Of Fire and Flux: Legacy of an Apprentice

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Disclaimer: This was purely written for entertainment, not profit.

Chapter 1. Annealing

Sparks flew with every hammer strike, the rings echoing through the forge. It was the music that every blacksmith loved and Gobber was no different, but he wasn't cause of this orchestra of molten iron and ember. Rather it was the young man that stood over the anvil, working to restore a bent sword back to its proper shape, a casualty of a raid that occurred a few nights prior.

"You know Gobber, this would go much faster if you could give me a hand." The teen said as he paused and dragged his arm across his brow, wiping away the perspiration as well as giving him the appearance of a Collier.

Gobber just chuckled as he took in his apprentice's appearance before groaning as his body protested the sudden (for him) action of standing up as he hobbled over to the anvil, leaving his mug sitting on the counter.

"How bad is it Hiccup?"

The teen looked from the sword to the older man before heaving a sigh. "It would be easier to melt it down and start over from scratch."

Gobber nodded, this was the usual result after a raid. Vikings weren't known for proper weapon care in the heat of the moment.

"Aye lad, then you could put one of those grooves of yours in it."

"I'd rather not." The boy chuckled before continuing, "I recognize the grip, this is my uncle's sword and a fuller wouldn't do much more than make for extra work for us. It wouldn't be worth it."

Hearing that, Gobber joined his apprentice in chuckling, slapping the boy on the back with his good hand, laughing even louder as Hiccup glared at him before breaking out in a grin of his own.

"You'd be right again lad. Ol'Spitelout would do as well with a bar of iron stock as he would any kind of sword. But enough of d'at. Go get cleaned up and let's get some grub at the mead hall. I could use a drink," He paused in thought, "make that several."

"You've been drinking all day Gobber." Hiccup deadpanned, before tossing the sword into the pile of weapons that needed to be melted down.

"See lad; that was water. I taught you that it was important for a smithy to keep themselves in water." Gobber remarked as he walked over the wall to switch his prosthetic hand for one more suited to the upcoming task. "Workin' the metal is hot work and if you let yourself go for too long you'll be regrettin' it."

"Yeah, yeah…" The boy muttered as he finished the task of placing all the smithing tools back into their proper place around the forge before joining Gobber at the threshold that separated the forge from the village proper. "I just hope that mead hall has something other than fish tonight…"

The mead hall was the unofficial heart of the village. A place that usually rang with the sound of drinking, laughing, and general mayhem long into the night, and this night was the same as any other. Countless Viking conversations melded into a din that radiated throughout the cool summer night of village, not even reducing in volume as two more Vikings entered, sidestepping around the pair of Vikings that rolled by and out the open the door, not even sparing the newcomers a glance as they continued to brawl down the stairs that lead to the village proper.

Gobber inhaled deeply as he grasped Hiccup by the neck, the latter watching the earlier pair of Vikings roll out of sight. "It looks like you're in luck tonight lad, I can smell the roast boar from here. Ain't no fish on the menu tonight! Now go get us a bit of grub while I fetch us some drinks."

Hiccup nodded as he separated from Gobber, the older man bee lining for the barrels that contained the ales and mead while Hiccup headed towards the hearth and the women that were roasting the carcass and tended the other foods as Gobber's voice rang out over the din.

"Ye gods! Where has all the mead gone?!"

Hiccup sighed as a tittering serving wench handed a pair of wooden plates laden with food, thanking the woman, before turning and trying to spot Gobber's helmet among the sea of horns before spotting the trademark Nightmare horns that the man had attached to his helmet, surprised that the older man had chosen a table in a corner, away from the large group of Vikings that dominated the tables closer to fire pit.

"Took ya long enough boyo. Thought you mighta left me to be with other laddies."

"Other?" Hiccup asked, before noticing the direction the older man was looking, following Gobber's gaze to the table that held the village's fire brigade. The members consisting of the other teens of the village that were in the same age group as Hiccup.

There was his cousin Snotlout, the son of his father's brother, the same man whose ruined blade sat in forge waiting to be melted down. Next was Fishlegs, a large boy who was practically walking encyclopedia on all things concerning dragons; sometimes stopping by the forge to tell Hiccup another fact he learned from the dragon handbook, he was a good guy in Hiccup's opinion a bit of an oddity among his peers but a good guy nonetheless. Rounding off the last of males was Tuffnut, the male half of the Thorston twins, a teen was pretty much the middle of the road for the boys, not quite the ass like Snotlout, not as nice as Fishlegs but overall he was a decent guy.

"You know Hiccup, you don' have to sit here and keep an old man company. Go eat with your friends."

Hiccup just rolled his eyes as he turned from the teens to face Gobber. "I'd rather sit here with you, than eat with them, at least then I won't be ridiculed…" He shot Gobber a mild glare, "…too badly."

"Hiccup, I just…" Gobber paused as he gulped down some ale, "Rib ya, it's all in good fun. Now tell me lad, what's got you so down as of late?"

"It's…" Hiccup gestured to everything around him before sighing heavily, "You ever get the feeling that my father…"

Gobber interrupted the boy before he could finish, "Your father is proud of lad, even if he doesn't show it."

"Then why didn't he let me help with the raid the other night, he made stay in the forge for the whole thing."

"That's because he wanted to make sure that you were safe."

"But how am I supposed to leave my mark if I can't even leave the Smith?"

"You left your mark plenty enough." Gobber remarked before leaning back as a forkful of meat was jammed under his nose.

"I haven't destroyed anything in two years and you know it."

Gobber batted the fork away from his face before continuing, "I'm not talking about that and you know it. I'm talking about yer forging. More than half the weapons everyone was using that night were yours and none that was brought back were, and considerin' who were usin' em that's something to say."

Hiccup poked around his plate in silence before looking up at Gobber, "I understand that Gobber, but that doesn't help me in the least."

Now that comment had Gobber's attention, "What do you mean boy? How's not being one of the best Smiths this island 'as seen in years help ya?" He cocked an eye as his apprentice mumbled something under his breath, "Speak up lad, I can't 'ear a word that you're saying."

"Girls…" Hiccup muttered, hoping beyond hope that Gobber wouldn't pull a typical Gobber...

"Girls lad?!"

Hiccup felt himself shrink down in his seat as he felt multitudes of eyes focus on him and Gobber. But soon the others went back to their own conversations, leaving Hiccup and Gobber to their own, hopefully without any further outbursts from Gobber.

"Yes…" Hiccup hissed as he glanced around, making sure no one else was paying attention to them before continuing on. "Yes Gobber, girls. I'm having issues with girls."

"P'shaw," Gobber waved his good hand in dismissal, "Why do you need to worry about girls? It's what? Your fourteenth summer?"

"Fifteenth actually…"

"Really?" Gobber asked as he picked a piece of food from his false tooth before tossing it over his shoulder. "Could've sworn it was fourteen, but it doesn't matter. You're young, much too early to be thinkin' bout girls."

"Gobber, if I was in another village, I would be married by now."

"True…" Gobber nodded before continuing, "You would also have done the whole first night thing…" He chuckled as he noticed the stupid grin that was Hiccup was wearing, "…in front of an audience." He couldn't help but relish the mortification on Hiccup's face.

"Villages still do that?"

"Aye, ours did too, stopped quite recently now that I think about it." Gobber rubbed his chin.

"So what caused the change?" Hiccup asked.

Gobber leaned forward and whispered something in Hiccup's ear.

"Really?"

