Pretty sad stuff in this chapter so grab a tissue
The three flew to the Northern Markets in mostly silence. Hiccup broke it though. "Soooo are they always so?" He began.
"Smothering? No," Kai sighs petting Ember who cuddles close to him. "You said you would give them a chance. Why are you avoiding them?" Hiccup asks. "Because I said I would only give them a chance, but since I said that they just assumed I said yes to being theirs again," Kai said getting angry.
"Well they are passionate," Hiccup said. "They are clingy," Kai said and Hiccup did not even try to defend them on that area. "If you don't mind me asking what was one of the things that made you not return to them?" Hiccup asks and Kai sighs. "I don't really want to tell you, but if anything you've told me about how you were treated as a kid is true than you know how I felt," Kai said thinking back to one of the incidents that makes him want to cry.
Flashback Kai's POV
I was in my room scrolling on Insta-chirp after training. Well it used to be my room, but since I moved in with the others it became a guest room or a room that we would use when kicking someone out for the night. The guys have kicked me out for about a week now, but I'm not worried nope not at all worried.
I really do not see what makes this time any different from the others. I just got a cool new scar and a few burns around my chest area, but those will heal up soon. I have done much stupider stuff with much worse back lash. Like that time I left Lloyd alone and he got kidnapped, that time I accidently blew up containers of rocket fuel for a stealth mission and got kidnapped, or that time I pretended to betray the others at Chen's tournament. Really I do stuff like this every Friday, so I don't really see what's got them so mad about this time. Sure Lloyd got hurt too and I do feel guilty about that, but he's fine and he forgives me. I got hurt too and I lost some blood, but after a few days in the med room I was fine, but got some really weird burn marks on my chest I never remembered being burned, but I did also loose consciousness for a bit so I guess it makes sense. Sure it was hectic, but it all turned out fine. I just wish they would let me back in their room because I miss getting those good night kisses and waking up to cuddling with them in those lazy mornings when we did not have any training.
I feel a pang in my chest as I think about it and how they've been treating me as if I'm just not there. Nya says it's because they want me to stop doing idiotic things that nearly get me killed, but more often than not those stupid things I do have gotten us out of risky situations.
I got a notification I was tagged in something and furrowing my brow I open it too see a picture that wretched my heart strings.
It the picture Cole, Jay, and Zane were on a date at Dareth's bar without me smiling as they talked and Zane was in the middle of a laugh from watching Cole stuff his face. They were obviously on a date, but without me. I knew they weren't here, but Cole said he was visiting his dad, Jay said he was visiting his parents junkyard, and Zane said he was going to Borg to help him with a design on security nindroids.
I looked through the comments and saw it was taken by a passerby. I saw comments and hashtags like.
Where's the red one?
Did they finally have enough of them?
I thought they would have left him sooner it's about time.
They're better off without him.
I feel tears blurring my vision, but I take deep breaths. I was the last one to join the relationship they were dating for a few months before me maybe this is a old photo reposted before I joined.
I looked carefully at their clothing and my heart shatters recognizing them in the same clothing as I saw them leave in this morning. My hands shake as I dropped my phone on my bed.
Never have any of us gone on dates without the others. Even on breaks with one or more we never did that.
I grabbed my pillow and started crying into it.
Later when they had come back I looked at the photo again and matched up the clothing down to the socks. We wear the same thing more than once though and barely go shopping for clothes, so it could just be a funny coincidence. I casually asked Jay since he's a pretty crap liar.
"Hey Jay how we're your parents?" He pauses before plastering on a smile. "Oh you know lots of talking and tea nothing else," he said. "Okay," I said then went over to Zane. "Hey Zane did you get those upgrades finished with Borg?" I asked and he nodded not even making eye contact with me and went to the room I was previously sharing with them. I went to Cole next who was throwing a piece of paper in the trash. "Hey Cole how was your dad?" I asked hoping he didn't notice my voice crack. "He was fine sung a lot, but what's new?" He asks sarcastically about to leave when I stop him.
"Really? Than why did I find this picture while on Insta-chirp?" I asked showing him the picture I had found. He looks at it and I could just swear he was cursing in his head that I caught them.
"Okay so what? Not like you like Dareth's place," Cole shrugs off. "One it's okay and two that is not the point! Never have we ever gone on dates without the other even if on break, so why did you all do it and lie about it?" I asked my voice cracking and my fists clenched. I expected a apology, I expected a reason, I expected something, but what I got was not what I expected.
"Because we didn't want you causing anything," he told me which basically translates to they didn't want me around. "But? But that's not fair. I don't cause anything bad," I argued. "You always cause something and I'm sick of it. You always have to do it your way and when you do bad things happen. You took a stupid risk and nearly got y-Lloyd badly hurt," Cole said eyes darting around a little. "Okay he wasn't badly hurt and besides I got hurt worse," I said crossing my arms. Cole pauses thinking before he sighs.
"You need to learn your lesson on stop taking these stupid risks putting us and yourself in danger. We went on a date because until you stop taking stupid risks and getting us in more danger than we need you aren't our boyfriend because we will sooner be dead if you don't stop acting like a child," Cole said pushing his index finger on my chest. "You can't," I tried to argued only to be shot down. "I'm the team leader here Kai you aren't so what I say goes and what I say is that you need to stop being a child always demanding attention. To be honest we quite liked that date without you around since we weren't hounded by the paparazzi for once," Cole said crossing his arms and looking away.
I looked at him in shock clenching my fists tears welling up in my eyes. Cole actually looks at me in the eyes since this conversation started and I looked away shaking before I could see a reaction. I ran to my room and slammed the door shut before I started balling into my pillow.
