I am giggling so much writing this story.
Lillian POV features in this chapter.
-HTTYD-
Perusing the menu up above the baristas head, Lillian debated excessive but necessary caffeine consumption against a serious craving for sugar, opting for something in the middle and getting her usual with some added caramel syrup.
"Drink or take out?"
"Hm. Drink in, but can I get a takeout cup? I might have to leave quickly if my sister calls."
"Name?"
Giving it and wondering how likely it was it would be wrong, like most other times where there was only one L or an extra N or they'd misheard entirely and written Lydia or something... she nodded to it being brought over to her table, bought a cookie to go with it and headed to nab the last empty table in there before the hipster guy with a straggly beard he was clearly desperately trying to grow out got there. He frowned as he saw Lillian get there, pulling out her laptop and lamenting ever starting university at that moment. Grinning to herself at the minor victory. she ate her cookie while absently tapping, bringing up her assignment and humming happily with the chewy texture and chocolate chips.
Drink brought over - correctly spelled and everything! - Lillian put it to the side after a hearty swallow of too-hot coffee with the sweet taste of syrup, then tuned out the noise around her to focus on her work. The bit she'd started amongst the chaos of their new place was exactly that - chaos. So that was deleted, restarted and Lillian got several far more coherent sentences down, fuelled by caffeine and sugar, before she became aware someone was standing nearby. Half-expecting that hipster, Lillian looked up.
Oh, hello!
Not the hipster. Nope. Cute guy. In a sort of wiry, slightly nerdy sort of way. Shaggy hair and big green eyes and a smattering of stubble and freckles across his face.
"Mind if I sit here? It's kinda full in here."
Gesturing to the empty seat opposite, Lillian nodded - there weren't many options for seating, and he was nice on the eye. She could look - the hickey on his neck suggested maybe looking was all that was an option, but still.
"Sure."
He smiled warmly, a little crooked but sweet all the same. Turning back to her work, Lillian felt his eyes on her again as he sipped from his drink - a ludicrously coloured frappe. Spying his name on the side, she figured introducing herself wouldn't be the worst idea.
"So... Henry, is it?"
He nodded, smile growing a little.
"At your service milady."
What a dork. Why did that make him cuter? Assuming he had done the same and read her name on her cup, Lillian looked back down at her laptop, then felt herself compelled to glance back up.
Henry was still looking at her a little strangely.
"Do I have something on my face?"
He blinked, cheeks flushing lightly as he shook his head.
"No, no! I just... nothing."
He resumed drinking in silence, looking resolutely anywhere but her as Lillian resumed her work. Once he'd finished his drink and checked his phone, he started preparing to get up, rubbing the top of his arm.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I hurt my shoulder a couple of nigh- days ago."
Nodding in assent, Lillian smiled when he did, waved him off when he thanked her for letting him sit there, and turned back to her laptop. She did take a second to watch him out - damn that was a nice backside. He turned back to look at her, and Lillian quickly pulled her eyes up. Henry cocked his head, eyebrow raised. Then he was gone.
Her laptop beeped to distract her from the cute guy, warning Lillian her battery was low. Still, she'd made a good enough start, and her mind felt better not surrounded by boxes and half-done furniture. Saving and packing up, Lillian headed back home to her sister. Astrid was lazing on the sofa, but the remnants of a battle with IKEA flat packs scattered the floor, and she looked quite proud of herself. A couple of faded hickeys still littered her throat too, after that hot guy at the club she was still insisting was the best guy she'd ever had in bed. And up against a door.
"Wardrobes both done. And I put your bed together for you."
"You're an angel."
Astrid winked.
"I try. Did you get some work done at last?"
"Yeah. Thanks for chasing me out, I needed the break. Though I didn't get loads done. Got a little distracted."
Astrid sat up straighter, sensing interesting gossip.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Cute guy. Sort of dorky, but still sweet? I barely spoke to him but... I sound ridiculous."
"Remember who you're talking to Lils. I fucked a guy against his door before I even got his name. So, how cute is cute?
Giggling, Lillian sank down next to Astrid after she put her bag down, shoving her legs down playfully only for Astrid to put them back on Lillian's lap instead. Her sister was a cheeky thing.
"Yes but not all of us behave like that. And yes, he was very... cute!"
Astrid leant back, stretching lazily.
"No matter how cute he was, he wasn't as hot as the guy at the club. Damn, that ass."
Rolling her eyes, Lillian opted not to admit that Henry had caught her checking out his ass. That had been a little mortifying.
"Well, I'm not sure a guy who lets you drag him home and shag him stupid is my type."
Sticking her tongue out, Astrid flicked a peanut at her sister.
"Don't knock it til you've tried it!"
Leaving the cafe after taking a break between errand running, Hiccup mused on Astrid's odd behaviour. Tried to work out what was different.
Well, apart from the red lipstick and in-his-face cleavage. She looked pretty different in a comfy jumper and jeans, tapping away on her laptop under daylight rather than club light. Still, she was bloody gorgeous, and apparently Hiccup couldn't resist the urge to go over and make a fool of himself.
Hearing her call him Henry - if he said Hiccup, baristas looked at him funny - was a little odd, especially after all the times he had heard her utter Hiccup in that obscene, breathy tone while they were in bed...
And then she was so... not cold, but clearly not hugely interested in a deep conversation. Hiccup did his best not to be a dick about it - she'd been quite clear about being after a hook up in the club, and he had no right to interrupt her working. For a minute or two, Hiccup wondered if she even recognised him. Then he shushed his brain. Even if she didn't, he wasn't about to accuse her of not recognising a one night stand. Especially in public.