"Aye, Stoick had a bit of performance anxiety with your ma…"

Hiccup wasn't sure if he would be able to look his father in the eye for a long a time after what Gobber had told him, and while funny it still didn't help him with his current situation.

"What I'm saying lad, you have plenty of time before you need to worry about girls, much less than killin' dragons."

"But Gobber, doing one result in the other."

"Really? Didn't know that bedding girls resulted in dead dragons. How could we have missed that? Oh wait it doesn't, but imagine if it did. Ev'rything would be hunky dory aside from the sudden population boom in Berk but I'm sure that would balance itself out in time."

"Now Gobber. You know that wasn't what I talking about."

"But that's the only reason lads your age worry about killing dragons. All the attempts at glory just for a chance that a girl will drop her undies, never mind the fact that going after a dragon has a good chance resulting in losing a limb or dying if they're unprepared."

"So you do understand."

"That you want some girl's undies to drop for you?"

"Yes… I mean no. I meant the glory. If I managed to kill a dragon I think my father would be proud of me and I would actually have a chance to get a date."

Gobber took a deep draw from his mug. "Your father is proud of ye, even if he doesn't show it. As to the matter of the fairer sex, more girls than ya know been paying attention to ya. Like the Magrid girls, they've been always hanging around the forge when their parents didn't have any chores for them to do."

"They're nine and ten."

"I did mention that you shouldn't be in a hurry, those two girls will grow into a fine pair of lasses."

"They're Phlegma's daughters." Hiccup deadpanned.

"What does that…?" He stopped to think about just what Hiccup had said. "You do have a point there. So what are you trying to do? Impress the Hofferson girl or the Thurston twin."

"I do hope you're speaking about Ruffnut when you said twin."

"Of course laddy, everyone know Tuffnut can't cook worth a damn, would make a terrible wife. Ruffnut though…"

"…Is crazy."

"Can still cook though, good lineage as well. She's just a bit off. But you know what they say about the crazy ones…"

"I don't actually." Hiccup said.

"That they're crazy in bed. Always a good thing in my opinion, there's still the Hofferson girl, though she would be a bad choice for ya."

"How?" Hiccup asked, Astrid was the epitome of a shield maiden in training. She could handle an axe, could throw a punch that could floor Snotlout, and personally she was the early bloomer of the girls in his age group. Not that he would ever tell her, he valued his limbs intact thank you.

"Two things, one she's a bit too severe if ya ask me. Always trainin, always trying to be number one. She'd either be as active as a salted cod in bed or she'd be the man in that situation. My money would be on the former, but the latter is still a possibility."

Hiccup looked torn as he tried to comprehend what Gobber just said. "Did Astrid do something to piss you off?"

"The girl? No, just giving my observation. Now her father? If there is one piece of advice that you should ever take from me, never, ever play a game against Haldron Hofferson."

"Is this about him winning one of your hands in a game of knucklebones isn't it?"

Gobber's face suddenly looked like he had swallowed something sour. "That's beside the point. You don't want a girl like Astrid," he finished with a long swig of ale and gave the room a sweeping glance, noting several sets of eyes that seemed linger on his apprentice a bit more than necessary.

"So what should I do Gobber?"

"You need to finish your meal and turn in early. We have a long day in the forge tomorrow."

Summers in Berk were quite comfortable by most standards. The days never warmed to uncomfortable levels, bugs were a very minor nuisance, and food was plentiful. All this combined to make summer a very enjoyable season for the residents of Berk.

The forge on the other hand had none of these perks. It was always hot, swarming bugs would be a welcome addition if it meant going without burns from the stray sparks, and one didn't worry about food when you only had so much time to work metal while it was malleable or you would be spending more time next to the unbearably hot coals, but Gobber wouldn't give it up for the all the gold in the Viking isles.

He could do without the heat though, yak wool wasn't exactly suited for the forge, but he would be damned before he removed his shirt. It took two weeks before Hiccup could look at him without rolling around on the ground laughing and he wasn't wanting for a repeat performance.

Speaking of his apprentice… He found he wasn't the only feeling the heat. Sweat covered the boy's brow as he worked the bellows, working to get the coals hot enough to melt down the unsalvageable weapons. Hiccup had long stripped himself down to just a pair of trousers and a heavy leather apron, though Gobber was pretty sure the boy was cursing him for making him wear the damn thing, but Gobber hadn't been a blacksmith for so many years without picking up a few things, like the odd scar on his right nipple and he was pretty sure Hiccup didn't want to take after him that much.

"Gobber, bout how much more pumping do you think this batch needs."

Gobber looked up from the sword he was currently hammering back into shape to look into the melting pot that was filled with broken weapons and various metal scraps, taking note of the smaller bits starting to puddle.

"Not much longer lad, give them bellows a couple more pumps then go hit the rain barrel. You're sweatin' up a storm and I don't need you to passin' out."

Nodding to Gobber, Hiccup gave a few more pumps to the bellows, before stepping back from the coals as he made his way past the older man and headed outside to the barrel of rainwater.

As he walked to the side of the forge, he took notice of the people in the village. For being so early in the day, it was surprisingly busy for the time of day. Fisherman were docking as others were unloading their catches, cod and haddock giving the air around the docks a faint odor. Hiccup could smell the unmistakable scent of baking bread wafting from the bakery two buildings over, causing Hiccup's stomach to remind him just how long ago breakfast was. Hiccup was even sure he spotted the twin's mother arguing with another woman over a bolt of some cloth, making him wonder if their mother was the cause of the twin's penchant for arguing. But that was a thought for another time, he was still sweating buckets and he could've sworn he saw heat waves rising from his arms. He needed to cool down now because Vikings outside of Gobber had no idea about heat stroke or how to deal with it properly…

"Hi Hiccup!"

*Ting* *Ting* *Ting*

Gobber cursed under his breath as a stubborn axe head refused to bend to his hammer blows. He cursed even louder as the axe chipped with his last blow, pinging off the tong that was part of his smithing prosthetic, but they say that all things happen for a reason, and if he hadn't damaged that blade he would've missed the sight of two young girls approaching his apprentice. Yeah, a small bit of extra work was worth it, just to bear witness a boy's first experience with forward girls…

'Now this'll be an insterestin' sight…'

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"Hi Hiccup!" A pair of voices chorused from behind the boy, startling him as he found himself backed against the wall by a pair of young girls.

"Um…" It took him several seconds to place names to the pair of faces in front of him. It was Iona and Unn, Phlegma's daughters… "Hi."

The larger of the two stepped forward, Unn, Hiccup reminded himself and presented a small metal pot to him, blushing quite attractively… for a ten year old.

"We brought you some lunch."

Hiccup found himself holding a pot as the girl's sister gave him a covered basket filled with bread if his nose was correct.

"Boar and barley stew along with a couple loaves of bread baked fresh this morning," Stated Unn.

"Our mama helped!" Iona added with a grin that was missing two front teeth.

Hiccup smiled uneasily at the girls, completely unaccustomed to people being nice to him. Civil yes, nice no. He was completely out of his element here. "Thanks?"

The duo just grinned, ignoring the nervousness that pouring from Hiccup in waves. "Tell us how you like it," The girls chorused as they bounded off as quickly as they came, leaving Hiccup standing there with both hands full.

Hiccup just stared at the girls' retreating forms before looking down to the containers that filled his hands, just missing the sight of the girls getting dragged behind a building by an unknown assailant, and while he still wasn't quite sure what he could make of the fact that two girls he didn't really know brought him lunch.