I don't understand what did I do wrong? Why are they doing this to me? I cried silently in my bed face buried in my pillow. After who knows how long I looked up from my pillow and checked the time on my phone. With a pang in my heart I realized that I missed dinner and no one, not even Nya, came and checked on me.
Just to check I got up wiped my face waiting like five minutes for my blood shot eyes to recede before leaving. I saw no one was in the kitchen, but there were a couple of dishes to signal dinner was over. I go to Nya's room and found she had fallen asleep working on some project again with a plate next to her. It does feel better to know she just got caught up in her work and didn't forget about me, but still the plate shows someone came to check on her why not me?
I go to the kitchen to dig around for leftovers when I heard some light giggling. It wasn't creepy, but more joyful. I leaned back a little and saw Cole, Zane, and Jay on the couch in the game room. The lights were off, but the tv was showing some sort of star fairer thing. I had more tears going down my face seeing Zane and Cole were cuddling Jay and giving him butterfly kisses tickling him enough to giggle softly since he's so ticklish.
They all looked so happy, and it was because I wasn't there to ruin it.
I quickly and quietly walked away without eating anything and started crying again.
I just don't understand! What makes this any different from all the other stupid stuff I do!
End of Flashback
"And we are here," Hiccup said startling me out of my thoughts. I wiped my eyes realizing I was tearing up, but Hiccup couldn't see them so I quickly conceal them. We landed and got off the dragons and we weren't anywhere near the market or docks so no one has seen us.
"Okay so what's the plan? I say we grab the first Hunter we find and drill some sense into them," I said with a smirk. "No we need to go in undetected and not arrows blazing," Hiccup said and I groan. "But I want to punch someone," I whined like a child playfully. My brother rolled his eyes at me good natured. "Well if it makes you feel any better I'm taking a page out of your book," he said and I raised a curious eyebrow.
Time skip
We were walking through the markets in outfits Hiccup took from Mala before leaving. They completely covered us except our eyes and Hiccup's leg, but he wouldn't agree to changing it out for something else; maybe I shouldn't have suggested a dagger as a replacement straight away. The dragons are hiding nearby and I left Ember with them too.
As we walked through the market we saw hunters left and right. Some did business while others were just chilling, but glares at anyone who even decided to glance at them. "Mala's right this place isn't safe," Hiccup said. We came to a stall and Hiccup picks up a arrow to look at. A Hunter took it from him and the rest of the box. "That's not for sale," the hunter sneers. "Oh yeah okay totally just browsing," Hiccup said trying to dismay any harsh feelings. I saw recognition in that hunters eyes and he glanced down at the ground.
"Come on clearly nothing is for sale here," Heather said pushing Hiccup and me along. I keep my eye out for hunters tense when I looked behind my shoulder I paused seeing Tooth-less hiding in the bushes, but that isn't what set me off. What set me off was that I saw Ember was not with them.
My heart quickens in a panic that Ember could have been taken because I was not there. As I internally panicked a large shot went out. I felt to the ground as apples and debris rained down. I looked around seeing that hunters were about to run me threw with a sword if Tooth-less hadn't shot that plasma blast.
"Kai!"
I heard Hiccup yelling, but people were panicking and running for their lives afraid so I lost him in the crowd. I looked around not wanting to yell out his name or Heather's to give away our position. I looked around and saw a flash of scaly red pass behind some stalls.
Ember
I ran before thinking about it after the scaly red. I ran and saw Ember in the arms of someone in a dark cloak and I couldn't see any features of theirs. They were also really fast charging into the forest to loose me. "Give me that dragon!" I yelled after them, but they kept running.
They dashed through some bushes and I chased after them, but I tripped over some large rocks and by the time I got back up they were gone. Growling and cursing myself for whoever stole my dragon I track their prints. I walked out of the bushes and saw the guy had gone down to the docks with someone else in a cloak.
I was about to sprint down and attack when I felt a hand on my shoulder stopping me. I looked behind myself to see Hiccup who was alright as far as I could see with Heather staring intently at the duo down at the docks. Some hunters were nearby laughing with them and I growled seeing the dragon stealer pet my dragon like a, well, pet. "They have my dragon," I hissed noticing Tooth-less and Wind-sheer looked guilty for loosing Ember.
"Look it's going to be okay we'll just wait and," Hiccup began when the guy's hood came off. Not the one with my dragon, but the other one. Heather and Hiccup's eyes went wide, but I had no clue whoever this guy was. He had a uneven beard, green eyes, scarred skin, tattoos over his eyes like face paint for war, uneven ginger hair sticking up, tough leather armour with steel out linings, combat boots, and a list of names on his arm which probably meant some sort of hit list.
Whoever he was he was laughing with the dragon hunters while the one with my dragon remained quiet almost hidden in the shadows. "Dagger," Heather said the word like it was a curse. "But that's impossible we all saw him," Hiccup said in disbelief. "Mind filling me in?" I asked in the dark. "Dagger's the chief of the Berserker tribe and tried killing me a lot," Hiccup explains. "And my stupid brother who abandoned me," Heather growls gripping her double bladed axe. "But we saw him die, or at least that's what we thought and it looks like he's in league with the hunters," Hiccup added in disbelief.
I looked back at him as he patted the cloaked guy with my dragon hard on the back. The force knocked the man's hood off and my eyes widened in recognition and I growl seeing that shaggy raven hair and dark forest eyes holding my Ember.
"Cole," I growled out.