Warning! This is a filler chapter. I really like it and it helps the story flow, but I hope you all don't think its too boring. Hope you enjoy!
Hiccup groaned into his pillow, before slowly turning over. Strands of hair fell against his closed eyes as he wondered what had woken him up.
Less than a second later, a solid hunk of weight landed on his stomach accompanied with a small giggle.
"Ooph! Oh God, uh hi Punzie."
Punzie sat on top of him, still in her purple sleep shorts and a t-shirt. Her eyes were bright and her smile reached across her face as she bounced again on his stomach.
"Time to wake up, Hiccup! You get to go the C.I.A today! Aren't you excited?"
He rubbed a hand over his eyes and stifled a yawn.
"Super excited."
"Punz," came a voice from behind them. Jack leaned against the doorway, smirking. "He's been here less than twenty-four hours. Wait at least one more day before you climb into his bed."
Punzie giggled again, completely oblivious to Jack's innuendo that had Hiccup blushing, then hopped of the bed. He dodged her massive braid, before climbing out of the bed himself.
"How often does she do that?" Hiccup asked, when Punzie was safely in the hallway.
Jack shrugged, still smiling, and motioned for Hiccup to follow him. "Eh, she barges in to everyone's room occasionally. She's an early riser and gets bored. Doesn't really understand personal boundaries."
The two walked down the hallway with Jack in the lead. They went into an open doorway by the front room and Hiccup found himself in kitchen.
Punzie was perched at the table, talking animatedly to Ruff and Astrid. Jack slid over to the table and Hiccup sidestepped the path of ice as he walked over as well.
"Ready for today?" Astrid asked, over the rim of her mug.
Hiccup nodded and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table. His stomach growled and he realized he couldn't remember the last time he ate.
"You'll need a mask," Punzie piped up. "When you go places and they know you're a super, you always have to wear a mask!"
Ruff nodded as Tuff and Snotlout wandered into the room.
"Are we all going?" Snotlout asked.
"Road trip!" Punzie cheered.
"Where is it?" Hiccup asked, then a more important question hit him. "Where are we?"
"Outside of Pittsburg," Snotlout answered, shoving food in his mouth. "C.I.A is in Virginia. Bit of a drive to get out there."
"Stupid agents," Tuff muttered. "I hate seeing suits."
"There job is to protect their country," Punzie replied, happily. "You can't blame them for being nosy about what we do."
"I don't care. I hate going there."
The room fell silent except for the sounds of people eating. Hiccup glanced around, eager to have more answers to the thousand questions running through his head.
"So, uh you said something about a mask?"
"Right here!"
Wiz entered the kitchen, clutching a piece of fabric in front of him. It was obvious he was just as, if not more, excited as Hiccup.
"Spent all night on it. Your suit is nearly done too. I-uh took the liberty of picking your color. I hope you don't mind."
Honestly, Hiccup didn't care much about the color; just as long as it wasn't pink or something. Wiz opened his palm and the piece of pitch black fabric fell into Hiccup's outstretched hand.
The whole thing was black, except a spot on the front. Above the eyes, were solid red lines that ran down and formed a red V above his nose. It wasn't made to cover his full face. It tied like sash and had eye slits. It made Hiccup think of the Lone Ranger.
This was his super mask. His very own super mask.
"No," Hiccup said, hurriedly. "I don't mind at all. This is great."
Astrid drained her mug, then put it loudly down on the table.
"C'mon ladies. You can drool over your clothes later. Let's go."
Hiccup tugged uncomfortably at the shirt Jack let him borrow. They were the same size in width, but Hiccup was quite a few inches taller. At least, he'd be able to get his own stuff back today.
Tuff, Ruff, and Snotlout had decided to stay behind, but everyone else was walking down a new hallway for Hiccup.
Astrid's heels along with Punzie's humming echoed loudly, but Hiccup barely noticed.
"How are we getting there?" he asked.
"Driving," Jack answered. "We've got a garage that opens out of a hill a ways from the tiny house."
Of course they had a garage in a hill.
After a ride in an elevator, they were in a very large, bright room. Garage doors lined the walls and four cars sat in a line, but there was room for more.
Jack grabbed a set of keys off the wall and immediately headed towards a white car with Punzie, but Astrid reached for a different set of keys. Hiccup mouth dropped when he saw what she walking too.
"Oh my God," he exclaimed, striding up to the beauty she was climbing into. "You've got a Challenger?"
Astrid paused as she slid into the driver's seat and smiled.
"Got a thing for cars?"
'A thing for cars' was an understatement. Hiccup remembered when he was eight and took apart his first engine. Of course, his dad had been pretty pissed, but since then Hiccup was always under a hood.
He ran his hand over the light blue paint and smiled impressively at the white racing stripe that ran along the side.
"It's a 1970, right?" he asked, stopping at the passenger door.
Astrid nodded eagerly and patted the door. "She's my baby. Do you want to ride with me?"
The ride was smooth as they sped down the highway. Hiccup stared out his window, but it wasn't to see the pretty views. It was to prevent himself from starring at the blonde next to him.
