Work Text:
It was dark outside and the stars shone bright over the orphanage. All the children at Gracefield were sleeping peacefully in their beds. All except one.
Krona had been eliminated. Even all of her things had been removed in under a day. Now all that remained was the storage room that was once her bedroom. This is where the one child, Ray, sat now.
Ray sat in the room, illuminated only by a lantern at his side. He sat in the corner of the room, staring at his arm. In one hand, a blade he obtained from the kitchen. In the other, nothing but a few streaks of blood. His arm was leaking of the dark liquid in multiple places. Cuts created by the blade. Cuts created by his own hand that was grasping that blade. Although Ray had done this many times before, the amount of blood surprised him every time. Seeing it pour from his arm made him question why he continued to do this. But the blood was the same reason he did. It satisfied him to see himself hurt. Hurt in the way he made others hurt. It gave him a reason to feel the emotions he constantly blocked out. It reminded him he was alive, he was human.
creak
The creak of a door opening. Ray froze, holding his breath. He dropped the blade, and covered the cuts with his hand. A miserable attempt, as the blood could still easily be seen. Ray waited for something to happen, hoping it wasn’t actually happening. If it was, hoping it wasn’t anyone who cared enough. Maybe if it was one of the younger kids he could brush it off as an accident.
“Ray?”
The voice he didn’t want to hear. He let out a shaky exhale, hoping it was quiet enough. He looked up at the voice. His hair fell, uncovering his eye.
“Emma,” he remarked. Her bright orange hair was as messy as ever, sticking up every which way. Emma’s blinding green eyes, looked back at his own pale gray ones.
“What are you doing in here? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” she asked.
She examined him more, as her eyes adjusted to the light. Ray watched as she realized what was happening. Emma’s eyes widened, and she let a quiet gasp of shock escape her mouth. “Ray, holy crap,” she exclaimed as quietly as she could. Ray grimaced, knowing there was no way out now. He had been found out.
Emma rushed into the room, closing the door behind her. She knelt down to Ray, and grabbed his arm. “Ray, oh my god. There’s so much blood.” She frantically scanned the room, reaching for a blanket next to a box. She tore a corner of it off, and threw the rest behind her. “Take your hand off it, I need to stop it from bleeding,” Emma said. Ray only gripped his arm tighter. He didn’t want Emma to see what he’d done, he was ashamed. She didn’t deserve to deal with this. “Ray, please,” She insisted, her voice gentle as ever. How could she be so calm right now? How was she not horrified? How was she still so caring? Ray let his hand fall off his arm. Emma pressed the cloth to his cuts. Ray winced at the pain. Jesus, you’re pathetic. Ray wished the voices in his head would be quiet for just a moment.
Once Emma cleaned up most of the blood on his arm, she grabbed another piece of the blanket and tied it around the wounds. She fastened it tightly, making sure it was secure.
Ray looked up at her for the first time after she came into the room. Emma met her eyes with his, staring with worry. Ray felt tears prick at his eyes as he took a shaky inhale. Emma grabbed him suddenly, pulling him into a hug. She held Ray tightly, digging her hands into the back of his shirt. Ray began to do the same to her. He buried his face in her shoulder, finally breaking. He cried. He cried a lot. Everything he held back came pouring out in one big flood. He started rambling, saying fragments of sentences, but he never finished a full thought. Emma just held him, occasionally whispering “you’re okay, it’s okay,” which of course only made Ray want to cry more.
After a long silence, Emma spoke again. “Listen,” she whispered. “I care too much about you to let you do this to yourself. I know you’ve known so much longer than Norman and I have. But, you’re not alone anymore. You have us, you always have. We’re gonna get through this together, I swear we will.”
Ray wanted to believe her. A reality where they could all escape together and live a new life. One where he didn’t have to follow his plan, and the three of them could live together. Hell, even with everyone else. But it didn’t exist, and he knew it. For now at least, Ray could pretend to believe Emma. For her sake, and for his own. He simply nodded in response, hugging her tighter.