[Normal P.O.V]
Astrid! Astrid!
Night Fury continued to strike the dummy, as more memories swirled back in his head that will haunt him for the rest of his life
Where the fuck is he? Tell me or I'm cutting of your leg!
The sound of his hits echoed throughout the empty floor. The battered and torn dummy was slowly reduced to splinters.
Please! I- I don't know! I don't know- he never told me.
Knuckles already broken, he continued to hit the dummy, making them bleed even more. The sound of his knuckles crunching and cracking, which he paid no attention to, created a horrible sound that a normal person would shudder and grimace at.
You know what I'm talking about!
Please, just let me go! I know nothing!
Tears began brimming in his eyes. Eyes glaring at the inanimate dummy in front of him. A familiar face flashed in the dummy's head. With the image welded in his head, anger roared deep inside his heart.
Stop playing stupid! That's it! Savage, give me the bone saw!
His mask sitting lonely on the training ground. He grit his teeth in anger and rage. With the jumbled emotions swirling in his heart, he delivered another painful punch to the dummy.
No, no, no, NOOOO!! OH GODS! PLEASE STOP! STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU SAY! JUST PLEASE STOP!
A teardrop fell the the ground, as more followed. The floor below him was now stained with tears and blood.
PATHETIC!
WEAK!
WORTHLESS!
I'm sorry, Hayden! Please forgive me!
Night Fury yelled out a shriek of pain and anger, the sound of misery and agony reverberating around the floor, as he slammed his fist against the dummy's head, causing it to fly off from its body.
She never cared for you. All of them. They never did.
Emotions swirled with the ice water circling the cold metal drain as streaks of fire burned his cheeks. Each new wave a hot trail of agony as slim, bare shoulders shook in each rake of emotion through his frame. Fire of shame and anger burned just under his skin and a deep emptiness filled his heart as the sentiments brewed over and boiled past the seams he could no longer hold together. Breathing hitched as his knees grew weak and he slumped to the cold tiles on the floor. There was no hope for a man who cried to his death in the showers, drowning himself in his own tears of hell. He pulled back his hood, running his hand in his auburn hair as his sobs continued to echo in the room. The pain in his chest hurts even more than any injury or wound he got. Like a thorn pierced his heart, he clutched his chest as he continued to sob silently.
"I fucking hate myself. Why can't I just die?" He muttered quietly, his voice cracking. "Why do I have to suffer, when I could rest in peace, free from pain and agony. Why do I have to watch that painful memory over and over again?" His voice gradually got louder until he was yelling it out. "Is this what I deserve?! Is this why he abandoned me? Is this why she never cared for me?! Am I just a fucking monster, a disgrace, a spawn of hell? If I am, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME END IT ALL?!"
His shouts of agony and anguish were now forever imprinted in the walls. With no one to witness his suffering, he continued to pour out every single trace of emotion he had in him. No one was watching, all except for one.
"Hayden..." a voice suddenly spoke. Not even looking up, Night Fury ignored the voice as his sobs flowed on.
"Hayden." The voice tried again. This time, Night Fury looked up and turned towards the voice, and there he was. A guy about his age was leaning against the wall, fidgeting his digital watch on his arm. He had long messy black hair, with short sides. He was short and slim, about 5'5. His drawstring shorts were loosened, with a red and black jacket tied around his waist. The top he had on was a sweatshirt design that hasn't been released yet. But the most distinguishable trait about him were his eyes. His greenish-yellow reptilian eyes were so captivating that it almost looks like you're hallucinating when you stare at them. The more you stare at it, the faster the vertigo could affect the body.
"Toothless, what do you want?" He asked, not even bothering to hide his tear-stained eyes.
"Before I would say anything, do you notice anything different on me?" Toothless asked, his arms outstretched.
Silence.
"Oh, come on. Nothing?"
More silence.
"Here's a clue. I'm wearing it right now."
Night Fury, even with his recent break-down, stared blankly at the young man with an unamused expression.
Toothless snorted, "Fine. Anyways, how you feeling?"
