Hello my wonder readers! If you're in the USA, I hope you had a great holiday, for everyone else, I hope you're staying cool. Where I live, we are having unusually high temperatures and I just can't wait for cooler weather to come back.
In wishing for such weather, I began to pine for Halloween and well, this chapter is based around Halloween. I figured it would be good for some suspense and friend bonding.
Enjoy everyone! XD
"We are in some deep shit!" Tuffnut exclaimed.
Hiccup jumped as the blond twin flung his front door open and just walked in like he owned the place with Fishlegs remorsefully in tow. He then proceeded to open the fridge and grab a soda and chug it like it was the end of the world. "Wh-what? Who is? Why?" he stammered.
"Us, H. Master!" he motioned between all of them. "We're in deep shit."
"Why?" Snotlout repeated as he leaned forward to see the other two boys. "You're interrupting us. I'm trying to build my brain muscles here."
"Why on earth would you want to do that?" Tuff inquired. "Aren't you at your peak?"
"Shut up," Snotlout pouted.
"Tuff, that wasn't very nice," Hiccup defended as he put a hand on Snotlout's shoulder knowing the comment hurt the teen. "I think it's awesome that he's wanting to better himself." He smiled genuinely at him until he got a small grin in return from his cousin.
"I agree," Fishlegs praised. "Good on you, Snotlout."
"You never answered our question," Snotlout pointed out, trying to change the subject. "Why are we in deep shit?"
"I need a new costume to wear for Halloween and I have no idea what to do. Halloween is tomorrow!"
Hiccup and Snotlout blinked in disbelief, gaping dumbfoundedly at the long haired blond. "Seriously?" Hiccup asked.
"So you're the one in deep shit," Snotlout clarified.
"Well…" Fishlegs spoke up. "It's kind of my fault. I happened to mention that we should all do a costume theme together since Astrid and Ruff were doing a theme and Tuff just went off the deep end. Sorry," he shrugged sheepishly.
"Come on! Let's go to the store and look for costumes!" Tuff urged as he tossed his soda can and began to drag the other two teens out the door.
"I'm good," Hiccup declined as he freed his wrist from Tuff's grasp. "You can go with them, Snotlout." He turned around and began to clean up the bar of the homework papers he had spread out. "We'll finish this weekend."
"Nope," Tuff shook his head. He smacked the papers out of his hands, grabbed Hiccup's arms and began to drag him out of the house. "You're not getting out of this one."
"Hey!" Hiccup tried to struggle free from his grip as he was dragged further out of the house but Tuff was a lot stronger than he realized. He looked back at Snotlout trying to get some help but only got a shrug in return. "Let me go!" He felt another pair of hands grab him after he wriggled out of Tuff's grip. "Fishlegs!"
"Sorry Hiccup, but I agree with him on this. You should join us."
"When did you join our group of friends, Fishface?" Snotlout asked as he closed the front door.
Fishlegs just gave him a deadpanned look, then focused his attention on Hiccup again. "In all seriousness, you should join us. You're basically a part of our little friend group, with you being Snot's cousin, you being my friend, managing the football team and the cheer team, being in most of our classes-"
"Okay! Okay!" Hiccup raised his hands in defeat. He sighed as he looked at the boys staring at him in anticipation. A part of him knew that this was a bad idea since he could risk exposing his friendship with Astrid but a part of him really did want to join in the fun. As he contemplated the pros and cons, he couldn't fight the pleading eyes of his friends. "Fine! I'll join you." His smaller frame was met with the other three boys' bodies slamming into him with a massive hug and claims of excitement.
The four of them piled into Fishlegs' car and headed to the costume store, walked through the different aisles looking at the massive variety of costumes to choose from, each picking up an item that interested them and held it up to themselves as they made jokes.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Tuff exclaimed as he grabbed a large container of fake blood. "How about we go as zombies! Oooh! Or we can be pirates and steal other kids' candy! Ooh! How about Vikings!"
