Hello again my wonderful readers! It has been an amazing day here. Huge thunder and lightning storm with massive amounts of rain. We had some flash flood warnings and my front yard was completely flooded! But it was great writing weather which helped me produce this long, long chapter. I hope you all enjoy!
Emmsxinyisswiftiepotter, thanks for your kind words. I hope you and the others enjoy the rest of the story! XD
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Astrid groaned internally as her alarm beeped endlessly at her to wake up for school. Screw school, she thought. She knew she could handle a lot but for some reason this morning her entire body felt like she had been sleeping on rocks while her limbs felt like they were numb. Trying to readjust her position in bed, she felt the stiff sheets rub against her bare back as her muscles screamed at her to stop moving.
Why are my sheets so stiff? She tried to open her eyes but the lids were so heavy that she gave up trying after a few tries. With her fingers, she felt the sheets again thinking that they were a foreign material but no, they were cotton. Next she felt the sheet under her and confusion rippled through her. These sheets felt like plastic. Or thick paper? She couldn't make it out.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
She groaned again and with all of her might she swung her hand at her alarm to turn it off as she grumbled, "Shut up. I'm skipping school today." Her hand didn't make contact with her familiar alarm clock, instead she hit nothing but a few cords. Now she was very confused.
"Of course you're missing school," a male voice said; it was familiar but why couldn't she put a face to it?
"Yeah, it'll be kind of hard to wheel you around in bed," a female voice chuckled; that voice was also familiar. Why couldn't she make heads or tails of anything at the moment? Panic began to flood every part of her body as she tried to find something to grasp onto.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Ms. Hofferson," another male voice spoke; this one she didn't recognize. "I need you to take a few deep breaths. Your heart rate is getting too high."
Heart rate? She tried to open her eyes again to see her surroundings but she couldn't focus enough to open them. Astrid tried to move to get away from the disembodied voices, now fearing that she had died and was now stuck in limbo. She did push herself extra hard at practice yesterday and maybe she finally died of over exhaustion.
The idea of death didn't help her panicked state as she began to wildly thrash about trying to make sense of her situation, to touch something, to finally see where she was and who these people were. "Ms. Hofferson, please relax or I'll have to sedate you again."
Again? No, no, no, no! I can't go to sleep now! She felt someone touch her arm and she recoiled back to swing in the direction she felt the contact come from, a chorus of gasps let her know that she was close to slugging the person who dared to touch her.
She felt someone touch the top of her hand but she didn't recoil immediately which confused her already disoriented state of mind. "It's alright, Astrid. You're safe, you're in the hospital," a new voice spoke; this one was soft, kind, and a bit nasally. She didn't understand why but she felt she could trust this voice. "It's okay. Take your time to wake up. We're here when you're ready."
Astrid felt her entire body relax, the pounding of her heart lessen, and the panic quickly subside. She took a few breaths to steady herself as she began to mentally pick apart what the voice told her: her name was Astrid, she was safe in a hospital, and someone was waiting for her to wake up. Gah! Why is this so hard? The hand touching hers went away and she immediately wished for the warmth to return.
"The great patient whisperer," another familiar male voice deadpanned.
"How did you do that?"
"I didn't do anything, well, besides talking to her."
She reached out to the voice again, silently begging for the warmth and security she felt from his simple touch to return. Why did she yearn for this voice above all the others? What was so special about that voice? Then suddenly, a word came to her and with all her strength she spoke.
"H..H..Hiccup."
The darkness went eerily silent, the only sound she could make out was that annoying beeping and for a moment she worried that she had scared off the voices. But then he spoke, "I'm here, Astrid. We're all here."
With that confirmation, she was determined now to finally open her eyes. Energy coursed through her as she focused on her eyelids, forcing them to flutter open. The light in the room wasn't bright but it was enough to be painful to her and she recoiled for a second before allowing her pupils to adjust to see the people before her.
A weak grin tried to form as she saw her friends, all five of them, standing at the foot of her bed each with relieved expressions on their faces. She was happy to see them but confusion overtook her as she tried to remember how she got there. "What happened?"
"Girl!" Ruff spoke first. "You got jabbed!"
"What?"
"What your friend is trying to say is that you were the latest victim of the Serial Druggers." Astrid turned her head towards the only adult in the room. He was tall and hefty with blond hair, his scrubs a pleasing shade of baby blue.
"Serial Drugger? Who are you?"
"Nurse Ingerman," he introduced himself. "You go to school with my boy." He pointed at Fishlegs who waved at her awkwardly. "The Serial Druggers are what we have been calling the ones randomly attacking people and drugging them. Surprised no one else has come up with a name for them yet."
"But I wasn't attacked by anyone," Astrid argued. "I went to practice and then passed out at home. I was tired."
The nurse cocked an eyebrow at her as he stopped typing something in the computer. He looked at her seriously as he asked, "What day is it?"
Astrid was taken off guard by the strange question but answered it annoyed by the stupid simple question. "It's Friday morning. You have a computer there, the calendar and clock will tell you."
"There's the Astrid we know!" Tuff pumped his fist in the air. "She's fine. Time to go."
"Shut up!" Ruff punched her brother. "This is serious!"
"It's actually Sunday afternoon," Snotlout informed.
It took a second for the sentence to register in her head as she looked at each of her friends. Their faces told her that Snotlout was being truthful, anger overtaking her this time instead of shock. "What!"
"I brought you in Thursday evening," Fishlegs explained. "And you've been here ever since."
