AN:

Updates will be sporadic. (I have a crazy schedule.)

I will be including some personal experiences.

I don't really know anything about amputations but will try to do a bit of research.

There will be Hiccstrid but that will not be the main focus of the story.

This is a religious story.

I don't own How to Train your Dragon or the characters. Just the plot.

Enjoy!

-ET

English was awful. The professor started the class promptly at eight o'clock and speedily went through the syllabus before lecturing and assigning the students' first assignment. Their first paper was due in two weeks and the paper was supposed to cover what they expected to see in their future careers and why they chose them. To Hiccup, the answer was simple. The problem was that the paper had to be five to six pages long. How was he going to stretch his answer out that long? What's worse? After submitting their papers each student was going to receive someone else's submission to practice editing. They would be paired up and discuss how the other could improve their writing skills. Hiccup's embarrassment over his lack of skill in the subject would not only be revealed to his professor but to another classmate as well.

Frustrated, Hiccup left to go to the library to start his homework. As he was leaving the building a blonde, blue-eyed girl caught up with him. She looked to be an athlete of some sort wearing Nike leggings and t-shirt. She was pretty and Hiccup always had a hard time keeping his composure when talking to pretty girls. Why was she talking to him anyway?

"Hey," the girl greeted, "you're Henry, right?" She asked breathlessly. Hiccup knew he was a slow walker. The girl didn't need to hurry and catch up with him. Why did she have to act winded? Why did every girl have to sound so... so; Hiccup didn't have the word. Enchanting? Captivating? This girl was much more though. He couldn't understand why his palms suddenly started sweating or why his breath hitched at the sight of her. Sure, he got nervous with pretty girls but this blonde was striking and beautiful. She didn't wear makeup like a lot of other freshmen college girls did. She didn't need any beauty enhancers in Hiccup's opinion. She was perfect. Confident.

"Hello?" With a start Hiccup realized he took too long to answer. He had been staring, respectfully, into her eyes and had not answered her. The girl gave a small smirk when she saw him jump at her second attempt at a greeting.

"S-sorry," the nervous boy amended. "Y-yea, I'm Henry. Though p-people usually just call me H-Hiccup," he stuttered out. He always had a bit of a stutter and was decent at keeping the speech impediment under control but it always came out more when he was nervous.

The girl didn't seem to mind. "Oh, okay Hiccup. So, I know we were supposed to wait and edit papers after we submitted them but I was wondering if we could swap before-hand and do just a little bit of editing since, you know, the original submission will be graded on its own and the editing will be a different grade entirely. It's our first paper and I just want a second pair of eyes to look at mine before I submit it, you know? I just really want a good grade," she rambled on.

They stood there for a few moments while Hiccup tried to process what she was saying to him. While he liked the idea of someone helping him out with his paper before submission he couldn't understand why this girl would ask him of all people to help her with this. He assumed she knew his name from when the professor called role though he never really paid attention enough to catch his classmates' names. He tried to voice his confusion "W-What? I, uh, h-how do you know m-me?" Hiccup mentally cursed his stutter. "I m-mean-"

He was cut off by the blonde "Oh! Sorry." She gave a nervous laugh and a smile that took Hiccup's breath away. "My name is Astrid, Astrid Hofferson. We're paired up for the editing assignment. She posted the pairs on blackboard just before class. Didn't you see?" she asked him.

Hiccup hadn't seen. He still had to go to the library to look at his assignments online. "Oh. S-Sorry. I haven't l-l-looked yet. I was o-on my way to the l-library to look," he stated. Astrid looked confused.

"Oh. You didn't get a notification? They have a blackboard app for smart phones you know. You should download it." She gave another warm smile.

"I-I don't h-have a smart phone," Hiccup admitted. He awkwardly shuffled his feet looking down at the concrete. He was embarrassed. He tried to not ever be embarrassed by his circumstances because he had achieved so much despite it. Every time someone realized he wasn't as privileged as other students he would get looks of pity. He was proud of being independent and proud that he could take care of himself. He didn't want pity.

But Astrid didn't have a look of pity. She just seemed to accept the explanation with a nod. "That makes sense. So, want to meet up maybe next week and go over what progress we make on the paper together?"

Hiccup's eyes filled with gratitude towards the girl. She didn't question his outward appearance nor did she ponder about his lack of modern essentials. Most would give a second glance, a glare, a look of sympathy, or people would just continually study him in his rough torn jeans, faded t-shirt and shoes. Most university students wore what was new in fashion and donated what clothing they had that started to fade thinking they we doing a good deed when really, they just wanted to empty their closets. Hiccup knew the underlying reason for clothing donations but he was grateful none the less for his attire. Astrid never glanced down at his clothes or gave him pity or sympathetic glances. He liked this girl. For the first time in his life Hiccup may have just met someone who was not judgmental. He knew this was an impossibility as he just met her. At least she didn't outwardly show any criticism and he appreciated her.

"Y-yea, sure." He smiled back at her.

"Great! Where are you off to? I'll walk with you and we can talk details." Astrid turned to walk down the main entrance steps.

