Dandelions ⭒ Jaywon

5. bloodstains

Jungwon's eyes pooled with tears as he took staggering steps backward and hit the wall. The door slammed against its frame once more, and Jungwon's first instinct was to run to the bathroom.

He shut the door, in his clouded state forgetting to lock it, and dropped to the floor in a sobbing mess.

His screams resonated off the stone walls and echoed through his ears. He crawled into the shower and switched on the cold water tap. Like ice against his skin, the first drops sent shivers down his spine. He let the cold water soak through his clothes and seep through his skin.

He wailed and wailed, sounds merged with the sound of the shower.

"TAKE ME BACK, DALHYUN!" he roared, voice cracking from how harshly he abused his vocal cords. He slammed his forehead against the wall a couple of times until he saw stars. A trail of blood trickled down the side of his forehead, running through his eyebrow to his temples, and to his cheek.

Jungwon stumbled up, soaked to the bone, and switched off the shower. He walked over to the mirror cabinet, teeth chattering, and looked for a sharp object. Preferably a razor blade.

'don't do it'

"Fuck you."

He took the blade out of the razor carelessly, slashing through three of his fingers in the process. The first drop of blood trickled onto his foot, and his sobs grew more frantic.

He scurried back to the shower, turned the tap on again and plopped down on the cold stone floor.

'DON'T DO IT!'

"FUCK YOU!"

Shivering and sobbing uncontrollably, he held the blade to his skin with his blood stained fingers and pushed lightly. A well of blood formed around the blade, painting the silver with a brilliant scarlet. Jungwon retracted his hand immediately. His shivering breath turned to panicked hyperventilation. His hair stuck to his forehead, and his clothes to his body. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would break through the cage of bones around it, and leap out.

Not much of a loss anyway; what was his heart worth?

Jungwon yelled once more, and slashed right across his arm. He missed the artery completely, though, but blood still dropped rapidly off his forearm and wrist and disappeared down the drain with the flow of the shower water.

He did it again, and again and again, opening up all his wounds from before. With one particularly loud cry, he plunged the blade very deep into his arm. He screeched from how excruciating the pain was.

That's when the door to the bathroom flew open, revealing a panicking Jay, hair dishevelled, cheeks streaked with dry tear stains and eyes puffy enough to be mistaken for large cherries.

"Jungwon, don't—" Jay stuttered as he rushed to knock the blade out of Jungwon's hand. The silver metal clanked against the wall of the shower, and Jay picked it up, snapped it into two between his fingers, and threw it across the bathroom. He was nearly drenched completely too, so he shut the tap of the shower and dragged Jungwon out of the shower, leaning him against the wall beside the sink. He got on his knees in front of Jungwon and shook him by the shoulders. A trail of drops of blood followed the two boys, dripping from Jungwon's wrists.

"Jungwon," Jay shivered in panicked whispers. "Jungwon, snap out of it."

"Jay," Jungwon sobbed, dropping his head so his chin touched his chest. "I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry I'm such a burden on you, I'm sorry you had to get some asshole like me—"

"What the fuck are you saying, Jungwon?" This string of words elicited a pained sob from Jungwon who quivered under Jay's hold. His voice was hoarse and raspy.