"That would be awesome!" Snotlout cheered as he grabbed a Viking helmet and put it on. "I am Chief Snotlout! Let's go raid the next neighborhood!"
Hiccup rolled his eyes as he giggled. "What are the girls doing? That would help us decide since you want to match."
"Good point," Fishlegs nodded. "I think that they decided to do something more...not them this year."
"Meaning?"
"They're going as Medieval princesses," Tuff bluntly stated as he turned around with giant palm tree sunglasses on his face and a poop emoji hat on his head.
Snotlout and Hiccup gaped in disbelief again for the second time that day. "You have got to be joking," Snotlout said incredulously.
"Nope," Tuff confirmed as he picked up another funny hat and tried it on.
"Any particular reason why?" Hiccup inquired.
"No clue," Tuff shrugged. "Usually, Ruff and I go as Pennywise to scare people but she decided to change it up this year. That's why we're in a panic."
"You're in a panic," Fishlegs reminded him. "We're just tagging along."
"Potato, po-ta-toe," he shrugged. He saw something that got him excited and ran in its direction. Grabbing a helmet, he placed it on his head, then grabbed a staff nearby and held it in front of him. "We could be knights! Us three will be the ones fighting the gremlins while you, H. Master, rescue Astrid and Ruff from the boring evening."
"They don't need rescuing, Tuff," Hiccup chortled.
"We could fight to the death to see who wins the fair maidens," he suggested instead as he shoved a sword into Hiccup and Snotlout's hand. "You two will fight for Astrid and you, Fishy, can just have Ruff. Good luck with her."
"Um, how about Snotlout and I fight for Astrid?" Fishlegs suggested.
Hiccup gave his friend a grateful smile for trying to switch things up and not make the situation more awkward than it had become. He already felt guilty having feelings for Astrid when his cousin was dating her, not to mention having her sleep in his bed with him. The last thing he needed was a mock battle for dominance as it could completely destroy what bond they had built over the last couple of weeks. "We don't need to fight each other for the girls. I don't think they'd appreciate that."
"You're right," Tuff agreed and paced a bit contemplating for a moment. "Ruff would want a good fight. Snotmaster and Fishy will fight for Ruff and H. Master and I will fight for Astrid. Fighting for my sister would just be...gross." He pulled out a comically big foam sword and pointed it at Hiccup.
"I think you're missing my point."
"Come on H, get into the spirit of the costume," Tuff egged. "They're Medieval princesses, which means that knights need to fight for their hand and we are knights! En garde, Hiccup." He proceeded to smack Hiccup several times with the sword before one of the employees came by and asked him to calm down.
The group considered a few more options before seeing the perfect option. Fishlegs was the one to discover it and got all excited. "I know it won't exactly match the girls but how about Musketeers? There's four of us and these costumes will be easier to move around in at school instead of plastic armor pieces."
"True," Snotlout agreed. "I like it. Besides, the weather man said that we're going to get a cold front by then so the layers should be nice."
"Aw man," Hiccup groaned to himself. He was going to have to prepare his stump again for the dryness and try to prevent chafing against the prosthetic. "That'll be fun."
"Ooh!" Tuff exclaimed again. "We could make it masquerade Musketeers! I found our perfect masks!"
"That's dumb," Snotlout scoffed.
"I like it," Hiccup smiled as he grabbed the mask, completely taking his cousin off guard. "What? Knowing Tuff, he's going to do something that will probably get us in trouble and if we don't have a mask, we'll all be in trouble." It was partially true but he liked the idea because he could cover his face and hide among his friends. Just another precaution.
"He's got a point," Tuff said as he mischievously held out the masks.
"Better to be safe than sorry," Fishlegs agreed as he grabbed one.
"Fine," Snotlout caved, grabbing one as well. "But don't go crazy with your...craziness. We can't get hurt or anything before the big game."
"No promises."