"It's a good thing he decided to take Hiccup up on his overnight studying offer or you could have gotten hypothermia from lying in the snow as well," Ingerman stated.
She looked at Hiccup curiously. He nodded in confirmation but something in the way he quickly dodged her eyes and shifted uncomfortably in place made her perplexed. "But I don't remember a thing."
"Your body does," Hiccup said, the disdain in his voice obvious to everyone in the room. "There are bruises on your upper arms."
She looked down at her arm to see four long bruises next to each other, seeing the same ones on the other arm too. She continued to stare at them in disbelief as the nurse spoke. "It seems that you struggled quite a bit. You even have a few bruises on your right hand knuckles from possibly punching someone. We have identified the puncture location and have sent a preliminary report to the police but now that you are awake, they will want to speak to you directly."
"What for? I don't remember anything so I'm useless," Astrid huffed in anger. "Why don't I remember?"
"I'm not sure," the nurse shrugged. "Everyone has had different reactions to waking up. Perhaps whatever combination of chemicals used in the dose had an effect on the memory section of your brain. Perhaps one day you will remember."
Astrid shifted uncomfortably in her stiff bed, her hospital gown having moved away from her back. That's why the sheets are itching my back. The idea of not knowing when, how she was attacked and what happened afterwards bothered her more than she thought it would. She had wished to have amnesia a few times in the past, thinking that it would make her happier to forget a few things in her life, but now she knew she hated not knowing.
The nurse left the room leaving her alone with her friends, the awkward silence between them very uncomfortable as she trekked through her own personal thoughts. "So...you found me on the way home?" she asked, finally not being able to handle the thick tension.
"Yeah," Fishlegs chuckled. "Nothing embarrassing I promise you. You weren't naked or anything, just lying on the sidewalk." She cocked an eyebrow when he glanced over at Hiccup for a brief moment and both boys got flustered.
Before she could question the reaction, another person came in and the entire room metaphorically darkened; the air turned stale and even the painkillers coursing through her body to stop the pain her tense muscles were creating wasn't enough to numb her to feeling of dread that befell her. "What the hell is he doing here?"
Astrid didn't have to look in the direction of her father's accusing finger to know he was referring to Hiccup. "It's a hospital, Dad. He can be here."
"You know what we discussed," he snarled as he approached the bed. Astrid tried to sink into her bed as she recoiled from his advance, hating how the drugs had weakened her resolve and turned her into a terrified puppy in front of her friends.
"I drove Snotlout to visit his girlfriend in the hospital," Hiccup explained, getting a fiery glare from the man. "He wasn't in any condition to drive, Mr. Hofferson."
"Chill dude," Tuff scoffed. "It's not like the world is going to end with Hiccup here."
"True," Ruff nodded. "What? Do you think he's carrying some rare disease that's going to kill her?" She rolled her eyes and shrugged when Harold glared at her when she spoke.
"You know nothing about-"
"Look man, I don't know what your problem is with Hiccup but you're acting like a real asshole right now!" Snotlout snapped. "Astrid got hurt, I wanted to see her, she needs her strong boyfriend by her side to help her get better, and Hiccup offered to drive me since no one else was available at the time. I get she's your only kid but you're going off the deep end. You're not the only one who is worried about her."
Astrid gawked in shock at Snotlout's outburst, as did her other friends, stunned that he had the guts to tell off her father, but happy that someone did. Her tension subsided when Harold seemed to buy the explanation but stormed out in a rage for being owned by a teenager.
"Is your dad always that intense?" Fishlegs asked, being the only one really freaked out by the man's behavior.
"Yeah."
"I should go though," Hiccup stated as he looked at his watch. "I have to be at the shop, well, a half hour ago."
"Thank you for coming," Astrid smiled.
"Anytime." He returned the grin with a playful bow but there was something behind his eyes that made her uneasy, like he was hiding something from her and feeling terrible about it. Perhaps it was just the medicated drugs that made her see things.
"I'll walk you out," Snotlout volunteered. "Got to make sure the adult with a stick up his butt, or anyone else, doesn't jump you on the way out."
He wasn't sure if this was the best time to talk to Hiccup about such a sensitive topic but right now, he had the courage to speak after he had snapped at Mr. Hofferson. That dude needs to chill.
He was certain that his cousin wouldn't hate what he was going to say but a part of him always worried that he read Hiccup completely wrong. The two of them walked quietly down the pristine hospital hallway, waiting for the other to break the silence.
"You don't have to walk me to my car. I don't think those men that threatened me would attack me in a building surrounded by cameras."
"You can never know," Snotlout shrugged. "I mean, they attack people in crowds to drug them so why not harm you in a crowded place?"
"That's...actually a good point. Guess I'm not thinking straight today."
Snotlout looked at his cousin, seeing worry and trepidation in his face as his gaze seemed to be far away. He took a deep breath as he braced himself. "I think I know why."
"Oh?" Hiccup grinned as he gave Snotlout a sideways glance. "Do you now?"
"Your feelings for Astrid have grown exponentially." Snotlout didn't like how blunt he sounded but the words got out and there was no taking them back. He held his breath as he waited for a response.
Hiccup's playful grin fell, freezing in his tracks as he looked fearfully at him. Snotlout would have laughed at his deer in the headlights expression but this was serious and something that needed to be discussed between them. At least now he knew he was right about Hiccup's feelings towards the blonde. "I..um...I don't...where did you get an idea like that from?" Hiccup stammered when he found his voice again.
"Seriously?" Snotlout cocked an eyebrow. "I've known since forever, cuz. The little glances you steal from across classrooms, the stupid grin on your face, and you're always around when something serious happens to her."
