Astrid stared at her pale hands and then pinched her skin, yet again questioning her new reality.
She was still having trouble comprehending that she was sitting here so comfortably. Ever since she had ran away from home nearly two years ago, her life had been nothing but a drag. She barely managed to get by for almost a year on low-wage jobs before ending up homeless on the street where she had expected to meet her final demise.
She would have died in her sleep if it weren't for Henry. While immensely grateful, she was still unsure if she could really trust him.
He had not shown any ill-intentions towards her thus far and the fact that he had a son comforted her slightly, but nothing was set in stone yet. For all she knew he could be thinking of dropping her off exactly where he had found here. It wasn't as if he owed her anything and especially more than what he had already provided for her.
Though the windows were dimmed, she could make out a young boy running in her direction with Henry trailing on behind him, carrying a sports-bag in his hands.
"Can I sit in the front?" she heard the boy ask his father.
Henry grinned at his son, putting the luggage away in the trunk.
"Of course you can, buddy," he said.
He soon joined Alex in the car, sinking down behind the wheel. He noted his son's expression change upon becoming alert of the unexpected third person behind him.
"Who is she, dad? And why is she sitting in our car?" Alex asked bluntly.
Henry took a deep breath.
"Alex meet Astrid. I found her.. I mean.. Well, she is.." he trailed off for a moment, trying to find the best way to explain the circumstances to his eight year old. "She is your cousin," he blurted out. "From Europe."
He could see mild surprise wash over Astrid's face.
"Cool!" his son uttered excitedly, turning around to get a better look at the girl. "So does that mean she will be staying with us?"
"Looks like it," Henry muttered.
They drove for a while until they reached a large supermarket. Alex unbuckled his seatbelt straight away to accompany his father inside. Hiccup twisted his head back to regard Astrid. "I think it's best that you continue to stay inside the car, I will keep the heat on," he said and then paused. "Is there anything you need?"
Astrid looked away, her face flushing.
Henry had been married for five years with his wife before they had filed for a divorce. In that time he had learned enough about female hygiene products and where to buy them. Astrid had asked for tampons and although Henry should be used to the word by now, he wasn't. He felt awkward purchasing this product for a child.
He also ended up picking up a few clothing items, underwear and socks. He regretted not bringing her along since it would be difficult to estimate her shoe size. She had smaller feet than his son but he couldn't figure out the exact length. Henry ended up throwing a pair of medium crocs into the cart.
As he stood by the checkout counter after collecting all the grocery items, Alex ran up to him holding some candies and a chocolate bar in his skinny arms.
"Please dad," the young boy pouted.
Hiccup exhaled dramatically but his smile gave him away. "Alright, fine!"
Watching the cashier scan the sweets, his mind unintentionally wandered over to the lonely girl in the car.
"Hey bud, why don't you go and get one for Astrid?"
Alex enthusiastically ran towards the shelf to pick up another chocolate bar.
Astrid remained frozen in her seat all throughout Henry and Alex's absence. She didn't relax until she saw them again.
She never expected Henry to let her stay another night at his house. She still had not ruled out the possibility that he might have just been putting on an act for his son's sake but it seemed as long as Alex was staying with him, which couldn't be for more than a few days, she would be allowed under his roof. After that she was likely on her own again.
She could feel her stomach starting to growl but ignored it. She had learned to tune out the pain a long time ago.
As soon as Alex got back in the car, he turned around and handed her something.
Astrid eyed the chocolate bar in awe. She could see Henry watch her through the rearview mirror.
"Thank you," she mumbled. They had not needed to get her that. It was another luxury she had bid farewell to a long time ago.
She ate half of it and saved the rest for later.
"I'm going to order pizza. Is that alright with you guys?" Henry asked both of the kids seated on each end of the couch.
"I love pizza," his son stated matter-of-factly. "Can we get pineapples on it? But no olives. I hate olives. And onions, yuck."
"Sure thing bud," Henry laughed and then shifted his gaze toward Astrid. "Is that okay Astrid?" he asked her.
Astrid simply nodded, tucking her legs closer to her chest.
As night began to approach, Henry decided it was time to make Astrid her bed. He opened the couch, turning it into a double bed and covered it with a warm blanket and a pillow.
"Go and brush your teeth," he told his son before regarding Astrid. "The couch will definitely not be as comfortable as a bed but..." It was definitely comfier than the cardboards he had found her sleeping on. He of course left that part of the sentence out.
Astrid just nodded again.
"Goodnight," Henry said, and turned to leave but Astrid suddenly placed her hand over his, startling him. He shot her a surprised look.
She didn't meet his gaze. "You saved my life and I don't know how to ever repay you," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "Where do I start?"
"Don't worry about it," he reassured her, starting to feel uncomfortable. "It's getting late now, we will talk more in the morning, alright?"
"Okay," she whispered, lowering down on the makeshift couch as she watched him leave the room.
For the first time in a long time, she slept peacefully.
AN: I decided to answer all your questions publically in case other readers are wondering the same.
Guest: Don't worry, this is not what this story is about.
Anonymous Noob the 2nd: Hiccup is 27.
Oh man: He is definitely not old enough to be her father, haha. :)
Tentra: The age difference is around 11-12 years which is perfectly normal for quite a lot of couples.
To everyone else, thank you so much for reviewing!