The walk along the corridor was horrible, a journey filled with guilt and shame. Ozzie knew now that his anger had all been selfish, about his own hurt feelings and completely ignoring the misery and despair his friend had felt, the pain he had been suffering which Ozzie had worsened. The reasons for his fear and withdrawal had become abundantly clear and Ozzie closed his eyes in regret. He should have known.

Back in his office, he sat back and flicked through Hiccup's personnel file, reminding himself of how young, how inexperienced and lonely the boy had been when he arrived...and of the almost shy and hopeful young man he first met. Gods, he had been a stick, thin and lanky and clumsy, his dark auburn hair and bright eyes unusual enough and very different to the massive bear of a man their flame-haired General was. A smile tilted his lips and he recalled their first meeting, the way the young man had introduced himself with a stammer, his green eyes bright with optimism as the older man had shaken his hand firmly and welcomed him to his department. The way Hiccup had flung himself into his new duties with gusto, working ferociously long hours and ripping through his degree course as if it were a particularly easy High School module. And he had been sarcastic, funny and reliable.

Until he took the wrong turn and ended up in the hatching pit, accidentally bonding with the alpha dragon, the famed and much anticipated Night Fury that his own brother had targeted. Dagur had beaten the boy then, only saved by the little dragon. And in that moment, Hiccup's life had crumbled. The Riders-furious at having a civilian foisted on them-made his life Hel and treated him worse than dirt. The other Tech staff instantly blanked him for unconsciously stepping across the invisible divide and Hiccup had found himself a pariah, abandoned by everyone. His father had been furious-they had heard the screaming match halfway through the base-and the teen had responded by walking out on his father. Stock had retaliated by putting his son in the jail.

Ozzie blinked. He had forgotten how bad their relationship was, a never-ending torrent of scorn and disappointment that poured on the skinny shoulders of the auburn-haired teen. Stoick had been forced to give his son a leadership role because he rode the alpha dragon that all the others looked to...but he had gone about it wholly wrongly, dumping responsibility on the boy without any training or rank and then savagely dressing him down when no one respected his authority. It was a perfect recipe for shredding what little confidence the boy retained and it had worked perfectly, beating Hiccup almost into the ground. Only his undoubted brilliance at IT-he had gained a first class honours degree in a year-and the love of his dragon had given him the tiny scraps of self-respect to keep him going. But Dagur and his cronies had taunted, assaulted and threatened Hiccup more and more over the last two years and that had culminated in...the assault.

A knock sounded on his door and his eyes flicked up: fifty-nine minutes since he ordered Hiccup to his office. The boy was punctual, at the least. He paused then shouted "COME IN!" And warily, he did, his lean, lanky and very scruffy shape moving stiffly, a faint limp obvious to Ozzie's eye now he was looking for it. The young man stared at him blankly, his battered face neutral but his forest green eyes were dark with hurt. He was breathing too fast, the pulse bounding in his bruised neck. "Sit down, Hiccup," Ozzie said in a gentle voice. With trepidation, he perched on the edge of the seat, tense and fearful. The Captain inspected him carefully. "Speak to me, Hiccup," he invited. The younger man flicked his wounded gaze up then stared at the floor.

"I don't think there's anything left to say, sir," he murmured dully. His tone sounded utterly defeated, his shoulders slumped and hands visibly trembling. He looked broken and Ozzie felt another stab of guilt that he had reduced his friend to this wretched state. Crushing the annoyance he felt at the words, he leaned forward.

"I know, Hiccup," he said quietly and saw the younger man stare up at him, the little colour draining from his face and eyes widening in horror. Breathing hard and trying not to whimper, Hiccup's gaze slammed to the floor once more.

"Oh."

"I'm so sorry, my friend," Ozzie said gently, keeping his voice calm. "I didn't know. Hey, I never even suspected..."

"Why would you?" Hiccup asked quietly. "Who imagines that can happen to a man? Except I'm not, am I? I'm just...Useless. And I barely even count as human."

"That's not true, Hiccup," Ozzie insisted, still keeping his voice calm.

"I think you may be in a minority," Hiccup told him defeatedly. "None of the Riders consider me worthy of any consideration...even talking to me seems to be beyond them. The Tech staff blanked me the moment I bonded with Toothless. And now..." He closed his eyes.

"You should have reported it," Ozzie told him. Eyes snapping open wide and mouth agape, Hiccup's head shot up.

"NO!" he said definitely. "That would...be the end. If my father finds out...if the Riders find out...oh, Gods, I really couldn't endure that..."

"But if security aren't involved, then it will happen again," Ozzie told him with concern. Hiccup shuddered and wrapped his arms around his abused body, his chin dropping to his chest.