Panic seemed to cross his face as his eyes darted around wildly as if he was looking for something. "There's no way. I couldn't be-"
"That obvious?" Snotlout finished. "You are. At least to me; I've always been wary of you."
"I don't understand."
"I only started 'dating' Astrid to make you jealous," he confessed. A part of him was embarrassed about the pettiness of it however, a bigger part of him was joyful for finally confessing the truth. "Uncle Stoick was a successful politician and you were the 'perfect' child. Dad always kept comparing me to you; why can't you be smart like Hiccup, why can't you behave like Hiccup, why can't you do this, why can't you do that like Hiccup!"
Snotlout's voice had risen to an uncomfortably loud level, several heads turning at the boys in confusion and curiosity. He was too ticked off to even care as he tried to calm himself. He had never audibly expressed the core issue he had with his cousin but now that he had done so, it was surprisingly therapeutic.
"I'm sorry," Hiccup whispered sullenly. "I didn't know."
"It's fine," Snotlout shrugged, finally calming down. "I'm over it. I'm just sorry it took so long."
"I'm sorry I made you feel lesser than what you are," Hiccup replied. "I always looked up to you."
"Seriously? Why?"
"You're the superstar, Snotlout. You were praised for your athletic skills by everyone we met. Everyone knew you while I just faded into the background where it got lonely and sometimes I wanted to be noticed too. Then there's how confident you are in everything you do, especially when you have no idea what the hell you are doing. I wanted just a small percentage of that."
Snotlout was surprised because all this time he thought his cousin hated his guts just like he hated Hiccup's. Maybe hate is too strong of a word. More like a mild disdain. "I didn't know you felt that way."
"Seems we need to work on our communication skills," Hiccup chuckled lightly.
"Guess so. But in the meantime, back to why you're not thinking straight," Snotlout brought the conversation back on track as Hiccup's face became wary. "You like Astrid and you've been nothing but a good sport about me rubbing it in your face for me dating her. We broke up officially unofficially during Halloween so if you want to pursue her without fear of cheating, you can."
"Officially unofficially?"
"Yeah. We broke up but for some reason she wants me to pretend that I'm still her boyfriend." Hiccup gave him a skeptical look. "Look, I think it's weird too but you can start dating Astrid in secret until graduation if you'd like. I'm going to be pursuing Ruff."
"Graduation?" Hiccup pondered. "Wait. Ruff? You like Ruffnut?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
"Yes...no...well...I've only ever seen you have eyes for Astrid so, yeah, it's a bit of a surprise."
"Whatever." Snotlout didn't like being called out like that but he couldn't blame him; this was new to him too. "If it makes you feel any better, I think she only agreed to date me to get close to you. I don't know what happened between the two of you before high school but I don't think she was ever over being your friend."
"Snotlout…"
"I'm not upset about it," he added quickly as he began to exit the hospital lobby, hearing the pity speech starting from his cousin. "Honestly, I never really felt anything towards her more than friendship. I'm not upset if she was using me to get to you. Well, maybe a year ago I would have been upset but now… Whatever you did to steal her heart, I applaud you. She's not the easiest person to read."
"Astrid is a very unique woman," Hiccup nodded. "But I haven't stolen her heart. She's too independent for that."
"Dude, she calmed down when she heard you speak to her," Snotlout deadpanned. "She woke up for you. I think you're the one in denial now."
Hiccup chuckled as he shook his head as he opened his car door. "Sure, Snotlout. Keep telling yourself that."
"Cuz, I'm serious," Snotlout sternly said as he leaned against the now open driver's window. "It's obvious that you like her, so please run with it. If you're feeling towards Astrid what I'm feeling towards Ruff, it must have been hell on earth for you all these years to not act on it. I've only had this weird, warm, fuzzy, nauseating feeling for a few weeks and I can't stand not being able to do anything about it."
"Would you let it go if I said I'd think about it?"
Snotlout pondered the question, studying Hiccup's face to see if would actually think about it. Something told him that he had already thought about it and made a decision but there was hesitation behind those eyes, an uncertainty. Nothing about this year made sense anymore so he shook it off as he nodded. "Totally."
With that, he backed away from the car to allow Hiccup to leave, making his way back up to Astrid's room to stay with his friend. Along the way, he ran into Mr. Hofferson, his eyes still glaring daggers in his direction and making him super uncomfortable as he sped walked back to Astrid's room. "What's wrong with that guy?"
The older man groaned as he bent down to pick up the menu he had dropped, cursing his old age and prosthetics for chaffing his skin, but another hand reached it before him. "Here you go, Gobber."
"Hiccup!" he smiled as the young man handed him the laminated menu. "I didn't think you'd be in today."
"Why?" Hiccup walked over to the back computer and clocked in, gathering a few dirty dishes from the back as he walked over to the large sink.
"I assumed you'd be spending the day with Astrid in the hospital," Gobber nudged.
Hiccup nodded and rolled his eyes as he understood the man's playful teasing. "Ha ha, Gobber. She has plenty of company at the moment."
"But none of them are you," he hummed.
"Please, Gobber, stop."
The older man's playful demeanor halted when he saw Hiccup's shoulders slump forward. He seemed lost, confused, and tired; a look not befitting the boy. The last time he saw him like this was at Valka's funeral. "What's wrong?" he asked as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Hiccup rolled his shoulder to remove the hand as he put on the apron with the ice cream shop logo. "Why is everyone trying to play matchmaker today?" he asked, annoyed.
