Astrid and Heather both walked into the restaurant that Dagur had requested they meet him at with trepidation. It had been two weeks since he had come back to the apartment he and Heather shared and told her about a job opportunity, since then he had interviewed and been hired on the spot. His new work schedule was a busy one and Heather only saw him two or three days a week now, but neither woman could deny the life in his eyes that had been present since he started working.
The restaurant was an upscale one, so they were dressed in slightly more formal wear than their typical night out. Dagur has received his first paycheck and wanted to treat them both; Heather because she was his sister and never gave up on him, and Astrid because she knew of his former life on villainy and accepted him regardless for her friend. He also mentioned his friend that got him the job would be joining them, as Dagur's way of thanking him.
They gave their names to the hostess at the door and were led to a back room, it was for more exclusive dining and customers. In other words it was expensive as hell.
There they spotted Dagur, he wasn't alone as a familiar mop of auburn hair sat next to him as they discussed which wine to order. Dagur noticed them first and quickly stood to greet them both with tight hugs that was pretty much tradition with him at this point. "Ladies! I'm glad you made it! Allow me to introduce my buddy from school." He indicated to Hiccup, "This here is Hiccup Haddock, he's actually the same age as you two but blew through the course work so easily that they bumped him forward a few years to challenge him." Hiccup shook their hands, but didn't make eye contact with Astrid, the reddish hue of his ears hinting to the reason.
"It's nice to meet you both, Dagur has told me a lot about the two of you over the years. I'm glad that this all worked out for him." Hiccup said once introductions were done. He and Dagur even pulled the women's seats out for them; Dagur for Heather and Hiccup for Astrid.
"I wasn't aware Dagur associated with gentlemen, or could be one himself when the opportunity presents itself." Astrid teased once the men returned to their own seats, causing them both to flush with embarrassment. "Then again I also didn't know he could pull off a suit until he got this job either. Maybe you are a good influence on him."
When Hiccup's face turned as red as the cloth covering their table she realized her misstep. She'd forgotten that Hiccup didn't know ASTRID, he knew Deadly Nadder. She'd become so used to their interactions that the fact she wore a mask during those times had slipped her mind and now she came off as a major flirt.
This wouldn't be such a bad thing if she wasn't set on finding Night Fury after the incident at his storage bunker. Hiccup was cute in his own right, and after his cold distant demeanor had worn off he'd been a good friend to many heroes. Had Astrid not already fallen for Night Fury when they met she'd wouldn't be opposed to giving him a chance, but she had already set her heart on the villain.
The rest of dinner passed decently, if a little awkward. Astrid kept herself in check and treated Hiccup as if they were meeting for the first time, and he didn't blush again for the remainder of the meal. When dessert menus were passed another he kindly refused one and stated he needed to take his leave, Dagur immediately jumped to his feet and insisted upon seeing him out. The instant they were out of the back area, Heather was set upon her with questions.
"Ok what the hell was that when we got here? Are you into Hiccup? Does this mean you're finally ready to move on from Night Fury? Do you think the triple layer chocolate cake covered in chocolate sauce is too chocolaty?"
Astrid calmed her friend with a hand over the girls mouth. "Ok breathe Heather, no I wasn't flirting with Hiccup. Honestly I was surprised that he knew Dagur and didn't think before responding like I would as Deadly Nadder and realized too late that he didn't know me as Astrid. I'm not giving up on Fury just yet, that drone meant he knew I'd come looking and that's reason enough for me to keep up the search. And finally: aren't you trying to cut back on carbs? Gronckle might just start looking a Zipple-Barf if you're not careful." She answered in sequence, ending with a tease. In truth, Gronckle was terrified of the female Zippleback twin; but it worked to motivate Heather into healthier routines.
Dagur returned while his sister stared longingly at the picture of the dessert she craved, sitting down with a huff. He looked slightly irritated and crossed his arms while shaking his head. "He's a stubborn one that Hiccup. He thinks he did something to upset you with that flirting you opened with only to clamp up immediately after." He exposited to Astrid. The sound of the blonde's head slamming on the table drew attention from other diners in the room but they quickly wrote the girl off as being melodramatic.
"I wasn't trying to flirt, I just forgot he doesn't know my civilian identity and acted like I usually do around him. I didn't mean to make him feel bad."
"Well he was certainly uncomfortable, and now he thinks the pretty girl he met thinks he's weird and has put his old walls back up. He was the same way in school; total rockstar in class, but the instant he was in a social situation, especially with a girl he found attractive, he turns into an clueless moron who believes he can't do anything right." Dagur explained with a sad look. "I didn't even get to tell you guys that Ms. Queen and I really hit it off after a few days. At first she was only hiring a bodyguard to appease her board of directors, but now we really enjoy each other's company. Honestly if I didn't work for her I'd ask her out."
The girls shared wide eyed looks, Dagur was not the type to gush about anything even remotely romance related, to the point the two had a bet on whether he was gay or asexual(guess neither are winning that one), so the revelation that he had the hots for the woman he was hired to protect was quite the shock.