"P-probably what I deserve..." he muttered hopelessly. Ozzie rose and walked round to face Hiccup and he winced as the younger man cringed back.

"No," he said softly. "You don't deserve it. No one does. And if security won't help, then I will." He stared at Hiccup. "Go back to work, Hiccup. I want the Firewall modification protocols revised and ready by end of play." Defeatedly, Hiccup nodded and rose.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said quietly and left, Ozzie's pale green eyes trailing after him. Then his powerful hands tightened into fists and he lifted his head. He turned and stabbed at the computer voice-access control.

"Location of Rider Dagur Oswaldson."

"Rider Dagur Oswaldson is in the Gymnasium."

"Okay, brother...time we had a little chat..."

oOo

Hiccup had skipped lunch despite Gothi's orders because he couldn't face the taunts and scorn of his fellow Riders and his stomach was aching with hunger. He was considering sneaking into the Rec Room to grab a muffin or chocolate bar while they were all eating when the door to the lab slammed open and Ozzie entered. Hiccup glanced up...and then leapt to his feet, his eyes wide with shock.

Ozzie's face was bruised, a cheek swollen with bruising and lip split. There was blood on his shirt and his knuckles were swollen and split. He was stumbling slightly and despite his own injuries, Hiccup pulled out a chair and grabbed him, helping him into the seat and offering his can of diet cola to press against his superior's swollen lip. Ozzie accepted with a small grin and sat back with a sigh.

"What-what happened?" Hiccup asked warily, sitting cautiously on his seat. Ozzie worked his jaw for a moment and then shrugged.

"I had a talk with my brother," he said calmly and Hiccup visibly stiffened. "About you." The younger man curled up, pressing his hands to his forehead and moaning.

"Sorry," he breathed.

"I'm not," Ozzie said strongly, taking a long pull from the can. "Eurgh! Can't think how you can drink this poison? Got any beer?"

"What?"

"Beer. You know...fermented barley, hops...oh, never mind. Look, Hicc. I know my brother...and I know he's a crazy, weird sonovabitch. How I ended up with him beats me...but I do know him-better than anyone else. So when I want to talk to him, I know what I'm getting into. And I know how to deal with him. I'm army trained as well so I can defend myself if it gets...physical... And I know which buttons to push to drive him insane...or stun him into silence..."

"Oh Gods," Hiccup breathed as his eyes inspected the bruised shape. Despite his obvious injuries, Ozzie was looking pretty chipper.

"Yeah. Okay, so he never takes it well...but I have things on him that no one else has and I know what to do with them...and before you start worrying, if anything happens to me, the requisite people get the information with corroboration and affidavits automatically. And he knows it as well!"

"Um...what did you do?" Hiccup asked him, his forest green gaze narrowing as Ozzie grinned.

"Ordered him off you," he said definitely. "Oh, I can't stop the odd blow...but anything like what...happened...either part...will trigger my revenge. And that will lose Dagur everything he cares about. We have an accord. He'll back off."

The younger man stared at him, his throat working and eyes shining with tears, despite him dropping his head to hide his face behind shaggy auburn bangs. Ozzie glanced across the room. "Rest of you-out. NOW! I need a private word!" he growled and the other two techs scuttled from he room. The two men remained motionless until the door slammed shut. "You're safe," Ozzie said softly.

Hiccup broke, tears sliding over bruised cheeks and sobs wracking his battered shape. His hands flew up to press over his face, to hide his tragic eyes and his body shook with grief. Very carefully, Ozzie leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the lean shape...and Hiccup leaned back, shuddering. And then his face buried into Ozzie's shoulder and he felt the tears soaking into his uniform. "Shh, shh...it'll be okay, Hicc. I won't let him attack you again...please...I'm so sorry he hurt you..."

"Sorry..." Hiccup whimpered, pressed against his friend. Ozzie hugged him harder and he flinched.

"Broken ribs. Sorry," Ozzie realised. Hiccup nodded slightly. "Look, you idiot...you should've told me...even if you told me you didn't wanna see me, you could've told me who had done this because I have just kicked the shit out of him! You are my friend, Hicc, and I won't let him terrorise you any more."

"C-can't stop it," Hiccup whimpered. "S-sorry, Ozzie. I'm just so Useless. N-no one here sees me as anything other than a worthless animal to be taunted and beaten and abused. And I-I know I-I'm not m-much of a m-man but I-I am a human being and I do h-have feelings and n-no one c-cares that I am in pain and alone and just w-want to d-die..."

"Hiccup...you are my friend and I won't let them harm you any more. Please...believe me," Ozzie sighed and Hiccup slowly pulled away, swiping at his damp face with a crumpled sleeve. In a second, Ozzie grabbed his wrist and shoved the sleeve up to reveal the single fresh cut over the even white scars of his previous despair. "And please...no more," he begged, his face stricken. He knew of his friend's scars. "It kills me inside to think you see...that as the only option when you have people who care. Dammit, Hicc! All you do is help the bastard out!"