The first time he saw her, Hiccup noted how good her looks were, but it was hitting him hard today. It could have been the dark grey mask that highlighted Astrid's blue eyes, her cropped shirt that exposed her stomach and black jeans, or her braid laying over her shoulder. Hiccup was positive, however, it was the fact she was driving a manual in heels that really did him in.
"You'll get a fake identity."
Hiccup jumped. It was the first time she spoke since they got in the car a little over an hour ago.
"What?"
"Today," she continued, eyes staring straight ahead. "You'll get your secret identity and all the paperwork to go with it. Bank cards, birth certificate, school and medical records…you'll get all of it. It comes in handy when we go out in public and don't want to be super. It's also for when you retire."
"Retire?"
Astrid rolled her eyes and let out a loud huff of air. "C'mon, Hiccup. You really think supers just die off before they turn thirty. We retire as more supers start to change and fill in our spots. We just melt back into society."
"Are you serious? Like have normal jobs and families."
"Yep," Astrid nodded. "Remember Mr. Flexible from a few years ago? I think he works at a bank. Married some girl he saved from a robot and she popped out a couple kids. Quickster from the 90's went back to school. I'm pretty sure he's a doctor."
"Wow," Hiccup muttered.
"Yeah, nearly every super marries someone they save. Apparently saving someone's life gives two people a pretty big connection."
"Any supers ever end up together?"
Astrid made a face and gave Hiccup a sideways glance, before looking back at the road.
"Are you joking? Supers can't have feelings for each other. It's way too dangerous."
"Um, how?"
"Think about it. You're out there fighting off Doom or Mirror or someone and another super is having trouble but there's a ton of innocent civilians in danger. You get feelings for someone on your team, you'd be more worried about them in a fight than the people you're supposed to be saving. It just doesn't work out."
"Someone should tell that to Jack." Hiccup winced as the words slipped out. He'd never been one to actually think before he spoke.
Astrid, however, didn't seem upset. Instead she pursed her lips and sighed.
"I don't really know what to do about that. He won't admit it to any of us and Punzie is too innocent and oblivious to stuff like that to notice. She is only sixteen. We all see it though; the way he looks at her and how he always makes an excuse to be with her. I just don't know what to do about it."
They fell into an uneasy silence. The drive was supposed to be a few hours long, but, judging by the way Astrid was speeding down the highway, they would be there much sooner.
Hiccup leaned his forehead against the window and tried to organize everything he found out the past twenty-four hours. Had it really only been yesterday morning the suits barged through his front door? He'd only been a lowly garage employee then. Now, here he was, a super with the ability to turn into a giant reptile thing and on his way to the C.I.A. Not to mention Hiccup also had every guy's dream girl sitting a foot away from him.
For a fraction of a second, Hiccup wondered if his dad would proud of him now.
No. No, he wouldn't.
"Supers have arrived."
"Guardians on first level."
"Unknown super with the group."
The radio calls and whispers surrounded them as they walked through the brightly lit building. Astrid led the way, ignoring the front desk and heading straight down a stairway. No one stopped them, but Hiccup was conscious of the glances and stares directed at him.
Punzie's bright pink mask and ribbon through her hair looked odd in the sea of dull colored suits and ties, but she didn't seem to care. She walked with a skip in her step next to Hiccup, occasionally giving him a reassuring smile. Jack walked on Hiccup's other side, with his bright blue mask tied securely on.
"How'd you manage that?" Jack hissed, watching Astrid's form in front of them.
"What?" Hiccup whispered back. Punzie glanced over curiously and leaned over slightly.
"She never lets anyone in that car. She even gets mad when we look at it too long."
Hiccup shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I don't know. She found out I like cars. Maybe that's why."
Jack and Punzie looked at each other for a second, before standing up straight again. They were going down a long staircase. The hallway they ended up in was smaller and less impressive than the rest of the building, but Hiccup was sure it was made to be overlooked.
Astrid approached a couple of men standing in front of a set of large double doors.
"Shadow. Frost. Canary," one man said, nodding to each super. "And a new one?"
"That's why we're here," Astrid answered. She motioned for Hiccup to step forward and he obeyed. "Go on in."
The door slammed behind Hiccup and Astrid felt the urge to go in after him. It was stupid, of course. Every new super needed a chance to have their questions answered in private, but Astrid didn't like waiting.
Jack, to the annoyance of several suits walking by, was skating up and down the hallway. Punzie stayed with Astrid, leaning against the wall next to her.
"I just want to let you know I saw it," Punzie said suddenly. They were far enough away from the suits in front of the door that they shouldn't be overheard, but Astrid still glanced over at them.
"Saw what?" she demanded.
"You think he's cute."
Astrid rolled her eyes and clicked her heels against the hard floor. "I don't think he's cute. You know that can't happen."
"Sure I do," Punzie shrugged. "But you were never one to follow the rules. Besides, I think that he thinks you're cute too."
"Stop it, Pu-Canary."
Punzie smiled softly at her, before skipping down the hall to Jack.
Astrid turned her head and glared at the set of double doors. One thing was sure, this was a set of rules she was determined to follow.
Plot of the story starts to begin next chapter! Hang in there everyone. please review!