Chapter 5: The Tribute

I highly, highly suggest watching the video on my YouTube channel if you haven't already.

Happy Valentine's Day, fellow Hiccstrid fans!

Adhesive doubled-checked to make sure the door to their apartment room was locked. "Well, the apartments are all in lockdown now," he said, "so we should be good for a while. At least, until the Ultra Guardians bring in some backup."

"Lockdown?" Tsunami repeated. "You mean we're trapped in here?!"

"Hey, it's not that bad," Himinn said, lounging on the sofa. "This is way comfier than Dad's couch."

Typhoon climbed up on the sofa and laid down on top of her rider.

"Yeah, I deserve that," the older girl said in a muffled voice.

Hiccup reached into Toothless's saddlebag and pulled out his notebook. "Okay, we need to figure out a new strategy for defeating that virus zombie horde."

A black dragonet screamed and ran past them, wings flailing wildly.

"...Right after we calm down Starflight."

"ACHOO!"

Blaze rolled her eyes and gazed sadly at the black cat superhero who had exploded into a sneezing fit almost the second he'd entered the same room as her.

"There's some Claritin in the pantry," Sticky said, pointing. "It may not help much, but it's better than nothing."

"Thanks," Cat Noir moaned, sniffling. Then he started sneezing again.

Brandyn gazed around the room he and his fiancée had managed to find. "Well," he said, "it may not be pretty, but at least we'll be safe here."

"We can spruce it up," said the triangle-headed boy who was with them. "Wall trampoline here, a couple of licorice dispensers there. You won't even recognize the place!"

"That may not be our highest priority right now," Ra said.

Camazotz nudged him with her wing. "Hey, let the kids have their fun."

"Thanks," Phineas said. His smile turned into a frown, however, when he noticed that a certain animal companion of theirs was absent. "Hey, where's Perry?"

In an alley not far from the apartments, the boys' pet platypus was hiding. Contrary to his dopey pet act earlier, he was standing on two legs, with a serious expression on his face and a fedora sitting on top of his head.

He'd wanted to help, but he couldn't go out in the open without risking revealing his secret agent status to his owners. But now that everyone else was out of commission, maybe now he could contribute a little to ending this mutant virus zombie apocalypse.

Sucking in a breath, Perry took off running out of the alley.

Some of the virus zombies noticed him and started after him.

As long as they weren't after the boys, that was okay with Perry. Now he just needed to lure them somewhere he could trap them and give them the slip.

Starflight ran this way and that, over to one end and back again, screaming and flailing all the way.

"Starflight, relax," Hiccup said, blocking his path. "We're fine!"

"What do you mean 'fine'?" the NightWing dragonet wailed. "There's a horde waiting for us outside! I've got no powers! I can't fight! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING! I'm useless! Completely useless!"

"Chill out," Adhesive tried. "We're in my apartment. Or, it was, until I joined Team Go-Getters. Good thing I still had the key. We have enough food and water here to last over a year. Besides, Kuro will bring in some backup to help us stop the mutant Cholegio virus, and then we can all go home again!"

A loud beeping noise filled the room, as did the smell of smoke. Everyone turned to see Peril standing over a cutting board that was on fire. "It was an accident!" she claimed.

Undeterred, Adhesive opened the cupboard under the kitchen sink and pulled out a fire extinguisher. He pulled the pin out, aimed, and sprayed pressurized gas on the flames, snuffing them out. It took a minute for the smoke alarms to stop beeping.

"Sorry," Peril tried.

Adhesive shrugged. "No big deal. I've got plenty more of those. But, to be safe, just try not to touch anything else."

Tsunami pointed a talon at the fire extinguisher and asked, "Can we have one of those?"

An offended Peril glared fiercely at the SeaWing.

Meanwhile, Starflight's freakout had dwindled down from running back and forth screaming to laying on the floor in the fetal position, trembling and breathing heavily.

"Well, that's a start," said Glory.

Sunny padded over and twined her tail with Starflight's. "We're okay," she said.

He relaxed a great deal at her touch.

"And we're together," Clay added.

Adhesive stared at them giddily. "I don't believe it," he squealed. "The Dragonets of Destiny! In my living room! I gotta get a picture of this!" He whipped out his phone and selected the camera. "Everybody smile!"

They all stared at him like he'd just sprouted another head in front of them. He snapped the picture regardless.

"This is gonna break the Internet!" the Poipole said, still squealing like a fangirl. His stubby hands went into overdrive as he got to work uploading the photo onto his social media profile.

Snivels sat in the corner stroking Ratha's muzzle. He and Rathi had made it inside, but Swift hadn't.

"We've been in tough situations several times," the Servine said reassuringly. "Ask anyone. We can make it through this. Right, Astrid?"

No answer.

Eyes widening in fear, Hiccup frantically looked around the room. "Astrid?" His wife was nowhere to be seen. "I thought she...Didn't...How...WHEN DID ANYONE SEE HER LAST?!"

