Work Text:
Screaming was heard through the house as Dave hid in his room, using himself to barricade an already closed door from Henry, who was furious at him.
But the words weren't processing in Dave's mind, deafening ringing in his ears as his vision blurred, he lifted shaky hands into his view. Tears poured down his face, soaking into his shirt.
He couldn't breathe.
He couldn't do anything.
He pulled his knees up tight to his chest and hugged them tightly, hyperventilating.
he lifted his right arm, turning it over so his wrist was facing the carpeted floor, trying his hardest to resist the urges, until a crash was heard outside his room, and he couldn't take it anymore.
He scratched violently at his forearm, like a badger digging into soil. He scratched until his arm felt numb, and agitated skin was left in his nails' path.
The scratching didn't hurt anymore, he needed to do something else.
He thought for a moment before bringing his arm to him mouth and biting down hard onto the skin. He did this several times, focusing only on the pain and not his emotions.
He was in agonizing pain, but it was enough to take over as the main focus in his mind instead of Henry in the background. Dave didn't even notice when blood started to creep out of an accidental wound left by his sharp canine teeth.
He hugged his knees once more, sobbing into them as he buried his face.
One day he'll get out of this hellhole, and one day Henry would be tortured below the earth for how he's treated Dave.
He knows it.
...he has to.