AN: I'm doing a few short dribbles on Hiccup and Astrid's relationship, mostly from Astrid's POV, but in 3rd person. Hope you all enjoy it! :)

Here's the first one. To sum it up, it's all about Astrid and how sexy she thinks Hiccup looks while blacksmithing, b/c god knows I fantasize about guys hammering hot iron all the time.

LOL JK BUT NO SERIOUSLY

Manly

:::

It was one of those days in Berk, the days where there was virtually nothing to do and the people were all taking time off for themselves. Chief Stoick had issued a two day resting period for the isle of Berk so that everyone could rest after a long week of "dragon this" and "dragon that". Just because vikings weren't killing the creatures anymore didn't mean they never became worn out.

Astrid's throwing arm had been pulled incidentally while practicing with her trusty axe, so she, too, was out of commission for the time being. With no recent homework from Gobber, and her parents not needing help around the house, she decided to spend the day with the only person in the village who was actually working, namely Hiccup.

The blacksmith shop's window was open, so she had made herself comfortable by leaning on the sill and supporting her chin on the one good hand she had. Inside, Hiccup was quietly performing his usual duties amongst the stacks of weaponry and a hungry furnace. Since there was all this free time, the boy preferred to use it by finishing up some of their client's projects. This way their orders would be ready for when the week started back up. Gobber wasn't around to help him, but these were small, easy tasks that any well trained apprentice could handle by themselves, and Hiccup was more than well trained.

The two teenagers had talked a bit earlier when Astrid first approached his work station. There wasn't much going on around Berk lately, so their conversation ended rather quickly, leaving Hiccup to his work and Astrid to her thoughts. Said thoughts included whether she should have him take a look at her axe later, or if her Nadder's quills needed to be trimmed. Her mind slowly drifted to another topic as she continued to observe the boy's calculated movements. Every action was deliberate and concise. Never was there a hesitation in what he did, as if he had done this since the day he was born, which was almost true in a sense.

Blacksmithing was indeed an important job in Berk, but it wasn't exactly a sought after occupation when dragon-killing was around. Nowadays, there seemed to be more work opening up in different departments such as this one. This gave the vikings, who felt lost after having their whole life's purpose suddenly whisked away from them in a single day's time, a new purpose in the village as well as something to keep them busy. Hiccup, on the other hand, was rigorously keeping at his work to take his mind off other things, one being his metal prosthetic. He might not have shown it, but the boy was often bothered by the contraption. Losing a limb wasn't a rare thing in their culture, but for it to happen to a young viking like himself was rather dismal. It's one thing to lose a leg near the end of your long, accomplished life; it's another to lose a leg when you're only 17 years old.

Astrid kept a constant gaze on how Hiccup would fluidly and flawlessly restore a sword back to its natural state without much effort. He made blacksmithing seem like an art. The boy was currently engrossed in hammering another weapon back into shape after having it soak up some heat from the fire. Sparks splashed from the white hot metal as his tool came into contact with it in a steady rhythm to which Astrid could keep a beat in her head. Hiccup's brow was furrowed in concentration, sweat rolling down and off his face from the exertion. It was a particularly hot day, so he had his sleeves rolled up as far as they could go (working around an open furnace took a toll on the shop's air temperature.) Astrid then focused on the subtle indentions in his upper arms that gave off a hint of forming biceps every time he brought the hammer down. Anyone would figure that, after working as a blacksmith's apprentice for so long, one would start developing some muscle tone. Over the past year, people had noticed this occurring with Hiccup, and they most assuredly liked the change. Hiccup did, too!

WIthout even trying, the boy was captivating the dazed Astrid. Her eyes lingered on these parts of him that had matured so suddenly that she didn't even have time to realize how much of a man he was turning into. Hiccup let out a sigh and set his hammer aside for a moment to prevent an oncoming hand cramp. He wiped his forehead on his shoulder and shook some beads of sweat from his bangs. Astrid felt herself swoon at his gestures, but regained composure before he saw her. Instead, the inviting sight of Hiccup's shimmering collar bone caught the girl's attention as he loosened the front of his shirt. Even the rugged way he was breathing had Astrid in a trance.

Ugh. She felt like a pervert.

Great. I'm no better than those guys who drool every time I walk by.

Astrid grunted to herself and managed to tear her stare away from Hiccup, inwardly cursing his dad for this two-days-off decree.

Hiccup heard the girl's discomfort and looked up for the first time in a while. He gave her a small tired smile and asked in his ever so considerate manner…

"How are you doing? Need anything?"

Oh…

Could this particular viking be any more baffling? Not many people asked Astrid if she was doing okay, nor did they bother her when she habitually grunted or murmured to herself. Hiccup was the only one who wasn't afraid to confront her about these things. Those soul-searching green eyes of his made it hard for the girl to respond without sounding nonchalant. What's more, unlike most viking boys, this one was sincere in everything he said and did. Even while slaving over a hot iron anvil he would worry about how she's doing. Hiccup was actually a more complicated boyfriend than she thought he'd be!

"I'm fine." Astrid replied with a shrug. She didn't want him thinking her arm hurt or anything. Truthfully, it didn't. It was just a dull pain that she'd long forgotten since she'd been here. They kept eye contact for a few seconds longer, both concerned about one another in their own minds.

That freaking face of his…

Her resolve crumbled. It was time for a change of pace.

"Hey, why don't you take a break? Let's go grab some food or something."

Hiccup was a bit surprised by her invitation, but responded nonetheless. "Isn't the mess hall closed today?"

"I know that, stupid. I'm saying why don't you come to my house and we'll have lunch there?" Astrid picked at a splinter of wood on the window sill, as if pretending the idea wasn't all that interesting. Usually, it was Hiccup who would make advances like this, not her. But, having been secretly self conscience all her life about how "manly" or "butch" she comes off to other guys at times, Astrid wanted to do her part in this relationship. Hiccup had certainly done enough already.

It was comedic to watch how the apprentice's face lit up at her suggestion. His grin almost made Astrid want to barf from the sweetness of it, but it wasn't a terrible feeling.

"Really? Okay! Do you think it'll be alright with your folks?" He hung his apron up and put all the tools away.

"Pfft! Uhh, yeah? I'm pretty sure the town hero is welcome anywhere he goes." She teased and finally left her perch at the window.

Once Hiccup came out of the shop, still sporting that goofy smile, he wiped his hands on his pants and stood there, waiting for her next command. This made Astrid want to laugh, but she held back.

"Sooo, your arm…?" He pointed to her bandaged limb.

"It's fine, Hiccup. I'll be better in no time." She waved it around to show how much it had healed, but ended up wincing after all.

"Right." The boy gave her a skeptical look. "Just be more careful with your axe throwing activities from now on, 'kay? Your not using them on dragons anymore, remember?"

"Hey! Who said I was using them on dragons?" She smirked and shot him a playful glare.

He chuckled lightheartedly. "Now I'm really worried."

"You should be, you loser." She punched him in the chest once with her healthy arm. Together, they went off towards Astrid's house to have a well deserved meal. The girl thought for a moment that she was being too mushy just then. She couldn't let Hiccup believe she'd gone all soft and house wife-ish on him.

…

Ah, what the heck? It was her day off, dammit!

AN: That's it for this drabble! ^^ Look forward to the next!