Hiccup followed the three boys to the checkout as he rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. He couldn't wrap his mind how much this year has changed from the previous years but he was happy about it. He and Snotlout were making improvements with their relationship, Fishlegs was getting along with Tuff and Snotlout, and he somehow got roped into their friend group. It was a pleasant change but worry subconsciously nagged at him.
Fishlegs had seen him and Astrid hanging out and he wondered how many others knew about them. He figured Gobber had an idea but he knew he wouldn't say anything but who else? Doubt in joining the group crossed his mind again but when Tuff pulled him up to the register to check out his costume, the doubt diminished. He was going to enjoy this Halloween with his friends, old and new, instead of just staying inside giving out candy.
Stoick held the bridge of his nose as he took in a deep, calming breath. Running for senator was a lot more work than he remembered, granted he was a few years older than the last time he attempted but it still strained him. Now, he received this letter, a letter which shook him to his core and made him question if running was really worth it or not.
Taking another deep breath, he opened the laptop on his desk and sent a request for a video chat, not really expecting an answer but was relieved when he got one. "What's up, Stoick?"
"Hey, Gobber," Stoick greeted weakly. "How are things in Berk?"
"You and I both know everything is fine. Well, considering the circumstances, of course. What's really bothering you?"
Stoick chuckled internally, always amazed how his friend could tell when something was on his mind. "That obvious, huh?"
"Well, Hiccup had to get his transparency from someone," Gobber teased. "Come on, spill it. You wouldn't be calling this late if it wasn't something serious."
The politician sighed as he grabbed the letter that was slid under his door, rubbing his thumbs across the fibers as he stared at it. "How is Hiccup, by the way? Is he safe?"
Gobber cocked an eyebrow but answered the question, suspicion lacing his tone. "He's fine. Never better. He's tutoring Snotlout, if you can believe it. The two are getting along finally."
"Really?" Stoick was surprised. His son and his nephew always seemed to have a strained relationship and it warmed him to know that they were now getting along. Better late than never, he supposed.
"Yep. And he's actually going out for Halloween this year," Gobber added. "Who would have thought it?"
"Seriously?" Hiccup was never really one to go out on Halloween, especially recently. He was content to stay inside and give out candy to the kids. "What changed?"
"I think some of the football players convinced him. They're going as masked Musketeers," the man chuckled.
Stoick grinned slightly at the thought of several boys dragging his son along for a night of fun, happy that Hiccup was getting involved with his peers. Again, better late than never. "So he'll be with a group?"
"Yes," Gobber responded, confusion along with suspicion now in his voice. "Alright, enough with beating around the bush. What is bothering you?"
He sighed in defeat, his jaw clenching as he prepared to explain. "It's this letter I got," Stoick admitted as he showed Gobber the letter in his hand.
"Is it the result of some test a doctor did and now it says you're dying?" Gobber asked dryly. "You know that you can't really trust those tests. They just scare you into thinking you're dying so that you can spend money."
Stoick mentally laughed at his friend's paranoia with doctors. He couldn't blame him, he had some really bad run ins with them and preferred to rely on his own body to fight most illnesses. "No, no medical results. It's a threat."
Gobber's face fell but quickly became stern. "A threat? Towards you?"
"Yes. Towards me but also…" Stoick couldn't finish the sentence because the idea of anything happening to him was just too much.
"It also threatens Hiccup," Gobber understood. "That's why you're more curious about his well-being."
"I'm not sure what to do, Gobber," Stoick confided in his friend.
"It's probably a fake. Don't most politicians get threats on a daily basis?"
"This one is different. This one is specific."
"What do you mean?"
Stoick began to read the letter. "This is your only warning: drop out of the senatorial race. If you refuse to comply, another great tragedy will befall your name and this one you will witness. Your son has threatened our operation and we don't need any additional motive to harm him, however, refusal to comply will result in his demise. You have one week."
