"This is idiotic, this isn't me AT ALL!"
"Yes, Astrid, that's exactly the point," Trista replied in an exasperated tone as she brushed a few more stands of hair out from behind Astrid's circlet to give her more bangs, "Hold still."
"I don't want to be someone I'm not!" Astrid replied hotly.
"Oh, you aren't being someone you're not, Astrid, jeez. You are just being a version of yourself that laughs at his jokes and says nice things and bats your eye lashes. A lot. Namely, a much more dateable 'you'."
Astrid tried to pull down the top that Trista had given her again, as Trista immediately hiked it back up. "Enough, Astrid. Now get down there and blow that boys brain."
Astrid slowly approached the blacksmith shop, placing one foot in front of the other like she was on her way to the gallows. How had she let Trista talk her into this? And why did she insist on this top that showed way too much belly? She unconsciously raised her hands to pull it back down again but stopped herself. She trusted her cousin to know what she was talking about.
Each step, however, brought a small amount of determination and resolve into her mind. She was, after all, about to make this handsome man that filled her thoughts all her own. As she approached the door, she felt very relaxed and in control. With a confident smile, she reached for the door and opened it. A rush of warmth greeted her from the forge as the yellow and orange hot embers cast light around the interior of the smithy. The shelves were packed with all manner of weapons. There were jars of nails, hooks, casings, and other various forms of material she didn't recognize. Her eyes roved for Hiccup but her ears found him first.
Or more precisely, her first.
"You make it look sooo easy, Hiccup. How are you so good with your hands?! You have to teach me sometime." Astrid's blood boiled at the sound of Heathers voice, followed by the tinkling sound of her laugh, "Oh, I obviously mean with blacksmithing! What did you think I meant, silly?"
Astrid cleared her throat quite loudly. Heathers neck snapped around, eyes instantly narrowing when she saw Astrid. Hiccup looked up from his grind stone, hands still on the sword hilt and blade. Astrid was looking right at him but his eyes never seemed to make it to hers. The stopped somewhere around her mid section and caused his face to scarlet and look back down. Astrid made a mental note to thank her cousin for insisting on the top.
They were sitting very close, much closer than Astrid would have thought Hiccup had the nerve to. It was painfully obvious Heather was encroaching as much as she dared without scaring him off, but the moment Astrid's eyes moved to Heathers, her hand shot out and grabbed Hiccups leg above the knee. He gave a soft yelp that was nearly lost in the din of the machinery but Astrid didn't miss the challenging face Heather shot her way.
Game on, Bitch.
Astrid casually placed both her palms on the table in front of her and leaned over slightly, arching her back and pushing her chest out as much as she dared, "Heather!" Astrid began with a dazzling fake smile, flashing as many of her teeth as she could, "It is so nice that you are able to keep Hiccup company at the forge as often as you do. Thank goodness you don't have a job in the village, to allow you so much time."
Hate burned in Heathers eyes but she put on her own cheery face, "Thanks Astrid. It means a lot to me when people notice Hiccup the Hero," his ears bloomed red again at the name, "and show support for all his useful and brilliant inventions. Sadly, I don't personally think he gets enough 'thank you's'. Do you think so? When was the last time you came into say thanks? I think it was over a month ago now, wasn't it?"
Astrid bristled and glared daggers which only got a small smirk and a quirk in the eyebrow as a response from Heather. She quickly pivoted attack route and turned more towards Hiccup. In his hand was a beautiful short sword that had the palest hint of blue in the metal of the blade. The tang and guard were intricately designed with a little dragon carving. "Hiccup," Astrid said with her breath truly hitching, "those swords…. They are gorgeous. You really do the most amazing work."
Hiccups eyes slowly slid up from his work to meet her eyes, cheeks still red, he licked his lips like he was about to respond. Heather quickly snatched the one on the table next to where he was working. "Aren't they?" she mooned, throwing him a sidelong look while biting her lip and furiously batting her eyelashes Fuck, she's good "He made them for me! I can't wait to try them out in the training arena."
Astrid felt like she had just been punched in the chest. What?! Those things are incredible! And he spent that much time on her? "Why wait?" Astrid said a little more hotly than she meant, "Let's go try them out now?"
Heather threw her a skeptical look, eyeing her up and down, "Dressed like that?" she let out a little laugh and then snapped her fingers, 'Oh, I know! The place I'm staying is right on the way to the arena, you can just borrow one of my training outfits. But…. You are a little more round than I am, I'm not sure you will fit." A deep smile appeared on Heathers face while Astrid tried in vain to not look like she was chewing rocks.