"Quit yer lollygaggin' Hiccup and get in 'ere. That pot be ready fer pourin, and the sooner it's poured the sooner we can call it a day."

Leave it to Gobber to pull him away from a strange line of thinking, it offset the assorted eccentricities the man had.

"What's that in your hands lad?" Gobber asked as he gestured to the two containers the boy was holding.

"Unn and Iona brought us some lunch."

"Phlegma's girls?"

"Aye." Hiccup quipped before wincing as he realized he was finding more and more of Gobber rubbing off on him than he liked.

"Doubt' those two had me in mind when they brought you that," Gobber muttered.

"You say something Gobber?" Hiccup asked as he sat his two parcels down and checked the melting pot.

"I said to grab your gloves so we can pour that batch out and eat."

Hiccup nodded as he made his way deeper into the forge, finding his heavy leather gloves in the room Gobber gave him before something in the back of his mind told him to yell at Gobber. "Gobber!"

"I wasn't doin' anything!"

Hiccup lifted up the flap of hide that separated his room from the rest of the forge before sighing. That inkling was right, he caught Gobber with his finger nearly in the stew pot with a look more akin to a child caught a hand in the honey jar.

"Gobber…" Hiccup sighed out, "You couldn't wait a few minutes?"

The older man had the sense to look a little ashamed, "I couldn't 'elp it. It just smelled so good."

"I was going to split it with you," Hiccup groused before continuing, "That mold ready to go?"

"Aye lad," Gobber tapped the wooden frame that contained the casting sand with his wooden leg as he grabbed a squared off bar of iron that was bent on one end, that he threaded through two holes on the melting pot. "Ya ready lad?"

Hiccup nodded as he grabbed his end of the metal bar and worked with his master to wrestle the pot off the coals and shimmied towards the casting mold before pouring the molten metal slowly and soon the task was finished, leaving a pair of sweating males in its wake.

"Ya kno' Hiccup, if it was fall or even winter I wouldn't mind some metal casting, but summer is no time to be doin' it."

"Can't say I disagree with you on that, Gobber."

"At least it's done and should be a quite a while before we be needin' to do it again. Now divvy out that stew," Gobber grinned, "I'm wastin' away here."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "It'd take a bit more than a day of working the forge for you to waste away."

"My point still stands. Now put that pot on the coals while I grab some bowls."

So Hiccup did as he was as he watched Gobber rummaging through a corner of the forge, stirring the pot every so often so the stew wouldn't burn; wasting food, after all, was still a sin, even during the plentiful seasons.

"Found some!" Gobber yelled as he hobbled back to Hiccup, producing a pair of wooden spoon as well if by magic.

"Those are clean right?" Hiccup asked as he eyed the pair of bowls Gobber was holding.

"Clean as a babe on Laurdag… Don't give me that look. I'm a believer in proper hygiene."

"When was the last time you washed that shirt?"

Gobber looked up in thought, "What day is it?" before he shook his head, "Never you mind that, now ladle out that grub."

Hiccup sighed as he noted Gobber's sad attempt of misdirection but laundry matters aside he did as asked, dividing the stew evenly between him and Gobber as the man handed him a loaf of bread from the basket Iona gave him earlier.

Gobber rubbed his tongs with his good hand in a gesture better suited for those of the two handed variety. "If this tastes as good as it smells, we're in for a treat."

Hiccup couldn't help but agree as the aroma reached his nose, but smell was one thing, taste was another and Hiccup was still a bit weary of food freely given to him thanks to his cousin. So with a quiet eye, he watched Gobber lift a spoonful of broth to his mouth before taking a bite himself.

"Oh…" Gobber moaned euphorically, "…this is so good. Phlegma's girls made this?" He asked.

"With her help according to Unn."

"I don't believe it," Gobber said before leaning towards to Hiccup and began to whisper conspiringly, "Phlegma may be a great shield maiden, but the woman is helpless when it comes to cooking. Just don't tell her I said that, she would tan my hide."

Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle at Gobber's statement as he ate, finding that Gobber was right. The stew was better than anything from the mead hall could offer and the bread was just as good…

"I told you those girls would be quite a catch, they can cook, and they can bake, and in a few years will be quite the lookers."

"You make it sound like they're a matching set, Gobber."

"Who says I'm not?" Gobber asked with a wink, causing Hiccup to blush profusely at the insinuation.

"I can't do that…" Hiccup was trying to refrain from flushing even further, "You're suggesting I go after the both of them."

"And?"

"Need I remind you that I'm five years their senior, or the fact that I'm the 'Hiccup' of the tribe and no girl in their right mind would want me."

"You need to give yourself some credit Hiccup. You may be small compared to the others like Snotlout…" Gobber ignored the wince his apprentice gave at the mention of his cousin, "…but that's what makes you well… you."

"And the dating both of them? At the same time?"

"Well… You Haddocks do have a way of going against tradition. Don't give me that look, I've heard Johann's stories, some tribes on the main land do the multiple wives things, think he called it a harem."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this, or that you're the one suggesting this madness."

"I'm just offering my honest opinion." Hiccup may have been unaware of the attention he was receiving as of late, but Gobber wasn't. He watched the proceedings with Phlegma's girls from start to finish, he also saw who dragged them behind that house. Gobber could recognize those bracer's anywhere… "I'm just saying one should test a crossbow before buying it."

"You tried the crossbow I made without testing it."

Gobber began to chuckle.

"You didn't listen to one warning I gave…"

Gobber's chuckling took a nervous edge.

"My father was so angry when you nearly put a quarrel through his head."

Gobber completely stopped chuckling as he remembered the rest of the story.

"Still…" Hiccup paused for a moment before continuing, "…he was even madder when he failed to dodge your hook that followed it."

Gobber remembered that day. Hiccup had finally managed to complete that crossbow he had spent weeks tweaking and the thing was a work of art in Gobber's opinion. A Stock made from ironwood, yew limbs that were reinforced with spring steel (one of Hiccup's more recent discoveries), and a truly unique latching system that prevented any form of misfire even if the thing was dropped. What Gobber wasn't expecting was the velocity that the thing could shoot or just how far a quarrel could penetrate with that amount of force behind it, much less how it far it could launch the hook from his prosthetic when it snagged the string, launching it like the quarrel a.

It took Gobber two hours to manage to calm Stoick down, all the while trying to keep a straight face as hook bounced from its embedded position in Stoick's helmet. That was a memory that was going to stick with him till the end of his days.

"True, I did fire that crossbow without heeding your warnings, but that's not the point I'm trying to make lad. I'm just saying to shop around before you anchor yourself down," Gobber said before a voice interrupted their conversation.

"Gobber, you here. Have a job for ya."

Gobber found himself torn between sighing and smirking as a blonde braided head jabbed itself over the counter between himself and Hiccup.

"There you are," Ruffnut Thorston chirped before noticing that one of her braids was nearly in Gobber's bowl, "Sorry, didn't know you two were eating."

"Well lass, we were. Now tell me what's so important that you needed to interrupt us so?"

"It's my spear."

"I figured that, what's it need? Bit of sharpening eh?"

Hiccup was actually surprised at the slightly embarrassed look that came over Ruffnut's face.

She laughed awkwardly, "Something like that…"

"Well, hand it over lass…" Gobber said as he sat his lunch down and reached with for the weapon with his good hand, finally seeing the spearhead, "You do know a spear is meant to be jabbed with right."

