The guy in the diner (Hiccstrid)

Part 4

Astrid didn't see him the next day but the day after found him limping into the diner around one and when he saw Astrid at the counter, he grinned in relief, his emerald eyes sparkling. Finding herself smiling back, she blushed slightly, then turned to her pad in embarrassment before looking up again. He was still waiting so she walked forward, jerking her head in the direction of his usual table.

"I missed you," she murmured and he smiled at her.

"Yeah, well, my leg was really sore yesterday so I didn't feel like walking down here," he confessed. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"And you came here the next day instead?" she asked him as he shrugged his coat off and settled in.

"Only so much time you can spend staring at four walls," he admitted. "Hey, I like this Diner. It's not far from Campus, the food is great and this is somewhere..." And his voice ground to a halt. He swallowed and the hope faded from his eyes. "This was somewhere that was mine, not ours..." She frowned and absently scribbled down his usual. He looked like he needed to talk. The guys at the bar were chuntering away at the game, unimpressed at the Berk Hooligans' performance against the Murderous Maces so Astrid replenished their beers with a smile, handed Rolf the order, snatched two coffees and sat opposite Hiccup, sliding his coffee in front of him. He offered a wan smile.

"Okay-you need to talk and I am here, willing to listen," she told him firmly. "What did you mean, this place was 'mine not ours'?" He flinched and toyed with the spoon, stirring his coffee mechanically.

"Okay," he sighed. "Ana was a much more popular and vivacious person than I am. She had loads of friends and even my friends were more mutual rather than just mine. So after the accident, when she saw what I had become, when she dumped me because why would anyone want...this..." His voice had lowered with self-loathing again. She reached out and patted his hand gently. "When she ended it...our friends...chose. None of them seemed to be able to be friends with both of us any more...and they all chose...her."

Astrid rolled her eyes. She knew what he meant: it was always awkward when a couple split but if you were friends with both, it could be very difficult to remains friends with both when one or the other complained you were taking sides by seeing the other person. She had been the victim of this, of course, once the news she was expecting had gotten round and he had dropped her like a piece of trash. Everyone she had hung around with suddenly blocked her number or just blanked her.

"Then they were very poor friends," she commented, sipping her coffee and deliberately spooning another sugar in. He gave a slight shrug, his desolate emerald gaze locked on the table.

"Some of them had been friends since Elementary School and it really hurt when they just cut all contact," he murmured. "I mean, I was badly hurt in the crash, I was really struggling and it would have been really great to have some of my friends coming round and...helping." He sighed. "And almost everywhere was somewhere that was hers. The Coffee Shop, the Meade Hall, Johann's...and none of them felt...welcoming anymore. Everyone just stared at me when I came in...she was even in Johann's when I came in...Thor, that was awkward. The whole place fell silent...and I couldn't do it. I-I just walked out and then I heard the whispers and giggles before the door even closed. I just felt so..."

"Alone," she murmured, recalling the whispers and eyes that had watched her as she had gone around Berk when her pregnancy became more obvious. And no matter the facts of what happened, she was the one who was shamed, even in 21st century Berk. Pregnant at eighteen, no boyfriend, no college...the word slut was whispered more than once on her hearing and it had been all she could managed to walk away and not pound the self-righteous bitch into the ground while screaming the truth of it. There was nothing to be gained by putting herself in the wrong: the harm had been done and she would live with the fallout. If this had been what Odin decreed, Astrid Hofferson would face it with all the courage of her Fearless family.