Righteous (A Modern HTTYD AU)

~1~

The city is corrupt. At least, in my eyes. They worship the superheroes that run around the city with masks and get rid of the villains. Or at least, they try. They've become weak. They rely on the superheroes to protect them. But I have a question.

What if one day, the superheroes aren't there?

They weren't for me. Now my father is dead and my mother is missing. And I believed in those stupid heroes, but what did it get me? Into foster care. That didn't last. It wasn't the villains that killed my parents. It couldn't have been since I lead them.

I know it wasn't the heroes, but when I needed them most, they weren't there. So I kill them. I find them when they are most vulnerable. And I make it slow and painful.

I just think that the world would be better off without those useless heroes. Then people would rely on themselves. The world would be a better place.

But you know what I got when I tried to spread the word? Hate. Someone actually tried to shoot me. So I shot them. And I never miss. Now the public is against us, too. Well, I don't care. If the public has to be taken apart to destroy the heroes, then so be it. Not like they were there for me.

I'm going to destroy the superheroes to make the world a safer place. I'm a villain. There. I said it. I know it. And villains fight the heroes. Cliché as it sounds, it's true and I know it. So do you.

Are you a hero or a villain?

"Absolutely not." Hiccup crossed his arms and shook his head. "The world up there is cruel and you know it."

"The world doesn't know who you are," Fishlegs said. "You just have to do that expert lying thing you do and they'll continue to not know."

"Don't you think they'll think it's weird; a one legged kid walking around, trying to be normal?"

"There's a lot of reasons you could be one legged." Fishlegs looked up from his book. "Are you afraid?"

"No! You know what, fine!" Hiccup whirled around and stalked off down the abandoned subway station. He could hear the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, snickering in their subway car.

Toothless, his shapeshifting cat, crawled along his shoulder, rubbing his soft head on Hiccup's cheek. He let out a purr and slipped into his hood, curling up. Hiccup glowered at the ground.

His parents were gone and one of the heroes - he'd made sure to kill that hero first - had found him curled up, sobbing, in his father's cold embrace. They took him to foster care, but it was only a month before he ran away.

He'd lived on the streets with a festering bitterness, thinking about all the heroes that were in the city, but not a single one had saved his parents. He knew the only reason he wasn't dead was because he'd disintegrated the body of his parents' killer with his own twisted power. Whether or not he wanted to be a hero, Hiccup would have been destined to be a villain.

Frankly, he didn't know if his mother was dead. However, fifteen years later, he just assumed she was.

He had been alone at first, but others like him who disagreed with the heroes had formed the little band of villains. They then went after the heroes, picking them off.

Then Hiccup had tried to turn the public on them. That hadn't gone well. An especially angry citizen had tried to shoot him, but he'd been wearing armor and the shot failed. But his didn't.

The public was terrified of him. Good. Then they'd stay out of his way.

And now Fishlegs had had the brilliant idea of going up into the world and undermining them. Fishlegs was a genius. That's why Hiccup hated the plan. Because it would work. He'd be finding out secrets left and right because no one knew who was under the Night Fury's mask.

He didn't have much to argue against and therefore, it was settled.

Hiccup stormed into his own train car and began throwing a bag together for the little vacation. The subway tunnels may be miserable, but they were home and all the sugary goods up above could corrupt someone. The twins had already fallen for that trick. Hiccup wouldn't.

"I'm glad you said yes because I got you an apartment and everything," Fishlegs said when Hiccup returned. "You do have a roommate, a girl named Astrid Hofferson."

"A girl. A roommate in general. I hate this already and I haven't even left."

"Relax. It may be fun!"

"Highly doubt that." Hiccup swiped the device out of Fishlegs' hand. "I'm leaving my armor here; it'll be too easy to discover if my roommate is snoopy."

"I was going to suggest that. And Toothless?"

"He comes with me. Out of the question. He's my shoulder devil. I want him there." He fixed Fishlegs with a hard look and the genius looked away. "Anything else?"

"Lie. No hinting at who you are or they won't hesitate to shoot you on the spot." Hiccup nodded. "Well then, head on over."

"You're a pal, you know that?" Hiccup said, throwing an arm around Fishlegs. "Tell the twins I'll miss them."

"I bet you won't, but sure thing!" Hiccup smirked and shook his head as he ran up the steps two at a time and emerged into the city.

~

Astrid plopped her bags onto the bed in the apartment and looked around. It was fair sized; two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room with a tiny TV. Sharing with Hiccup Haddock may not be so bad, depending on his character.

In truth, Astrid was a superhero. The leader, after the Night Fury had murdered the real one. She was here to find the Night Fury, as he couldn't possibly be living underground without something to supply him with the supplies he needed to survive.

No one knew who she was. She wore a mask like the rest of them. No superhero wanted their identity to be known. At least, she didn't. The media would be all over her.

She startled out of her thoughts when the door slammed open and what looked to be her roommate. His brown hair was tousled and his dark green eyes scrutinized everything with a degrading look. He dropped his bag on the floor and crossed his arms, chewing on his lip.

"Uh, hey there," Astrid said, creeping out of her room. He looked up at her and forced a slightly more pleasant look on his face. Only slightly. He was lean with tan skin and around six feet tall. He looked like he permanently wore a frown and was only smiling now for her sake. "You good?"

"New here," he said, squeezing his arms tighter to himself. "This superhero stuff is a little overwhelming."

"Yeah," Astrid said. The blurry pictures caught of her by the innocent bystanders always ended up on billboards. She suddenly noticed the tiny cat sitting contentedly on his shoulder. Her mind instantly flashed to the Night Fury, who had a cat on his shoulder constantly. A shapeshifting cat. But he was new, and the Night Fury had been in the city his whole life.

"Who's your friend?" she asked, pointing at the cat.

"Oh, uh, this is Tucker," he said, lifting a hand and stroking the cat's head. It purred and nuzzled into his finger.

"Ah. I have a bird. She's new. Want to help me come up with a name for her?" Her bird was Stormfly, and most of the time, Astrid let her ride on her shoulder, but for the trip, for the safety of her identity, she passed. That wouldn't last long, however.

"Uh, I need to get unpacked. I'll be thinking, though."

"Me too." An awkward silence descended on them and Astrid nodded, pursing her lips and turning on her heel, retreating into her room. This will be one pleasant roommate.