In the blink of an eye, he was running around the room screaming and flailing his arms in a near-perfect mirror image of how Starflight had been just moments ago.

Unamused by the situation, the NightWing dragonet mocked in a nasally voice, "'Starflight, relax. We're fine!'" Then he added in his regular voice, "I think it's safe to say I'm vindicated."

Adhesive's phone started ringing, startling everyone in the room.

He answered it. "Hello?"

"Adhesive?"

He recognized the voice immediately. "Sticky! You're okay!"

"I saw the photo you posted," his girlfriend said. "You got the Dragonets of Destiny?"

He pressed the speaker button. "Yeah. Hiccup, Snivels, Toothless, Himinn, Typhoon, Ratha and Rathi are here, too. Who's with you?"

"I've got Astrid, Stormfly, Blaze, Ladybug and Cat Noir."

Hiccup immediately stopped his freakout. "Astrid's with you?"

"Oh, am I on speaker? Yeah, she's right here. I'll put her on the phone."

A brief moment of silence. Then...

"Hiccup?"

"Astrid!" he was so overjoyed to hear her voice. "Are you okay?"

"There's a horde of mutant zombies outside," she snarked, "and I'm stuck inside with a cat boy who won't stop sneezing his head off. Does that sound okay to you?!"

"No," Himinn said. "It doesn't."

"Is that Himinn? Tell her I didn't ask her!"

"I can hear you," the older girl deadpanned.

Hiccup broke in before their banter could escalate into a full argument. "Astrid, you have no idea how glad I am that you're safe. I promise, we'll think of something."

"You don't have to promise me that," his wife said in a much gentler voice. "But I know you will. Stay safe."

He smiled. "You too."

There was a moment of pleasant quiet.

"That was really nice," said Sticky's voice on the other end.

Adhesive's phone beeped. "Hold on. I'm getting another call." He pressed a button. "Hello?"

"Hello?"

It was Phineas's voice.

"How'd you get this number?" the Poipole asked.

"It was on a note on the refrigerator. Brandyn thought we should try calling it."

"Brandyn's with you?" Adhesive asked.

"Yeah, and so is his fiancée and their super-cool monster friends. Ferb and I can't find Perry, though."

Adhesive chuckled nervously. "That's okay. At least you guys are safe. Hang tight, I'll call you back." He ended the second call and resumed the first one with Sticky. "It was Phineas. He and Ferb are in another apartment with Heather, Brandyn, Ninjark, Ra and Camazotz."

"We should probably wait out," his girlfriend said. "Kuro and the Ultra Guardians should be bringing in backup soon, if not for a while."

"That's what I was thinking," Adhesive replied.

Hiccup sat down next to the Poipole and said into the phone, "Sorry if I interrupted anything earlier. I just wanted to make sure Astrid was alright."

"Oh, no, it's okay; I know how it is. I'm a huge fan of Hiccstrid. Gotta go. Chop, chop, chop."

The call ended.

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Hiccup, who shifted nervously. "So...who's hungry?"

"I don't get it," said Glory. "Why was Sticky chopping? And what the heck is 'Hiccstrid'?"

Blushing as red as a ripe apple, Hiccup chuckled nervously. "I guess we'll never know..."

"Unless," smirked Snivels, carrying one of Adhesive's old laptops over, "we just look up 'Hiccstrid Chop Away at My Heart' on YouTube." He pressed the space bar, and a video on the screen started playing music.

Hiccup's coloration went from red to white in less than a second. He shut his eyes and groaned, "Don't tell me."

The Servine's smile stretched out to its maximum. "Oh, this is gonna be good!" He set the laptop down on the nearest table so they could all sit and watch.

I know you're pining
But every cloud has got a silver lining
The leaves are parting now the sun is shining
And you're in my arms so the planets are aligning
My heart is strong, like a tree!
And you belong, baby you belong to me
Without you, I'm tied to the ground
And if I fall, do I even make a sound?

Chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart!
I can feel it falling (timber!) and I will never part
I know you, you've been there from the start
So baby chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart!

And now you're grinning
When you look me in the eye, my head's spinning
If love is just a game, I think we're winning
And we're here right now so this feels like a beginning
I know you're ready, you know I'm right
When I tell you my bark is always worse than my bite
When you look at me, do you see me?
Or do you only see a forest for the tree?

Chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart!
I can feel it falling (timber!) and I will never part
I know you, you've been there from the start
So baby chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart!

Na na na na, na na na na na na na
Na na na na, na na na na na na na
Na na na na, na na na na na na na
Na na na na, na na na na na na na

Chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart...

"They're so cute together," gushed Sunny.

"I know, right?" Himinn snickered.

Hiccup, who had buried his burning-red face in his hands after the first few clips, begged in a squeaky voice, "Please turn it off." He riffled through his pockets with one hand, and, happening upon a bit of currency, pulled it out and offered it, all without looking. "I will give you this gold coin I found in my pocket."