Silence settled over the room beside the occasional creak of the wood settling in the building. Neither spoke as their minds wrapped around the threat. Stoick's stomach twisted and turned at the thought of watching Hiccup die a slow and painful death because of him, and even worse, having to bury his only son.
"What did they mean by 'another great tragedy'?" Gobber pondered, finally breaking the tense silence.
"I'm not sure. What would you recommend? Should I drop out?" Stoick was torn between protecting his son and protecting his people and city.
"What would Hiccup want you to do?"
Stoick shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I know what he'd say but how do I ask him without scaring him?"
"You can't," Gobber shrugged. "But tell the boy. The threat is towards him one way or another."
"I think I should-"
"Talk to Hiccup," Gobber interrupted. "Didn't he convince you to run in the first place?"
"He did but there wasn't a threat against his life back then."
"Then talk to him and see if his passion for running remains the same. He's not a child anymore, Stoick, he's almost an adult. He can make his own decision about this."
"You're right," Stoick nodded. "I guess I still see him as a little boy."
"Don't most parents?" Gobber chuckled. "Talk to him, Stoick."
"I will call him tomorrow after school," Stoick agreed.
"Alright. I will talk to you later. I have to get up in four hours and need some sleep."
"Sorry, Gobber. Thanks again for your advice."
"Happy to help!" Gobber smiled before he signed off.
Stoick's weak grin completely fell as his mind continued to dwell on the letter and what Hiccup's decision would be, dreading that he would beg him to stay in the race. He would be selfless, as always, and tell him that the people of Berk are more important than himself. He shook his head, trying to come up with a way to explain to his son the danger he was now in but his mind remained restless and would remain so until he could talk with his son.
The school day went on without a problem, not that Astrid thought it would but she has always been paranoid about something going wrong, especially since she was wearing a long medieval dress and all the extra cloth was foreign to her. Additional worry was added when she heard from Ruff that Hiccup would be joining them that evening for Halloween festivities due to Tuff, Fishlegs, and Snotlout's persistence. Her anxiety dissipated a bit when she heard that they would be wearing masks since they were the Four Masked Musketeers.
She snickered at the idea and figured it was Tuff that came up with it. She was half right, surprised that it was Fishlegs that decided on Musketeers, and was grateful Tuff suggested the masks. Adjusting her own mask, an addition Ruff suggested since the boys were wearing them, as she made her way down the hallway towards said boys.
There it is again. She realized as she got closer. Her insides were twisting again like it always did before a football game and it didn't make any sense to her. "Hello, Musketeers," she greeted sweetly, uncharacteristically batting her eyelashes.
"Hello, milady," Hiccup greeted as he bowed at the waist, the others following suit.
"May we escort you two ladies to your next destination?" Fishlegs asked, holding out an arm to Astrid.
"No need," Ruff giggled at their silly antics, more laughing at how ridiculous her brother still looked. "But if you insist, I guess we could make an exception." She wrapped her arm around Snotlout's available one, the six of them laughing at themselves as they exited the school.
They had all decided that their evening plans were to go out and eat at a diner for dinner, go to the haunted house that Berk puts together every year, go to the local pumpkin patch for a few rides and a corn maze, and then walk through the neighborhoods to do a little trick-or-treating.
As they proceeded throughout their night, Astrid was enjoying herself but couldn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that they were being watched. Hiccup seemed to feel it too as he kept looking over his shoulder and seemed to be a bit tense. "Are you okay," she whispered to him as their plates were cleared by the waiter.
"Yeah," he nodded half heartedly. "I just feel like we're being watched."
"Same."
"And I missed four calls from my Dad and now I can't seem to reach him. Not even my texts have been returned." Hiccup pulled out his phone again, worry prominent in his eyes. "Dad doesn't usually call that often and when he does, it's because he needs to talk to me about something serious."
"What do you think it could be?" Astrid asked, completely intrigued.
"It could be about the drug attacks," he shrugged. "I'm not sure."