"Matchmaker?" Gobber cocked an eyebrow. "Who else was teasing you about Astrid?"
"No one was teasing me-"
"But it was still about Astrid?"
"That's not… well yes...but...UGH!" Hiccup groaned.
"What's the problem, lad?" Gobber could tell something was bothering the boy which went deeper than just someone teasing him about his feelings towards the girl. Hiccup had always taken the teasing as just that, playful fun, but something had changed.
"It's nothing."
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be upset. Who else was trying to hook you up with your BFF?"
"Snotlout."
"The guy currently dating her?" Gobber asked, surprised. "Why on Earth would he do that? He's been rubbing it in your face that he's dating her."
"Maybe just some cruel joke?" Hiccup shrugged as he began to clean the dishes in the sink that had piled up.
"Snotlout is many things but cruel isn't one of them."
"Could we please just drop it, Gobber?" Hiccup bit. "It's not important. It's not going to happen, no matter how much I want it to happen."
"You don't know that," the man consoled. "If Snotlout is telling you to go for it, maybe he knows something you don't. Maybe they're about to break up and he's giving you the heads up to step in." He saw Hiccup stiffen and shift uncomfortably in place. "Unless you have already stepped in and now you feel guilty having his permission."
"What! No!" Hiccup exclaimed, completely offended by his accusation. "It's not like that at all. I just...it's just...ugh, complicated. I don't want to talk about it."
"Yet you keep yapping."
"That's because you keep asking questions."
"Because you're upset about something and I want to help you."
"You can't help with this, Gobber. You just can't."
"Why not? You think I won't understand?"
"Yes...no...maybe...I don't know. Getting 'permission' from Snotlout to date Astrid just feels weird, like something out of the Twilight Zone."
Gobber smiled to himself realizing that he now got Hiccup venting. He was in his own little world, completely forgetting that he was standing there listening, and would continue on his rant until everything was out in the open. He aggressively washed the ice cream scoopers and other utensils then forcfully tossed them onto the drying mat as he spoke.
"But it's made worse when they don't know the full truth. How can I have an honest relationship with Snotlout when he doesn't know the full truth? Is that even possible to be genuine when I'm lying to him and everyone else in the damn town?
"Then what about Astrid? There are some questions that need answering but how can I get them now? 'Hey, I know you don't remember but would you mind explaining why you walked into my garage and started kissing me, that would be great!' But what's the point? And I can't tell her. That would be weird. It's not her fault that she had no control over what happened.
"Ugh! This really bites! This whole year has just been a roulette of abnormalities. What else could possibly go wrong? Wait! Let me guess: someone's going to find Toothless and kill him because he's a wolf. With how things have been going, why not. Or how about I lose my other l- What's wrong?"
Hiccup finally turned around to face Gobber, confusion flooding his features as he looked at the man. Gobber's mouth hung open incredulity at Hiccup's divulsions and even more impressed that he hadn't registered what just left his mouth. He slowly smiled and wriggled his eyebrows teasingly. "Astrid kissed you, eh?"
Gobber's lighthearted attitude dropped once again when Hiccup's eyes widened and fear flooded them, his face going white as he dropped to the floor. "Oh, man," he squeaked. "I didn't just...shit."
"Hey, it's not the end of the world."
"Please, you can't tell anyone what I said," Hiccup pleaded. "Especially her dad. Please, Gobber!"
The terror in Hiccup's eyes completely threw off Gobber, he didn't know what to make of it. In all the years he had known the boy, never had Hiccup begged for anything and here he was, a collapsed mess on the floor looking up at him like he was eight years old again, so small and powerless to do anything.
"Hey," Gobber kneeled down to be on the same level as him, trying to make himself feel as non-threatening as possible. "Why are you so freaked out? I'm not one to go around spreading gossip. I'm not a middle-aged housewife."
Hiccup snorted as he tried to stop the grin from spreading across his face. "Thanks, Gobber. I'll work extra shifts to pay you back."
The older man rolled his eyes as he patted Hiccup's back gently. "No need. The last thing you need to worry about is fulfilling any sort of debt. I promised I won't tell, so I won't tell."
Gobber had to grab the sink to stop himself from falling backwards as Hiccup slammed into him with a big hug. "Thank you again," he cried into his shoulder.
"You're a teenager, you shouldn't be stressed by such things. You're telling me that Astrid, the girl you've had a crush on since you met her, that her kissing you was a terrible thing?"
"No," Hiccup mumbled as he pulled away. "It's just that...well…I...uh...I"
"You liked it," Gobber finished. He watched as Hiccup turned away, trying to hide the red of embarrassment from the older man.
"I can't stop remembering the feelings she gave me."
"A woman can do that to a man," Gobber smirked. "One kiss from Val and your father was like pudding in her hands. Nice to see you and your father have something in common. But as to what to do about Astrid not remembering, I think that's a discussion for you and Stoick."
"You think I should tell him?"
"Why not? He's your dad after all. I can't keep being your boss and your parent."
Hiccup smiled as he chuckled and took Gobber's outstretched hand so he could stand up. "Sorry for unloading all of this on you."
"Well, it seems that you needed to talk to someone. Glad I could lend an ear. And what about this wolf you mentioned?"
"Oh, uh, well, I kind of found a wolf in the forest a few years ago and I've been taking care of it," he shrugged sheepishly. "The secret project I've been working on over the years has been for him."
"What was the secret project?"
"A prosthetic leg. He lost it and I couldn't find a pre-made one that worked so I made him one."
