Well would you look at this. Another idea that came to me through a song.
I've actually been wanting to write this for a while now and I finally got the time.
I do not own How to Train Your Dragon.
I hope you enjoy it!
A ringing noise cut through the quiet of the middle of the night. The once peaceful bedroom disturbed by the phone that sat on the bedside table. A groan was heard before a hand appeared from beneath the covers of the bed and groped around blindly for the small device.
"Hello?" a nasally voice, husky from sleep spoke in the silence.
"Henry?"
"Yeah," Henry replied, a hand reaching up to rub at his tired eyes. "Who is this?"
"It's Astrid."
"Astrid?" Henry sat up, worry in his voice. Why would she be calling him of all people? "Are you ok?"
"I… Yes… I mean… No… I don't know. I just needed someone to talk to and you were the first person that came to mind."
"Really?" He asked confused. "What about Scott?"
"He's who I wanted to talk about." He heard a sigh from the other end of the line. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
"Well it's…" he held the phone away from his ear to look at the time. "3AM, so, other than sleep, nothing. I'm free."
"3? I thought you were on the other side of the country?"
"I was," he agreed. "I came back a couple of days ago. Would you rather we met up tomorrow over coffee? Or we can talk now if you'd prefer."
"No, coffee sounds really good. The good place on Raven's Point Road?"
"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you."
He heard the click that signified that the other person had hung up and put his phone back on the bedside table. He huffed looking around at the dark bedroom he sat in. Why would she call him of all people? He lay back down on the pillows and stared at the ceiling trying to solve the mystery that was Astrid Hofferson before he eventually managed to drift off to sleep.
When he woke he wasn't sure if he had dreamt the whole conversation or not. A quick glance at his call log and he knew it was real. He got up and got ready before heading outside to his car and driving into town.
The smell of grinding coffee wafted over him as he walked into the small coffee shop in the middle of Raven's Point Street. His eyes scanned the room. He saw the odd person sitting on their own minding their own business and a few couples here and there laughing as they sipped on their coffee. Not seeing the familiar blonde he was here to meet he quickly ordered himself a strong coffee and settled into a quiet booth in the corner. He had never been good with mornings and strong coffee had become a necessity.
He had just received said drink when the door opened and he saw the girl he was waiting for. They made eye contact and she was quick to walk over.
"Hi," she said looking a little awkward as she sat down in the chair opposite him.
"Hey," he replied softly. He could see the bags under her eyes and knew that she hadn't slept. Even her hair wasn't as neat as it usually was. Whatever had happened, it was obviously bothering her.
"Can I get you something, Miss?" the waitress asked as she approached the table.
"Hot chocolate, please," she replied with a forced smile. "With extra cream."
"Extra cream?" he said with a smile after the waitress had left. "Now I know something's wrong." The look on her face told him enough. "What happened?"
"I…" She stopped short, chewing on her lip with an unsure look on her face. "I caught Scott. Cheating." She looked down at her hands clearly embarrassed by the whole situation. "I caught him with some girl. I know we didn't have the best relationship. A year of seeing each other and we never said anything like 'I love you' and he wasn't the most romantic guy. But it was still something. It was still a relationship. And to see how much he truly cared… I thought he cared more. Clearly not." She looked up to see Henry's concerned and sympathetic look before shaking her head and shoving a piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't even know why I called you to be honest. I just… I couldn't sleep and I was sitting on the fire escape hoping the air would clear my head. I felt like talking to someone and you were the first name that came to mind. I'm sorry for dumping all of this on you."
She got up to leave but he grabbed her hand to stop her and she looked at him with a surprised look on her face. The waitress returned and set the hot chocolate down before quickly retreating, the atmosphere between them obviously tense.
"It's ok," he assured letting go of her hand and leaning back in his own chair. She slowly sank back into her seat, cautious hands reaching out for the hot chocolate and holding onto the mug like a lifeline. "Scott may be my cousin," he continued slowly. "But the guy is an idiot. We've never gotten along. And I will happily sit here and listen to you call him ever insult that exists on this earth if that will make you feel better."
She smiled and let out a slight snort at his words. He smiled back taking a small sip of his coffee. She took a sip out of her own mug and settled more into her seat.
"Ok," she said slowly, scrunching up her nose in thought. "You're right. He's an idiot." She let out a slight laugh as she spoke. "And he can be kind of stupid sometimes."
"I used to tutor him," Henry agreed. "Trust me, I know."
"Yes, stupid," she said, her facing showing that she was starting to get into the idea of insulting her now ex-boyfriend. "Oh, and that noise he makes when he chews. That irritated me so much. And the fact that he always wanted to split bills. And he never bought me flowers. And he always forgot which was my favourite chocolate and always bought me the wrong one."
"Your favourite is dark chocolate and you hate white chocolate. That's not so hard, is it?" Henry asked placing down his now empty mug on the table.
"No," Astrid replied, her previous enthusiasm seemingly having drained away. "But he was there. He was never the best listener, but for the past year he was there." She drained the last bit of hot chocolate from her cup and placed it down beside Henry's on the table. "Sure, I guess it would have been nice if he'd shown that he cared more but he was there. I…" She shook her head, a small tear leaking out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you."
Astrid pulled a note out of her back pocket, more than enough to cover their two drinks, and got up, quickly pulling open the door and stepping outside the coffee shop. Henry groaned before quickly running after her. As soon as he was outside he realised that it was raining. He looked up and down the street before seeing her retreating from walking off to his right. He was quick to follow her and soon managed to catch up, his clothes soaked through from the rain. But he didn't care. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.
"I'm sorry for getting you mixed up in my mess," she said. He could hear the sob in her voice. "It's my problem. I can deal with it."
"But you don't have to deal with it alone. That's what friends are for, Astrid. They're there to help you."
"What friends?" she scoffed. "Scott was all I had and now I don't even have him."
"But you do have me." He raised his hand to her cheek and stroked it softly with his thumb. "I'll be here for you, Astrid. Always. I won't leave you."
They gazed into each other's eyes. The rain left their hair sticking to their faces and their clothes were heavy against their skin. But as Henry stood looking into Astrid's eyes and she into his, his thumb slowly stroking her cheek, it was as if nothing else was there. It was just the two of them. There was no rain and no street. Just them.
Henry slowly leaned in and captured Astrid's lips with his own. He was gentle, unlike Scott who was always rough in everything he did, and in that moment as her arms reached up to wrap around the back of his neck and her hands tangled in his wet locks, she realised that she didn't need Scott. She didn't need his lies anymore. She didn't need to hold onto those ties when he had obviously let her go. She had Henry, and right now, he was all she needed.
So? Let me know what you guys think. I always appreciate feedback.
In case you were wondering, the song is English Ivy by Rogue Valley. Don't ask where the idea for this fic came from but somehow when listening to that song, the idea formed in my mind.
Anyway, thanks for reading!