Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was known for being useless, a mistake, a screw-up, different, and the chief's son by the time he was 11. He was not, however, known for being great at inventing things (some of his inventions were even used around the village, but everyone ignored the fact that The village mistake had made them), an amazing artist, creative, and a great blacksmith.
He made his Uncle Spitelout's sword, Mr. Thorston's spear, Mrs. Ingerman's shield, and Mr. Hofferson's axe. Gobber knew his apprentice was good at crafting weaponry so he assigned him a very simple task - make the children his age their weapons. When he told Hiccup this, Hiccup didn't talk to him for the rest of the day. Hiccup knew he was being mean but Gobber knew the kids didn't like him and surely wouldn't like what he made. The boy did what he was told without argument though.
So here he was, hammering the metal to make Astrid's axe. It was quite similar to her father's, but this one was Astrid sized and fit her better. Not to mention he was spending much more time on hers. Clank, clank, bang, sizzle. That was how his day was going. He knew the kids' personalities so he knew what weapon would work best for them. Snotlout got a flail (the ball with has spikes on it that's chained to a stick) that was hanging on the wall next to Fishlegs' hammer which was above Tiffnut's bow and below that was Ruffnut's spear.
Clank, clank, bang, sizzle, scrape. Almost done. Clank, clank, bang, sizzle, scrape, scrape. Done! He put it up next to the others and admired his work. They were the best he's ever made and most of them belonged to people that pretty much hated him. With his work finished, he started to clean up.
"Hey, Useless!" bang... Wait for it... Bang, bang, bang, clank, splash... Clank. When he heard his nickname called, Hiccup jumped and knocked down all of the materials he was used to make the axe causing most of the kids laugh.
"Yes, Snotlout?" Hiccup said as he picked up the metal and wood that was covering most of his work space. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, we heard you were making our stuff since Gobber was busy." by now, Hiccup was back to cleaning and the kids were at the window. "Don't mess it up, idiot. We don't want faulty equipment to kill us in battle." to emphasize his point, Snotlout shoved Hiccup's head which caused his chin to hit the wall he was standing next to that just so happened to have a rather pointy ball on a chain that he had made earlier on it. The blood came out like a river to the 11 year olds.
Fishlegs and the twins gasped while Snotlout stared with huge eyes and his mouth hung open. They all shared a look then looked at Hiccup who had abandoned the tools he was picking up and was clutching his chin for dear life, even though it wasn't anything big. Snotlout grabbed his shirt and hissed, "Do not tell anyone I did that, Screw-Up." and ran off with the others close behind.
Hiccup walked over the shield hanging on the wall and discovered it wasn't really that bad, he didn't loose that much blood. He was defiantly gonna have a scar but he'd be okay. He was about to get the cloth and bowl of water that Gobber kept handy in case of injury but someone beat him to it.
"That's gonna scar, but you should be happy. It's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Astrid stated as she lightly dabbed the wet cloth to Hiccup's chin. She put two fingers under his jaw and lifted it up "It's not very deep but yeah, totally gonna scar." she concluded. Hiccup let her -dare he say it- take care of his wound without saying anything.
Astrid held the cloth to his chin let her eyes wander around the room. Most people thought Astrid was one of the main bullies that made fun of the chief's son. Those kind of people are what Astrid likes to call 'wrong'. Yes, she was popular in the small village. Yes, shewas showing signs of becoming a great warrior. Yes, she thought he shouldn't be treated horribly because he was different. Though she was a tough, stubborn Viking, she had a heart.
Her eyes landed on one particular weapon on the wall, an axe. Probably the best axe she's ever seen. Double bladed, her favorite and just like her dad's. As she looked at it, her hand slipped off of the cloth and Hiccup replaced it with his own then followed her gaze to he greatly crafted axe. He smiled proudly and spoke up.
"It's yours." he could have sworn her neck broke at the speed she turned it at. First he saw happiness in her ice blue eyes then confusion and that made him scared. Did she not like it? Was it not good enough? His thoughts were quieted as she spoke.
"Can't be, Gobber said you were making the weapons. That axe looks too good for even Gobber to take credit for." Hiccup fought the blush that was making its way to his cheeks and smiled even more.
"I did make it, I finished it not too long ago. Right before you and the other guys showed up." Not completely convinced, Astrid turned back to the axe and walked up to it. She took it off and practiced a bit, learning it's weight and the balance.
"It's amazing..." she whispered so low that Hiccup was hardly able to hear her and he was just a few feet away. "Glad you like it." the kids shared a smile and Hiccup didn't fail to notice the sparkle in her eyes and Astrid saw the pride in his. They went into a comfortable silence as Astrid tested her new axe and Hiccup kept the cloth on his chin. Astrid was the first to speak.
"Is your chin better?" she came up to him and used her empty hand to gently tug his hand that was still grasping the cloth away from the lower part of his face, both blushed as they touched and ignored the sparks they felt. He nodded and put the rag down in the bowl. "Make sure you keep it clean, we don't need you getting an infection." Astrid said over her shoulder as she swung her legs over the window and slipped to the other side.
"Thanks for the axe!". She waved the weapon in the air then jogged off. "Bye!" he yelled and waved his hand high in the air. She stopped and turned for a moment before waving back then started to jog off again.
When he thought she was far enough away, he shouted 'yes' and jumped a bit. Not only because Astrid liked his work but he had talked to her and didn't stutter a single word, that was like landing on the moon for him. If he were paying attention the the retreating figure of the said girl, he would have seen her shaking her head with a smile tugging her lips.