Work Text:
The faint tinny clinking of a hammer wrought upon an anvil rang through the air in the distance; the sound cut through the silence that normally blanketed the snow-capped morning. The winter air was cold, biting against her face with a pin-prick pain. Yukiko approached quietly, a small stack of iron bars held in her arms with some effort. A light sheen of sweat covered her forehead, her arms sore from lugging them around. The distance between her small farm and the town was a respectable one, but the strain would be worth it.
Hephaestus would be excited. He’d talked passionately about his craft, each time with a positive light in his eyes that seemed to sparkle. It was an endearing sight, one that made her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She grinned to herself, a faint blush painting her cheeks a light pink at the thought. She wrapped her arms tighter around the bundle of iron, walking towards his smithy with as much haste as she could muster.
By the time she made it the bangs of her pale blue hair were damp with sweat, the strands stuck to her forehead uncomfortably. Yukiko nudged the door open, closing it behind her with a heavy sigh. She looked around for a brief moment before catching sight of Hephaestus at the anvil, hammer in hand as he worked. His hair was tied back neatly, eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration.
“Heph,” Yukiko smiled gently as she stepped closer. “Good morning.”
Hephaestus didn’t look up from his work, though she could see the warm smile that broke out on his face. She didn’t blame him–from her understanding, shaping a tool took a massive amount of concentration. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt him.
“Yuki!” He greeted brightly in return, placing his hammer down to lift the glowing metal with tongs. He brought the unfinished blade to the forge to let it heat back up. “What brings you in today?”
He glanced over for a split second, spotting the iron Yukiko carried in her arms. He widened his lone eye in surprise, his eyebrows raised. “Are those for me?”
“They are,” she confirmed with a nod, placing them down on an empty table. The minute the weight was off of her arms she let them fall to her sides. They would, without a doubt, be sore for a good while. “I.. Wanted to ask a favor of you.”
“As long as it’s within my abilities, I’m happy to help,” he said in acknowledgement, turning his attention back to the forge.
“I want you to teach me how to forge a sword.” Yukiko straightened her back as she asked, her tone serious. “You’re always talking about how much you love working the forge, so I wanted to see it in action.”
And I think protecting the town with a sword crafted by your hand would be far better, she thought to herself quietly.
He huffed a laugh, returning the bright hot metal to the anvil. With his hand wrapped around the hammer, he returned to patiently shaping the head of an axe. “You don’t need to explain yourself. You know I’d be more than happy to teach you.”
“I know. Still..” She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. “I didn’t want you to think I was asking for the secret techniques that were passed down to you.”
“Now why would I think that?” He asked in light amusement.
She squinted her peach blossom eyes at him. After a moment, she slumped her shoulders. “...Forget it. I was wrong to assume, you’re right.”
“Let me finish this axe head first, and then we can work on the sword together. How about that?” He shifted topics, his smile widening ever so slightly.
She hummed in confirmation, taking a step back. She leaned her back against one of the unused tables, watching in apt interest as he slowly worked. It was repetitive. He brought the axe head between the forge and anvil multiple times with the tongs. Once the shape was finished, he dipped it in a vat of oil that immediately began to sizzle and catch fire. From an outside perspective, it didn’t seem difficult–but she knew better. The physical labor this took was immense.
Once he was done with the axe head, he raised one arm to his forehead to wipe the beads of sweat away. He looked back over towards where Yukiko was watching, a single eyebrow raised questioningly. “Are you ready to work on the sword?”
“As long as you are.” She blushed at the sight and nodded, pushing herself away from the table. She tied up the sleeves of her robe, stretching her arms out in preparation. She was still exhausted from the long walk carrying solid iron, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t work through.
“Bring some of the iron you brought over here. We can use that, just place it on the anvil.” He crossed his arms against his chest, waiting patiently. Yukiko quickly got to work, picking up an iron bar as asked. She placed it down on the anvil, clasping her hands behind her back as she waited for the next instruction.
He stepped away, returning a moment later with a pair of thick leather gloves. He held them out to her expectantly. She put them on with haste, understanding immediately.
“The first thing you want to do is heat up the metal in the forge,” he began, raising the tongs to pick up the iron bar. Yukiko watched as he brought it to the heated forge, placing it inside before pulling away. “When the iron is just hot enough, it’s malleable. It’s difficult to tell at first when it’s the right temperature, but experienced blacksmiths can tell at a glance with practice.”
She crossed her arms against her chest, raising one hand beneath her chin in thought. “I see.”