"Hey," she placed a hand on his arm as she smiled at him. "I'm sure everything is fine. If not, we're all here and we'll take care of each other." Her heart skipped a beat as she smiled back, silently thanking her for her words.
"Alright, Hiccstrid," Snotlout interrupted.
"What?!" both exclaimed as they jumped away from each other.
"Hiccstrid," he repeated slowly. "Hiccup and Astrid smooshed together. We're ready to go to that haunted house."
Astrid could feel her cheeks getting red and grateful, again, for the mask that covered most of it so no one could see. The group walked to the haunted house and waited in line for their turn to go in. As they waited, she felt Snotlout tap her on her shoulder and beckoned with his head to join him off on the side. "What?"
"I need to talk to you," he said as he nervously wrung his hands. "How mad would you be if we dropped the whole 'boyfriend, girlfriend' title?"
Astrid blinked a few times, trying to register what he was asking. "Are you wanting to break up and just be friends?"
He nodded quickly as he took a step back. "Since I was in the hospital and things were put into perspective for me, I realized that we aren't really acting like a couple and I honestly don't feel anything but friendship towards you. I think I pursued you because I knew Hiccup liked you and I wanted to make him jealous."
It was too much information for her to process at once and she stood there dumbfoundedly staring at the shorter boy. He's breaking up with me. Just friends. Wait. Hiccup likes me? "So...just friends?" she clarified. "Nothing changes? We still treat each other the same?"
"Yeah," he nodded.
"Can we still pretend, around my dad?"
The question obviously took Snotlout off guard as it was now his turn to blink in surprise. "I guess?"
"At least until graduation," she clarified. "After that, you can ignore me forever if you want."
"Sure. Sorry for the bad timing," he apologized. "But I needed to get it off my chest."
"No, no, no, no. You're fine. No bad blood here, I assure you." Astrid was secretly relieved that he was fine with breaking up but she also feared her father's reaction if he ever found out. "To tell you the truth, I've had similar feelings."
"I'm so glad that was easy," Snotlout sighed.
The two smiled at each other, no animosity between them, and walked back to the group standing in line. Her mind was still swimming with the recent altercation but she refused to let it distract from the rest of the evening. She walked into the haunted house with her friends and enjoyed the cheap scares and thrills that the city had come up with that year.
They were cheesy as always. Bedsheets on strings, dry ice flowing over a fake bubbling cauldron, silly strings as spiders shooting their webs at you, and all the spooky sounds that accompanied them. There were a few new frights that made her jump: like a saw wielding farmer jumping out at them and a jack-o-lantern that engulfed itself in flames suddenly, but it wasn't anything too terrifying. It couldn't be since families came through as well as teens but it was fun anyway.
As they exited the house, laughing and giggling at the cheap tricks, Astrid noticed someone was missing. "Where's Tuff?"
The others looked around in confusion when they realized that he was indeed missing. "Come on bro," Ruff scoffed. "Stop trying to trick us. We have a pumpkin patch to get to."
There was no response for several seconds. The group became tense and they began to worry. Astrid's mind remembered Hiccup's theory about his father's missed calls and worried that Tuff may have been attacked and that she may have to watch Ruff worry about her brother dying. They approached the worker at the exit door and frantically explained that a friend was missing, all being worried that something went terribly wrong.
Relief washed over them as they saw him walk out of the house in a disheveled state. "What the hell, Tuff!" Ruff scolded as she punched him in the chest, the force knocking him back a few feet. "You scared us idiot! I thought you got drugged."
He rubbed his throat as he nodded. Something about Tuff's demeanor was completely off and it made Astrid nervous. "I did too, but I guess it was just one of the new attractions."
"Did one of them malfunction?" the worker asked. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine but it wasn't an animatronic. Those people were really good, by the way. I was actually scared for a moment."
"What are you talking about?" the worker asked again.
