ASTRID THE WORKAHOLIC

SYPNOPSIS - Astrid devotes all day and every day to her job, trying to prove herself. Even Christmas. Perhaps the homeless man and his dog she finds on the way back from work on Christmas Eve will manage to change her mind. Oneshot.

FORCES MEMBERS TRIGGER WARNING

ASTRID THE WORKAHOLIC

It was the coldest night yet in the city of Berk, located just a few degrees north of Freezing to Death. The snow was falling lightly and settling on the floor, already a couple of inches deep.

From the front door of one of the tall buildings at the city centre, a tall blonde emerged. She had just finished yet another late night, and was due in for another full day tomorrow. She had long since forgotten to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Day, believing every day was yet another day in which she had to prove herself to her bosses. What better way was there to prove herself than to give up your Christmas?

The woman - Astrid was her name - searched for a taxi. Usually numerous, tonight they were copiously absent, forcing Astrid to walk the kilometre and a half to her apartment. Not that she minded much of an excuse to wonder in the snow. This was one of the few times she would let the fun in.

She was wondering what she would buy herself as a treat. The city was a big place with many different types of shops. She could be who everyone expected her to be and buy some jewellery or keep working on her uncles car. She knew which option she wanted to pick, but what would her bosses and colleagues think of her when she didn't have anything to show for yet another hard year of work? The C.E.O - Snotlout - would undoubtedly have yet another gift lined up for her when he got back in the New Year, trying to woo her again.

Astrid made sure to pack some snow wear just in case the taxis weren't running, as appeared to happen. She went back into reception and put on some boots, a pair of trousers and a long fur coat.

Once back outside, she stood for a minute, taking a deep breath of the cold night air and looked up at the falling snow. Turning right in the virtually straight line to the apartment, Astrid took a slow walk, revelling in the crunch of snow underfoot and even throwing the occasional snowball at an unfortunate lamppost.

It wasn't quite long enough before Astrid got back to the flats. They weren't anything special. Just concrete thrown into the shape of a building and called somewhere to live.

As Astrid rounded the corner to the entrance, she noticed a lump in front of the small doorway. Too large to be a man, and too small to be two. It was only when the head of German Shepard rose did she realise that this was a man and a dog. The dog - fur the colour of the darkest night - got onto its four legs and entered a defensive position over it's master and growled loudly. That was when Astrid noticed that it was missing half the rear left leg - replaced with a prosthetic.

Before she could do anything, the figure below the dog stirred, and scratched the Shepard belly, saying in a voice like sandpaper;

"What's up bud? Someone there?"

When it growled again, the man tapped the dog twice and it moved over, enabling him to stand up. Astrid took several steps back out of alarm, finally feeling an adrenaline rush. This wasn't something she expected or wanted to happen on Christmas Eve.

The figure saw Astrid and she pulled her phone out, prepared to call for the police.

"No wait! We're not here to hurt you!" He called out, panic in his voice. Astrid looked up and saw his legs were spread and arms out in front, as if pleading. "Almost anywhere else in this city and we'll freeze. The overhang above your door stops the snow falling on us. We'll let you past to your room, you live here after all don't you?"

Astrid took a good look at the man. With the light behind him from the door she couldn't see his face, but he had auburn hair, was tall and thin, wore some ragged old camouflage jacket and shorts. That was when she noticed the missing left leg. The same as the dog, who was still growling at her, prepared to pounce at a seconds notice.

The figure took notice of this fact and said calmly; "Toothless, heel."

It surprisingly did so without a seconds hesitation and it's tongue flopped out. Had this been any other day, Astrid would have cooed over the dog in cuteness.

"Toothless? Your German Shepard is called Toothless when I can see rows of knives in it's mouth!?"

Why was she talking to him? She had work in the morning and needed to get to sleep.

"Oh you're going to love my name then, Hiccup."

"Why are you homeless?" It slipped out. She hadn't meant to say that.

Hiccup's voice had lost its resemblance to sandpaper and had adopted a soft - albeit slightly nasally - voice. The sudden change in subject visibly shocked him, his reply was empty and lacking all emotion;

"I don't have a penny to my name. To some people that means I am undeserving of a roof above my head."