Not changing the blank expression on Night Fury's face, he continued to impassively stare at him. Toothless began to laugh nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a no."
"Listen, don't even bother saying anything to me. You'll just waste your time." Night Fury said, his voice hollow and emotionless, as if he had no life.
Toothless fixed his eyes on the auburn figure in front of him. Though he doesn't have a real heart, he sometimes questions the pain in his chest whenever he sees his friend like this. He walked towards Night Fury, stopping on a desired range. He knelt down and hovered his hand on Night Fury's head.
"Then I'll keep it short." He said with a small smile. "I'm an A.I., Hayden. I don't have feelings, a heart, nor a soul. So I have no right to say that I can feel what you're feeling. But I can say this; Whatever happened to you in the past, is gone. It's in the past. The only way to forget about it is to move on."
"But that's just it, bud." Night Fury sighed out. "The past always comes back to haunt me."
"But why shut us out? I'm not the only one trying to help you, Hayden. Shatter, Dagur, Gobber. We're all trying to help you. But I ask you again, why do you shut us out?" Toothless questioned. When Night Fury didn't reply, he continued, "But I understand your intentions. In the end, we're not the one who's going to change you. Not me, not that girl or anyone. It'll be you."
Again, he didn't respond. He just stared out in the open, looking at nothing in particular. Toothless stood right back up, his eyes filled with worry for his friend. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he closes his eyes.
"Don't give up, Hayden. A lot of people wants you back. Especially her." At the mere mention of her, Night Fury stiffened. Toothless noticed this. "Astrid wants her best friend back, and I know you want her back too. " Toothless said before turning around to leave.
Just as he was about to leave, he felt Night Fury stand up. He turned around to see him on his feet, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Don't call me with that name ever again. I'm Night Fury. Hayden died the day I was tortured by Alvin. He died after I massacred the entire Outcasts all by myself. You told me to forget the past. I did. This is who I am now. And nothing's changing that." He replied, eyebrows furrowed.
A frown was etched on Toothless' face. He didn't want to admit it but he was right. He was scarred for life. But there's a small chance that something, or someone will change that. But before the words could even leave his mouth, Night Fury countered it already.
"I won't let another person in. Especially her. She should just mind her goddamn business and forget about me. Yes, I know why she's here. That girl is extremely stubborn and hardheaded. That's why don't try to talk me out of bullying her. I need her to drop out. I'll do everything in my power to fail her. I'll can't allow another person back in my life. I can't allow another person pay for my actions. And I don't know if I could ever move on..."
Toothless frown deepened once more. He could see that Hayden's depression was only getting worse, and it hurts him to see that. He needs to eventually let someone in because if he doesn't, the same incident three years ago, will happen again. The fear of losing his friend is too much for his non-existent heart. He nods sadly then began to walk away.
"But, I'll try..."
Toothless whirled his head so fast, he almost broke his holographic neck. "Come again?"
"I'll try. Though I'm confident I can't, I can't let you down either." He replied with a ghost of a smile.
A smile reached Toothless' face as well. "That's more than enough."
"Also, bud."
"Yeah?"
"Buy me one of those sweatshirts next time."
"So you did notice!"
"Just shut up and buy me one."
........................
[Astrid's P.O.V]
"What do I say again?"
"Lad, it's easy as rubbing a boar's tusk."
"Your metaphors are way off."
"Ignore that. Now, say it with me. I'm soooorrryyy."
"I- I- Fuck this shit."
"I'm pretty sure that means the opposite, laddie. And you're missing a few letters."
"Gilbert, I think I made a mistake asking you for help."
"Nonsense! Asking me help is the best choice in a situation!"
"Unless the situation needs two hands and feet."
"Lad, your sarcasm is going to kill you one day."
"Aw, how sad."
The moment my mind woke up, I could hear a pair of voices speaking to each other. The conversation was so weird and strange that I had to open my eyes. Listening to that was like listening to a soap opera, and I'm not a fan of them. In fact, I despise them. They must've noticed I was already awake since they stopped talking and fixed their eyes on me.