A few minutes later, he brought the tongs back to the iron bar and pulled it out of the forge. The ore was bright orange and a wave of heat hit her face at once. Her eyes followed his every movement as he placed it back down onto the anvil. “What kind of sword do you think you’d like?”
“A short sword,” she answered immediately.
Heph lifted his hammer once more, sweat beading at his forehead a second time as he got to work. Slow and meticulous, he started to shape the bar as it started to cool. Glowing sparks flew with each
tink, tink, tink,
of the hammer. As time passed, the bright glow started to dim.
“Come here,” he beckoned Yukiko, holding out the tongs to her. “I want you to try this time.”
She took the tongs from his grasp, following the motions he did before with some hesitance. Shoulders tense and arms stiff, she lifted the unfinished blade and placed it back into the forge carefully. Once it was in, she placed the tongs down and sighed.
She felt a hand on her back. Yukiko looked up, face flushed at the bright smile that met her gaze. For a moment, she could have sworn she felt her heart stop for a split second.
“See? Once you get the hang of it, it won’t be so stressful,” he encouraged lightly, pleased that she was making an effort at all. To him, it was the first time anyone has ever worked the forge with him besides his master.
It was special.
“You’re right.” She smiled back at him, ignoring how her cheeks seemed to burn.
Once a few minutes passed, she brought the tongs to the forge and took the iron back out, placing it cautiously on the anvil. Hephaestus nodded his approval, stepping to her right side. “From here, you hammer into it.”
She picked up the hammer, tossing it up and down in her hand once. The weight pulled against her arm as she raised it, before pulling with her to swing back down. Hephaestus reached one hand out and placed it over hers, guiding her form as she hammered into the iron. “When hammering, there’s multiple different techniques. The one we’re using now is to stretch the metal out and draw it thinner.”
The warmth of his hand over hers was comforting, her heart skipped a beat at the feeling. She furrowed her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes in focus, trying her best to follow his guidance with sudden determination. Once the metal had cooled back down, she stopped. He took back the mantle, bringing it to the forge a second time.
They went back and forth as the process repeated, slowly but surely shaping the sword into a proper blade. Once finished, he picked it up and dipped it into the vat of oil. “After the shaping is done, you need to quench it.”
“To cool it off?” She guessed, watching the oil bubble from the heat coming off of the blade.
“Correct.” He beamed with excitement. “Quenching draws the metal closer together, making internal tension, thus making it harder. Water does so immediately, at the expense of making the metal too hard and brittle. Oil is a slower process and gives the metal some flexibility, which is good for blades.”
She nodded as he explained, leaning back against that same table in exhaustion. She slouched slightly, deciding now would be as good a time as any to take a small break. Hephaestus walked over, placing himself down next to her.
There was a comfortable silence between them. After a few minutes, Yukiko raised her head to speak softly. “Thank you.”
She averted her gaze, staring off towards the forge and anvil. “This… This really means a lot to me.”
Hephaestus widened his eyes in surprise. “There’s no need to thank me. I’d always be happy to help make something for you.”
“I know.” She looked back towards him, her gentle eyes meeting his. “This sword.. I want to use it to protect Seikyu. I’ll forever cherish it.”
The tips of his pointed ears slowly flushed a bright red. He lowered a hand to catch one of hers, holding it gently in his. The air in the forge was not nearly as hot as the stifling tension between the two of them. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them as quickly as Yukiko’s heart sped up in her chest. Her breathing quickened at the close proximity between them, her head tilting upwards to get a better look at his face. Hephaestus leaned in, his lips brushing against Yukiko's softly before capturing them in a deep kiss.
She tightened the hold on his warm and calloused hand, melting into the kiss. The scruff of his beard scratched against her chin, her breath hitching in her chest. His lips were cracked, rough against hers as he snuck his free hand around her waist to pull her closer.
After what felt like hours, they pulled back. Yukiko raised a hand to cover her lips, a deep red blush painting her pale cheeks a vivid color. Her head spun, the kiss leaving her feeling light. Hephaestus laughed warmly at the sight, separating the hand being held by Yukiko to pull her into a complete hug.
“I should be the one thanking you.” Yukiko could feel the rumble of his voice from where her head was suddenly pressed against his torso. “I feel so lucky to have a partner so interested in my work.”
“Heph..” She buried her face in his chest, hugging him back with as much strength as she could muster. “You would do the same for me.”
He didn’t deny it. She closed her eyes, relaxing within the embrace of her lover. Tomorrow, they would work on the hilt of the blade. And the next, she would have a sword on her back that would forever carry the memory of this day with her.
That was enough.