Short, sad little thing I did.

-HTTYD-

Astrid wondered how strange it was to get a job based solely on the fact you'd found your soul mate. It was the only way anyone could tell what colour clothes were, surely. She just saw in shades of grey. Picking out a medium light-grey from the sea of other shades of grey - the label said 'green', but Astrid had never seen green - she pulled on a jumper to head outside in the brisk autumn air.

There were drugs that were said to let people see colours for a short while; just a moment, a fracture in the grey of the world. She'd never been tempted.

She wondered who had named colours. Who called what they saw grey? Who was the first to suddenly see the world anew? It must have been bizarre.

It all sounded ridiculous anyway. Astrid wasn't interested in finding someone just so the world changed colour. She wasn't missing out on anything, and got through life just fine in black and white and the murky mix in between.

Lost in worries about getting to work, Astrid hadn't realised someone was in her way on the usually deserted path.

Not until they bumped into each other.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

He apologised like it wasn't her fault; Astrid barely noticed. He'd braced a hand on her arm to check Astrid was alright, and all of a sudden the grey of the world shattered, revealing brilliance and beauty and colours.

His eyes… they were the same sort of thing as her jumper. So his eyes were green. Her first real colour to name.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

Heart somewhere in her throat, Astrid was still adjusting to the incredible metamorphosis of the world around her.

"Do you see it too?"

The stranger raised an eyebrow, mouth turning in a slight frown.

"What do you mean? See what?"

Her blood seemed to turn to ice, and Astrid pushed him away before she could become any more altered by the effect. As soon as there was space between them, the world began to fade back to grey. She stole another look at his eyes, watching those fade last until the green was only in her mind.

"Nothing. I have to go."

He shrugged, continuing on. Astrid walked, waiting what seemed a respectable amount of time before she turned around again, cursing when she saw he'd turned back to give her a confused look again.

Even with it faded, the ghost of colour shadowed her thoughts. He'd taught her what green looked like, and he would never know it.

-HTTYD-

*leaves tissue at the end*