Snivels laughed, "Oh, you can keep that!"

...Chop away at my heart!

Chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart!
I can feel it falling (timber!) and I will never part
I know you, you've been there from the start
So baby chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart!

"So," Glory simpered, "you and her, huh? Nice."

"We've known each other for basically our whole lives," Hiccup said defensively. "She was always so amazing at everything, and I -" He cut himself off with a sigh of embarrassment.

"I think it's sweet," Sunny said honestly.

"It's certainly...something," Starflight mumbled.

A long moment of awkward silence.

Then...

"Who's up for pizza?" Adhesive asked.

Back in Sticky's apartment, Astrid was staring the Shiny Poipole down.

"Alright, spill," she demanded. "What's going on with the chopping?"

Sticky chuckled nervously. "It's...from a tribute video about you and Hiccup, specifically your relationship over the course of the canon timeline," she explained in a rapid-fire fashion.

Cat Noir's eyes lit up. "I've seen that!"

"What?" Ladybug asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Chop Away at My Heart!" the black cat hero enthused. He spotted a piano sitting in the corner. "Here, I can prove it!" He ran over, pulled up a chair, tried a few keys experimentally, then started playing.

Chop chop chop! Chop away at my heart!

"That's it!" Sticky exclaimed. "That's the song!"

"I didn't know you could play the piano," Ladybug muttered, mostly to herself.

"I have a lot of secrets," Cat Noir bragged, still playing the song on the piano keys.

Blaze, who was standing on the far end of the room, folded her arms across her chest. "Do tell."

Adhesive set the freshly-made pepperoni and sausage pizza - cooked with a little help from Peril - in the middle of the room so everyone could reach out and take a slice.

"You know," the Poipole said, grabbing himself a slice. "If we're gonna be spending a while in here together, we should get to know each other better."

Clay reached out and grabbed some pizza, eyeing it curiously. "You guys really eat this stuff?"

"Yeah, try it," Adhesive encouraged gently. "You might like it!"

The MudWing dragonet took a small, experimental bite. He chewed a little, his eyes slowly lighting up. "This is pretty good!" He stuffed the rest of the slice into his mouth and chewed vigorously.

Toothless sniffed the pizza curiously, then recoiled.

"Huh," said Adhesive. "Never thought I'd meet a creature that didn't like pizza. I think there are some fish sticks in the fridge. I'll go get them." He set his pizza slice down and floated over to the refrigerator.

Hiccup sat alone on the couch, his entire face redder than a Monstrous Nightmare. He felt the couch sag, and he turned to find Himinn sitting next to him.

"Cheer up, bro," she said, nudging him playfully. "So, these dragon heroes know about your love life. It's not like it's the end of the world. Well, not yet, anyway."

He looked away. From the way his cheeks were heating up, he wondered if they'd somehow gotten redder.

"Hey." She grasped his shoulder. "I know you may not be thinking about it right now, but, the truth is, you're luckier than most. You have a wife you love, and who loves you back. Not everyone can get that in our time. And, call me crazy, but I think it's nice that you have so many friends who support you, and your relationship with Astrid."

The color slowly faded from Hiccup's face. "Thanks, Himinn," he said, giving her a small smile.

She nudged him again. "Anything for you, little brother."

Adhesive returned from the kitchen with a bag of leftover fish sticks. He tossed a few to Toothless, who gobbled them up.

"So," said Snivels, "these Dragonets of Destiny are from a parallel timeline?"

Adhesive laughed giddily as he retrieved his slice of pizza and resumed eating it. "You wouldn't believe how many alternate universes there are in the Wings of Fire section of the Multiverse. Timelines where the Dragonets of Destiny hatched outside, timelines where the broken SkyWing egg was replaced with an IceWing, rumor has it there's even a timeline where Peril and Sky have their powers swapped!"

Peril tilted her head, confusion etched into her facial features. "Who's Sky?"

Adhesive instantly paled. Oops.

Snivels winced internally. He'd read Dragonslayer, at Adhesive's suggestion, not long after finishing the first arc, so he knew exactly what the Poipole was talking about. Ever since he found out who Sky was, he'd been looking forward to the day when the lost SkyWing would finally meet Peril. But how could he explain that when there was a chance the timeline these dragonets came from didn't have Sky in it?

After everything she's been through, Peril deserves the truth.

His decision made, the Servine stood up and looked straight into the firescales SkyWing's flame-blue eyes.

"Sky is your brother."

Hiccup didn't know about the video beforehand, he was just trying to avoid Glory's question. Didn't make it any less embarrassing for him, though.

For those of you who have read Across the Distortion World, you may recall that the last time Snivels revealed a mind-blowing truth, Arachne got akumatized into a Remobra-themed supervillain. Not gonna happen this time. (For several reasons, of course.)

And those Wings of Fire "prompts" from Adhesive are completely free to use. Might even try some of them myself one day...

Reviews aren't required, but they are appreciated.