Hiccup had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing as Ruffnut flushed with embarrassment, but Gobber had a point. Even from his spot to the side he could see the damage to the spear, one of the edges was folded over completely and Ruffnut had actually managed to bend the blade. It was beyond a simple repair job, the thing would need to be completely reforged.

"I hit a stone by accident when I was practicing with it."

'More like wacked yer brother with it,' Gobber thought to himself. "Well, ya can leave it here girl and come by later to pick it up."

Ruffnut twirled a braid as she thought of something to say, something that could be an excuse so she wouldn't have to leave so soon. Finally deciding that simple was better. "I need it soon for… hunting. Hunting yeah…"

Gobber just cocked a brow at the girl, one didn't get to his age without hearing or giving an excuse at some point in life, and he knew an excuse when he heard one. "Well lass, if you don't mind helping a bit, I'm sure Hiccup could get your spear whipped into shape in no time." Gobber said, laughing at the reaction from the two teens, Ruffnut's look of glee and Hiccup's glare.

"Why do I have to do it?" Hiccup asked, still glaring.

"Well lad, I'm in the middle of my lunch and you seem to be done." He said, glancing at the empty bowl the boy was holding. "Didn't know you liked the girls' cooking so much." Gobber noted the slight narrowing of Ruffnut's eyes at the mention of the other girls. "And since I like to enjoy my food at my own pace, I'm going to. You on the other hand have nothing to do, we still have some time before we knock out those ingots so you might as well fix her spear… don't give me that look. It's not ev'ryday you get a cute lass helping ya in the forge." He finished with a wink to Ruffnut, causing the girl to flush slightly at the praise. "She might also gain a bit more appreciation for a weapon when she finds out how much work goes into making it."

Hiccup just sighed as he reached for spear, pulling it from Gobber's grasp, "Follow me and try not to touch anything without asking, there's a lot of things here that could hurt you."

"Ahh…" Ruffnut crooned and fluttered her eyes, "…you care."

Hiccup hoped he wasn't blushing as hard as he felt from the girl's remark, as he led the girl further into the back of the forge before explaining what had to be done to fix the spearhead.

"First thing we need to do is remove the head from the shaft…"

Tuffnut groaned to himself as he listened to Fishlegs, as the duo walked through the village, as his mind drifting to thoughts about his twin. Ruffnut had taken to spending less and less time with him, instead going off on her own without telling him why. Leaving him to seek company from either Snotlout or Fishlegs, not that he minded too much. Snotlout was brash and a bit of an ass, but he was still Tuffnut's best friend. Fishlegs' on the other hand had a tendency to ramble on about all sorts of subjects… like he was currently doing now.

"…I heard they managed to catch a Gronkle, Tuff. Can you believe it?"

"Huh? You say something?"

Fishleg's rolled his eyes, but repeated what he had said a moment ago, "I said the adults managed to catch a Gronkle the other night. Also heard them mentioning using it for the upcoming dragon training."

That caught Tuffnut's attention, he had forgotten all about it. It was one of the most important events for a teen on Berk, a rite of passage. He would be expected to complete it with his sister, it was expected of any teen that reached fifteen summers. But before he could think any further about it, he felt Fishlegs' grab his arm.

"Are you excited Tuff? It's our turn this year!"

"Help!"

Tuffnut swore he could hear someone calling out for help, the sound nearly drowned by Fishlegs' voice.

"Don't tell me you haven't been paying attention to word I've been saying…"Fishlegs grumbled only to be silenced as Tuffnut held up a hand.

"Did you hear someone call for help just now?"

Fishlegs just shook his head, preparing to continue with his speech…

"Help us please!"

… Before hearing what Tuffnut must've heard a moment ago.

In silence, both teens looked to each other before looking over the empty square, as the voice called out again, coming from their left.

"You heard that too, right?" Tuff asked his husky companion.

"I think it's coming from that barrel by that building."

True to form, there was a barrel, which by itself wasn't anything too damning. In a place that was prone to fires, every house had a barrel somewhere that collected rainwater, but this one had a lid on it and now as they approached, seemed to be moving.

"Think we should open it?" Fishlegs asked, appearing to be slightly scared of the moving wooden container.

Tuffnut just smacked the boy's shoulder before stepping up to the barrel and trying to pry the lid from it, finding out that it was jammed in there. "Fishlegs, give me a hand. I can't get the top to budge."

Together, with quite a bit of effort on the duo's part, they managed to remove the top. Revealing a pair of freckled, green-eyed faces, before the world went black for Tuffnut…

Hiccup grabbed a small pair of pliers from the wall before walking back to the bench he placed the spear, pointing out the bit of metal that fastened the head to the shaft, "That…" he tapped the bit of metal again, "…is the rivet, it's what holds the metal to the wood. We need to pull it to separate the two."

Ruffnut nodded at Hiccup's explanation, glancing between the weapon and the boy that was explaining things to her.

"Good, now the first thing we need to get a good…" He grabbed at the bit of metal with the pliers, "…grip, and then you pull," and wrenched the rivet free, loosening the spearhead from the shaft, making sure to set the rivet aside so it could be replaced later. "Next we need to heat the metal so it's easier to work with."

Hiccup added the spearhead and a shovelful of charcoal to forge before turning to Ruffnut, "You mind pumping the bellows a few times to heat the coals?"

Ruffnut nodded as she positioned herself behind the bellows and tried to repeat the action she had seen Gobber and Hiccup do countless times in the past. Lifting the free arm of the bellow with one hand and attempted to press it down, only to find the thing wouldn't budge an inch, before the sounds of Hiccup chuckling reached her ears.

"The valve has a habit of getting itself stuck closed. Try using both arms and put your weight into it; that should free the valve."

Ruffnut just gave him a glare but did what Hiccup suggested, grabbing the handle with both hands and leaned her weight into it, managing to free the valve and blowing a jet of air through the coals. The next couple of pumps were much easier than the first but she keep both hands on the bellow handle as she pumped, not paying attention to just what her actions were affecting.

Hiccup on the other hand was witness to it all. Like how Ruffnut's hair hung and swung with each movement, how her shirt wasn't as tight as Hiccup imagined, revealing those…Oh gods he ogling Ruffnut. The female half of the terrible twins. All he could hope for was that no one saw him… oh Odin, Gobber was giving him a knowing grin…

"I'm gonna go see your old man, Hiccup. Mind the shop while I'm gone."

And with that said, Gobber stood up and left the forge. And now he was alone… with a girl… a girl who was breathing heavily from exertion, whose chest was heaving, almost revealing those pink… Hiccup shook his head to clear his mind. He couldn't perv on Ruffnut, she was the type that would have no qualms about castrating him and her brother… Gods, Hiccup didn't want to think of what Tuffnut would do to him if he caught him staring at his twin.

"How much longer do I need to pump this thing?" Ruffnut asked, looking up at Hiccup, giving him another peak at that glorious valley.

"Th…that should be enough," Hiccup cursed himself for stuttering, but the girl didn't seem to notice as she sidled next to him.

"How long does it need to be in the fire before we can start whacking it?"

Hiccup just glanced at her, "We're not going to 'whack' anything. I'm going to reshape it, and it shouldn't take too long before its workable." Hiccup said as he grabbed a pair of tongs and twisted the spearhead so he could see how it was heating up before releasing it and sitting the tongs off to the side as he rejoined Ruffnut in watching the metal heat up, "Maybe another minute or so."

The two stood in silence, listening to the crackle of the coals and pinging of the ingots that were cooling to the side, causing Hiccup to become more unnerved and aware of the girl's proximity to his side. He imagined any attempt of small talk would be shot down, the two shared nothing in common aside from both being residents of Berk and had Vikings for parents. So it was okay that he was surprised when Ruffnut was the first to break the silence.

