*Drum roll* I present to you the brilliant idea !!!. Word count:1.6K
During your first days on the island, Hiccup wanted to help you get to know some of the people around. What better way to start off than by Gobber, he could be a good mentor to you while you settled in.
"Y/n, come on I wanna show you something" Hiccup found you in the great hall.
"Where are we going ??" You got up, Toothless following not far behind.
He didn't say much, but wherever you were going, the noise was getting louder and louder, eventually arriving at the smithy.
"Gobber ??" Hiccup called out above the noise.
"Aye !! Over here" A man with a heavy accent called over from the other side of the room.
You looked around, seeing the tools and equipment on display. Eventually approaching a man with a prosthetic leg and arm, which he was currently using as a hammer.
"Ah, Hiccup. What can we do for ya ??" He paused on the project he was doing before turning to hiccup.
"Gobber, this is y/n. I'd thought it would be a good idea for you to show them the ropes.
"Ah, so you're the lad I had to make the bed for, I thought you'd be bigger" He joked in a deadpan tone.
"Sorry to disappoint ??" You frowned and turned to hiccup.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually" He whispered to you.
"Nothing wrong with some extra hands though, don't worry, Hiccup. They'll be in good company" Gobber winked at Hiccup.
Once Hiccup left, you grabbed an apron. He began to show you the basic tools: some you had back on your island, while others you struggled to pronounce their names.
"Now, the first task I'll have you do is to create a shield. Simple really... Just don't get your hand too close to the saw" He waved his prosthetic hand. That's a story for another time.
"Right..." You nodded and got to work. Your experience from home helped when creating the shield, but some of the tools were a bit heavy, yeah he was right, you should pack some meat on you.
You never created a shield before but you gotta say, it was pretty fun. You smiled softly when you put the finishing touch on the shield and went to show him.
"Good enough ??" You held up your project.
Gobber stopped what he was doing and inspected it closely, some mild jank on the circle and the handle was misplaced a bit. But it wasn't too bad for a first attempt.
"Eh, there's improvement to be made, but not bad laddie, not bad" He nodded with approval.
The month went on and you slowly started to warm up to Gobber. He was pretty chill, eccentric but not harmful. He would make jokes that cracked you up, tell stories about how he lost his leg and hand to a dragon. One of your favourite things was the gossip he would share about the villagers, and he's not afraid to take jabs at Hiccup or Stoick.
You were in the great hall when he was telling another story about Hiccup's unfortunate adventures before the dragons.
"Oh come on, he's a good guy" You chuckled as you finished up your meal.
"Ah, he's like his dad is what he is" He clicked his tongue. "Stubborn and crazy" He still says it with love.
You chuckled again before thinking of a different conversation to have. "You know, you never told me much about your life on Berk. Got any family ??"
Gobber shook his head as he sipped his drink. "No, not me. Just me and the forge" He shrugged.
"Well, at least you have a friend now" You smiled a little.
"Well, yeah, I suppose so" He chuckled, but he was touched by the sentiment. "Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you" He waved his cup hand at you gently, making you chuckle.
"What about a wife ??" You asked.
"Nah" He shook his head again. "Relationships have too much tension for my liking, it's why I never got married... well, that and one other reason" He took another sip of his drink, losing his metal tooth in the cup.
"Right... I'm gonna get some more food..." You got up and went over to the cook. "One other reason..." You said to yourself. "What did he mean by that ??"
Gobber sat there for a good while fixing his tooth, after which he heard some laughter from across the hall, seeing a viking with his two friends having a casual chat.
"Aye, check this out" The Viking sat up straight and began to pop his pecs. His friends watched and cheered as he demonstrated his new talent.
"How are you able to do that ??" One asked.
"Seen the chief do it sometimes, just takes practice" He said while doing it again.
Gobber meanwhile, was in awe of the display. He tried to look uninterested, he really did. Odin help him.
"You ok ??" You came back with your food, breaking him out of his trance.
He jumped slightly, losing his tooth again. "Just fine" He sighed before fixing it.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you" You sat down and looked at your bowl, stirring the spoon before finding the courage to ask the next question. "What did you mean... by one other reason ??"
The laughter was heard again as you looked over. One of them has seemingly picked up on the skill quite quickly. "That's not fair, that took me 2 weeks, how could you do it in 6 minutes" The Viking grumbled.
Gobber didn't dare try to look, he was intrigued but trying to resist, just casually sipping his drink.
You raised an eyebrow over at them before looking at Gobber, seeing the flustered look on his face you connected two and two together.
"Ooohh... That's the other reason" You nodded, but your tone had no judgement.
Gobber glanced at you then down at his drink. "Perhaps" He shrugged, immediately building his walls.
"Gobber..." You frowned "If you like him, why don't you ask him out ??"
"It's not as easy as it looks, y/n" He sighed. "Trust me, they may not immediately alienate you, but approach the wrong lad and ask something like that ??" He looked back at his drink. "Never again..." He muttered.
You moved yourself to sit next to him, feeling bad for your mentor.
"Gobber, any guy would be lucky to have you. You're smart, crafty, strong, very funny"
"I know, kid, I'm a charmer" He nodded, he didn't want pity right now...
"I'm serious, Gobber" You looked at him, placing his cup hand down.
Gobber went quiet for a little while before looking at you. "I've been alone most of my life... I don't think that will ever change" He said sadly. Sometimes he wishes that wasn't true.
You sat there for a little while before looking at him again.
"Thank you for trusting me with that" You smiled a little. "You're still Gobber no matter what, don't let anyone say any less of you" You patted his shoulder.
Gobber looked at you and smiled a little. "Me too, kid" He stood up, ruffling your head gently. "I need more meade, you should run off to bed now. Need you again tomorrow at the smithy"
Early the next morning, Gobber stood by the smith counter waiting for your arrival, maybe you accidentally slept in.
He tossed and turned last night thinking about your conversation with him. He hadn't thought about the idea for years, had put it to rest, but you got him thinking. Could some guy actually be lucky enough to have him ?? He didn't know.
A familiar voice broke him out of his train of thought, it was the guy who was showing off to his friends last night.
"Hey Gobber" The man greeted.
"Aye" He stood up a bit, fixing his composure a bit. "What can I do for you ??"
"My sword might need some upgrading. Could you take a look at it ??" He placed the damaged sword on the counter.
"Any specifics I need to focus on ??" Gobber inspected the sword.
"Definitely the blade, the handle could use a touch-up too" He pointed to each part, his bicep flexing lightly every time he pointed. Gobber sneaked a glance each time.
"Aye, she's seen better days, I'll be back in a jiffy" He took the sword and went to the anvil.
The man waited by the counter as he heard the hammer clanging against the metal. He looked over and saw Gobber working hard, seeing his muscles flex with each swing... Oh my.
Gobber, meanwhile, could feel eyes on him. He smirked behind the man's back. It felt exciting to him, he wouldn't lie.
After a little while, he went over and presented the man's newly upgraded sword. "There ya go, good as new" He nodded.
"Thanks, seems like you know your way around a sword" He smirked and paid him, heading his merry way.
Gobber stood there entranced once again... Was... He flirting with him ?? Why is it getting warm all of a sudden ?? Probably just the forge environment.
You finally made it to the smithy and grabbed an apron. "I'm so sorry, Toothless wanted to get break... What's gotten into you ??" Noticing the same look from last night.
"Oh.. Just working, work stuff" He nodded, handing you a spear. "Just needs sharpening"
You nodded and went to the belt. Gobber, meanwhile, was staring out into the open. The man was training with his new sword nearby. Maybe you were right... Maybe he could be lucky to have someone.
