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2:42 am.
That's what the clock read, at least what you thought was written on it. You couldn't be certain, since tears were blurring your vision, nor did you care enough to check. There were bigger problems to worry about, especially the ones that were currently bleeding. A bloody blade was held tightly in your trembling hand. Great, you did it again! Why? 'I don't know!' You always say. And in all honesty, it's partly true. You often just feel like it, so you do it, especially when it's dark and you're feeling lonely. The shadows aren't much comfort either... They feel almost mocking.
You looked at your wrist, carefully examining the damage you've caused yourself. Blood was pouring out of the many angry lines on your skin, but at least you didn't strike a vein, so you'll live for today. You weren't satisfied though. You needed more. But as you pressed the blade againts your wrist once again, ready to slash, suddenly someone knocked on your door, sending you into a panic. You managed to toss the blade under your bed just in time before he came in.
It was Ticci Toby. He's always been a night owl, so it wasn't unusual to see him awake this late. You two weren't exactly friends, but you did know each other a bit from chatting during missions. But why was he here now? What inspired him to come into your room at this so very vulnerable moment? His expression wasn't clear either, his signature mask and goggles obstructing his face, and the poor lighting was the cherry on top. But you did feel his piercing gaze on you, boring holes into your very being.
Before you could say anything he stepped closer, his head nervously snapping to the side, and whispered more to himself than you: "what did you just do to yourself...?". He sounded almost... Concerned? You didn't expect that from anyone here, much less him. He was just yet another killer in this damned place after all. But in his defense, so were you. It was clear that he wanted to reach out and grab your arms, but he hesitated.
"Well uhm... I just... Cut myself, you know?" You said, maybe a bit too casually for the current situation. He stepped even closer, uncomfortably so, and slowly reached out to grab your wrist, giving you plenty of time to pull back or refuse. When he finally made contact, his touch was extremely gentle as he examined the damage, careful not to touch the open wounds as to not hurt you any further despite not knowing what physical pain actually feels like
"Why'd you come in my room this late? It's creepy..." You said, your voice low. Your eyes couldn't quite meet his, but you were almost glad to have someone here though, at least for the time being. His mouth opened, then closed. He looked away, thinking.
"I just..."he started, then his shoulders jerked, but he continued: "Felt like something was wrong." He muttered "You were acting off yesterday so I just thought I'd check up on you... I'm sorry for the bad timing. Anyway, I should probably bandage those cuts, they look really bad.". And so with that, you both went to one of the many bathrooms and he cleaned your arms up, every sound you emitted making his muscles tensen up. After that he took one of the first aid kits in the mansion and he tried being careful when wrapping your arms with gauze as to not tighten too much and fully cut off blood flow.
Fortunately by this point your eyes weren't spilling tears like a faucet anymore, but the sensation was instead replaced by red, puffy and dry eyes. You hated this, but it's your fault after all. You don't know how long you were in the bathroom for, you just spaced out for a while until Toby finished tending to your wounds and promptly let go of your arm. You felt a sudden void where his hands laid mere moments ago. You wanted– no, needed– his touch, but you didn't want to be selfish.
Only then did you remember to look down at your bandaged forearms. They looked better, yes, but they still held the shame of what's underneath. "Thank you..." You said, tears welling up in your eyes once again, just like the crybaby you truly are. "I-I'm sorry for being like this." You sobbed out.
He cupped your face in between his hands, gently wiping away any stray tear. "I helped you b-b-b-b-because I wanted to, you know?". Suddenly you bolted forward and pressed your crying face into his chest. He just stood there for a second, slightly shocked by the suddenly movement, but he subsequently wrapped his arms around your shaking body and patted your back in an awkward attempt to comfort you.
After you calmed down a bit, you of course apologized a million times (you absolute people pleaser!) and decided that maybe a breath of fresh air could be beneficial in the current situation. You stepped into the living room, where you noticed Ben playing some random ass video game on an old GameCube™ and Eyeless jack who had just come home from extracting organs. Just the usual.
You opened the front door and stepped outside, the winter air hitting you like a physical force, and Toby followed right behind you. You looked at the sky and noticed that the sun was already starting to rise. How long were you having a mental breakdown for? You have no clue.
Toby suddenly spoke: "Hey, wanna take a walk? Just to free your mind a bit... And maybe you can tell me what happened and why you... You know." He said, reaching out a hand as for you to take it. And you do.
The walk was nothing special, just a whole bunch of trees and a few carcasses, both human and animal, but you were glad to be able to talk about things without someone judging you or abandoning you.
You walked and walked and walked until the sun rose and later fell. "Thank you, Toby..." You said, the words felt more genuine than they've ever felt. And with that, you two walked back to the mansion hand in hand, both glad to be able to have this moment together...
(And they became besties for life fr fr)