"And your father doesn't know about him either." Hiccup shook his head in response. "I see. What's with all the secrets Hiccup?"
"I don't know," he shrugged as he went back to cleaning up the dishes. "Maybe I just didn't want to burden Dad with it."
"You are your father's son," Gobber clicked his tongue. "He too would rather be burdened by everything than ask for help. It'll get you killed one day."
"Well, Fishlegs knows about Toothless and...um Astrid," Hiccup confessed.
"He does! Well, I'm glad you're at least telling someone." Gobber began to walk away but then stopped short and turned back around. "Oh, tell Tuff that I like his menu ideas. Have him come in this Saturday so that he can demonstrate how easy these are to make. I'll pick three out of the five he selected to start off with and then we'll see what happens."
Hiccup's mood changed drastically now that the subject wasn't about him and he beamed brightly. "Tuff is going to love hearing that! I'll text him right away."
"How about you finish up those dishes and go tell him yourself then go home," Gobber countered. "You need to rest after that breakdown and I need you bright and bushy-tailed this week for the final game. We have a lot of last minute cramming for both the football and cheer squad to be over ready."
"Are you sure?"
"Finish washing and get going, secret lover," Gobber winked.
"Gobber…"
"I'm joking," he chuckled. "Go enjoy the rest of your day." Gobber walked to the front of the store to help dish out the single ice cream orders as he continued to think about his not son. He could tell that the boy had more on his mind than what he was letting on and it worried him. Perhaps I should have him give up one of the things he does for me.
"We got some new orders," Alvin announced gleefully as Eret returned to the car with food.
"Oh? Really? A new target? Hopefully he's given up on the Haddocks."
"Nope."
Eret sighed as he took out the food and distributed it. "What does he want now? A lock of hair for a cultic ritual?"
"A picture."
The younger man looked at Alvin in confusion. "He wants us to steal a picture from the house? That seems...strange."
"Not from the house," Alvin spoke through a mouthful of food. "He wants a candid picture of the boy."
Eret rolled his eyes and groaned as he threw his head back against the headrest. It was bad enough that he was spying and stalking the boy, now he had to take creepy pictures to prove they were following him. "Why? Isn't just following him enough?"
"Apparently not," Alvin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before using a napkin. "I'll go get the picture. You sit and eat your food like a dainty lady."
"I like to taste my food!" Eret shouted as the man exited the car and walked towards the ice cream shop, getting a mock curtsy in response. "Jackass," he mumbled before taking a bit out of his burrito.
"Oh, come now, don't speak about yourself like that."
Eret's blood froze in terror at the voice. He recognized the smooth, suave, but sickeningly venomous voice; one that always mocked him for his circumstances for being employed in this business. He swallowed his food and spoke confidently but refused to look at the man. "Viggo. What are you doing here?"
"Just popping by to say hello to a fellow employee," he smiled.
On the passenger side, he saw another figure bend down and lean against the open window to stare at him. He turned to see the large man, not nearly as large as Alvin but close enough, eyeing him like prey, smirking when he saw one of his eyes were darker than the other. "Nice bruise," he mocked. "The little girl clocked you good."
The other man reached through the car window and fisted his shirt pulling him across the passenger seat. "What of it, pretty boy? You want one too?" The man raised his free hand and formed a fist, threatening to strike.
"Now, now," Viggo tisked. "He's our coworker, brother. No need for violence."
"He could use a scar or two," he gruffed.
"Like you, Ryker?" Eret spat as he pulled his shirt from the man's grip, straightening it out across his chest. "Oh, sorry, that's just your poor excuse for unique facial hair."
Ryker growled at him but Viggo just chuckled. "That's a good one, Eret. I told you, brother, your mustache and thin goatee was a bad choice."
"What does this one know of choices? Look at where he's currently sitting," Ryder ragged. "He made some great choices."
Eret seethed at the man but he had a point. "At least I didn't make the stupid choice of attacking the Hofferson girl. Once she wakes up, they're going to be looking for a guy with a black eye."
"True," Viggo nodded in agreement. "Perhaps she was not the best choice since she put up more of a fight than the men, however, we are in no danger of being caught, for you see, she has woken up but has no recollection as to what happened."
"She thought it was Friday morning when she woke up," Ryker snickered. "So much more could have happened to her and she wouldn't know."
Eret turned away from him in disgust, knowing exactly what he was implying and thanking whatever God above that she ran into Hiccup instead of a sleezeball like Ryker. At least Hiccup was a gentleman and knew how to treat women but that meant she didn't remember her intimacy with the teenage boy. He shuttered realizing that he knew about such an activity and she didn't. It wasn't right.
"Come now, brother, no need for unnecessary thoughts, although she is quite attractive," Viggo reminisced. "I'm surprised she hasn't been taken by anyone. What say you Eret? You're younger than either of us. Would you take her if you had the chance?"
Eret shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the two men as they waited for his answer, an answer he didn't want these men to know. Yes, he admitted the other night that he would consider a date or two but she was underage and they were being very creepy about the whole situation.
"What are you two doing here?" They all looked to see Alvin standing behind Ryker, a displeased look on his face. Eret had never been so happy to see the gruff man but he smiled thankfully at him as he approached Ryker. "I asked you, what are you doing here?"
The two men stared at each other spitefully until Viggo spoke up. "There's no need for such hostility, Alvin. We were just stopping by for a chat but now we must be off to continue our work. Come, brother."