"The guys you hired to grab people," Tuff explained. "Definitely took me by surprise."
"We don't have real people in the house," the worker explained. His eyes began to fill with worry. "What happened?"
"Well, the guys grabbed me, put a knife to my throat, took off my mask and shined a light in my face, mumbled something about not being the right person, and then let me go." His voice now filled with fear, realizing that what he experienced wasn't supposed to be a part of the experience.
Astrid's heart raced as she went over to comfort Ruff as she comforted her brother. The other boys took a perimeter position around the three of them, constantly looking around for anyone suspicious, while the worker called his manager and explained the situation. Within minutes, two police officers arrived and took a statement from Tuff and they shut down the haunted house to do a complete search of the place.
"Now I feel bad," Tuff pouted. "I forced them to shut down the haunted house."
"Better to be safe than sorry, Tuff," Hiccup consoled. "They could still be in there."
"True," Fishlegs agreed.
"Let's get out of here," Snotlout suggested. "This place is now giving me the creeps."
"Maybe we should just call it a night," Fishlegs suggested.
"No!" Tuff exclaimed. "Halloween happens only once a year and I'm not going to stop enjoying myself because of some assholes. We're going to the pumpkin patch and we're going to have a blast! Those jerks aren't going to scare me!"
The friends looked at each other skeptically but when Tuff began to walk away, they sighed, shrugged and followed the teen to their next destination. Once at the pumpkin patch, the teens began to loosen up again and allowed themselves to enjoy the festivities but they never lost sight of each other. Astrid kept more focus on her auburn haired friend, worried that maybe he could be next and refusing to let anyone harm him on her watch.
When they went through the corn maze, they went together in pairs for protection. Ruff wanted to be her brother but Tuff insisted that she go with Snotlout, he would pair with Fishlegs, while Astrid paired with Hiccup. They went in and walked through the maze but Astrid couldn't relax as a shiver ran down her spine.
"You feel it too?" Hiccup had noticed her shutter and she mentally berated herself.
"Like someone is watching and following us? Yes. Maybe I'm just paranoid after what happened with Tuff."
"No," Hiccup shook his head. "I've been feeling it all night. It's kind of hard to enjoy one's self when your brain is telling you to fear for your life."
Astrid heard a rustle in the corn stalks next to Hiccup and she grabbed his hand pulling him away from the sound, her body going rigid. "There isn't a path on the other side," she whispered.
"It could just be an animal," Hiccup suggested but she could feel his grip getting tighter as well. "This is corn after all."
Suddenly, a figure came towards them and Astrid didn't hesitate. She pulled Hiccup behind her as she lunged forward and punched the figure in the face and then flipped him on his back, placing a foot on his chest as she kept a grip on his arm. Her stern expression fell when she realized she had attacked one of the workers of the maze hired to scare the customers.
"I am so sorry!" She helped him back up and assisted in taking off his mask to see the extent of the damage. Astrid hissed quietly seeing that his nose was bleeding profusely and may even be broken. "I am so sorry," she apologized again.
"It's all good," the guy laughed. "I was wondering when I'd get punched today."
"We should get you to a medic," Hiccup said as he helped the man stand up.
"Nah," he shook his head. "I'm good. I'll see one after the place closes. Nice reflexes by the way."
Astrid gave him an apologetic grin as he put his mask back on and disappeared back into the stocks of corn. "Guess I'm jumpy tonight."
"I think we all are." Hiccup smiled back at her and grabbed her hand to lead her through the rest of the maze. She could feel her cheeks were going red again as she held his hand but a part of it was embarrassment from decking an innocent person.
The two made it out of the maze only to be met with big smiles from the rest of the group. "What took you so long?" Ruff playfully asked as she gave Astrid a quick wink.
"I decked a guy."
"What!" everyone exclaimed.
"And I missed it!" Tuff whined. "It was probably epic!"
"It was," Hiccup grinned. "Scared us good."