"Ah, lass. You're finally awake!" the man beside Night Fury, exclaimed.
This man looks as weird as he sounds. He was a large, muscular guy with a long braided blonde mustache. He wasn't exactly tall but he was big, as in wide, standing around 5'9. But his wide frame gave him a stubby figure. What's even weirder is he has a prosthetic left hand and right leg. But that's not the weird part. Instead of a normal prosthetic, he had one of those where it had multiple kinds of tools, as if he had a Swiss Army Knife for a hand. Except, I don't think tweezers were the best tool right now.
He wore a simple sleeveless vest, khaki pants, and a baseball cap over his head. Carvings of ancient Norse was engraved against his wooden peg, as well as on his prosthetic hand, which are both made out of wood. A simple yet interesting guy. I like him already.
"Go on, Fury. Say your piece." He sported a grin, revealing one of his tooth to be a sliver ore.
Night Fury let out a groan, obvious that he doesn't want to do this. Instead of his normal outfit, he wore a brown tunic that was refreshing to see due to the new set of clothes and the way it hugged his lean body. Hey, I can admire a man's body, can I not? For his lower body, he donned a pair of black jeans, high-cut sneakers, and of course, his face mask. Still keeping your face a secret, huh? Night Fury faced me, taking a deep breath. He ran his hands through his auburn locks which I have to admit, looks smooth and soft. Okay, that's enough.
"Uhm, I- uh." He stammered, his eyes looking anywhere but mine.
Oh. My. Gods. The great Night Fury stammering. This is gold! I tried my best to stifle my laughter. My hand flew to my mouth as I hold it in from bursting out.
"I- I- I'm..."
I don't know if he's trying to apologize or vomit. The mustached guy must've gotten impatient. He decided to stop wasting time and smack him upside in the head. With that, I let out a compressed snicker. It was a good thing that Night Fury wasn't directing his attention at me.
"Ah! Gilbert! You fucking meathead." He exclaimed, rubbing the side of his head.
The mustached man, who I suppose is Gilbert, rolled his eyes. "Stop being a drama queen and say sorry like a man!"
Night Fury sighed and faced me. He shrugged and rolled his eyes as if saying 'here goes nothing'.
"I apologize. It was wrong to pick a fight with one of my recruits. Even if she was being a bitch."
WHAT?!
Night Fury received another smack on the head by a frying pan. Ouch. "Shit- I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." He says, his eyes glaring at the one-handed man. I wanted to have fun with him so I pretended to think about it. I looked up, placing my finger under my chin.
"Hmm. You did try to kill me..."
I swore I heard one of his nerves snap. I could see fist trembling in anger. I have a feeling that if I was a guy, and the man, Gilbert, wasn't there, his fist will be connected to my jaw.
"But I guess I could forgive you. One on condition." I say, raising my finger at him.
He agreed by nodding, but his glare said otherwise.
"Don't harass, bully, or try to kill me or any other recruit from here on out. Promise?' I said, narrowing my eyes at him. Lifting up my pinky finger, I held it out in front of him like some fifth-grader. What the hell.
All of a sudden, he leans forward, grabbing my pinky finger with his entire hand. I bet he could break it without even flinching. His face was now inches away from mine. Why does he like to do this? My heart began racing, the air stuck on my throat, preventing me from speaking. I felt his hot breath on my skin, giving my shudders. Not in disgust, just... not in disgust. I'll leave it at that.
"I promise. Just as long as you don't disrespect me." He said in a lower tone that I found sexy.
Shut up, Astrid!
I wasn't even focusing on what he's saying anymore! I'm just staring at the emerald orbs on his face as I try to come up with a response. I couldn't think of any with him being so close. So I just gulped and said, "Yessir."
Not the best reply but fuck it. Happy now? Get away from my face! But alas, the gods loved watching me suffer so as expected, they wanted more.
"Nicely done, lad. But since she's still injured, you have to cancel the rest of the training until she's recovered. In that time, I want you to stay with her. Feed her, get her what she needs. I'm counting on you, alright?"
"WHAT?!"
"WHAT?!"