All Astrid Hofferson wanted to do on her day off was get a muffin and some hot chocolate, and then lounge around her apartment and do nothing. For once, to be relaxed.
What a laughable thought that was.
She had just stepped into the shop, the pleasant smell of the bakery filling her nose and making her drowsy. It was still in the wee hours of the morning - which was perfect, because the shop got busy later in the day. Besides the man behind the counter, there was another guy sitting at a two seater table alone, and her attention was drawn to him quickly, because there was a dark red bruise on his cheek.
It contrasted with his pale skin. He had brownish-reddish hair, and bright but downcast green eyes. All in all attractive, but that bruise hadn't come out of thin air.
Probably a fistfight. Some people were crazy.
Their eyes met for a brief moment, but they both looked away. She walked past him, yawning softly before giving her order to the man behind the counter. He gave her the muffin right away, and got started on her hot chocolate.
The door flew open, and Astrid shivered as the early November breeze seeped in. She really needed to get a better jacket. A young woman had walked in, and she looked furious, plopping herself down in front of the man with a glare.
Oh boy. Someone was mad. She didn't know the relation between the two people, but she could guess that the woman might be mad about wherever that fresh looking bruise had come from.
Astrid was just about to let herself get lost in her thoughts when the woman hissed, loudly, "Who the fuck do you think you are?"
That got her attention real quickly. Astrid didn't look their way, but she was attentive now. It wasn't eavesdropping, the woman wasn't even trying to whisper. Instead, she continued to talk in that loud hiss of her's.
"Not a single text. You think you're allowed to just walk out of my house, you fucking moron? And then all I get is a text? I'm your goddamn girlfriend, and you better start treating me like it."
This earned a side glance to the couple. The man was still looking down, and as Astrid noticed, he was shaking a little too. She averted her gaze as the woman looked up.
"You see that girl over there? You should thank her," the woman snarled, "because she is the only reason I'm not beating the fucking shit out of you right now. Just fucking wait until we get home, Hiccup, I swear."
Astrid clicked her tongue, and her mouth felt dry. Had that bruise on the man's cheek come from this woman, his girlfriend? Oh, something was very wrong here. Another glance proved that the man, Hiccup, was still looking down, only now he was shaking and cowering very noticeably. She swore a tear slipped down his cheek.
Right, yeah, she had heard enough to gauge the situation.
The server came back and handed her the warm cup. Astrid took a deep breath, thanked him, and then slid into the table next to the couple rather than going back home like she had planned. It felt like she was on some reality show, the ones that would gauge people's reaction. There was a slightly nauseating feeling in her stomach.
She was a cop. She shouldn't have let these things affect her whether they were inside or outside of a case.
There was a minute of silence, and then finally, Hiccup spoke, in a slightly nasally voice, "I - I ordered for you."
The woman scoffed. "Oh, great, What did you order this time, you idiot?"
He swallowed, and Astrid wanted so badly to reach out and hold his hand and hug him. "I - I got what you ordered last time. The - the…"
"The what?" she snapped, and Astrid's fists clenched.
"I f-forgot what it's called, but I pointed to the picture on the menu. It's the one you liked last time," he whimpered, shifting in his seat. The woman started to mock his stutter.
Oh fucking hell, would it look way too bad for her if she just decked the woman in the face?
Sure enough, two minutes later, a hot, sweet treat was brought from the kitchen and placed in front of the woman. Astrid gauged her reaction carefully.
"Oh, look at that, the dummy actually did something right for once."
There was a second where absolute fury passed through the blonde and she knew she was going to speak up now, but she needed just a moment to calm down or she would be jumping on the woman.
As she took a huge bite out of her treat, Astrid leaned forward with a steely glare.
"Excuse me?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you on drugs, or do you get off on being a bitch?"
The woman's eyes widened, and Hiccup's head snapped up to face her. He was still trembling, so Astrid stood up right next to their table.
"I'm sorry?"
"Your ears work," she spat, glaring down at the woman, "I asked, do you get off on being a bitch? Because from what I see, this guy hasn't done anything to you and you're being a jerk to him."
The woman opened her mouth and closed it as Hiccup pressed back into his chair, looking afraid. "Listen, sweetheart. This is none of your business, so I think you should just -"
"I'm a police officer," Astrid interrupted, gazing coolly, "and, you know, someone with morals. I really think you should leave."
"Oh, like I wanted to stay in this dump!" The woman's lip curled in disgust, and she reached out to grab Hiccup's arm, but Astrid grabbed her's before she touched him.
"Nuh uh." Her words were laced with anger. "Don't touch him, because I can see how bad that bruise on his face is. And if he's got others, which I'm betting he does, you might well be charged with attempted murder. Oh, sure, I know," Astrid said, seeing her mouth open in protest, "you would never let it go that far, you love him, yadda yadda yadda. Get lost."
With that, she let the woman's arm go, although she kept her hand in front of Hiccup, who was staring wide eyed at the spectacle. The woman's fists clenched, but at least she seemed to have accepted that she lost. She stood up, turned to her boyfriend and said, "Call me, got it?", and left the shop, making the drumming in Astrid's chest calm down, just a little.
Slowly and hesitantly, Astrid sat down where the woman had been sitting, and she peered at Hiccup, trying to notice anything she had missed when he walked in. He was scrawny, although very close to looking underweight, and he couldn't seem to look her in the eyes at all.
"T-t-thanks."
"Don't worry about it. So that was your girlfriend?"
He nodded shortly.
"Alright, well, you...you don't have to be with her, if you don't want to. What she was saying and doing, that all looks like an abusive relationship, you know?"
"Mmhm," he mumbled softly.
"Can I order anything for you?" Astrid tried. "My treat. Anything you want."
Hiccup shook his head frantically, his hand twitching on the table. "N-no. Please. I'm not hungry."
"Okay, do have anywhere to stay?"
"No. I-I'm sorry, I live with her and she made me move out and -"
"Hey. It's okay," Astrid soothed, reaching over to place a hand over his. He flinched, and Astrid realized his hand was freezing cold. She stroked it gently to warm him up, and his cheeks turned a bright red.
"Do you want to go to the station with me?" she asked quietly. "I could make sure that she won't come near you again, and...and you don't deserve to be with someone who hurts you."
Finally, he looked up at her, and his eyes were shining with tears, and he choked out, "Thank you."
"Don't worry about it," Astrid repeated, and the she stood up, took out her phone, and pressed the first number on her speed dial. "Hello? Yes, it's Hofferson, Captain. There's a young man here at the bakery on Hooligan Street, he was just with a woman who was threatening to hit him and there's a huge bruise on his cheek. She's left, but...yes. Yeah, Peralta is - oh, okay, is Santiago free? Okay, okay, thank you."
She hung up, and then leaned down next to Hiccup, holding his other hand and looking up at him. "An officer is on her way here, she'll look a lot more dignified than I do, I promise." She cracked a smile and the corner of his lips quirked upwards.
"Until then, are you sure you don't want to eat something?"
"I'm sure," he said quietly.
"Alright. I'm Astrid, by the way. Astrid Hofferson." She stretched out her hand with a light smile. "And you're Hiccup?"
"Henry. But Hiccup is fine. It's what everyone calls me."
Astrid held onto his hand, nodding. "Alright. Hiccup. Are you ready to put her behind you?"
Hiccup didn't say anything, just looked at her with a slight hint of fear in his eyes. But there was also relief, and as he squeezed her fingers gently, Astrid realized this might have been one of the most rewarding feelings she had ever experienced.