The waiter returned and Astrid was still so surprised that she didn't even tease Heather about getting the slice of cake after all. There was also the information she'd garnered about their quartermaster. She had known he'd dealt with bullies growing up, but the unease with women was new. The man had no issues when conversing with her and Heather at headquarters, but then again maybe the whole 'being a superhero' thing acted as a buffer. Part of her wanted to go and apologize to him, despite the likelihood that he was miles away by now and she had no idea where he lived. There was no way she could make amends as Nadder since the heroine should have no way of knowing about him having dinner with a former villain. Sometimes she hated this part of having a double life.
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The next day she was still feeling the guilt. Hiccup had been polite as always and then she had a momentary brain malfunction and followed that up with what probably came across as a cold demeanor. The only thing she could do at this point is be extra nice as Nadder and hope that it lifts his spirits somewhat.
Which is why she was currently on her way to his workspace, intent of inviting him to lunch. He'd been running a lot of errands for the more experienced heroes and finally had a day where he could do what he did best, but even a brain as big as his needs food.
Predictably, he was hunched over his desk, tool in one hand while the other adjusted whatever he was working on. "Whatcha working on there he'd gadget boy?" She asked in greeting, using a nickname she given him after he made several gadgets for no reason other than to see if he could. Hiccup gave no indication he'd heard her, not even a flinch at her sudden voice behind him, he merely set the screwdriver down and picked up a small wrench. "Hello? Hiccup? This is Nadder requesting clearance for lunch and conversation."
"Can't. Busy." Was all he said, never once looking away for his project. He hadn't brushed her off like this since the first day they'd spoken to each other, normally he was eager to have an excuse to get out for a hour or two.
"Hiccup, you need to eat just like the rest of us. You were given the best security system that you could possibly get, and then you upgraded it out of boredom. You can spare an hour to have a meal with a friend." Astrid tried reasoning, it really had been impressive when he implanted a small addition to the trip lasers in his office to make them switch to actual lasers that covered all possible exits should they be tripped.
"With all the on site calls by The Chief and other higher up heroes lately, I haven't had time to work on these other orders. I'm behind and need to catch up, maybe some other time." He responded flatly, but at least he was speaking in more than single words sentences. One more push should do the trick.
"You know I'm not going to le-"
The sound of his fist hitting the titanium table cut off any words she had planned to say. Hiccup wasn't the type to anger this quickly, maybe she upset him at dinner more than she'd realized. Now that she thought about it, being reminded of how awkward one used to be around someone they found attractive would probably put her in a foul mood too. "I really need to get this work done. Please, just let me do my job." His tone was an odd mix of pleading and demanding, and Astrid found herself complying. When she reached the door he spoke softly, but she still heard the first part. "Maybe another day..." he mumbled the last bit too quietly for her to hear, but she let it go. She didn't want to damage this friendship more than might have already been done.
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"So he slammed his fist intro the table and snapped at you?" Heather clarified as she avoided Astrid's jab, they were sparring with several other heroes in the gym after a long lunch.
Astrid nodded, "Yeah. It was really out of character for him and if I'm completely honest: rather concerning. I didn't realize that he might be that upset by my behavior last night." Heather attempted a left hook, but the blonde blocked it and lightly twisted the other girls arm to pin it to her back. They often had some of their best brainstorming sessions while having a light spar.
"Dagur did say he was teased a lot in school for being scrawnier than most." Heather recalled, "And that when he tried to ask out some girl he had a crush on that he was laughed out of that building. Poor guy."
"Thanks, that really helps to make me feel better." Astrid drawled sarcastically, "Part of me thinks we should look up everyone who bullied or teased him back then and show them what he's doing now. Bet their tunes would change in an instant." Astrid scowled as Heather broke from her hold and they returned to their starting positions.
Hiccup's actions had weighted heavily on her all through lunch, she barely partook in the conversation that the others they normally ate with were having. The more she thought on it, the more she was convinced that it had more to do with than a girl making him feel awkward. For that you just clam up, not try to punch a hole in one of the toughest metals on the planet.
No... there was something more at play here, the question was what?
The other question is should she even worry about it? Hiccup was her friend, no denying that, but he was his own person. It would be different if they were involved like she had been with Night Fury, then it would be her business.
The thought of her lost love distracted her long enough for Heather to make the first move; Astrid wasn't even aware they had started until her back hit the mat like a sack of flour.
"You were thinking about HIM again weren't you?" Her friend asked, he gave clearly showing that she knew the answer, "I never get a slam like that unless you're distracted thinking about you long lost evil love!"
"Shh! You want the majority of the hero community to hear you? There has to be at least half of the full timers here right now!" Astrid warned. Most of the other pairs weren't paying attention, but a few that were aware of her hand to hand skills were currently gaping at the rare phenomenon of Nadder being put on the mat in such a way. Despite the masks they all wore, she could easily make out their shocked expressions from the look of their eyes.
And then the alarms began blaring.
The heroes in the gym all went in high alert at the sound. This was a first for all of them, no one had ever been foolish enough to launch an assault of the heroes' seat of power. Before anyone could check to see what the situation was, the windows on the roof to allow more natural light shattered. Ropes fell in as men in some sort of tactical gear rappelled down with guns that fired some type of energy.
