That One Ride

4. The After Party

The next morning, Hunter woke up to the sound of Tom's breathing combined with Toothless' slobber on his face. He made gagging noises as he wiped it off his face. Flashes of last night appeared, and he could vaguely remember Ashley being there. He sighed as he thought about her again. He scolded himself in his brain, knowing if he didn't, he'll just do it again. Well, he'll do it again anyway, but he needs not to think about it right now. Or her, actually.

His head hurt, probably from drinking, but he wasn't hangover, which Tom probably was from the state he was in. And the stench of alcohol coming from him confirmed his suspicion. He got up, almost stepping on Toothless in the process, and made his way to the kitchen. His father was nowhere to be seen, as usual. Typical, he thought. But he was glad that he wasn't in the house. It would have been awkward if he was. He really wasn't in the mood for explaining why Tom was passed out on the couch. He made them a cup of coffee, pouring food for Toothless and calling him to eat. He patted his head and grabbed the cups, heading for the living room. He put the cup of steaming coffee on the table in front of Tom, shaking him to wake up. When he heard him groan, he made his way to the garage, knowing that Tom would get up in a couple of minutes. He took a few drinks of his coffee on the way.

He put the cup next to his tools, walking to their bikes to make sure nothing was wrong. He had no idea how Tom made it to his house in one piece. Frankly, he didn't want to know. He noticed his jacket was on the seat of his bike, with the red dragon on the shoulder clearly visible. He took it, pulled out the leather fabric from his seat, and covered it up. He hoped his father was in a big hurry that morning to notice. He didn't need his own father having suspicions. He heard footsteps and turned around to see Tom leaning on the door, with the coffee in his hand. He smiled at the way he was standing.

"Well, you look like shit." He commented.

"Well, you aren't a sight to sore eyes in the morning either." Tom snapped back.

"At least I don't look like Gobber's post accident picture. How many drinks did you take?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"I lost count after fifteen." Tom replied, taking a drink from his cup.

Hunter laughed, and walked pass Tom, heading for the kitchen. From the looks of it, he was making breakfast since Tom was useless in the moment. As he started pulling out plates and bread, Tom came in and took a seat, giving a thankful nod on the way. Hunter just shook his head with a smile on his face, taking a glass and filling it with water. After he put the bread to toast, he walked to the medicine cabinet, finding an aspirin to give his best friend. He put the glass and pill in front of Tom, who drank it with no complaint. He pulled out the salami and cheese out of the fridge, just as the toaster went off. They ate breakfast in quiet, each sipping their coffee, with Hunter smiling at Tom's failed attempts to bite his sandwich.

By the time they finished, Tom was well enough to clean the dishes. Well, to put them in the dishwasher that is. Toothless was starting to complain about his walk being way overdue, so Hunter walked upstairs, putting on shorts and a undershirt, walking down with his earbuds.

"Where are you going?" Tom asked.

"I'm taking Toothless for a run. If I don't, he'll lick me till I do and I just managed to get his slobber off my face. You take a shower while I'm gone." He told him.

"You're not my mother." Tom replied to which Hunter chuckled. He put his earbuds in and clipped Toothless' leash on. "Take a shower Tom." He told him again and walked out of the house, starting his morning jog. He played his music, letting himself get pulled into the world of notes and strings. They took a few turns before coming to the park, their usual route. Sweat was building on his forehead and his back, dripping down his neck and arms, making his tattoo glisten in the morning sun. Or afternoon sun. He didn't really pay attention. He also shouldn't have paid attention to the glimpse of blond locks in his vision. He shouldn't have turned his head in her direction. He shouldn't have kept his gaze on her for a few moments when her eyes met his. He shouldn't have.