"So what made you want to be a blacksmith?"

Hiccup just stared at her for a moment as he tried to think of a way to properly convey an answer. "I originally didn't want to be one, but it took an afternoon of Gobber showing me everything that he did to change my mind. It was…" He struggled to find the word he was looking for, "…cool."

"I could see that." Ruffnut looked around the forge, taking in the sights of weapons in all states of manufacture. "Speaking of which, I think my spear is ready."

Hiccup turned away from her to squint into the glowing coals, finding that she was right. Grasping the tongs he place aside earlier, he drew the red hot metal from the flames before moving towards the anvil, grabbing an appropriately sized hammer along the way, unaware that Ruffnut was a step behind till he felt a braid brush against a bare shoulder, causing him to drop the hammer in shock.

Flipping around, unconsciously swinging the still hot metal away as he found Ruffnut's face inches from his own. "Do you mind, it's a dangerous to be so close while I hammer, a piece could break off…"

The warning went unheeded as Ruffnut leaned even closer, "I like dangerous. Dangerous is fun…"

Hiccup swallowed uneasily, his brain absently filing away the memory of the girl's scent away for the future use before he bent down to pick up the fallen hammer, trying to ignore the feeling of the girl's gaze boring into his bare back. He needed to finish this task as soon as possible, he couldn't think straight with a girl this close to his person, it made him uncomfortable. Made this thoughts jumbled and took away his concentration with it. Yes, he needed to finish this, to start hammering before the metal cooled enough to be unworkable, but something in back of his mind told him to do something so… unhiccup-like.

He tossed the hammer and caught it by the head before presenting it to Ruffnut. "Would you like to try?" Hiccup asked, grinning when he saw the blonde girl's eye lit up at the suggestion.

He stepped aside to let the girl get close to the anvil, and held the spearhead still, waiting for her to try her first hammer swing only to catch her by the wrist as she wound her arm up for the strike.

"You need to be gentle with your strikes. This is a spearhead, not an axe." He twisted around her so he could guide her actions. Holding her wrist as he showed her the right amount of force to hammer with, just enough to coax the metal with minimal sparks, trying to hide his body's sudden stiffening as the girl leaned back into him. It was then that he realized just how much Ruffnut was taller than him, not too much but enough to make him wonder why the gods saw fit to make him well… a hiccup.

"This is harder than you and Gobber make it look," Ruffnut said as she looked over her shoulder into Hiccup's eyes, causing one of her braids to brush against the bare skin of his collarbone.

Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut as new and foreign sensations crashed over him. He could feel her warmth even through the leather of the apron, he could smell the scent of her hair as it filled his nose. Inside Hiccups mind was in conflict, instinct warring with commonsense, instinct wanted him to kiss and suck at that bit of exposed skin at the junction of her neck and shoulder; commonsense told him that she would most likely react unfavorably and that she was armed. So Hiccup had to bite the inside of his cheek to clear his mind as he led her through a few more strikes before a sudden hiss from the girl caught his attention.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked as he stepped back and to the side, eyes staring at the spot that she was rubbing on her arm. He let go of the tongs and held out both hands, "Let me see."

He tsked as he rolled up the sleeve, revealing an angry red spot on otherwise fair skin. "Looks like a burn, not too bad, shouldn't leave a mark after a day or so."

"Still hurts like the blazes," The girl hissed.

"Occupational hazard," Hiccup chuckled as he presented his left arm to Ruffnut. Years of forge work had left its mark, bits of skin was either shiny or dark from scar tissue and the odd gouge and scratch littered his skin, the result of metal that chipped over the years. He expected a 'hmm' maybe even an 'ooh' from Ruffnut, not the sensation of the girl tracing over each scar and mark… and there was that funny feeling in his chest again.

"All these are burns?" Ruffnut asked as she continued to trace the marks on his arms.

"Uh… not all of them," Hiccup pulled his arm back to comb his hand though his hair awkwardly as silence fell over the duo. It was an errant ping from the now cooled spearhead that broke the tension. "Think the spear needs to go back into the forge…"

"…Tuffnut…"

Voices…

"…You okay bud?"

Voices were the first thing that cut through the haze in Tuffnut's mind as he opened his eyes, finding his vision filled with Fishlegs' face.

"What happened?" He asked as he sat up.

"You got knocked out."

"What?" He asked again, not quite believing what Fishlegs was telling him.

"You got knocked out…" Fishlegs repeated before he added those damning words… "…by a ten year old girl."

He must've heard wrong, no way in hell did he, Tuffcup Thorston, get knocked flat by a girl five years his junior. "You're frigging kidding…right?"

Fishlegs nodded, "The little one kicked you a few times while you were down."

Tuffnut just looked up at his friend, "There was two?"

"Aye, recognized the two of them. They were Phlegma's girls. Not sure what you did to get them so angry, but they were determined."

Tuffnut could feel just how 'determined' they were with the way his face and ribs were aching. He raked his brain trying to figure out just what he did to draw their ire. It sure as hell wasn't a prank, you just didn't prank a family whose matron could snap an oar with her grip. So why the hell did get his ass kicked by a pair of girls for no reason?

88888

It took several sessions of heating and beating to get the spearhead back into its proper shape with Hiccup gently guiding Ruffnut's strikes before he returned the bit of metal back to coals for one more heating. He was proud of himself for not stiffening so much when Ruffnut propped her chin on his shoulder as she watched him cover the spearhead with coals.

"Why are you heating it up again?"

"We softened the metal with heat so it would be easier to work with, but now it's too soft to hold an edge. So we need to harden it."

"And putting it back in the fire fixes that?" She asked.

"Just watch." He said as he poked the coals and soon the metal was red hot and ready to be quenched. He grabbed it with his tongs and walked over to the water trough before he turned to Ruffnut, who as expected, followed his every step. "You might want to take a step back," and dipped the spearhead in the water, ignoring the hot water that splattered on him as the liquid sputtered and spit.

"What the dipping in water do?"

"Gobber says the metal expands when it's hot and the sudden change in temperature causes it to contract and harden." Seeing that the girl didn't understand, he went with a simpler approach. "Think wet wool."

"Ohh…" Comprehension dawned, "It shrinks?"

"Sort of, not sure exactly what happens But I know the metal hardens." Hiccup said as pulled the spearhead from the water, examining it for any cracks and looking down the edges of the blade to make sure it didn't warp. Thankfully everything went well, leaving a sooty but workable spearhead that just needed a bit of grinding to restore an edge. He flashed a grin to Ruffnut, "Just need to sharpen it now."

"Are you going to let me do that too?" Ruffnut asked excitedly, causing his grin to grow even further.

"Let me do one side, and once you see what I do, I'll let you do the other." He said as he took a seat at the pedal stone, pumping the pedal a few times to get the heavy sandstone wheel in motion before lightly pressing the edge of the spear into the grinding face. "The trick is to keep the edge at an angle at all times and since this is a spear you want to keep an angle like you were sharpening a knife."

He glanced up to find that Ruffnut wasn't even looking at his face, instead she focused on his hands, memorizing the positions of his hands and the spearhead. Hiccup couldn't help but smile at the determined look on her face, so odd compared to usual goofiness that her brother and herself usually wore, it was cute… Yes cute would be the term Hiccup would use when describing Ruffnut at this moment.

