So turns out this movie is my favourite movie of all time. Eh. Whoddathunk.

Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid

Here Be Dragons

The snowstorm raged against the rooftop furiously: menacing chunks of hail had meddled in with the snowflakes as the temperature dropped during the evening. The winter season was indeed advancing relentlessly. Hiccup sighed, poking at the cinders of the furnace morosely. He had several weeks worth of work at the forge come morning and really ought to pack up and go home. He'd been instructed with taking over the forge while Gobber, his father, the strongest Viking and the young recruits left for the annual hunt the next morning. Every year before the ice set in, the strongest Viking left for the last hunt of the year. It was noteworthy for it was the first hunt the younger recruits would partake in, an unnofficial rite of passage for any Viking worth their salt.

Despite the events of the past few days, and what Hiccup had done for the village, Stoick the Vast - Hiccup's rather imposingly large father - had made it explicitly clear that his son was not going to be coming along.

Hiccup sighed morosely, putting away a few of the black iron tools back up against the wall where they hung. There was no point in moseying about. He wobbled a little on his bad leg, forgetting for a moment how to walk with the steel contraption Gobber had made. Every so often, Hiccup completely forgot (despite the throbbing ache in what was left in his left leg) that he had to think before waking these days. Sometimes he would topple over in surprise while going down steps or walking uphill. Though he had to remind himself less now, it was still a shock in the morning to stretch his limbs and realize one foot was missing. The first couple of mornings had been especially painful, but Toothless's presence and constant misbehaving had been crucial in letting go of what had once been there. He had so much more now – what was a left foot when Toothless, his best friend, couldn't fly without his help? They could still fly together. When Hiccup didn't have to be on the ground, that's what he was doing.

Hiccup ignored the pain in his leg, but it was enough to jolt him from his little reverie. He was also going to have to tweak his steel leg soon. The one Gobber had made wasn't so bad for standing or even for riding Toothless, but at the end of the day, walking was intolerable.

He sighed, leaning against the wall while he steadied his breathing. He started thinking about the relatively short walk uphill to go home, and in this hailstorm weather, it was going to be barrels of fun.

And to think Toothless (that good for nothing useless reptile) was probably curled up on his bed, underneath a dozen or so covers, enjoying the warmth of a nice, roaring fire.

Hiccup pressed his forearm over his eyes, blocking out the flickering red light from the furnace's dying cinders. The pain in his thigh would fade within moments, he hoped, and then he'd start walking.

"Hiccup?"

The voice was soft but Hiccup flew three feet in the air anyways. He pivoted on his good leg and leaned his back again the wall to face a lean blonde girl who stood maybe a few inches taller than him.

"Ahhh- oh hi Astrid. Hi Astrid…" he tried catching his breath, "Hi. Astrid. How…Yeah…How are you?"

"Hey." She looked at him with her grey blue eyes full of concern, her face an expression he hadn't seen since the day of his dragon-killing trial, when she'd wanted him to promise nothing would go wrong.

"Is your leg alright?" she asked, her voice a softness that surprised him.

Hiccup swallowed a little too loudly for his own liking. "What do you mean?" He played dumb, badly.

She walked the few steps that distanced them, and placed her hand on her shoulder, looking at the ground. "I've been here a while, and you haven't even noticed. And you were clutching your leg. It must hurt you a lot." She stated, biting her lip.

Astrid finally lifted her gaze to his, and to her surprise he looked ashamed. Hiccup had done such amazing things in the past few days, and in the whirlwind of days that had followed his exploits, she hadn't considered that his leg might still hurt – he hadn't let on. But when he wasn't teaching the villagers how to train dragons, he would seek refuge in the skies with Toothless or come get work done in the forge- she supposed it was no surprise she hadn't noticed his pain. Her heart fell. She'd felt a deep respect growing for the boy recently, he was one of the few their age she admired. Some friend she was turning out to be.

He lowered his eyes and saw the clumps of snow still stuck to the brown fur of Astrid's cloak. She slowly untied the clasp of her cloak before placing the snowy fur mess rest on a nearby table. Then, wordlessly, she edged up next to him and snuck her arm around his waist.