"I know, curves," Astrid finally responded in feign frustration, "Such a curse. But I'm pretty sure they are the reason why Hiccup hasn't stopped staring at me since I walked in here. Don't worry though; I'm sure you will fill out eventually."
"I-I-I haven't-I mean I-I didn't-wouldn't-" Hiccup spluttered as a hot wave of crimson spread across Heathers face as her mouth formed into a snarl.
"I think a training session sounds great right now, Astrid." She replied coldly, snatching both swords up marching straight out of the smithy, Astrid in hot pursuit, leaving a sputtering, embarrassed Hiccup alone.
The swift walk down the road was deathly silent for a good few moments until, in the middle of the rocky pathway; Heather whirled around, pointing directly at Astrid. "He's mine now, Astrid. You had your chance and you let him go. How long ago was that 'kiss', If you call that a kiss? A year ago? Go pout your pretty little mouth somewhere else."
"I think," Astrid drawled, slowly unlimbering her axe from her back and feeling its calming presence in her hand, "I'm going to shave your head when I'm done beating your boney, slutty ass."
Heathers swords appeared in her hands in an instant, sly smirk shaping her mouth.
"Want me to tell you what he tastes like?"
Astrid's axe slammed into Heathers defenses with such power that it nearly took her off her feet. Moving with the weight, Astrid quickly planted her foot and reversed momentum, crashing once again into both swords criss-crossing in a blocking pattern. DAMN she's fast. A quick flurry of less powerful, but more probing blows was traded between the pair before they disengaged, standing a few feet away from each other for just a moment before Astrid launched herself back into the melee.
"Salty and smoky, like just a small taste of the smithy." Heather whispered, their faces inches apart. Astrid shot forward with the haft of her axe while simultaneously sweeping with her foot. Heather nimbly danced out of the way, giggling. With unexpected swiftness, Heather planted her feet and lunged towards Astrid, who didn't expect such a daring offensive move and tried to get her axe up to block when a fire erupted between them. The sound of a blade meeting Heathers loudly pierced the night.
"ENOUGH!" they heard a man shout and both stopped in their tracks and looked to their side to see Hiccup holding a flaming sword. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but it's done. Enough. Heather, go home." Heather opened her mouth and got a single sound out before Hiccup cut back in, "No. Home. Now. Astrid, can I speak to you for a minute?"
Astrid watched as Heather retreated with her tail between her legs but she did not feel triumphant. Hiccup sounded pissed. She was not sure this was going to be an overly fun talk. He hadn't waited for a response and was already well on his way back to the smithy when Astrid finally uprooted her feet to follow him.
The door was slightly ajar when she approached the front of the building and she slowly pushed it open. The welcoming heat blasted her body again and she couldn't help but smile as she closed and latched the door. He might be mad, but he was alone. She would make it work. Looking around, she didn't immediately spot him until he came shambling out of his back room with a few knick-knacks in his hands. He gave her a look she didn't recognize and sat down at the grinder.
"Axe." He said simply, holding out his hand. Astrid silently handed it to him and took a seat opposite to him.
They sat in silence for a while, the only sound that of Hiccup meticulously grinding very specific areas of her blade edge. Every once in a while taking it off to inspect with a funny piece of glass over his eye, sometimes thumbing a part of the blade then going back to work.
Astrid licked her lips to start talking a few times, but each time she failed to come up with something to break the thick layer of ice that seemed to have fallen over the room. Finally, Hiccup did it for her.
"So, what the Hel?" he asked simply, a quick glance in her direction.
"What the Hel, what?"
"You and Heather basically have a battle to the death in the middle of the street."
"Oh, it wasn't that out of control, you're exaggerating."
Hiccup tore his eyes off his work to stare at her, "If she hadn't blocked some of those attacks, she would be dead."
Astrid felt her cheeks warm a little bit, a combination of embarrassment and being able to finally look deep into those green eyes from this close. She could just reach out and grab him by his jacket and... she had already latched the door! She felt the heat rise more at the thought and tore her eyes away.
"I dunno," she replied stupidly, "just jealous, I guess."
"Jealous?" Hiccup replied skeptically, "Why?"
"Just," Astrid looked down at her feet, pushing around some loose dirt, "those swords were really beautiful and must have taken a long time," she mumbled, "and you really do the most amazing work and maybe I thought that, I don't know, maybe I thought I would have at least made the list of someone you, you know, wanted to make… It's stupid, I'm sorry for chasing off your girlfriend."
