How To Heal A Broken Spirit
Pairing; Hayden X Ashley(Hiccup X Astrid)
Rated; M for Mature
Disclaimer; I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use.
A Little Time
As long as he lived, he never wanted to have to see someone he loved go through drug withdrawals again. It was hard for him to process; that by lunchtime of that next day after he'd found her at the whorehouse within Dragon Eye Hotel and Casino performing under the name Divine Beauty, Ashley began suffering from the mild symptoms of Heroin withdrawal. Day three of Ashley being without the drug brought on moderate to severe signs. By day four, Ashley was pleading Hayden to give her just a little of the substance to quell everything she was feeling, but Hayden stood firm and refused. How could he give into something like that? Did he want to see Ashley in such a state? No. Did Hayden want her to be okay? Absolutely. However, the safest way to solve both problems was to let the withdrawal run its course until everything stopped, including the cravings. Currently, today marked nine days that Ashley had been in Hayden's care, and the withdrawal symptoms seemed to be tapering off, leaving Ashley very tired, and a bit moody. Hayden didn't care because it meant that he could work on helping her heal, and become the female she once was; happy, caring, fierce. That's all Hayden wanted for Ashley; for her to be herself again.
Thankfully, things with this entire matter were wrapping up because Hayden knew he had to return to work come Monday morning, and today was Saturday. Hayden got updated by the police about the whorehouse situation, but it wasn't something of great importance to him. The authorities would take care of raiding that place, shutting it down, arresting those involved, and saving the girls and boys who were prisoners there. Hayden's focus was on making sure that Virgil and his sleazy employees didn't come near Ashley if they managed to get away. Hayden guessed on his own that if the police suddenly made an appearance at the casino, then Virgil would know Hayden talked and sent the cops there. Hayden didn't care; he would protect Ashley as he always promised to do, and he would not lose her again. Hayden would get his Ashley back, and everything would be alright. Hayden's biggest question was in wondering how Ashley would take to her surroundings now that she was clean. At the moment, Hayden was outside in the backyard working with four dragons.
Hayden was not only a GM for Archia Burger but also a volunteer Dragon Rehabilitator. This meant that Hayden would work with dragons, which reached about the size of a common house cat, and he would help them become adoptable. Most of these dragons had been abandoned or abused but rescued by the Dragon Heart Rehabilitation and Shelter; this was a place that Haily worked for. Now, when these dragons were brought in, some refused human interaction, and that is where Hayden come in because he had a way with the dragons. It could take a few tries, but Hayden would be the only one who could get close. Once Hayden earned their trust, he would take them home to work with them. Hayden himself owned three that were legally his; there was Cloudjumper, Thornado, and finally, Toothless. CJ and Thornado were his parent's dragons, and of course, when they passed, Hayden continued to care for them. Toothless was a rescue, the first one that Hayden worked with, discovering he had a talent for earning their trust when everything else failed.
All these dragons were small sized, with two front and back legs, then wings. Of course, there were different colors too. Cloudjumper was brown, orange, little blue, and some white with yellow eyes. Thornado was blue with white spots on his back and a white belly. Also, he had paler yellow eyes. Finally, Toothless was all black with some lighter patches but had green eyes. Now, Toothless's rescuing wasn't due to neglect, abuse, or abandonment. Toothless crash landed in Hayden's yard when he was fifteen, and ended up with a broken wing, and also, missing his left tailfin. Hayden called Dragon Heart, and Toothless was taken there, but as the workers found out, Toothless didn't get along with anyone, until Hayden came by to see how he was doing, and that was it. Toothless warmed up to Hayden, and the two just bonded, so Hayden adopted him. Hayden had a nice little sanctuary in his backyard for his dragon friends, and he worked with them every day, or at least he tried to. Having Ashley with him, a lot of his attention went to her.
Last Hayden checked, Ashley was sleeping, but he'd left a note saying where he was if she woke up and wondered where he went. Hayden's goal was to make her understand that she had free will and didn't need his permission to do things. Hayden wanted her self-sufficient, and happy, that's all he could ask for once this was over. Today, Hayden was working with a dragon he acquired just before he found Ashley; a blue, white, yellow with some purple dragon that had yellow eyes. This poor dragon was a female, young, and had been found locked up in a house, forced to fight. The girl was undernourished, beaten up, and terrified, and Hayden had been asked by Hailey if he could attempt to work his magic on her, so that's what he was trying to do. So far, no luck at the female just stayed hidden in the back corner of her stable, growling at the other dragons, and Hayden if he got too close. Hayden was sitting in the grass as Toothless was playing with Cloudjumper, and Thornado was planted in Hayden's lap, letting him stroke the top of the dragon's head. Cloudjumper and Thornado missed Vivian and Spencer, so they were seen cuddling one another, and staying close to Hayden, the son of their late humans pretty often.
Thornado whimpered a bit as Hayden sighed. "I know, I miss them too," Hayden replied as Thornado just laid there. Suddenly, the dragons stopped playing, and the three of them looked behind Hayden, so he glanced as well to see Ashley standing there. "Ashley, hey," Hayden said, surprised to see her there. "Um, how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," Ashley replied calmly. Hayden was trying to read her, see where her mind or feelings were at.
"You don't feel sick, shaky, tired, or craving anything?" Hayden questioned. Ashley shook her head to him. "That's…good. How did you sleep?" he said, a bit relieved.
