Chapter Text
Dummy wanted to scream at the sight, but they just… couldn’t. All they were able to do was freeze up and stare in shock. A million thoughts rushed through their head, but the most prominent one was telling them to try not to make him uncomfortable. They let out a breath they didn’t realize they were holding, and attempted to maintain their composure.
On the other hand, Cashier’s thoughts weren’t so pretty either. He looked like a deer in headlights, backed into a corner, and his face was soaked with tears and sweat. His body shook wildly in a defensive position, equally from the throbbing pain of his wounds, the guilt of the stress he was putting Dummy through and what he had done, and bracing himself for what was about to come. He just wanted this all to be over. He wished he didn’t have to deal with this in the first place.
After what felt like an eternity, Dummy tried to speak up.
“C-Cash, I- that’s-,,, wh-.. holy shit…-”
Their voice trembled and broke. Nausea kicked in, and they had to cover their mouth to try not to throw up. Nonetheless, they took a deep breath and tried again.
“Okay… uhm.. I-Is there some kind of,, first-aid kit in the back? I-I just want to- ya’know, uh- try to help fix that up.. for you…-”
Cashier’s lips trembled, and he could barely muster a word, but he managed to respond with a quivering nod.
“In the f-freezer… I’ll hold it open, so y-you don’t get locked inside..”
“Okay,, Okay, good… Cash, I’ve..- I gotta see that first, though- I- Can you just..”
Cashier crammed himself further into the corner.
Dummy swallowed their uneasiness and tried their best to stand their ground, ignoring the burning feeling of concern in their chest.
“Cashier, it’s okay. You’re okay. I’m not mad or upset with you… Well, I am fucking concerned as hell right now, I-I just,,,- really want to help you. You’re safe here, yeah…?”
“Y-... Yeah. I’m… I-I’m, like, seriously so sorry about this, by the wa-”
“Don’t apologize. I’m not blaming you, nobody’s blaming you. I just need to see. And then we can patch you up, and talk.”
Those words shot through Cashier’s ear like bullets. Somehow, the idea of having to talk to them about this felt even worse than the reason why he did it in the first place. His thoughts were on a whole new level of mindfuck, but he pushed himself away and slowly dragged himself towards them. Dummy let out a hum of relief. They laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to soothe him, and used the other to support his wrist.
“Can I see?”
Cashier carefully lifted his hand covering his injuries, which were even worse than Dummy had expected. The slits were practically covering the entire top half of his forearm, still fresh and glistening. Thin, purple flaps of skin were covering up some of the scars; Almost like censorship, but only made the scene all the worse. Their stomach dropped even further, and they grimaced at the sight, feeling another wave of nausea.
“Oof… Y-Yeah, that’s,,, Damn..”
“s-sorry-”
“We’ve gone over this already, man.”
Dummy released the hand that was placed firmly on his shoulder and took him in a tight, comforting embrace. Cashier’s whole body stiffened in shock.
“You don’t need to apologize for shit. This isn’t your fault, I’m not angry with you, and I’ll repeat it as many times as I have to. I care about you so much, Cashier. I’d rather you tell me if you ever do something like this, instead of just trying to keep it all to yourself. That accomplishes nothing.”
Those words cut deeper than the blade ever could.
Cashier lowered his head into their shoulder and bawled.