Astrid was unsure why she was conversing with him. She had an obligation to tell management that there was a rough sleeper on her doorstep as a tenant.

"Haven't you got anywhere else to go? There are homeless shelters throughout the city."

"You think I haven't already tried? They're all full. Overflowing even."

Astrid could tell she'd angered him, it's not like people chose to be homeless.

"May I get past please? I have work tomorrow…"

"On Christmas Day. In your city job." He said flatly. It wasn't even a question. Just a statement.

"Yes on Christmas Day in my city job. Now I have to get up early for it may I please get past?"

"Do you even have a christmas tree?"

"Do I even…no! I'm too busy for that."

"You're too busy to celebrate Christmas then?"

"What business is it of yours? Now let me past or I'm calling management to have you removed from site. It's cold out here."

"Welcome to my world." Hiccup said sarcastically, notioning to his shorts and thin jacket. "But of course you may pass Milady." Hiccup gave a mock bow, "If I may have one request however."

Astrid had already made a move to the door, but froze at the last part of what Hiccup said.

"That depends." She said, cold as the night air itself.

"All I ask is some warm water for our stumps. You can't have failed to notice that both Toothless and I are missing our left legs. The cold might not kill us, but the pain it causes our stumps might make us wish it had."

Astrid hesitated for a moment before nodding, at which Hiccup moved his sleeping bag out of the way. As Astrid cautiously made her way past - she still didn't completely trust Hiccup - Hiccup bent to pick up a clearly shivering Toothless.

"I'll be back in a minute."

"Thank you."

Astrid returned to find Hiccup rubbing his dogs stump, the prosthetic lying on the floor next to them. She placed a large bowl and cup of steaming water next to them, before sitting down on the step by the door to watch.

Hiccup put his hand into the bowl, taking a sharp intake of breath at the temperature difference between his hand and the water. That didn't deter him though, he proceeded to start rubbing Toothless' leg again, much to the approval of the dog.

"How did you meet him?" Astrid inquired. The man was intriguing her now, not scaring her. His care for the dog earned him a little of her trust. Astrid hoped the question wasn't too sensitive considering the similarities of their wounds.

Hiccup stayed quiet for a moment, continuing to pour huge amounts of attention onto Toothless; "I met him at 6 months old. He was such a small puppy. The trainers didn't think he'd make a good service dog until I had a run in with someone and he sent the guy running." Hiccup grinned at the last part and scratched the dogs head behind the ears, earning a growl of affection in return.

"Long story short, we were pathfinders, looking for a safe route forwards, when we were blown up by the same bomb. Toothless didn't sniff it out and was too light to trigger it, it was buried that deep, hence why he couldn't sense it. I was right behind him and triggered it because, contrary to looks, I weigh more than him. The enemy designed it to target sniffer dogs and their handlers."

Astrid took the silence to study Hiccup's face now that he was visible to the light through the glass door behind her. He had a few days worth of stubble around his jaw, likely kept somewhat short with a knife Astrid reasoned. There was a light smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose and cheekbones and his lips were cracked and pale, edging on the colour of blue. What caught her attention the most however was his eyes. They weren't the colour of a wounded warrior, dull and broken. They were bright green, the colour of a forest full of life. The eyes contradicted the condition of his body.

Silence ensued for a couple of minutes, just as Astrid was about to get up and leave, Hiccup posed the question; "Why do you work on the 25th of December? Don't you deserve a day off?"

It was Astrid's turn to remain mute for a second; "I'm just a busy person." Yet she felt it necessary to turn away from him and look down.

"Suuuure. I believe you, thousands wouldn't."

Hiccup deemed that Toothless had had enough and proceeded to take his own leg off. Without wasting a moment he dropped into the bowl and massaged it there. The look of relief on his face was evident.

"Fine. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I'm the only woman in my office, I need to work twice as hard as everyone else to get half as noticed. If I give up my major holidays then that should get me noticed more than them in the end."