Hiccup then followed stuttering "the l-library."

"Oh right! You said that already," she said and gave another nervous laugh while she paused and waited for Hiccup to start descending the stairs.

He was slow and had to use the hand rail but Astrid was patient. She didn't seem to be in a hurry and again Hiccup felt thankful that she didn't question or become frustrated with his slowness in speech and physical capability. He always knew people had to have a lot of patience to deal with him on a daily basis and he was pleasantly surprised to meet someone who didn't mind his disabilities.

They walked together across campus to the library and made small talk and exchanged numbers. Astrid didn't do a double take at the sight of his flip phone like Hiccup expected her to. She never questioned why he had a limp. She rambled on about the frustrations that come with planning out her weekly schedule around softball practice while she sat next to him so he could rest his leg. She listened intently and with patience when he explained his own necessity in a free schedule for work. She explained the rules to him about her favorite sport. He explained the services he performed at the garage; his work place. She opened the door for him when they arrived at their destination. She smiled. His heart skipped beats.

Hiccup arrived to work with what passed for a skip in his step. Talking with Astrid was comfortable and pleasant. He still stuttered but not as much as he did when they first encountered each other. By the time he had to leave for work they had planned to meet after class next week to work on their respective papers and he also learned the rules to softball while she learned how to change oil on a standard vehicle. Hiccup was happy Astrid had an interest in what he liked to do and was happy to learn what she liked to do. He also promised to attend her next scrimmage game on Monday night two weeks out.

"Well, yer lookin' chipper this afternoon," bellowed a large man with a jolly Scottish accent. The man came up towards the front to greet his only employee. "Happy to be workin' in The Forge now, eh?" The Forge was the man's name for his little mechanic shop that rested a few blocks down from the college campus. The man clapped his one good hand on the back of the smaller boy nearly sending him flying. He gave a broad grin to the boy while scratching his long, blonde mustache with his prosthetic hook.

Hiccup gave a smile of his own while looking up at his employer. "A-Always am Gobber," stated the boy. He straightened himself before continuing on his path to the locker room in the back of the shop to put down his backpack.

The man, Gobber, waddled behind him. He also had a prosthetic leg like Hiccup but he was missing his right leg while Hiccup was missing his left. Gobber also had a prosthetic left hand both limbs lost during his time in the military. He liked to give different tales however on how he came to lose either limb. Hiccup never knew what to believe; the shark attack while he was in the navy or having them stuck in a sinking ship's engine while saving the violinists that were on board.

"Then what is it, laddie? I haven't seen ye this happy since I gave ye the job." He followed Hiccup into the locker room where he watched as Hiccup put his overalls on over his clothes to begin work.

"Why c-can't I just b-be in a good m-mood on a n-nice day?" Hiccup continued to smile while struggling to fit his prosthetic into the pant leg of his overalls. Nothing could dampen his mood. English class may have been disheartening but Astrid made the class worthwhile. His whole day had improved immensely since their meeting.

"Aye, ye can be but ye never are," explained Gobber bluntly. He chuckled when Hiccup gave him a glare. "So, is this about a young las?" Gobber gave a knowing look with a wink.

Hiccup dropped his shoulder strap he was trying to fasten and looked to his mentor with widened eyes. "H-how did you know?"

Gobber laughed openly at his shock. "That look ye have in yer eyes tells me everythin' lad." He smiled broadly once again showing his large choppers one being covered in gold. He claimed to have lost that tooth in a fist fight with Mike Tyson. Hiccup could never believe that story.

Hiccup went back to fixing his shoulder straps and gave a shrug. "Yea," he replied. "N-Nothing's going on b-between us though. W-We just met."

"Is she pretty?" Inquired Gobber with a smirk.

"Yes, Gobber, she's pretty," stated Hiccup exasperated. He never got truly annoyed with the man though. He respected his boss and was grateful for the chance he gave him to earn his keep.

When they first met Hiccup had just turned eighteen and was standing at his office door practically begging for employment. Hiccup was ready to show he knew what he was doing and Gobber gave him the job after realizing that not only was he skillful, he was truly desperate. After a few weeks Gobber noticed his new friend wore the same two pairs of pants and three shirts quite frequently and always the same shoes. He also noticed his limp and soon discovered his missing limb when he walked in on him doctoring his stump one day in the break room. While he couldn't afford to help pay for a new prosthetic, Gobber did give him two new pairs of pants as a Christmas gift that year and Hiccup was beyond thankful. Gobber also offered a place to stay if he ever needed one and while Hiccup had declined Gobber knew something was wrong with his living situation. He wasn't sure what his circumstances were but he allowed the student to use his home address when applying for the university without question. Hiccup never opened up about home life or how he was feeling but did talk quite a bit to the mechanic about other things such as his acceptance into the college and his excitement for the school year.

Once Hiccup was done getting his gear on they went to work. The day went on while they worked on cars and made conversation. His shift ended when the garage closed at nine. He was grateful he had a short work day. He finished off the day at the library finishing his homework before heading back to his dorm for bed.