A small laugh escaped Hiccups lips and Astrid glared over at him. "Who would have seen a day Astrid Hofferson was tongue tied with me. What a reversal of fates." He looked over again, a gentle half-smile on his lips, "Let's say I were going to make the amazing and beautiful," Astrid's face flushed a little again, "Astrid Hofferson something. What would it be?"
"An axe." She said instantly, not even needing to think.
"Oh yeah? Something wrong with this one? Seems to be in pretty good shape to me."
Astrid chewed her lower lip as she thought. The axe was actually perfect. It was a Snoggletog gift from her dad when she was 14 and in four years it had never chipped or rusted. The sheer amount of tree trunks she had thrown the head into and it never seemed to dull or split the blade was astounding. She quirked her mouth and looked around the room, trying to figure out some lie of what was the matter with it.
"It would just be a real shame to finally get rid of this thing, ya know? It kind of represents you, like an icon. You have had it for years now."
She finally looked back at him, smiling, and he returned it, showing a few teeth her direction. The moment seemed peaceful, perfect, just them enjoying each other's company. He finally looked back down at the axe in his hands.
"Plus, did you know that you hold an axe about five inches higher than most other Vikings? It was a real bitch to get the balance right the first time. Took me weeks. Would be a real pain in the ass to have to do it again."
Astrid laughed a little as she looked around the shop again, swinging her feet off the ground a little. Wait, what? Her mouth opened a little as what he said dawned on her and she slowly looked back at him, meeting his staring gaze.
"Did you-"
"The very head," he continued, touching a finger to the middle of the axe head, "has a thin metal bar extending the length of the haft," he touched a few of the buckles along the wood, "these aren't just for show, they reinforce the wood so it doesn't split, but the head is melted seamlessly to the haft. Not just attached. You couldn't split the head from the haft even if the Red Death herself stepped on it."
"Hiccup…" Astrid breathed, not taking her eyes off him. It was as if some glow surrounded him at that moment. Every part of her ached for his touch, for his smell, for his taste. If she wasn't so entranced at that moment him, she would literally catapult herself over there.
"When you take metal like this," he went on, caressing both blades on the axe, "if you heat it, score it and cool it, it reinforces the strength of the metal, making it harder. Stronger. Harder to break. Gobber didn't know if there was a limit to how strong it could get but I didn't take any chances. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were in a fight and your axe head broke, leaving you defenseless."
Astrid wasn't even aware she had moved but she found herself sitting next to him, a few inches from his face as he continued. Her hand reaching out slowly towards the axe, and his hand, gingerly closing around both. He glanced quickly at her and gulped seeing how close she was.
"It takes about an hour to heat it, but not over heat it mind you, and adequately score both sides of the edge, and cool it before you can start the process over again." He placed the axe down, not relinquishing her hand, and turned more towards her, "One hundred times, each side. You could drop that axe off a cliff onto rocks and the metal wouldn't break."
She gave a small squeeze and slight tug on his hand, trying to not ruin the surreal moment in time. He allowed himself to be pulled just ever so slightly, but that was exactly the sign Astrid was looking for, as she closed her eyes and determinedly moved forward, noses touching an instant before their lips crashed together.
The entire world exploded. Every feeling was magnified every sense was heightened. She found herself thinking really weird things like how he smelled like soot and if she had ever noticed that before. How his fingers were just the right size to fill out her hand. How she could feel his heartbeat through his soft lips, and how it was hammering away in the most adorable way. Way too soon he pulled away, with labored breath and Astrid made the smallest whining sound. She wanted his lips back. She wanted more.
"It took me nearly all year to make that for your 14th. All year. When your dad finally came to pick it up he asked me if I wanted him to tell you who made it, but I chickened out. I figured if you thought I made it, you wouldn't want it. Like it would break, or something."
Astrid didn't say anything, her eyes never leaving his. She knew he had always had a crush on her, but this was beyond, this was…. Incredible. He didn't put a word on it, and she didn't need him to. At that moment, besides her parents, she had never felt so loved by another person. Her hand left his and made his way to his jacket.
He shot her a confused look for just a moment as she pulled on his jacket, using the leverage to swing her leg up and over his waist, straddling him. Her other hand came up and they both cupped his face while she looked down into those amazing green eyes. Lowering her head she engulfed his lips with hers again, this time touching his a few times with the tip of her tongue. Knock Knock she thought with a small smile, as he parted his lips and they fell into a rhythm of passion.
No one saw Astrid or Hiccup leave the Blacksmith for a very, very long time.