"Did you just confess that to me or yourself?" Hiccup asked in response, not having looked at Astrid when she asked her question originally.

Astrid didn't know what to reply. She hadn't actually put up a christmas tree in years, always occupying herself with work.

"I'll take that as the latter then."

"And what am I supposed to do? I won't get anywhere with any company if I don't show I'm committed."

"And let me guess. You don't have a turkey either?"

"Did you not hear what I just said about not having time? Astrid said hotly.

Hiccup said nothing.

"…And I might also not know how to. My cooking is awful." Astrid quietly added.

"I used to do all the cooking when I lived at home, mum couldn't cook to save her life and dad was perpetually at work. If you'd like…I could make a Christmas dinner fairly well?"

Astrid raised an eyebrow as Hiccup looked at her. She lent back against the door and said "you that desperate for food?"

Hiccup tried to keep his cool; "Food isn't much of an issue, one of the few things the government helps me with."

"I haven't got a turkey either, or any vegetables. I usually have ready meals, they're difficult to screw up."

"Well then. Looks like we've got some shopping to do then tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, we?" Astrid questioned, thinking she'd missed something.

"Well I don't think you quite trust me yet with your credit card to go out any buy a load of food, and on the other hand you wouldn't leave me alone in your flat to go and do it yourself. That only leaves us to go and do it together." Hiccup replied, clearly pleased with the plan he'd come up with.

"You seem to have this all thought out. Just one small problem, I'm at work tomorrow."

Hiccup's hand smacked his forehead with a resounding 'slap'; "You can't miss work on Christmas day for once? Even though you've been doing it for, let me guess, years and years?"

"And how exactly am I going to convince them otherwise? I can hardly call in and say that I'm 'not coming in today because some war veteran and his dog convinced me to have a christmas for once', can I?"

"No, but you could have had an accident on some ice walking back from work." Hiccup said, the idea rolling off his tongue as if it were the truth and not some apparition.

"Well there weren't any taxis on the way back…"

"There you go, half the story already done."

"I just…just…ugh. You can be really persuasive, do you know that?" Astrid said, defeated.

"Of course, how else would I have convinced you to let me stay out here in the lovely cold on your doorstep?" Hiccup said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You just be careful with that smart mouth of yours, that can change at any second."

"Understood Milady." He said, giving a mock salute at the same time.

Astrid shivered, the cold finally getting to her now. She stood up and didn't look at Hiccup as she noticed his and Toothless' head track her. As she opened the door and stepped inside, she turned around and said quickly;

"Well if you're going to cook tomorrow you might as well come inside, I cant have my chief freezing to death on me."

Hiccup's face lit up like a christmas tree, "Are you sure? Stranger danger not ringing any alarms in your head?"

"Oh that alarm has been blaring out since I first saw you. But I think you would have hurt me by now if you wanted to. Anyway, I could definitely take you on in a fight." She retorted, ending it on a slight giggle.

This time Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Toothless would probably let you win too. Dozy dog. Speaking of which, bud wake up. Come on. I'm not carrying you up those stairs you useless mammal."

At the last bit, Toothless' head perked up and stared at Hiccup, unamused.

"Oh he's fine." Hiccup said as he put his thin sleeping bag into it's pouch, with well practised efficiency. He had already reattached his leg and picked the bowl and cup up on the way to standing up. The large German Shepard followed him.

The pair followed Astrid up the stair to her room. Hiccup asked Astrid whether her oven was gas, fan or electric. When her reply was that all she owned was a microwave, Hiccup could be heard yelling that he couldn't make a christmas dinner in one of those.

Astrid was secretly happy that she could get away from work for a day. Maybe this man and his dog could work some more of their magic elsewhere in her life, she didn't know. What Astrid did know however, was that for the first time in years, she felt like she had someone she could trust. Even if she had only known him for less than an hour.

She was right.

ASTRID THE WORKAHOLIC

I meant this to be a bit shorter, but it kinda ran away with me (lets not go into how cheesy it is…). Anyone want to draw some fanart for me? :) Merry Christmas, and thanks for reading!