When I Grow Up | Hiccup x Reader

Chapter 5: Let's Get to Work

(Y/N) POV

"H-Hiccup... I'm not so sure if this is a g-g-good idea," I say quietly.

"You'll be fine," Hiccup says reassuringly. I follow him up the tree covered hill, and hear muffled shouts, the sounds of clanging metal, and  loud, clomping footsteps.

My first instinct tells me to run away. They'll only hurt you. They hate you.

Hiccup must see my distress, because he pats my shoulder.

"Don't worry, nothing bad is gonna happen. I promise." Slowly, I nod, and he leads me through the trees. I can already see the bustling streets, and my head spins.

I swallow the lump in my throat, and hold my head up high. I haven't been anywhere without Nova for such a long time, I keep thinking she's beside me, until I look. Then, all I see is a cu- I mean, scrawny boy.

Hiccup and I weave through the snaking streets, and his attention spikes when we near a small blacksmiths shop. His pace quickens, and I stumble to catch up to him. He swings open the door and shouts,

"I'm here! With a guest!" He brings me into the shop, and I take careful steps to not bump into anything in the cluttered room. Hiccup, on the other hand, looks completely at home. He doesn't seem the slightest bit frazzled by the lack of organization.

Must be typical for Vikings, I think.

"Aye, Hiccup! Back I see," a large man says. He's big and tall, with a bushy, blonde beard. Although I would never admit it, or show it for that matter, he's very intimidating, and slightly scares me. Although, Hiccup is unfazed.

"Well, I wouldn't miss out on getting my hand burnt by red-hot metal, or almost cut in half by axes falling from the walls," he replies.

"Oh, and this," Hiccup gestures to me, "is- Korona." I internally sigh in relief, glad that he didn't use my real name.

I muster the courage to give a small wave, and the man heartily laughs.

"Hello then Korona, I'm Gobber. The little one's mentor." Laughter bubbles up from my throat as Hiccup puts on an unamused look.  "This is the first time I've seen someone shorter than him." Now it's my turn to scowl.

"Korona is an inventor," Hiccup continues. "She's not from a village, so she has no way to actually make her inventions. So, I thought it would be nice to give her a chance to do that. Well, of course, if you let us."

Gobber nods, and Hiccup leads me into yet another room. The walls are covered in drawings and blueprints, with small scraps of paper and metal scattered everywhere.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Hiccup says, in an odd accent. He gives a goofy bow, and I stifle a giggle.

"Thank you, sire," I reply, in an equally strange tone. I begin to sift through a mountain of drawings and blueprints, all of weapons, and strange inventions.

"Hey! I gave no permission for you to look at those," Hiccup exclaims. He attempts to snatch back the papers, scowling.

"Nor did I when you looked through my notebook," I reply, shifting away from him.

"Fine, I grant you my undying permission to snoop through my work," Hiccup says, unamused.

I continue flipping through the pages, making small noises, and changing small things with the designs in my head.

Setting down the pages, my eyes wander to a small stuffed dragon. I'm instantly drawn to it, as if it's some sort of beacon, and I find myself instinctively walking towards it and picking it up.

The dragon is the shade of evergreen trees, like Hiccup's eyes, then its hue fades into a light pearl as it nears its tummy.

"Common or Garden," I murmur. I have an odd habit of identifying any dragon I see, plush ones included.

"Hm? What was that?" Quickly, I place the stuffed dragon back in its original place.

"N-Nothing. Anyways," I say digging into my rucksack, "I brought the prosthetic design. It's not perfect, but it's an idea."

"Alright, lets take a look, shall we?" I hand Hiccup the blueprint, and he scans over it with a few small noises of approval. "Not bad, although I have some concerns."

"Alright, I'll hear you out, oh Great Lord Hiccup," I say sarcastically, crossing my arms. Although, I can't help but put on a bit of a smirk.

"'Great Lord Hiccup'? Well, that's definitely a... Different nickname. I'll add it to 'Useless', 'Screw-Up', and 'Runt'," he replies.

"Seems like we have very similar nicknames." Hiccup raises an eyebrow, but doesn't press.

"Anyways, I'm not so sure about this part of the design," he says, pointing to the winged portion. "Wouldn't steel be too heavy for the frame?"

"Won't know until we try," I shrug.

"Then let's get to work."

***

Author's Note: I'm sorry for late updates! I've been having issues with my school switching, so I might be going to a school that's a couple MILES away from my area, when there are perfectly good schools in my area, or at least closer to my house than that one. I'm trying to find a way to switch to a different school, but it's not working. And the thing is, after I go to that school for a year, I have to switch to another school.

Sorry, I'm probably boring you with my life rants.

Anyways, school is starting soon, so that means even more infrequent updates. But you can always contact me through Instagram (sweetpandageek), Tumblr (sweetpandageek/Lucky Thirteen), through Quotev (SweetPandaGeek/Thirteen), or on WattPad (sweetpandageek)!

Ok, I love all of you guys, see you soon (hopefully)~!