So with several more passes across the grinding stone, he found the edge to be satisfactory, before he stood up and gestured for Ruffnut to take his place as he handed her the half-finished weapon.

"Now you give it a try."

Gobber blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the mead hall. It was always dark here, a result of being cut into a stone face with the only bit of natural light coming from the hole in the ceiling, cut so that smoke from the great fire and the various cooking fires. So it was through this haze that Gobber searched for his quarry, finding it sitting far in the back, currently ripping through a haunch of meat.

"There you are Stoick!"

The large man looked up from his meal, eye widening at the man that dared interrupt before hard eyes gave way to mirth.

"Gobber my friend, what can I do for ya."

Gobber just waved him off as he hobbled over, taking a seat in front of his long-time friend and one time rival.

"Just stopped by for some talk, most of the forge work is done. Thought I'd let Hiccup keep an eye on the shop." Gobber said, noticing the slight narrowing in Stoick's eyes at the mention of Hiccup being alone in the forge. "Don't look like that man. Hiccup can take care of himself."

"You know what happened the last time you left him alone."

Gobber defended his apprentice. "That I do, he cleaned up the shop and organized m' tools, even finished a few jobs I had forgotten about. I don't get your thinking Stoick, Hiccup hasn't messed up anything for the village in years. I don't understand why you were worry about him so much?"

"You know why," Stoick said as he gave Gobber a look, "He makes things, dangerous things. Remember the bola launchers?"

"It was one tree…"

"That was as thick as me and you put together. I never knew a bit of rope and stone could cut a tree down better than an axe."

"It needed some work, Hiccup himself said that it most likely needed more adjustments. And you know something? He was right and now we use them, it give people who couldn't throw a bola worth a damn something to do to help ground the beasties. Hell I've seen Gothi use one…" And he did, it was one of the most amusing and disturbing things he ever witnessed. Amusing seeing the little old lady carefully aiming the contraption at a Nadder that was attempting to steal sheep. Disturbing because of the way she cackled when she fired, grounding that Nadder… permanently.

"You don't get what I'm sayin' Gobber. Hiccup's different, not like the other kids."

"Bit smarter than the others for sure," Gobber muttered before thanking the servant wench that brought him a mug of ale, before turning back to his friend. "You're just disappointed that the fruit of your and Val's union isn't the typical Viking spawn."

"Would that be wrong?" Stoick asked before he continued, "My great-grandfather was big, my grandfather was big, my father was the epitome of what a proper Viking was. How am I supposed to feel knowing that I produced a…"

Gobber scrunched up his face, the taste of ale souring as he listened to his friend begin to slip into one of his pity rants, "Will you quit that way of thinking? So what if Hiccup doesn't fit what you think of as the norm. Would you rather have a boy like Snotlout, all brawn and not an ounce of brains?"

Stoick just sighed as he thought of his nephew, Snotlout was… simple. Sure he had muscles, a physique that his father and uncle shared when they were that age, but the boy had the mind of a yak pie. Either making boasts that were simply impossible, or spend time trying to flirt his way into a girl's bed. No, he was thankful that he didn't sire another Snotlout. One in the world was enough. "You don't understand Gobber, you don't have a son. I need someone that can continue the Haddock line…"

Now that caused Gobber to grin, "Is that what haves your undies pinched? Worried that Hiccup can't find a woman?" He waved his hand in dismissal, "You needn't worry about that." Gobber relished the look of surprise that came over Stoick.

"What do you mean?" The chieftain asked.

"Just a little event that occurred earlier," Gobber picked a bit of lint from his shirt, "Hiccup got his first taste of cooking that came straight from the heart."

"Who?"

"Unn…"

"Phlegma's daughter?"

"…and Iona."

"Both daughters?" That surprised the chieftain, "Wait… How was it?" Stoick left the unasked question hanging.

"They don't take after her in that respect."

"Well that's goods… But both of them? Really?"

"Watched the whole thing from start to finish, and I can say in that respect the pair takes after their mother, they backed Hiccup into a wall so he couldn't escape and didn't give him a chance to refuse."

Stoick chuckled as he imagined Hiccup, pressed against a wall due to the forward nature of a pair of girls, younger girls at that. But then again… they were Phlegma's daughters…

"That's not ev'n the kicker, next the Thorston girl comes to the forge, fer repairs. Claimed to have damaged her spear on the rock, but I know my weapon damage and a rock doesn't damage a spear like that, but I'm going off on something else, back to the point. I tell the girl to leave it and pick it up later, but she comes up with this cockamamie excuse that she needs it for hunting. Can you believe it? Everyone knows early morning is the best time fer huntin'. So I tell her if she needs it so bad, that she can help Hiccup fix it, and you know what? She looked like a Terrible Terror that found the pantry…"

Now Stoick was torn, not sure if he should be happy or worried that Hiccup managed to attract the attention of the girl. On one hand, the Thorston family was one of the elder families, one of the few that came to this island when it was first settled, and he was good friends with her parents. On the other hand, her and her brother was the cause of many of his headaches as of late. At least it wasn't like Gobber left her alone with…

With a speed that belied a man of his stature, Stoick had stood up and was halfway towards the door. Now Hiccup might have been fine around razor sharp blades and molten metal, Ruffnut sure as hell wasn't.

"You're doing quite nicely Ruffnut." Hiccup complemented the girl as she sat at the grinding wheel, noting that the girl took his advice to heart.

"Is it supposed to be getting warm?" She asked as she kept pumping her foot.

"That's normal, it's just friction from the grinding."

"Cool," Ruffnut said as she pulled the spearhead back to examine her work so far, pleased with her effort as she presented it to Hiccup for further inspection. "How'd I do?"

Hiccup took the blade from her and dragged a finger over an edge, not even flinching as it cut. The girl was good, really good. But enough to pass the 'Viking' test? That would be next as he plucked a couple strands of hair from his head and moved towards the open window so he would have better light.

"Why'd you pull out some of your hair?"

"It's how we test the edge of sword. You're supposed to hold the sword in running water and float a hair down the water so it meets the edge. If the blade cuts it, it means the sword is good."

"And Gobber does this?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Gobber, who has been bald as long as we've been alive, tests his blades with strands of hair."

"He has a magnificent pelt of back hair," Hiccup quipped, laughing himself as Ruffnut broke down in fit of giggling. "But since this isn't a sword and the nearest stream is several miles away, we're going to have to improvise."

So he did, holding the hairs between his fingers and pressed it against the blades edge, whistling as the hair fell in pieces.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup looked in the direction to he heard his name called from, surprised to find his father jogging towards the forge with Gobber in tow, the smith hobbling a few steps behind the village chief. "Dad?"

"Thank the gods, I was worried when Gobber said he left you with…" Stoick finally noticed the person standing next his son, who seemed none too worse for wear, "…Never mind."

"You were worried about me and Ruffnut?" Hiccup asked, not quite sure how to take this line of thinking from his father.

"I wouldn't say worried, it was more like concern…"

Hiccup glanced between his father and Gobber, the latter gesturing and rolling his eyes behind his friend's back, revealing that his father was indeed worried about him. "Why would you be worried about Ruffnut and me?" Hiccup could've sworn he heard his father mutter something about yaks under his breath. "What?"

"I was worried that she would somehow get you involved in one of her harebrained schemes."

"Schemes?" Hiccup asked, as he cocked a brow and turned to the girl next him, causing her to flush slightly as she found herself the center of attention of two Haddocks.