Luckily for Astrid, they continued on with their night and completely forgot about the incident and Ruff forgot to continue teasing her about Hiccup. Ever since the girl found out, she had been making jokes and comments about their relationship and always seemed to have this huge goofy grin on her face whenever she saw them remotely close together. Tonight was no different but those comments were fewer than normal and mainly focused on her holding Hiccup's hand even after leaving the corn maze.
In a way, the comments frustrated her. Ruff always seemed to insinuate something about her and Hiccup but she couldn't for the life of her figure it out. Hell, even Tuff, Fishlegs, and Snotlout had that same knowing gleam in their eyes this evening and it gave her anxiety. Did they know that they were secretly friends all this time? Maybe Tuff overheard Ruff say something and then he told Fishlegs and Snotlout. It would explain the sudden break up.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard several screams in front of her and saw Ruff and Tuff chasing down a couple of preteens with swords demanding their candy as payment to the king of France. "Do you think we should stop them before their parents get involved?"
"Nah! It's good for them. Helps build their endurance."
"Snotlout," Hiccup warned, cocking a disapproving eyebrow at him.
"What?! It's not going to hurt them if they actually take the candy." Snotlout weakened under his cousin's disapproving gaze and slumped forward in defeat. "You're no fun, you know that right?"
"It's not the first time I've been told." He turned his attention to the twins. "Alright you two, that's enough. Leave them alone. That's enough terror for one night."
"Boo!" Ruff hollered. "Party pooper!"
"Come on guys, you heard him," Fishlegs said. "We can get our own candy."
The six of them proceeded to a few houses and received some candy in return, eating them on the spot. Now on a bit of a sugar high, the group ran around the city together just enjoying each other's company. Astrid could only remember a few times she was this happy and was very satisfied to have another to add to that list.
But the happy evening quickly turned sour when she noticed that Hiccup had gone quiet. The others noticed too. They approached him, seeing his face pale, eyes wide in shock, and his trembling hands gripping his cell phone.
"What's wrong, H. Master?" Tuff asked as he ran in place trying to burn the sugar out of his system.
"It was me," he whispered, barely audible enough for the others to hear.
"What was you?" Snotlout asked.
"It was me they were after." Hiccup looked at Tuff with such fearful eyes that it surprised the twin and he stopped moving to stare back.
"I'm still not getting it," he confessed. "What's got you freaked H?"
"The men that grabbed you! They were after me!" he exclaimed. His body began to shake even more as his own words registered in his mind, his hands gripped his phone tighter, and his voice cracked as he continued to speak. "I could have gotten you killed."
"Why would someone be after you?" Ruff questioned.
"His father is running for senator," Fishlegs reminded them. "Perhaps they were going to use him against his dad."
The very thought of Hiccup being used as a bargaining chip against his father made Astrid sick to her stomach. She could tell the others felt the same as they shifted uncomfortably in place, the world going completely silent to them as they stood there wrapping their minds around the information. That silence was interrupted when Hiccup's phone rang, causing them all to jump.
"Hi, Dad," Hiccup answered, trying to hide the fear and panic from his voice. "No, no. I'm fine. I promise."
Astrid and the others watched as Hiccup's eyes darted around wildly listening to his father. They could hear him too but not enough to understand what he was saying but enough to understand the worry coming from his voice. The anticipation was killing her as she wanted to know what was happening, seeing the fear in Hiccup's face grow as his father continued to talk.
Suddenly the other end went quiet and Hiccup didn't say anything for several seconds. She worried that maybe something had happened to Stoick, like a kidnapping or a murder, and Hiccup had just heard everything.
"No, Dad," Hiccup finally spoke. His voice was so stern and so confident that it surprised Astrid and the others and Astrid couldn't help but think that the tone suited him. "You stay in that race. If they are threatening me, then you're doing the right thing."
Astrid couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What are you doing?" she whispered.