With a hand motion from him, Ryker followed his brother towards their own car in the parking garage. "Nice bruise," Alvin spat at the bald man, who tried to charge him but Viggo stopped him with a firm grasp on his arm.
"No point in getting into a brawl when we are so close to finishing our task," Viggo instructed. "Have a good day gentlemen!"
"Go fuck yourself priss," Alvin muttered as he got back into the car. "What did they want?"
"To gloat."
"Twats."
"Did you get the picture?" Eret asked, changing the subject.
"Yep." He handed the phone over to Eret so that he could look at it.
It was a good photo, which surprised him. Usually, Alvin struggled with taking pictures on a cell phone because his hands were so big and he would shake the phone making the image blurry. "How many attempts to get this in focus?"
"How about you shut the hell up?" Alvin retorted.
Eret smiled at the man as he continued to look at the photo. Realization dawned on him that they were officially hired stalkers as his gaze travelled over the teenage boy; he was putting on his jacket as he exited the ice cream shop, his face a mixture of excitement and anxiety. The excitement he was curious about but the anxiety he couldn't blame the boy for having. How long could a person go being stalked twenty-four seven and not start to get anxiety.
"I hope this is the worst that we have to do," Eret grumbled.
"What else do you think they're going to have us do?" Alvin scoffed. "Kidnap him?"
He laughed with the grizzled man too at the absurdity of the entire situation but with more and more being asked of them, he was worried that was where it was headed. Why not have the two people who have observed his life for the last few months be the ones to kidnap him? They'd be the ones to know when would be the right time to strike right?
"I hope not," Eret replied. "We're observers, not kidnappers."
The knock at the door pained Stoick as he tried to focus on his work, the sound seeming a lot louder than it probably was thanks to his massive headache. He had spent the last few days in restless sleep, trying to keep himself awake with caffeine and constant meetings with senators to work out a plan to deal with the Serial Druggers, his eyes strained from staring at the computer screen reading document after document trying to make sense of everything going on in Berk.
Serial Druggers. What a stupid name. Not that I can think of anything better. Stoick shook his head to try and regain his focus on the document in front of him but the unwanted guest knocked on his door again forcing a small growl from him. "Leave it at the door!" he projected.
"I have special instructions to hand it to you physically Governor Haddock," the voice responded.
Stoick stood up as he groaned in irritation and walked over to the door, opening it slowly, despite wanting to throw it open and scare the delivery boy but scaring the boy wouldn't do any good. He was just a messenger and doing his job. He looked down and the young adult boy, no taller than Hiccup, who stood there shaking ever so slightly now seeing the governor towering over him. "Yes?"
"Here you go, sir," he said as he handed him a large yellow envelope.
Stoick looked at it hesitantly before taking it, seeing that there was no postage, no return address, and no send to address; just his name in big, block letters. "Wait here son," Stoick stopped the boy from leaving.
He opened the envelope and pulled out the contents, just one sheet of laminated paper with a typed note printed on the back. It read: This is your final warning. Drop out now. Stoick turned the laminated paper over and his heart stopped for a moment, his blood pressure rising through the roof.
"Are you alright, sir?" the messenger boy asked. "You went completely pale."
Stoick couldn't respond, his mind trying to calm his pounding heart but also trying to comprehend what he was seeing. These men were already so close to Hiccup, this picture taken today since Hiccup normally worked at the ice cream shop on Sundays. This whole thing was getting out of hand and Hiccup was getting way too close to being burned by fire.
"Who gave you this?" Stoick asked gravely.
"Some strange person outside the building," he shared. "Is everything alright?"
"No," Stoick shook his head. "Would you be able to describe this man to the police?"
"Maybe?" he shrugged. "I didn't get a good look at him because of the dark sunglasses he wore but he seemed nice enough. I also wasn't really paying attention."
"Come inside," Stoick escorted the boy to sit down in one of the chairs as he walked over to his desk and pressed a button on his desk phone. "Get me security now!"
"Am I in trouble, sir?"
"No, no, no, you're not," Stoick assured as he walked over and sat next to him. "But I'm going to need your help to prevent any major trouble." He pulled out his phone and began to email the detective he had hired to meet him as soon as possible.
"Did I break the law by delivering an unmarked envelope? I'm still kind of new at this job."
Stoick looked at the young man fidgeting in his seat, clearly nervous and scared about his situation. "Not that I know of. What is your name, son?"
"Um...Will, sir."
Stoick was about to continue the conversation with him when a knock on the door interrupted. "Come on in." Two security guards came inside and stood at attention in the doorway. "I'd like you to take this young lad down to the station and get an artist representation drawn for me about a man he encountered today. I would like a copy sent to me right away."
"Yes sir."
"Go on," Stoick motioned. "Once the sketch is done, you can go home."
With a scared smile, the young man stood up and walked away with the guards. Stoick sighed as he stared at the photo again, trying to see if there were any clues as to who took the picture so that he could catch them and protect his boy.
Anger surged through him like a volcano ready to explode at any second. All the protective, fatherly instincts in him were screaming that he should just let it go and drop out of the race to protect Hiccup but the logical side of him screamed that if he did, someone else's family would be threatened when they tried to stand up to these people.
No, not people: cowards! He banged the top of his desk in frustration, tears threatening his eyes as he tried to calm his rage. He knew anger would only make things worse and he needed to think logically and strategically if he and Hiccup were going to get through this in one piece.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number, waiting for an answer. "Gobber's Ice Cream Shop, this is Lydia speaking. How can I help you?"
"Hello, Lydia. This is Stoick. Can you get Gobber for me?" he asked as calmly as possible, trying to hide the urgency from his voice.