"Aye son, but seeing that the forge is still standing, I think I might've been a bit 'asty with my assumptions," Stoick shot the girl a look, "Right?"

Ruffnut nodded automatically, "Yes sir."

Hiccup wouldn't believe it if he wasn't witness to it, but Ruffnut was actually being polite.

"And there'll be no more of these 'pranks', it took us a day to get that yak down from that tree…" And with that said, Stoick turned and headed back the way he came.

"Typical Stoick. Rushes about as if Ragnarok is upon us and Fjalar is readying to crow…" Gobber sighed, before he turned to his apprentice, "Promise me Hiccup, that when you become chief that you don't take after your father in that respect."

"I can pretty much guarantee that, Gobber." Hiccup said before finding himself nearly bowled over by a pat on the back.

"Good lad, now with that settled I think I'm going go back and finish my drink. It's a sin to waste good ale."

"Gobber it's not even noon time, you shouldn't be drinking this early…"

"You ain't me ma or chief yet, boy. So you can't tell me what I can and can't do yet. So if y'all would excuse me, I have an ale that needs drinkin', so keep out of trouble." Gobber turned to follow after Stoick before he looked over his shoulder, "Though… if you two feel like doing something to ol'Mildew, I'm sure your father would look the other way. That bugger's been raising up another stink."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at Gobber, "We'll keep that in mind," before turning to the girl to his side, noting the mischievous grin she was sporting, "No."

Gobber just waved, "Just keep what I said in mind."

"Your ale is going flat, Gobber."

"Right you are. I'll be back later to help knock those ingots out."

Finally they were alone, a boy, a girl, a strange oddness settled over the two before Hiccup turned to Ruffnut…

"How does one get a yak into a tree?"

Tuffnut heaved a sigh as he closed the door to his home as he flopped himself down in his father's chair. It was still early afternoon and yet he felt drained, exhausted, even going so far as wanting a nap. What he had expected to a typical day for him and turned into anything but.

He had planned on tracking down his sister so they could formulate some new mischief, nothing too malicious, but just enough to get people's minds off the previous raid, but Ruffnut's audacity to not wanting to be found nipped that in the bud. Leaving him to go with his Plan B, only for that to fall flat as well, the result of Snotlout helping his old man with something, just what exactly, he didn't know. That left Plan C, find Fishlegs and wander the village, hopefully find Ruffnut so Plan A could be put into action, and what did that get him? A black eye and bruised ribs, all because he couldn't find his sister…

"Mom! Dad! Anyone home?!"

'Well speak of the devil, now Ruff is about. When I'm too tired and sore to do much of anything.' Tuffnut thought to himself as he found his body moving on its own, unconsciously taking a position of many a father would years before and years to come, as he watched Ruffnut enter their home and quietly shut the door behind her, completely unaware of the figure that sat there in the shadows.

"Where were you?" Tuff asked, causing the girl to jump in fright before turning to glare at the shadowy figure.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You scared me half to death!"

Tuffnut ignored her glare, asking the question again, "Where were you… We were supposed to go prank Mildew today."

"Something came up…" Ruffnut said as she looked away and tried to hide the spear she was carrying behind her back. An action that caught Tuffnut's attention.

"Why are you trying to hide your spear?" Tuffnut asked as he noticed his sister's inadequate attempt of concealing her weapon, "You didn't break it did you?" He twisted his body to try and get a better look at the weapon, "Dad would have your hide if you did. You know what he had to trade to Gobber to get our spears…"

"I didn't break it, I… bent it a little bit."

"And how the hell did you manage to that?"

Ruffnut mumbled something a bit too quiet for him to hear.

"Speak up, I can't hear you."

She repeated herself a bit louder, "I bent it on a barrel okay."

The look on her face when she said barrel caused something to tickle in the back of his mind, but Tuffnut ignored it. "So you drop off your spear and Gobber whacks it till it's fixed. You didn't have to abandon me."

"It isn't just whacking it, a lot of work goes into making a spear!" Ruffnut barked, revealing her newfound knowledge.

Tuffnut furrowed his eyebrows as he begun to glare, "So you're are telling me that you ditched me, to hang out with Gobber, of all people?"

"I didn't do it to hang out with Gobber."

"Who the hell else would be at the forge? The only people that work there are Gobber and…" Comprehension dawned on the boy, "You ditched me to hang out with HICCUP?! Why would you want to skip out on pranking to hang out with him? He's a geek, a shrimp…"

"He has strong hands." Ruffnut interrupted, her mind reveling in those newly made memories from earlier.

"He has strong hands…" Tuffnut continued before catching what he just said, as he narrowed his eyes at his twin. "How you do know how strong his hands are?"

Ruffnut jumped at the chance to piss her brother off further. "I had them on me, and I have to say they felt soooo good on my skin." She neglected to mention that Hiccup only held her hands when he was helping her, preferring to let her brother jump to his own conclusions.

"His hands felt good? How did they feel good? What did you two do that he needed to use his hands?" An urge that was completely foreign to him started to surge through his being…

Ruffnut just kept a straight face as she watched a myriad of emotions cross her brother's, all the while laughing on the inside, "He held me as he ran those strong hands down my arms…"

And… that was the straw that broke the camel's back and while he didn't hate Hiccup per se, there would be a better chance of Mildew reciting an epic about the things that dragons accomplished than Tuffnut being cool with Hiccup molesting his sister… "I'll kill him."

Now if his traitorous body would just listen to him, but even the act of trying to lean forward made his ribs burn and breaths come in short bursts, something that even his usually oblivious sister noticed.

"What happened to you? You do something to piss off Snotlout again?"

"I got my ass kicked earlier."

"So… it was Snotlout?"

"No," he grunted, "I'll tell you what happened but you have to promise not to laugh."

Ruffnut quirked a brow at her brother's comment, "Did Fishlegs kick your ass?"

Tuffnut sighed as he prepared himself, "Phlegma's daughters beat me up…" He continued, ignoring the laughter that he was sure that coming, "…after me and Legs helped them. Can you believe it? Even after we got them out of that barrel…" He finally noticed that Ruffnut wasn't on the ground laughing at him, "Why aren't you laughing?"

"I had forgotten about them…"

"Forgotten about who? Wait?! You're the reason they were in that barrel? Are you mad, woman?! You know we don't do anything to Phlegma's family! What the hell made you want to screw with them?"

Ruffnut was once again mumbling, this time in an embarrassed tone.

"I didn't quite catch that."

"They brought Hiccup food."

"And? Who cares if they brought him food? You don't mess with the Madrids."

Ruffnut flushed, "You wouldn't understand…"

Tuffnut just rolled his eyes, "Understand what? That you're the reason I got my ass kicked, all because you were acting like a jealous gir… oh my gods, I can't believe it, you're jealous, jealous of two girls, two younger girls, just because they brought him food?" He looked upwards to the heavens before turning back to his sister, a grin plastered on his face, "Never thought I'd see the day."

Ruffnut didn't like the look on her brother's face. "What do you mean?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"You," He gestured to her, "Ruffnut Thorston. Acting like a girl. Now that I think about, isn't that a sign of Ragnarok?" He asked jokingly.

"What the hell does that mean?" She stomped over to the chair that contained her brother, lifting him up so they were eye to eye. "Are you saying I don't act womanly?"

"You can out burp Gobber, you beat up Snotlout regularly, then there's…" Tuffnut just looked his sister up and down, "…this."

"You do know I will hit you right?" She raised her fist threateningly.

