Two Hearts (Joyce Byers x Fem Reader)

Scars

TW: SH, bl00d, raz0rblades, cutting

You wake up at 5:00 am beside Joyce in bed to your arm throbbing.

You sit up with a jolt.

Pain courses through your body as you shift in the bed beneath her embrace.

She's still asleep.

You slip out of her arms to rush into her bathroom, holding your wrist.

As soon as you get in, you shut the door before slowly walking to the sink.

You lean your arm against the counter top, sliding your sleeve up to see what you'd done.

You wince upon seeing your wounds.

They're red around the cuts and there's dried blood all around them.

Whenever you move your arm your self-inflicted cuts burn and scream in pain.

Perhaps it was infected already?

You turn around, sitting down and sliding to the floor with your back against the wall.

What had you done to yourself?

No matter how much you regretted cutting yourself, your brain urged you to do it again.

You needed to punish yourself for doing that.

You open the drawers of her sink, searching for anything sharp.

And soon, you spy a pair of scissors laying in the drawer.

"Bingo." you whisper, taking them and leaning back against the wall.

They're sharp, just what you wanted.

You open them all the way.

You try not to hesitate too much before you run the tip of one of the scissor's metal appendages down from the side of your arm, close to your elbow, all the way to the back of your hand, slicing a large, long cut.

You gasp sharply, and as it reaches your hand, you drop the scissors on the floor, clutching your arm and writhing in pain, tears in your eyes.

But the tears aren't all from the pain.

You hate yourself for cutting again.

But you hate yourself for the argument with Joyce too.

And it overwhelms you as the burning, stinging pain courses through your body.

Your cut drips blood rapidly, beginning to bleed.

You hear someone approach the door.

You try to hide your cuts as fast as you can as the door slowly opens.

Joyce walks in from it.

She looks down at you.

"Hey, baby. You okay? I heard something falling and you crying..." she whispers.

Then, she sits down beside you.

You nod your head, more tears forming in your eyes as the stinging sensation wracks your mind.

"I'm fine.".

Her eyes land on the bloody scissors on the floor.

Then, she looks back to you.

"Sweetheart... please tell me you didn't..." she whispers again, her voice cracking as her eyes dart back and forth from the blood on the scissors back to you.

"I-... I'm sorry..." you murmur.

She asks, "Can you show me? Please?".

You hesitate.