"Sure thing Governor Haddock."
The line went quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Stoick! What can I do you for?"
"When did Hiccup leave the shop this afternoon?"
"About 1 PM, why?"
"He was wearing his worn brown leather jacket with the dragon on it right?"
"Yeah…" Gobber drew out in confusion. "How did you know that? Did he tell you?"
"No," Stoick whispered, nauseated. "Someone took a candid picture of him and sent it to me with another threat."
The line was quiet for a few moments before his friend spoke again. "I'll go check on him right away." He heard Gobber grab his keys and instruct Lydia to finish closing the shop, saying he'll pay her double for her overtime before jumping into the car and careening away. "I didn't notice anything suspicious this afternoon. Well, beside a bunch of punks trying to start a fight outside but nothing else beyond that."
"I'm terrified, Gobber. I can't lose Hiccup after I lost Val but I can't abandon my people. I'm so lost."
"I'm here."
"That was fast."
"Hiccup! Open up please!" Gobber shouted as he banged on the front door.
Stoick's heart soared when he heard his son answer. "Gobber? What's wrong? Do you need me at the shop?"
"Hiccup! Hiccup!" Stoick called out. "Are you alright?"
"Dad?"
"I've got you on speaker, Stoick."
"Are you alright?" Stoick repeated.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired from cramming for everything. Why?"
"Another note came today," Stoick sighed. "This time it came with a picture of you leaving the shop."
Silence once again accompanied the line as no one dared speak. Stoick swore he could see the emotions running across his son's face as he processed the information in silence: shock, concern, fear, anger, determination, and finally resolve.
"I'm still not budging on my stance, Dad," Hiccup finally spoke.
"Hiccup…" Stoick began, dreading that would be his answer.
"Dad, I still stand by what I said. These guys are cowards for threatening me. Like you always say, only cowards threaten innocent men, women, and children. If you can't stand up to them, they will always get away with this crap and nothing will get better. We're Haddocks, we chose dangerous careers, Mom with her exotic animals and you with politics. It's an occupational hazard."
Stoick smiled as he chuckled lightly at his son's short speech. "You're right, you're right, but you're still my son and your safety comes first. Gobber, I want someone with him at all times, even at night. I'll hire a bodyguard if I have to!"
"No need Stoick," Gobber said. "His friends have him covered at school and I can stay over a few times a week."
"I can talk with Snotlout and Fishlegs to see if they'd be willing to stay over the other nights," Hiccup added. "Or I can stay with them but it can't be forever. There still may be some nights I'm alone."
"We'll work it out," Stoick nodded. "Hopefully this nightmare will be over for you soon and you can go about living your normal life."
"Me too, Dad. Thanks for the heads up, though."
"Of course, Hiccup," Stoick smiled. A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and he began to disconnect. "I have company, I need to go."
"Wait, Dad! One last thing," Hiccup hurried. "Are you available later tonight for a private talk?"
Stoick paused at his question, wondering what he could possibly need to talk about privately but he answered anyway. "Always for you, son. I'll be free by eight. I'll call you then." After an exchange of goodbyes, he hung up the phone and answered the door. "Ah, thank you for coming so quickly Detective Throk."
"Your email was rather urgent," he stated as he entered the office. "What has happened?"
"This," Stoick handed him the picture and began to explain what had happened.
The house felt...wrong. It felt so big but also so small at the same time; secure but also vulnerable; open but suffocating. Maybe it was just because waiting for his dad to call him but with each passing second, he felt more and more exposed.
He promised Gobber that he would be alright alone for one evening since the men weren't planning on acting on their threat until his dad's time limit was up but now he wished someone was with him. Hiccup continued to stir his tea absentmindedly as he tried to focus on his homework but mathematical equations just seemed so meaningless when your life was being threatened.
Hiccup's stomach jumped into his throat when his phone rang and he scrambled to pick it up. "Dad!" He tried to sound casual but knew that he failed miserably. "Dad, how are things?"
"Nothing new but I have someone working on trying to find some answers. How have things been since we last spoke?"
"Uneventful, which I'm not sure is a good thing."
"Can't focus and every creak and groan of the house is setting you off?" Stoick asked.
"It's like you could read my mind."
"Well, I'm reacting the same way here." His father sounded worn and panic-stricken, a tone Hiccup hated hearing from him. His father was always the strong one, the rock that every bad situation broke upon and lost it's ferocity, but now he sounded small and scared just like he was at the moment. "Guess just waiting for the pin to finally drop but dreading it too."
"The dreaded calm before the storm," Hiccup understood.
"You sounded urgent earlier about speaking to me," Stoick changed the subject. "What can I help you with?"
"Well, it's a strange situation...kind of hypothetical," he stammered. Why wasn't he thinking about how to explain his problem and get an answer without actually telling him the problem instead of just letting his mind wander needlessly?
"Shoot, son."
"Well, say something happened to a friend, like they got super drunk at a party, and they have no control over their actions because the cognitive skills are nonexistent, but they corner you and begin to make advances."
"Advances?"
"Yeah, you know, intimate ones. Hands running over your body, kissing, and asking to be taken to bed."
"I see."
Hiccup squirmed in his seat, now getting super uncomfortable talking with his father about a potential sexual encounter. He had tried to talk to Hiccup about sex but wasn't very successful as he had learned about it on his own time. "However, you resist because they're not in their right mind but they keep coming. Eventually, in order to gain some control of the situation, you play along and slip them melatonin to make them pass out but when they wake up they don't remember a thing! What do you do?"