Tuff just raised his hands in dismissal, ignoring that likely harm that would soon befall him, "I'm just making an observation. Even you have to admit that you're a bit lacking in certain areas."

Now as much as she wanted to, Ruffnut couldn't bring herself to beat her brother's face in, he did have a point. She wasn't blessed like her mother, though the woman told her that would change in time. She still looked like a stick compared to Astrid, but she saw how Hiccup had looked at her today. Caught the sneaking glances he gave her when he thought he couldn't see, but it proved the decision to wear the shirt with loose collar had been the right one. Now all she had to do was get him to be more comfortable around her and all the pieces would fall into place…

"So are you going to hit me or what?"

Ruffnut sighed as she released Tuff, taking a small bit of pleasure as he hissed in pain as his side hit the armrest of the chair.

"Are you on the rag or something?" He asked, glaring.

Ruff just grinned impishly, "I thought I wasn't a girl?"

"I said you didn't act or look like a girl, not that you lacked the parts."

"Oh you and your honeyed words."

"Bitch."

"Ass."

"Bride of Grendel."

"Yak sack."

The duo traded several more volleys of insults before settling into a comfortable lull as Ruffnut flopped down into her mother chair, her spear laying across her lap, rolling it absentmindedly.

Tuffnut just watched the spear tip spin before looking at his sister, "Hey Ruff?"

The girl just looked over at her brother, "Hmm?"

"You really have a thing for Hiccup?" He asked. He didn't even have to wait for an answer, the flushed face his sister was enough. "And people think I'm the crazy one."

It was late in the afternoon when Gobber had returned to the forge. What had been planned as an ale or two had grown to nearly a dozen because of Stoick. The evidence of his son actually getting positive attention was too much for the Berkian chief, turning a simple drink into a two man celebration, not that Gobber minded. A happy chief made for a happy village, though Stoick weeping at the thought of his son finally becoming a man was a bit much to take. Gobber was a typical Viking, punch first, talk later, he just wasn't equipped to deal with feelings, especially those that involved Stoick.

So he had to wave down a pair of vict… comrades to help deal with the chief and as he would hate owing Mulch and Bucket a round of drinks, he couldn't just leave Hiccup alone in the forge. It wouldn't be fair to the boy. Though Hiccup wasn't exactly alone now that he thought about it, the Thorston girl seemed to be quite content to be in his presence and he couldn't fault the girl, Hiccup was a good lad, a smart lad, it just took a different type of person to realize it…

…So when Gobber arrived at an empty forge, you couldn't fault him for being a bit surprised. Hiccup wasn't one for dereliction of duty but then again he never expected the boy attract the attention of the female variety so soon either, but today was a series of firsts. Having a meal lovingly made for him by a pair of lovely girls, even if they were a bit young, then having Ruffnut show up.

Gobber chuckled at the memory of him catching the boy ogling the girl as she worked the bellows, it tickled his old bones to actually see that some of his habits had rubbed off on the boy. It still didn't explain the empty forge…

"Well you're back." A voice rang out from the back room before Hiccup clambered out from behind that hide flap that served as the door to his room, "What took you so long?"

Gobber just hmmed as he poked about, noting that Hiccup had finished a few more tasks than expected, "Where's the girl?"

"Went home." Hiccup said as he pulled an unfinished sword from a rack before turning to Gobber. "Why?"

"Just ponderin'. The way the lass was acting earlier, I expected I would need a pry bar to separate the two of ya."

"Gobber…" Hiccup sighed, "It isn't like that. She just came to have spear fixed, said she needed it for hunting."

Gobber just shook his head, for a boy that was so smart, Hiccup could be soooo stupid. "Lad, I know yer young, but you should know an excuse when you hear one. That girl didn't just come here for a bit of forgin', she was here to see you, and don't think I didn't spy you gazing at her nublets. Are we going to be needin a rabbit soon?" Gobber asked with a grin.

Hiccup just stared at him for a minute completely ignoring the comment about his ogling, "Why would we need a rabbit and what does a rabbit have to do with anything?"

"Talk to Gothi, she could explain it better than I ever could. But never you mind that now, you can ask her about it on your own time, we have work that needs doin'."

"Says the man who disappeared for hours, leaving me to do all the work." Hiccup muttered to himself.

"What was that, lad?"

"Nothing…"

"Don't lie to me boy, I heard what you said and I apologize for leaving you to your own, but you know how you father gets…" Gobber waved his false hand in exasperation before reaching down and pulling the now cooled metal casting from the sand and carried it over to the anvil, "Though it wasn't like I left you alone, how did that go by the way?"

"The metal needed to be reforged completely, and she still didn't tell me what happened to it though," Hiccup said as he grabbed a hammer and chisel before walking over to Gobber. "Looked like she tried hammer something with it."

Gobber pointed to one of the pieces of metal that connected the ingots together. "You noticed it too lad. Wasn't a rock that did that, couldn't tell you what though."

Hiccup positioned the chisel, "Don't think we'll be having to worry about fixing it so soon," he said as he swung.

"What makes you say that?" Gobber asked as he moved the cast so another bar could be struck from it.

"She fixed it herself." Another bar was knocked loose.

Gobber looked over the anvil as he repositioned the iron, "Really?"

Another swing, another bar hit the ground with a thump. "Well not exactly, I had to show her how to properly swing. You should've seen her first thing. You would've thought she was swinging Mjolnir the way she wound her arm up."

"So how'd you fix that situation? Get behind her and hold her arm as she swung?" Gobber asked, looking over at Hiccup when he didn't receive an answer, comprehension dawning, "By gods you did! You've been taking my stories to heart have ye? Remembered the stories of my accomplishments of youth? How I used to woo the lasses when I was your age?"

Hiccup felt his face grow hot as Gobber's laughter echoed through the forge, before finding a large hand grasping his shoulder, a hand that belonged to a grinning, bald, one handed Viking.

"You have no idea how pride of ya I am, lad. I knew you were growing up, but I never imagined it would happen so soon. It seemed like yesterday when your dad brought this reed of a boy to my shop and now I find him wooing girls, with my own technique! It's enough to bring a tear to a grown man's eye it is."

And while Hiccup had attempted a bit of damage control, made claims that he wasn't attempting to woo Ruffnut, that he didn't know why he did what he did, but Gobber wasn't having any of that as he continued to tease his apprentice, only stopping when Hiccup mentioned that he had a hammer and a chisel and wasn't afraid to use them.

So master and apprentice worked; diligently finish the tasks they had planned, and soon those were finished leaving the two a chance to reflect in silence as they prepared the forge for the following day's tasks, and soon that was done as Gobber hobbled over to his apprentice and grasped the boy's shoulder.

"You're coming with me lad, tonight's the night that you drink like a man."

Hiccup just eyed Gobber wearily, "Why?"

"Today, you completed several steps forward on the path to manhood, and I feel that we should keep the log rolling."

"I'm not getting into a drinking contest with you."

Gobber just waved his hand in dismissal, "Never said a word 'bout any contest boy, just that you are going to drink like me tonight," He threw his arms up, "in celebration!"

Hiccup just sighed as he removed his apron and replaced it with his trademark green tunic and fur vest as he turned back to Gobber, "I can't drink like you; I'd end up dead."

"P'shaw you don't know that lad till you try."

Hiccup shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure I would die or at least end up useless tomorrow," Hiccup deadpanned as he turned to Gobber before catching the wide grin the man was sporting, "You aren't even going to give me the option to refuse are you?"

Gobber just grinned wider…

A/n: Just throwing this out there to test the waters