Her cool attitude did offset him a bit though, left him feeling awkward even after they'd gotten very up close and personal a few nights before. So he sat quietly, mostly enjoying his drink and trying not to stare at the space on her neck where he was sure he'd left a hickey. Had he not bit her that hard? He was still healing from the roughness himself, but Astrid had only asked for more, harder, rougher...
There wasn't even a flicker of response when Hiccup rubbed his shoulder, healing from the freaking claw marks Astrid had left there... maybe she just wasn't interested in conversation? Hel, they hadn't gotten names before the first time they fucked. Maybe Astrid had just been blowing off steam, and now she was getting back on with her life, and had let Hiccup sit with her out of politeness. Why was he thinking so bloody hard about a one night stand? Gods, she really had gotten under his skin that night. Amongst other things.
Why didn't he just ask for his clothes back? That would have been better than just staring, trying to remember if the lovebites had definitely been there. It had all become a bit of a hot, wet, sticky blur that night...
"Blimey Hiccup! Encounter with a vampire?"
"Bite me Eret."
"I would but you look like you've suffered enough!"
Resisting the urge to hurl a tool at Eret, Hiccup tugged on his overalls and went to work. It took all of five minutes before Eret was sidling up and trying to get information, only stopping when Hiccup threatened to ram a heavy wrench somewhere less than comfortable. Of course, that only brought... memories of his time with Astrid up. He didn't think that sort of thing actually happened, not on a one night stand, but Astrid had found his lube when she was getting a fresh condom and, well, she asked for it. Blimey though. She was really a wild card.
Adamantly insisting to himself he would not keep thinking about her like some kind of obsessed stalker, Hiccup was successful for all of two days. Then, running late for work and desperately hungry, he went to grab a snack from the cafe. When he saw Astrid there again, Hiccup backtracked before he could go over and be even later for work and more embarrassed. That resulted in him being slightly crabby at work until Eret came to the rescue with a protein bar. He might be annoying, but Eret was a good friend and an easy colleague to work with.
"Man, this girl really did a number on you. Does she have a sister?"
"Eret!"
"Yes?"
Rolling his eyes, Hiccup stole a biscuit from Eret's illicit sugar stash. Oh, how he regretted admitting why he was hungry.
"Actually, she does. I've never met her though. For all I know her sister is a lesbian or a martial arts expert who would twist you into knots."
"Hey, I'm an open minded guy, that could be fun!"
Swallowing some water to wash the sticky residue of protein bar off his teeth, Hiccup sighed.
"It was a one night stand. It would be incredibly creepy of me to hang around the cafe every day, wait for her to turn up, then say 'hey my workmate who will not stop demanding information about that hookup that left me covered in bruises wants to date your sister'."
Eret pulled a face.
"You, mister Haddock, are no fun at all."
It was a whole week before Hiccup spotted Astrid in the cafe again, looking even cuter than last time. Although that might be because she was wearing his t-shirt. Was that a hint? Or just her picking up something to put on? Ordering a drink, he glanced around and debated if it was too empty to excuse him sitting at her table. It was, but the table next to her was empty. Adding a toasted sandwich to his purchase, Hiccup headed to sit down and pulled out his book.
"Here you go sir."
"Thank you."
Tray placed down with hot drink and hot food on, Hiccup cursed the way his belly flipped at the sound of her voice.
"Henry, right?"
He nodded, feeling awkward as he noticed the way the dragon motif stretched over her chest.
"Yeah. I uh, I like your t-shirt."
She looked down, smiling prettily as her head came back up.
"Oh. Thanks. It's not mine. I sorta borrowed it."
Was she trying to wind him up? Hiccup considered calling her on it, but, well, it was true. He had said she could borrow his clothes.
What was it about Astrid that made his brain feel like it had been in a food mixer? Damn her, being so bloody cute and tempting and brain-melting. His back had barely healed from meeting the ferocious little blonde.
"So... what are you working on?"
Her sweet mouth pouted up slightly in thought. Hiccup wanted to feel those soft pink lips against his own again, pressing to his skin, parting on soft, sinful sounds...
Shit. She was talking.
"- and so, coursework sucks but I really like the rest of it."
He'd missed the first bit. Hiccup had to sort of wing it in answering, picking up his sandwich that was now almost stone cold.
"Yeah, I hate doing paperwork at the garage but I love to play with the cars."
They exchanged a little more small talk before Astrid got a message on her phone, then looked up with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry, I gotta run. My sister appears to have exploded something. Nice seeing you again Henry."
The second she vanished out of the door, Hiccup was kicking himself for not asking for her number. Or mentioning properly that it was his shirt she was wearing.
Deciding he was a little too fixated on Astrid simply because one night stands and random hot girls in clubs were not things that happened to him generally, Hiccup, in a fit of absolute insanity, let Eret convince him he ought to go out again.
"Even if you just chat to a couple of girls and don't want to pick anyone up, it'll do you good. You haven't really socialised much since breaking up with your ex."
"I'm not a social person!"
"Which is fine, except you still need a little more experience with real life ladies if you are ever going to date anyone again. You got lucky with Cami being so damn blunt she just asked you out herself and found your awkwardness endearing."
As Hiccup pulled up outside the club in his own car a couple of nights later - if he drove, he was less likely to get drunk and embarrass himself, right? - he cursed Eret's entire existence. He could go home. He was an adult. Eret wouldn't know.
The minute he entered the club, Hiccup was suddenly very glad he had done so.
"I was hoping I'd run into you again."
-HTTYD-
Poor Hiccup, all awkward and confused and adorable.