EverymanHYBRID Imagines (COMPLETED)

Self-harm: All (TRIGGER WARNING)

THIS CHAPTER DOES TALK ABOUT SUICIDE AND SELF-HARMING. READ WITH CAUTION.

Jeff falls down on the floor, laughing like crazy. Evan is giggling like a schoolgirl and Vinny can't breathe. We are just talking, friend-to-friend. Reminiscing about the old days and the time that this happened or that happened.

"I swear it's real!" Vinny finally manages to say. "I had to dress as a duck and quack every time someone talked to me, and I was a mascot for some mom-and-pop restaurant."

Evan shakes his head. "Oh, Vin. You never cease to amaze."

"... hey, y/n?" Jeff says quietly, drawing our attention to where he sits on the floor.

"Yeah?"

"Did you fall down?"

My heart sinks.

Today, I decided to wear a dress for the first time in a very long time. And you can see the small scars from where I used to cut myself up and down my legs, from my ankle to my knee on both sides.

And now, for the first time ever, someone else has seen it. And I don't know what to do, so I simply burst into tears. I am shaking all over, and the boys come closer.

"Y/n? What happened?" Evan asks, his voice getting severe and deadly. "Who did this to you?"

"I did," I sob.

"What? You didn't .... you didn't tell us you needed help!" Vinny cries.

"I don't need help."

"Like hell you don't," Evan snaps. Then he sighs. "What I mean is, you should've come to us. Before you picked up that razor. You know it doesn't solve anything to do it. It makes everything worse if you do."

"How long ago?" Jeff asks.

When I see the hurt in his eyes, in all of them, really, I cry harder. I can't speak and it's hard to breathe it hurts so much right now.

"Y/ n, sweetie, I'm not a mental health professional, but I do know that you are better than this," says Evan.

"I deserve it."

"No, you don't." Vinny pulls me closer. "You don't deserve it. You deserve love, and care. You deserve to be happy."

"Why didn't you come to us?" Jeff asks.

"I ... I didn't want to disappoint you."

"You could never," he says.

"Y/ n, I know that things are tough right now, but really, it's not your fault and you don't deserve it at all. You don't have to worry about us being upset or something, because this is the only way you could hurt us," Vinny says.

"This hurts a lot worse than if you'd just come to us," says Evan.

"We're gonna get you better, though," Jeff announces. "I promise."

"Here." Evan gets out a Sharpie. "I saw something online. Let me ..."

He takes my legs and draws three butterflies on each leg.

"Those represent us. It's called the Butterfly Project, where you use butterflies and pretend they're people you care about. You draw them on the area where you cut and do your best to not hurt the butterflies."

"Do we have a deal?" Vinny asks. "We be your butterfly, you be our warrior?"

I scoff at the word "warrior", but Vinny's being serious. So I simply nod once.

"Good," he says.

"I'll help you find a doctor tomorrow, okay?" Jeff asks.

"Okay."

"And you're staying with us," Evan adds. "No going home all alone."

"Okay." I wipe my eyes.

"You're safe here, you're loved, and you're strong," Vinny says softly.

I blush. "Thanks. For everything."

"Of course," he says.

"I love you guys," I say, and more tears spring to my eyes.

"We love you too," Jeff says.

"And we're here. No matter what."