"Umm…Astrid? What are you doing?" he asked when she tugged him forward, pushing his weight off the stone wall of the forge.

"I'm going to take a look at that leg of yours. You might need to change the bandage, in which case I can do that for you."

Hiccup grimaced. He knew what his leg looked like. He wasn't sure he wanted Astrid seeing his wound. Even if Snotlout often remarked on how much chicks dig the scars.

"Astrid, thanks, that's really...nice...of you, but that's really not necessary…"

"Would you please hang on to me? It's easier to support you if you put your arm around my shoulders." Astrid cut him off, ignoring his protests completely. Hiccup quickly complied, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders, conscious not to hold on too hard.

She got him to the a chair close to the main fire pit. He sat down and got comfortable while she went to a stack of firewood and added some more kindling to the hot coals. The room got slightly brighter and warmth flooded over his face. Hiccup was grateful for the silence as she moved around in the soft firelight. She was being really kind, but it wasn't making the feeling of helplessness he was feeling go away.

The wind howled and shook the forge slightly. The fire dwindled momentarily before glowing again.

Astrid found a stool and picked it up, carrying it effortlessly towards him. She trained day and night, and it showed. Her bare arms were lean with muscle, and Hiccup was envious and awed at the same time. She was so much stronger than she looked, and he wished he could be like that. He was exactly as weak as he looked.

She sat in front of him and gently picked his steel foot and placed it on her lap. Hiccup didn't speak as her fingers traced the shiny metal curiously.

"Hiccup." She said, pulling the fabric of his pant back up his leg gingerly. "I'm so sorry." she slowly met his eyes, and he realized her eyes were shining in the firelight. Hiccup wasn't sure, but she looked like she was hiding tears. Viking didn't cry much – so Hiccup found it hard to tell.

Hiccup's eyes widened. They hadn't had time together completely alone like this – this was the first time since he'd taken her flying that first night. To hear her voice so soft, so devoid of her tough girl front, was a bit hipnotizing. He'd spent a lot of his childhood staring wistfully after her and the other tough kids. So much had changed since the days when he'd sneak off after practice to train with Toothless. He had no idea what to say to make her glistening eyes happy again, but he knew she didn't have to feel sorry for what had happened.

"Astrid…this...this really isn't your fault."

She nodded faintly. After giving his wound a long look, she continued unwrapping the bandages holding his leg and the steel peg together. Finally the beige and white straps of cloth unravelled to reveal soaked layers of red and brown bandages, and Hiccup hissed as the pressure began lifting steadily.

"Did you bandage this yourself?" she asked him with a concerned scowl.

"Either I do it or I let my dad do it." Hiccup stated matter o' factly, his voice light despite the pained, breathless look on his face. "I always pick me. My dad's…well, you know who to call if you need to break something. But fixing…You should see his attempts at cooking." Hiccup tried to joke, but Astrid gave him a pointed look, one that clearly stated that if he wasn't in so much pain already, she'd slug him with the back end of an axe.

Hiccup smiled wryly. He wanted to lighten the mood desperately, but couldn't find the words in his brain. Astrid's focus went back to his leg, biting her lower lip and frowning as she concentrated on is wood.

"Hold your leg off the ground." She said as she pulled the metal from his skin, gently removing the metal leg. "I'm going to wash this thing in the cooling bucket. How fresh is the water?"

Hiccup grimaced as he placed both his hands under his thigh and she stood up. "Umm…I wouldn't use it to clean anything."

Astrid nodded, instead going to the door, opening it, and placing the metal leg in the freshly fallen snow outside. The winter wind and a heap of snow barrelled into the forge before Astrid finished wiping the blood and was able to close the door again.

She shivered once, shaking the snow off her.

"Have any fresh bandages around?"

Astrid nodded. "In my pack, over there with the saddle."

She was back in front of him within seconds, the fresh bandages in hand as she pulled his bad leg over her lap, stool pushed closer to him as she continued to work in silence. Through the pain, Hiccup could feel the strands of her slightly dishevelled blonde hair tickle what was left of his leg. He breathed in sharply as Astrid tugged the cloth tightly, hoping to get Hiccup through this as quickly as possible.