"S-sorry..." The voice was muffled. Ozzie sighed, feeling the sobs subsiding.

"Look, I care for you...not in that way, of course...I-I think of you as my little brother..."

Hiccup abruptly pulled away and snatched his hand against his chest. "NO!" he snapped, his eyes wild. "No! That's what he calls me! Gods, please NEVER use that word to me. I-I can't cope with it. I can't cope with the memories!"

"I-I'm sorry," Ozzie said urgently. "Gods damn him! How can he manage to screw so much up and still come up smelling of roses?"

"You just come from a talented family," Hiccup muttered. Ozzie flicked a glance at him, recognising the finest flash of his sarcastic humour.

"Yeah, well he can enjoy dragon dung duty for the next month," Ozzie smirked. "I've also amended the rosters." Frowning very slightly, Hiccup flicked his eyes up. "Yeah, computers. Gotta love 'em."

"If not, you're in the wrong job," Hiccup noted, his voice a little firmer. Ozzie have a small laugh and then winced, pressing the can back against his swollen lip.

"Oww..." he whined. "Shit. This hurts!"

"Always does," Hiccup noted tonelessly. Ozzie sighed and sat back.

"Are we good?" he asked cautiously. Hiccup glanced up and his face moved into a small smile.

"Um...you don't look so much like him now," he admitted.

"Actually, I really do, but I appreciate the sentiment!" Ozzie shot back. "Look, I'll grow a beard or get an earring or tattoo or something, okay?"

"Not a tattoo!" Hiccup winced.

"Shame...I was thinking a nice Maori facial tattoo would do me fine..."

"Eurgh!"

"Look, Hicc...I can't guarantee he won't do anything...but I have warned him off," Ozzie said in a low voice. "Keep away from him as much as you can. Go to the pens with someone else. And call me when you're going to the Mess. I know you don't go because you hate the taunting...but I will go with you. I need my assistant fed and not beaten up." And he smirked again as he saw the younger man's eyes widen and head snap up.

"Assistant?" There was more caution in Hiccup's tone than Ozzie liked and he almost felt insulted...but he ruthlessly reminded himself that this was Hiccup, the member of staff who had been taunted and abused far too much. His ability to trust was almost completely eroded and Ozzie instinctively knew he had been promised things in the past-probably far too often-that never materialised.

"You're submitting your Thesis this week, aren't you?" he asked. Hiccup nodded, snatching a self-conscious look at the computer. "Now I know for a fact, as your supervisor, that it will pass. You'll be called for interview to defend your Thesis-but that will be a formality because the work is brilliant. So why should I not appoint as my assistant and second-in-command a soon-to-be-minted Doctor of Software Engineering who knows more about our systems than I do?"

For a moment, Ozzie thought his friend would argue but instead he stared at the floor for a long moment before shyly raising his wide green gaze to meet the grin. "You-you mean it?" he asked roughly. Ozzie nodded.

"Look, you're the brightest here by a country mile," he admitted. "You're better than I am already. And I know the rest of the team-sarky bastards-will eventually admit you're the one they look to when they're stuck. Remember?" Hiccup nodded quietly. "Oh, c'mon, man!" Ozzie exclaimed. "At least say yes!" His bruised lips lifting, Hiccup gave a small nod.

"Um...yes..." he said quietly. Ozzie clapped him across the shoulder, drawing a yelp from the younger man.

"Thank Thor!" he sighed. "And to celebrate, we're off to the village. Tonight." Hiccup paled. "No, I'm not taking any excuses. Hicc-you're my friend and I am inviting my friend to come down to the pub with me to celebrate his Thesis submission and his promotion."

Hiccup stared into the eyes of his friend and swallowed hard, blinking back unexpected tears of happiness. There was still the lingering, horrible black feeling of hopelessness and despair, the pain from his wounds and unbearable shame that he could be so abused and violated by another man...but it was tempered by the knowledge that Ozzie had stood up for him. That Ozzie had faced down Dagur for him. That Ozzie had chosen to fight his own brother to protect him. And that was something that no one had ever done for Hiccup. No one had ever valued him enough to fight anyone on his behalf. And that knowledge...that he was valued enough for that kind of action...bolstered his shredded confidence and failing courage. Instinctively, he knew that he would take a very long time to process and come to terms with what had been done to him...what had been taken from him...but he knew he had to try. He could face this out and eventually come through. If he had Gobber and Toothless...and Ozzie at his side, he could endure whatever BERK threw at him. He would not break. He would survive.

"Th-thanks," he managed. "Thanks...my friend."