The heroes sprang into action without hesitation, those who could fly or jump higher than others attacked the men still descending, sending them spiraling to the ground. Astrid was at the head of the charge to meet those who had managed to safely find the floor and was quick to fire off to poison filled spikes at their chests, mercy was not at option when on the defensive. Beside her, Heather was doing the same; however their spikes barely stuck to the gear the men wore, and were easily brushed off. "They're armor must be tailored to our powers!" Astrid shouted, letting everyone know that the fight wasn't going to be an easy one.
Monstrous Nightmare barreled last her and set himself aflame as he closed in on the nearest attacker. "Stand aside babe, and watch my awesomeness as I take these guys d-" but he was cut off as the man nonchalantly leveled his gun and fired a single bolt of purple energy. The shot hit Nightmare squarely in the chest, but only cause him to stumble and his flames to go out. The stocky hero checked himself for any sign of injury, finding none, his smug expression returned.
"Awww, looks like your little light show wasn't very helpful after..." he began, but trailed off as he looked at his arms Ian's chest in confusion. "What the hell?" He said to himself, he made a flexing motion with his arms. "Why can't I flame up? What's going on here!?" He shouted in anger as the man flicked a switch on his rifle and pulled the trigger again, this time firing a concussive blast that sent Nightmare soaring across the gym, hitting Wingmaiden and sending the pair crashing into the weights.
"The guns can neutralize powers..." Astrid realized aloud. The situation went from bad to worse as others either noticed this themselves, or found out the hard way by being hit with the purple energy. Unbidden, a memory crossed he mind of a discussion she'd had with Night Fury, where he was approached about developing this very tech; but had refused. It would seem the party that requested his assistance had managed to achieve their goal without him.
Sharing a brief glance with Heather, the two women charged. If their powers could be nullified and the armor protected against them anyway, then a good ole pummeling would have to do the trick. Several others had reached the same conclusion, if the armored assailants littering the floor were any indication. The pair reached a couple of men who were trying to trained their weapons on them, only for the girls to swivel out of their sights to keep them flustered while the distance between them closed. Astrid blew right past the two and turned on her heel, predictably they both spun around to aim at her; only to receive a strong kick to the sides of their necks from Heather. They dropped like bricks.
The Zippleback Twins were having a great deal of success using their powers. Zipple-barf would create a smokescreen with her noxious gas emitted from her hands, and when Zipple-belch lured a few into the green fumes; he'd produce sparks from his hands to light the flammable gas up to create a controlled explosion. Gronckle was down, as were a few others. Plenty had their powers cancelled out by the strange guns but were relying on the super's naturally stronger and more durable body to make up the difference.
With the number of powers accessible down to less than a dozen, the men were mainly swapping to the concussive shot function. The heroes numbers were dwindling, and fast. Astrid and Heather had managed to knock out a couple more pairs of men before a new man entered through the doorway. In an instant he cocked the rifle up and tagged the both of them with the neutralizing energy, and they were sent flying toward him by the other men.
Panting and lifting her head revealed that the heroes had all been brought down. Most were unconscious, and the few still aware were too drained without their powers to fight back effectively. The men began to cuff the supers and more were being dragged in by others she hadn't even been aware of. The strike had been quick and efficient, almost government level training and skill. The only reason Astrid ruled that out was because heroes are considered a branch of the government's peace keeping division. These men were good, their gear and the way they blitzed the heroes all screamed military training; could they be turning on them?
The man who had shot Astrid and Heather came to a stop in front of them, his visor seemed focused on her rather than her partner. He didn't even look towards The Chief as he was deposited beside her by five men working together. "As you can see, we have all of you captured." The man stated, he voice garbled by the helmet. "You so called heroes, are little more than glory hounds. Always looking for the next fight to keep yourselves important in the eye of the public." The man continued to debase the heroes as a collective, but a spark of familiarity struck when he put his hands behind his back and clasped one wrist with the other hand. Astrid knew that pose.
Sure enough, when he finished, Hunter-mind removed the helmet and glared at them all. This was an unusual strategy for him, typically he worked more like Night Fury did and preferred to outsmart his enemies. If he was going full offensive, then he was either determined or desperate. The fact that no other member of the assault team removed their helmet hinted that Hunter-blade was not among them, another abnormality of this occurrence.
Hunter-mind approached her once more before kneeling. "I'll give you one last chance before I begin executing your fellow heroes one by one until you divulge Night Fury's location to me." He said curtly, his voice was as cold as his eyes.
"I don't know why you think I would know! I've been looking for him too!"
He looked her with a quirked eyebrow and a disappointed face. "You're really going to make me do this? Disregard my friend's request?" He shot back at her, causing her brow to crease in confusion. Hunter-mind released a sad sigh, "Very well... have it you're way Nadder." He pulled out a small device, slightly smaller than a phone and flicked it loose in his hand. A large holographic image appeared a couple feet to his left, one that silenced all the heroes in shock. "I think you know where he is, because of how close the two of you were before his disappearance."
The image was one of herself and Night Fury, embracing one another tightly with their lips sealed in a passionate kiss.
A/n: secret's out! All wagers on what will happen next may be left in the reviews