The Drunken Incident

♡Chapter Twelve♡

(tw: self harm)

Jake grabs Johnnie's arm, preventing him from walking away. He looks him in the eyes, trying to make him see reason.

"I'm not lying, Johnnie. I'm telling you the truth. I love you, and I want to be there for you. I want to help you through whatever you're going through. Please, just talk to me. Let me in."

Johnnie suddenly winces in pain when his arm is grabbed onto it. His blue eyes are wide.

Jake immediately lets go of Johnnie's arm when he sees him wince in pain. He looks at him with concern, realizing that he might have accidentally hurt him. "Oh my God, Johnnie... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to stop you from walking away. Are you okay?"

Jake lifts up Johnnie's sleeve, and his heart sinks when he sees the self-harm cuts. He can't believe that he's been so blind to Johnnie's pain.

He feels like he's failed him as a boyfriend and a friend. He looks up at Johnnie with tears in his eyes, not knowing what to say or do. "Oh, Johnnie..."

Johnnie is frozen now. This is what he was hiding from Jake. He tears up, biting on his quivering lip.

Jake's eyes are drawn to the fresh cuts on Johnnie's arms, and he can't help but feel worried. He knows that self-harm is a serious issue, and he doesn't want Johnnie to hurt himself anymore.

He takes a deep breath and speaks softly, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Johnnie... these cuts are fresh. I know that you're struggling right now, but please don't hurt yourself anymore. You're not alone in this. We can get you help. You don't have to do this to yourself."

Johnnie starts to cry, pulling his sleeve down and shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he croaks out, feeling like it was his fault for arguing with Jake.

Jake's heart breaks when he sees Johnnie cry, and he feels terrible for yelling at him earlier.

He gently pulls him into another hug, wanting to comfort him and make him feel safe.

"It's okay, Johnnie. You don't have to apologize. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I shouldn't have done that. This isn't your fault. It's okay to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, but please don't hurt yourself. I can't stand the thought of you hurting yourself." Jake says.

Johnnie sighs, scratching at his wrist again. The injuries seemed to really be agitated.

Jake notices that Johnnie is scratching at his wrist again, and he's concerned that he might start to hurt himself again.

He takes his hand and gently pulls it away from his wrist. "Please don't do that, Johnnie. You're only going to make the cuts worse. Can I see your wrist? I just want to make sure that they're not too deep..."

Johnnie hesitantly pulls his sleeve back up. He had a slash across his 'art is dead' wrist tattoo.

Jake looks at Johnnie's arm more closely, and he sees that there are more cuts on it than just the slash across his tattoo.

He feels a wave of concern wash over him as he realizes how much Johnnie has been hurting himself.

He gently takes Johnnie's arm and inspects the cuts, trying to determine how deep they are and if they need to be cleaned.

"Johnnie, we need to take care of these cuts. They could get infected if we don't clean them properly. Can I take you to the bathroom so I can help you?" Jake asks.

Johnnie sighs as he nods his head. "Mhm.."