When she was done bandaging, she put his steel leg back on, and he helped her get it on right, tugging the leather straps into place, and Hiccup couldn't help but feel his heartbeat quicken every time his fingers brushed by hers.

Then there was silence as he didn't dare move, and she kept his leg on her lap. He didn't care that it was getting a little stiff from being held up like that. Her fingers were resting on his leg, her left hand on the steel and her right felt warm against his flesh.

"So…" Hiccup broke the silence, and she startled a little, looking up at him, eyes wide. "One hell of a battle wound, huh. It's like what Snotlout said, right? I'll have all the chicks in Berk running after me. They'll probably all catch me too, because I really can't walk all that fast…" Hiccup noticed that what he was saying was not helping Astrid's mood at all, and so he wisely shut up.

Astrid gently put his leg down and Hiccup stretched it out absentmindedly, bending his knee a few times.

She made to get up, and Hiccup didn't know what he was doing but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Astrid sat back down slowly, staring at the slightly callous, burn-covered hand gripping hers.

"Umm…" Astrid was staring at him pointedly now, and Hiccup couldn't possibly comprehend why of all times, this was the moment his brain decided to run out of words. "Thanks. It feels… better. Less numb, I think…"

He let go of her and tried to stand, and she watched him do so with concern apparent in her light-coloured eyes. When she tried to offer him support, he gently shook his head.

"I need to get better at this."

She nodded, understanding pride. She backed off and went back for her cloak, but she hadn't taken two steps that she felt a hand on her elbow.

"You're going with them tomorrow on the hunt, right?" there was bitterness in his voice that was badly masked underneath his dry tone. "I bet you'll do amazing, out of all the rookies…" Then, without any warning, she spun around, arms wrapping around his neck tightly, startling Hiccup back a bit, but she held on and didn't let him fall over.

Eyes wide, he hugged her back, slowly. He didn't remember the last time he'd been hugged. Her hair was soft and he could feel the contours of her nose and forehead pressed against his neck. She was a little bit taller than him, he thought regretfully. If only he wasn't so scrawny. Suddenly, without moving, Astrid spoke up, her words carefully said, as if she'd given it thought beforehand.

"You don't need a battle scar to have my favour, Hiccup. I won't run after you like those giggling idiots," she frowned at the thought of other girls chasing him, "but I'd like to ride dragons by your side, if you'll let me."

Hiccup couldn't help the elation that bubbled through his pain, through his bitterness. There was something incredible in Astrid's subtle promise. Sure, all the rookies had come to his aid when he'd gone after his father and Toothless. But her assertion that she'd be there, that she wanted to fly with him...

Hiccup beamed.

She untangled from him and the smile she saw on his face, reaching into his green eyes, was unexpected. She liked his smile, she mused, she hadn't seen it ever quite so earnest, quite so dazzling. He was easy to like, she realized as she returned his smile with one of her own. He was... he was a kid who had tamed a dragon. And saved his village from a most certain demise. And he'd stood by his friend, even though Toothless was a dragon, and his beliefs, even when his own father and tribe had turned against him. This kid was braver than she'd ever given him credit for. With a bit of a smirk, Astrid realized this dragon rider, this Viking wasn't much of a kid anymore.

Eyes sparkling, Astrid poked him hard on the shoulder.

"Hey!" Hiccup protested with a grin, careful not to lose his balance.

"That's for making me worry about your leg." Astrid stated self-righteously.

"Oh yeah?" he grinned, hoping what he thought was going to happen, was going to happen.

"Yeah." She stared hard at him, smirking a little. Then, without flinching, she pressed her lips to his in a manner that made Hiccup's stomach summersault. Closing his eyes, he let his hands find her sides and slowly wrap around her, trying not to lean on her too much. These last few days had been a whirlwind of moments, happiness, bitterness, loss – his mind could barely comprehend this act called kissing, but it was sending his brain on a whole new loop of crazy.

"Com'on." Astrid muttered, pulling her face only slightly away from his. Hiccup opened his eyes halfway. Her breath felt warm against his cheeks. He could make out all sorts of beautiful details in her bright eyes. "I gotta get you home so that I can go get yelled at by mom for missing supper again."