"I'm serious, Dad," Hiccup continued, ignoring the panicked expressions from his friends. "You running is making them panic so stay. Don't worry about me. Berk is more important than me."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing! You're more important than all of Berk! Especially to me! Astrid shook her head in disbelief, hoping her pleading eyes would convince him otherwise but he didn't seem to notice.
"Dad, I appreciate that and I understand your feelings but someone has got to stop these people!" Hiccup argued gently. "If it means that I have to die to protect the people of Berk, I'll gladly do so. They already attacked Snotlout and they almost killed him and I don't want to see anymore of my friends harmed. Stay in the race, Dad. Don't worry about me. Yes, I'll check in with you every morning and evening. I'll leave a voicemail. I know, Dad. Love you too. Bye."
As Hiccup hung up the phone, Astrid and the others lunged at him, their hands shaking him as they all worriedly yelled at him simultaneously.
"Are you crazy?"
"Do you have a death wish?"
"What are you thinking?"
"You're not worth Berk"
"You're an idiot. Brave, but stupid!"
"Guys! Guys!" Hiccup lifted his arms up to shake them all off his person. "I understand your concern. Believe me, I'm scared too."
"Then why?" Astrid implored. "Why would you let yourself remain in such danger?"
"I can't deny the people a man willing to fight to protect Berk, no matter how much these men's threat scares me."
They all went quiet again, not knowing how to respond. Astrid struggled between being terrified for Hiccup and being extremely proud of him for risking his own life for a bunch of strangers. Still, she began to panic, trying her best to keep it concealed internally. All these years of hiding couldn't be for nothing. I can't lose him, not when I'm this close. This isn't fair.
"Very well," Fishlegs sighed. "I'll accept your decision but I don't agree with it."
"Yep. Ditto," the twins agreed.
"Is he going to send security guards?" Snotlout asked.
"He doesn't have the ability to request that," Hiccup grinned slightly.
"Then we'll be your bodyguards," Astrid declared.
Hiccup blinked several times at her suggestion before shaking his head. "No, I can't ask you, any of you, to do that. I'll be fine. I just have-"
"To accept that you won't be left alone for most of the day until the election is over," Fishlegs nodded adamantly.
Astrid nodded with the rest of her friends, almost laughing at Hiccup's astonished expression. His eyes were darting between each of them like he was trying to find a hint of deception among them and relaxed when he realized that they were all being serious. He grinned sheepishly at them. "Thanks guys."
She was relieved with how relieved he sounded. The stubborn idiot didn't like to ask for help, especially when he needed it, and he really needed it at the moment. She smiled when Fishlegs ran up to him and hugged him, followed by Snotlout and the twins, giggling as Hiccup gave her a 'please help' look.
"I'll stay with you tonight," Snotlout announced. "Can't have my tutor going missing."
Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Feeling the love Snotlout."
The group began to make their way home, Fishlegs babbling about making a schedule for them so Hiccup wouldn't be alone. Astrid was very surprised by her "fake" friends. Although, are they fake? She asked herself. They're stepping up to help Hiccup who, to most of them, was new to the group. Maybe they really are true friends, like Hiccup.
Soon, it was just her, Snotlout and Hiccup walking down the street towards their homes. "This is my stop," Astrid said, trying to sound happy but not wanting to leave the comfort of the boys. She sighed in relief seeing that her father's car was not in the driveway and curtsied at the boys before beginning to ascend the walkway.
"It was an honor, milady," Hiccup bowed deeply in reply, Snotlout following his lead.
Astrid's smile remained on her face as she entered her home, as she watched the two boys disappear into Hiccup's house and remained throughout the rest of the night. She relished the warm feeling emanating throughout her body, wondering what disaster was going to befall her to destroy these happy moments.
She shook her head, trying to remove such depressing thoughts but deep down she knew. She knew something terrible was around the corner because every time she felt happy and at peace, disaster struck. It always did.
It's going to start getting exciting! Stay tuned!