"Well, thank you, Master," Ashley said. Hayden spoke too soon about maybe things getting better if she was calling him that again.
"What did we talk about, Ashley?" Hayden asked.
"Not to call you master," Ashley responded.
"Then why did you just do it?" Hayden inquired.
"I forgot, Hayden. I'm sorry, please forgive me for my insolence," Ashley bowed her head to me. Hayden sighed as Thornado got off his lap, then he stood up and in front of her.
"Ashley, you don't have to do that either. I told you, you're not going to get in trouble," Hayden reminded, then checked his watch to see it was about 1:40 pm. "Are you hungry?" Ashley looked off to the side. "Ash, come on. Answer me. Are you hungry?" Finally, she nodded once. "What would you like?"
"I eat what I'm given, or I go without," Ashley said. Hayden sighed heavily while looking up at the sky, silently praying for help. Ashley looked at him, then recalled what he'd told her the first morning with him; he expected her to tell him what she wanted to eat. "Peanut Butter and Fluff," she mentioned as Hayden's head snapped back in her direction.
"What did you just say?" Hayden asked. Ashley flinched a moment, fearing she'd upset him. "It's okay; I just didn't hear you. Will you say it again please?" he stated calmer.
"What I wanted to eat; Peanut Butter and Fluff sandwich, pl-please?" Ashley repeated respectfully. "Y-You told me when I came to stay with you that you expected me to tell you what I wanted from now on," she added. Hayden blinked a few times, and then he smiled.
"Yes. Yes, I certainly did tell you that. And I'm proud of you for remembering, Ashley. Now, let's get inside so I can make that for you," Hayden told her, then offered his hand. Ashley put hers in his; then he led her inside towards the kitchen. "Would you like one or two?"
"Two please?" Ashley asked, feeling that Hayden liked when she gave responses to what she wanted. Hayden grabbed four pieces of bread, then the peanut butter and fluff jars before setting them down. Hayden grabbed a knife and got to work, then served them to her on a paper plate. "Thank you, Hayden," she said softly.
"You're welcome," Hayden nodded, then her a cup of fruit punch before sitting down to relax.
"You're not eating?" Ashley asked him after she had taken a few bites.
"I ate while you were sleeping," Hayden replied.
"Oh," Ashley said, then continued to eat quietly.
"You still don't remember me, do you?" Hayden questioned while glancing out the window. Ashley didn't know why, but she felt bad. Seeing Hayden's face brought her an unexplained sadness, and figured that it likely hurt him that she didn't remember who he was when he claims they were best friends. Ashley felt that it was something she shouldn't have forgotten, and she should recognize him, but all she recalled was his voice. That meant something, didn't it?
"No," Ashley replied finally. Hayden sighed as he stood up while pulling out his phone, then pressing a contact name before placing it against his ear. "Hailey. Hey, it's me. What are you doing today?" he asked. After a few moments, he nodded. "Can you round up Alicia and Roxy if they are free, and come by?" he inquired. "Great. Thanks. See you soon, bye," then he hung up.
"Am I…going somewhere?" Ashley wondered curiously, afraid she might have upset him.
"Yeah, you're going out with my friends for a bit," Hayden said, and Ashley was confused. Fifteen minutes later, Hayden was Hailey's car pull up with Roxy and Alicia inside. "Come on," he motioned for her to follow. Ashley got up and wandered behind him outside to the car.
"Wow, she looks so much better than a few days ago," Alicia smiled.
"So, what did you call us for?" Roxanne questioned.
"I, uh, gotta get a little work done. I thought maybe your girls would like to take Ashley shopping for a few hours," Hayden offered as their eyes lit up, and he handed Hailey a debit card. "This is my prepaid card, and I've loaded $500 on it to get used for Ashley to gets some clothes and personal care items," he instructed.
"No problem," Hailey smiled. "Why don't you two get Ashley settled in the car so I can talk to Hayden a minute?" she suggested. Ashley looked at Hayden now.
"Go with them. You're not in trouble, Ashley, but I have some work to do, and they'll keep you from being bored. You're gonna go shopping for some stuff, and they'll help. I'll see you tonight for dinner," Hayden informed. Ashley nodded and walked away with the girls as Hailey looked at him with a soft smiled.
"It's hard to have her so close, yet so far, isn't it?" Hailey asked.
"I always knew she was in some kind of trouble, Hailey, but this? How can she know my voice, but not my face, or remember us in pictures growing up together? It just...It hurts," Hayden revealed. Did he love her? More than life itself? Was he giving up on her? Not at all. Hayden waited four years, and he would spend as much time as needed to bring Ashley back from where she was now.
"You have to remember what she's been through, Hayden, and recovering from that is not easy. I told you that her being off the drugs would help, but it won't be instant. I wouldn't be surprised if she starts suffering from PTSD, in the form of nightmares or flashbacks triggered by similar things she endured. You're not in this alone, Hayden, and we're all here to help. We want her back just as much as you do," Hailey put her hand on his shoulder.
"I appreciate it, I really do," Hayden nodded.
"Good. Now, why don't you let us take Ash for a bit, and you can have some time to yourself? You've earned a break after the last eight or so days," Hailey smiled, then she walked to the car, getting inside, and then it was gone. Hayden returned to the house, shutting the door, and plopping on the couch. Things were hard, but he wouldn't give up on her. However, Hayden was going to take the advice Hailey gave him; enjoy the break and have a little time to think.
