sooner." His voice dropped into a whisper and glanced around to make sure no one was immediately near them. "It truly pained me every time I had nothing to report to Hakon."
Tony nodded and took a comforting sip from his glass. "I understand. Truthfully, I talked him out of rescuing me sooner…I didn't want to risk exposing your people. Secretly, I sort of regret that now."
Phil nodded and grabbed a cup, most likely filled with only water—he looked too tense to be off the job. "We would have coped, but you do have my thanks and theirs, I'm sure. I know this isn't exactly my place, but I hope we're close enough for me to ask, have you seen anybody—to help process what you went through?"
Tony's nose wrinkled and he looked away.
Phil hummed. "Thought as much. You're too much like Hakon at times, he didn't-doesn't like psychiatrists much either but I can tell you there were a few times he really needed the extra help."
Tony grunted with a rueful grin. "Yeah, can't imagine Hydra was a five star hotel."
Phil smirked and shook his head. "Heh, not so much. Look, I know some people, family really. They usually don't come out this far but I know for you they'll make an exception."
Tony stared out at the dance floor with a sour look before lightening just a tad when he spotted Pepper.
Phil shook his head and took another drink. "Well, I'll just warn you now, Hakon may dislike the whole notion but he'll sic 'em on you in a heartbeat if he hears a word about something being wrong upstairs."
Tony paled because it was something his uncle would do. He took another sip to distract himself from the terrifying thought.
Phil chuckled. "Fair warning, running is useless. Both she and her therapy Greyhound are practically Olympic athletes." Which also has the terrifying power to freeze you in place if the sardonic dragon catches you.
Tony shivered and made a note to upgrade JARVIS' security systems. He wouldn't put it past Hakon to try and slip someone in.
Phil sighed and his humor left him. "Well, as fun as this catch-up has been…I am technically here on business. I need to debrief you. There's still a lot of unanswered questions and I can't really say how I know most of those details without doing a formal debrief or blowing my cover. And you do not want to see what the commander would say or do about that."
Tony nodded in understanding but frowned. He wasn't ready to recount the experience just yet. He could barely stand seeing it in his nightmares and he didn't want to verbalize the sacrifice and suicide of Yinsen—its sting was still too fresh.
Phil saw Tony's face cloud over and tried to offer a reprieve. "Let's just put something on the books for now. How does the twenty-forth at seven pm at Stark Industries work?"
"Yeah, let's shoot for that right now." Tony eventually said with a nod.
Phil smiled sympathetically. "If you want, I can have Hakon with us. Thor, I could have him do the 'debriefing' while I make us coffee if it would make it any easier for you. Fury would be a bit mad but Hakon still technically works with SHIELD so he can learn to live with it."
Tony smiled gratefully at Phil. "I'd…prefer that, thanks."
Phil followed his gaze out to the dance floor and shook his head. "For someone who is supposedly a playboy, you're sure taking your time to ask her out."
Tony started sputtering and gaped at Phil.
Phil laughed but not loudly. "Please, Hakon's exploits of him working up the nerve to ask Astrid out are practically legendary among my people."
Tony scowled at Phil and left, making a bee line for Pepper. Phil shook his head at Tony as he pulled Pepper into a dance which made both of them uncomfortable. He left while hiding a smile.
First part is done. Leave your thoughts and see you soon!
