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Studies show that if one was to stare into a mirror, into their own reflection, for long enough there would be side effects. Perceptual effects like hallucinations, how the mind can play tricks on you. Making you see your face but it ends up looking.. different.
Alexis stood infront of the mirror, her hands holding onto the sink connected to it, the cold porcelain growing warmer by the heat of her palms. She stared at her reflection for what felt like hours and she could obviously see that it was her, she just didn't feel it.
The person staring back looked unmistakably like her, same messy unkempt blonde hair, same smudged mascara from uncontrollably sobbing with the same smeared lipstick, same piercings and the same cold, scared dark brown eyes.
She's been trying so hard to see herself within the reflection but it was to no use, all she could see was all her mistakes like it had been laid out bare infront of her.
Mistakes that have been haunting her for years. Mistakes that left her sad, dissapointed, frustrated and most importantly angry.
Angry at herself for letting anyone treat her the way her shit excuse of a boyfriend treats her. In a way her mistakes are actually laid out bare infront of her, signs of it being left on her body, bruises made by that waste of air, Don. Fuck, how could she be so weak?!
Letting someone like him, of all people, dictate her own life.
It made her feel sick to the stomach, a pit forming in her core as it slowly became harder to breath like she had a lump in her throat. Looking back into the reflections eyes, its eyes were getting glossier as it filled up with tears. Once it overflowed the tears began streaming down the cheeks and that's when she looked down, the tears were hers, well of course they were it was her reflection and somehow when she looked back the person staring back was just a blur, a hazy memory of a person that was once there.
This just frustrated her even more so, anger boiling deep inside her as her eyebrows furrowed and her jaw clenched. Teeth grinding against eachother while her knuckles were turning white with how hard she was gripping the sink beneath her.
And it was like her body moved without her control, her arm swinging up and back sharply like she was getting ready to knock someone out, her hand shaped into a tight fist. In the blink of an eye and with a blood curdling scream, the fist lunged forwards, painfully connecting the knuckles with the glass.
The–now shattered–mirror distorted her reflection with its cracks. The eyes were uneven, so were her lips and her hair. It didn't look like her anymore and yet strangely enough she felt a better connection to it even through the red haze that clouded her head, her shoulders rising and falling as her breathing got heavier.
Her anger subsided when she saw actual red dripping from where her fist and the broken mirror met, that's when she realized what just happened. It was blood. And it was alot of it, streaming down like a waterfall.
Letting out loud moans and groans of pain when she pulled back her hand, multiple shards of glass were impaled in-between her knuckles and on her fingers. Trying to stabilize her breathing, which failed miserably. She was panting and breathing very heavily in disbelief. Why did I do that? She muttered through her sobs repeatedly along with a long list of curses following after it.
Her hand grabbed onto the bloody wrist to make sure it was real and it wasn't just her imagination, her whole body started shaking and her vision went even more blurry as more tears welled up. Taking a few step backwards in disbelief until her back hit the cold tiled wall.
Her body sunk down until she sat on the floor. Her knees scrunching up to her chest as a way to protect herself, not sure from what since she was the only person here. Ugly sobbing could be heard from the bathroom as more blood dripped on the dirty off white coloured floor. She just stared at the wound as best as she could with all the tears that didn't seem to stop just yet.
Soon enough her loud sounds of distress alerted someone, 2D. Who came crashing into the bathroom with worry plastered all over his face. "I heard a scream! Is everything alr– holy shit, your hand–!" He panted out, seems like he ran here. Instantly dropping down to where she was sitting to check up on her.
All he could see was his band member curled up in a pool of her own blood and tears. When he asked what happened, she was unresponsive, unable to come up with an answer that seemed sane. He just sighed at the silence, looking back at her injury and winced at the sight of it. He hoped that she wouldn't need any stitches.
This would be the second time he'd have to help her with a hand injury caused by glass, it's just weird that it happened twice really. "Uhh.." He silently panicked, thinking of some reasonable solution while Alexis was still next to him, having a breakdown. "Let's–.. let's get you some water and I'll bandage you up.." He reassured softly, his hand on her shoulder. He threw her arm, with the non injured hand, over his shoulder and helped her on her own feet.
He took the first step forwards, Alexis following alongside him and she tried to be careful but somehow ended up stumbling a bit with the way her legs shook when she out pressure on them. 2D instantly grabbed her hip and held her tighter "its alright, luv I got ya.." He softly reassured, still no answer from them just toned down cries.
2D guided her slowly but surely to his room, knowing he had the equipment to help care for her wound somewhere in the drawers of his nightstand. Once he got her situated on his bed, he immediately went to rummage in the drawers.
He sat down next to her, tweezers in hand. He took her bloody hand in his, letting his hand be stained with her blood. "Didn't think this was how I'd be spending my night" He murmured without any offensive connotations behind it, his eyes squinting and tongue sticking out just a little so he could be precise, slowly taking out the pieces of glass that had lodged itself through her skin.
After letting out a wince, her throat was all sore and hoarse from crying, she managed to mumble out a soft "..im sorry" Her head was facing away from him out of guilt and embarrassment. Her eyes screwing shut, biting her tongue to quiet down her sounds of pain.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" He asked confusedly before finally taking the last piece of glass out. Moving to desensitize her wound. "For all this," She responded, her tone filled with guilt "I don't know what got into me.." She confessed while still holding out her hand for him. Cursing under her breath when she felt the cold yet burning touch of the cotton swab on her injury.
"I just.. I don't know, I don't want you to worry about me–"
"Well, I am worried about you and you can't stop that." He cut her sentence before she could make up some excuse on how she doesn't matter and how this is all stupid, which left her speechless. 2D turned to grab the bandages, unrolling it and carefully placing it on her hand, wrapping the soft woven fabric between her fingers and around her hand in silence while she just watches him care for her.
They stayed in silence until the sound of his scissors cutting the bandage basically cut the tension aswell. She pulled her hand back slowly once he was finished. She looked at him and their eyes met, he leaned closer and her eyes stayed on him. He raised his hand, which was still covered in her blood, to tuck a strand of her messy hair behind her ear but she flinched before he could get close. Her body leaning back, her other hand holding her up.
The movement was quick and it surprised him to the point where he moved back aswell. She just stared at him, not really processing what she had done. He cleared his throat which seemed to snap her out of her shocked state, "uhm.. I gotta wash my hands, be back in a tick" He scuttled away before she could stop him.
Goddammit. How does he do that? He makes her feel so.. nice?? The way he was so close and tender made her feel a type of warmth she hadn't felt in years. But it couldn't be that feeling, right? He's just this nice with everyone, that's who he is and that's what she likes about him. As a friend, of course.