"What do you mean what do I do?"
"Do you tell them what happened or do you keep it to yourself?"
"Why wouldn't you tell your friend?"
"Well...maybe you're embarrassed that you decided to play along?" Hiccup began to come up with the scenarios that had been playing in his own mind. "Maybe your friend had never shown signs of acting that way and telling them that they did may scare them and they may run away from you forever because they are ashamed? Or they may get angry at you for playing along? Maybe telling them would change your whole dynamic with said friend and you don't want to risk losing them? Just a lot of possibilities and I'm not sure what the right decision would be."
"I definitely see the dilemma," Stoick pondered. He was quiet for a few moments before giving his answer. "Either way, I say the best solution is telling the friend. There may be some awkwardness, maybe some angry words or sad tears but nothing that true friendship won't be able to overcome. It could be that the truth would help the friend come to terms with some hidden or denied feelings about themselves and you would feel better because you weren't holding onto such a large secret."
Hiccup thought about it for a moment, still hesitant about telling Astrid the truth. In all honesty, it scared him more than he believed it would scare her. "I guess you're right."
"Hiccup, son," Stoick spoke seriously. "If this hypothetical is for someone you know, ask yourself if you respect this person."
"Of course I respect them."
"Then do you respect them enough for them to know the truth, despite how scared or embarrassed it makes you feel? If it was the other way around, would you want to know the truth and not be kept in the dark?"
That's a very good point. Would I? Hiccup thought on the question for a few more seconds. "You're right, Dad, as always. I would want to know."
"Then tell your friend the truth, no matter how much it scares you or embarrasses you to do so. Did that help, son?"
"I did actually," Hiccup smiled. It really did help him ease his nerves about the strange situation he was in with Astrid. Now he just had to tell her the truth without seeming like a complete creep. "Thanks, Dad. You always know what to do."
Stoick was silent on the other end for a moment before speaking softly. "Not all the time."
"Dad," Hiccup sighed. He knew his father wasn't referring to parenting advice but to the major situation at hand. "I think you're doing a fantastic job with the detective and all trying to find clues, contacting Gobber and informing me. Considering the situation, you're handling it the best you can."
"Thanks, son but I could be doing more."
"Like what? Hunting them down yourself? That's not plausible."
"I don't know Hiccup, but something. I should be protecting you but I feel like I'm useless."
"You're not, I promise. I could ask for a better dad."
"Thanks, son. I'm glad to hear that."
The two of them chatted about nonsense for several more minutes, soaking up every second of time they had together. Granted, Hiccup would have liked for his dad to physically be there but he understood the life of a leader was to make sacrifices. However, he was growing up, almost an adult now, so his need for his father's physical attention wasn't as craved as it was when he was younger. Still he missed spending time with his father.
"I have to go, son. I will hear from you tomorrow morning?"
"Of course, Dad. Like always."
Hiccup smiled as he hung up the phone and turned to his homework again. Now that the question of whether or not to tell Astrid had been answered, he could focus on his studies but even that was quickly interrupted by a noise outside.
Outside the window, it sounded like twigs and leaves were being stepped on, not even the fresh layer of snow on the ground could muffle the sounds of the snaps and crunches. It was too consistent to be an animal and it caused Hiccup some alarm. He slowly got up from his desk and walked over to the window, quietly opening it to look down. Below him, he saw a man walking around the side of the house as if he was snooping.
He grabbed his phone and texted Gobber about the man, before running down the stairs, into the garage and grabbing a crowbar from the toolbox. He snuck around the side of the house and crept up on the man, the bar raised and ready to attack. "Can I help you?"
The man leapt into the air and even gave a small yelp. He was a large man, his scraggly beard made him seem unkempt, like he was homeless. If his own father wasn't a large man, he would have been intimidated by his size, but he stared sternly and confidently at the man as he waited for an answer.
"I was...um...you see this is just a big misunderstanding, I was...um…"
Hiccup noticed the man was tapping the top of the trashcan as he was trying to form his explanation. "Were you looking for food?" he asked.
"Yeah!" the man nodded quickly.
Hiccup lowered his crowbar and breathed in deeply. "Sorry for the weapon. Someone has threatened my life and when I saw you I got defensive. Here," he dug into his pocket and pulled out a bill. "I know it's not much but you can get a large sub sandwich at the grocery store for five bucks."
The man looked between him and the ten dollars in confusion, as if he and the bill were aliens from another planet. "You can't be serious?"
"I am," Hiccup smiled. "I'm not going to condemn you because you're hungry. Especially with winter coming up, it just seems inhumane."
Hiccup offered the bill to the man again, who hesitantly took it, and smiled as he watched the man leave the property. He pulled out his phone and texted Gobber that it was just a homeless man looking for food to prevent the man from freaking out and calling the police on him.
G: Are you sure you're okay?
H: I'm fine.
G: I'll be over after midnight, just in case. Don't attack me!
H: X'D Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to bed.
He locked up the house, double checking the windows and cameras before going back up to his room, crowbar in hand for extra protection. Now that all the excitement was over, drowsiness overtook him and he decided to actually go to bed and ignore the rest of his homework.
Placing his crowbar under his pillow, he settled down into an uneasy sleep, waking to consciousness when he heard Gobber come in and make himself at home on the couch. Now knowing he was there, Hiccup finally fell into a deeper sleep.
Things are starting to heat up. We're getting down to the wire for the climax. Ehhh! Getting excited! Stay tuned.
Again, sorry for the really long chapter.
