Title: Better

Summary: Hiccup tries to make things better and Toothless isn't having any of it, but when push comes to shove, do they have what it takes to go the distance?

Dawns in Burk were usually unnoticeable. There were no colors that danced in the sky, or birds that sang that didn't sing at any other time of the day. Yup, dawns in Burk were as unnoticeable as dawns could get. Usually. Which is why this dawn, while spectacular in its own right, was especially spectacular in Burk. Sadly, Toothless was watching it alone. It wasn't the first pretty dawn he'd watched, alone or otherwise, but he thought it was a pity Hiccup was missing it.

Hiccup, oblivious to the dawn outside, was working in Gobber's blacksmith shop. He ran a sleeve across his forehead as he squinted at the brightly heated metal through the darkened glass in front of his eyes. While it had been Gobber's idea to start making glass (one of Burk's more expensive imports) using the dragons, Hiccup had been the one to suggest wearing darkened glasses over their eyes, so that looking at the white-hot metals wouldn't hurt their eyes. Gobber had laughed, and said that was for weaklings. Hiccup didn't mind. The glasses helped him see through the glare of hot metals, making his hammer blows much more accurate. These extremely accurate hammer blows were now being used to make another mechanism for Toothless's saddle. One he was kicking himself for not thinking of earlier.

"You should bring that dragon in with you, Hiccup. I think he's scaring away some customers."

Gobber the Belch entered the forge area of his blacksmith shop with all the care of Gronckle, which is not very much at all. Hiccup would have been startled, if he hadn't been so used to it.

'Must not have heard the bell' Hiccup thought to himself. The bell was another of his ideas. It hung above the door, chiming merrily whenever someone came in. Being Vikings, the people of Burk were generally loud people, and thus gave Hiccup plenty of warning whenever they game into the store. Dragons, however, were Another Matter entirely. The Terrors, in particular, were prone to sneaking into the forge to see Hiccup. While this wasn't a problem in itself, they got tangled up in Hiccup's feet if he didn't know they were there (and Thor knows he didn't need any help tripping over things.) He paused, shuddering a bit as he remembered one particularly nasty fall that had nearly crushed the baby Terror at his feet and sent him tumbling into the forge fire. He would have too, if Gobber hadn't been there to grab him by the scruff of his neck. Speaking of which…

"Hiccup!" Bellowed Gobber as tripped over the saddle parts the boy had left lying all over the workshop floor.

"Sorry, Gobber." Hiccup visibly flinched at the crashing noises behind him. 'Hope nothing's too damaged'. He continued working."I'll fix it as soon as I'm done with this."

Gobber grumbled as he put away the tools Hiccup had used. The Saddle itself (and all those complicated bits attached to it), he noted crossly, were meticulously arranged on the large work table beside Hiccup. Gobber took a moment to look at the boy, hand on his hip. 'He hasn't changed a bit,' the old Viking thought. 'Same skinny little hiccup he's always been.' Gobber smiled 'Wouldn't have it any other way, though.'

The two of them continued working in companionable silence, the bell chiming as people dropped off swords to be sharpened, shields to be repaired, and the odd measurements for a new dragon saddle. The sun was at its highest (or just about), when Hiccup finally drew his sleeve across his forehead, letting out a breath as he did so.

"Whoo, I'm done!" said Hiccup, exuberantly. Gobber looked up from his work.

"Already?" But Hiccup was already gone.

"Be back after lunch!" The bell chimed merrily as he left.

A/N: This is just the prologue, though the following chapters probably won't be much longer than this. I write faster when I don't put too much pressure on making the chapters long.

Not too much action or Toothless in this one. That will change, obviously. Thanks for reading!