Oneshots bc why not :] (check description before reading!!!)

Too Late

TW: Self-harm, suicide, panic attacks

"I can't do this anymore..." A boy muttered, breathing quick breaths, his chest heaving up and down quickly, staring down at his scarred arms, bringing the blade down while he watched the blood slowly trickle down his wrists. A girl sat by his side, slowly moving her hand through his ruffled brown hair, attempting to provide him even just the slightest bit of comfort through his pain. She knew that whatever she tried, it didn't work and he always had a firm grip on his razor. She had attempted several times to put it out of his reach, but failed miserably.

Five months. Five months had gone by since the last razor had touched his skin. Life was just about to get better for him, but indeed it had other plans. "I thought... I thought I was getting better, but turns out I wasn't. Five months. Five. Just a little more and I would've gotten half a year..." He let out a hollow chuckle, the feelings of despair and pain slowly fading away into numbness.

The girl gently removed the razor out of his hands and put it far away from his reach, took out a few bandages and slowly put them over his scars. "Cameron," She said, her voice steady while she tried hard to hold back her tears to stay strong for her friend. "Cameron, look at me." She put a hand in his, giving his hand a comforting squeeze, while using the other to wipe away his tears. "I'll be with you every step of the way. Please, don't do anything permanent. Look, i don't care if you call me at 3am, or come to my house at 5 in the morning, I would still pick up the phone, I would still open the door for you. Please." Her voice slowly gave away to a pleading whisper.

Cameron nodded, a small smile on his face. "Thanks for helping me Cassey, even though I'm just a broken mess and don't really deserve it..." He whispered back. Cassey didn't say anything, but gave him a quick, reassuring hug, not wanting to step into his personal space. "You're human, of course you deserve love and care." She murmured back, sadness in her eyes. She looked away, refusing to let her friend see, wanting to stay strong for this heart-shattering scene in front of her eyes. His breathing was finally normal and not laboured, and Cassey let out a soft sigh of relief.

A few months had gone by since Cassey's visit, and Cameron was slowly but surely, healing, or so she thought. She had noticed Cameron was more frequent with his friendly visits and they did more things together than usual. Back then, she didn't think much, thinking that Cameron was finally healing, but instead, was attempting to store her into his core memories.

It was midnight, the moon had a pale glow while the stars decorated the pitch black night sky, making it less ominous.

Cassey was sitting alone in her apartment, her bored eyes glued to the television, zoning out from watching the show. A sudden phone notification sounded, snapping her out of her trance. She smiled when she saw that the phone showed "CAM - New message". It was her best friend, and receiving late night texts weren't that common as he was an early sleeper.

She quickly opened the message, her face lit up by her smile but quickly fading away as her face paled. She immediately rushed to the door and ran out, not even bothering to put her shoes on, her black hair flying freely in the rush of wind. Tears slowly streamed down her face but didn't slow her down. She continued running, as if she was chasing the stars in the dark, night sky, while her legs so desperately moved for more speed.

After a few minutes, she finally arrived and stood in front of a house, banging her fists desparately and urgently on the door. "Open up!" She screamed, her hands getting redder and redder with each hit. "Open the door Cameron!" She screamed again, pain clear in her green eyes and voice. She quickly fished through her wallet, trying to find that spare key that was left at her house the last time they had met. In a state of panic, her fingers fumbled over that precious gleam of silver in her hand. She jammed the key into the door's keyhole, furiously opening it and slamming the door open. She ran up a flight of stairs, hoping to find her best friend in his bedroom, and her face paled when she saw his body laying limply on the bed, along his arm a long scar, while the other hand clutched at a blade firmly.

"Nononono..." She whispered and quickly called an ambulance, hoping to still save her friend. "Please...please come quickly, m-my friend, h-he..." Quick, laboured breaths passed through her as she tried desparately not to panic and keep calm to get help as quick as possible. Streams rolled down her cheeks and her whole body shook with each quick breath she took. "He attempted to take his own life, the address..." She quickly gave the operator Cameron's address, while attempting to stop the blood flow.

A few agonizingly long minutes passed and the comforting, wailing siren of an ambulance finally sounded outside. They sped to the nearest local hospital and the medical workers started working on him, trying to stitch up the wound, his heartbeat unsteady but getting slower and slower. Cassey choked back her tears, attempting to get some air into her lungs while her legs bounced rapidly. She was seated on the edge of the chair, fearing the unsteady "beep" would suddenly stop. Her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest, while she wheezed, attempting to breathe normally.

The "beep"s were getting slower and more unsteady, and Cassey barely breathed, feeling like she was going to pass out. She continued staring at her friend's chest heaving slowly, fearing each move would be his last.

"Beep..." The monitor no longer had pauses in between, instead one, long, beat. Cassey felt like half of her heart had been ripped out of her body, feeling like part of her no longer lived. Before she could feel it, her knees had hit the floor as her body racked with sobs, her head in her hands as she rocked back and forth, attempting to calm herself while crying her soul out. "He's gone..." She whispered, her eyes hollow and her voice numb and monotone.

It was ironic, almost funny, to think that just yesterday, you saw your best friend, so happy and joyful, laughing together at a silly video. That a few days ago, you two were happily screaming your lungs out on a thrilling attraction at a theme park. That a few weeks ago, you two were smiling together and healing together. That a few months ago, you two were helping each other deal with each other's demons. That a few years ago, you two were mere strangers to each other, as destiny brought you two together...

Time moves fast when you're happy, when you're in pain, when you thought the moments would last forever.

In just mere seconds, his presence had slipped away from her heart and soul, taking a piece of her with him. All the hope, all the joy, all the light was gone from her life, she felt like she could never be happy, never be herself again. Not the way she did around him.

Her memories haunted her as she blamed herself, for not being fast enough. The memory, which said on her phone just minutes earlier, "Thank you for everything.". She had tried so desperately to get to him fast enough to stop him-

But it was too late.