With You

Blood and Truth

As soon as you make a sound of surprise his head snaps up to see you, tears streaming down his face as he shrieks at you.

"Get the FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

You shake your head, your mouth agape as you collapse to your knees in front of him, not even caring for the shock of pain it sent through your thighs. Eridan jumps back away from you.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

His hands shake as he looks at you and you shake your head, pushing back your hood to reveal your gender. His puffy eyes widen and he speaks in a surprised tone, his voice still shaking.

"Y-you?!"

You nod and looks down to his arms, your skin crawling at the sight of his ribboned flesh. His arms were shaking terribly as he whimpers with a terrified cry, you reach over to him slowly, only making him flinch and pull away from you more with a snap.

"Y-you shouldn't be in here! You need to leave, now!"

He trembles more, his skin becoming more and more pale. You reach forward again with a shake of your head, and clasp his hand. He grunts in refusal and surprise as he blinks at you. You part your dry lips and speak for the first time to him.

"No. You need help. Let me help you."

"You want to help? Then just let me fucking DIE!"

"I can't do that."

"Why the fuck not!?"

"Because I know something you don't."

His trembles slowed a bit, and his eyes started to become half lidded. He was going to black out. You reach up and take his face in your hands, slapping his cheeks and shaking his head slightly.

"No, no! Please, just stay awake, please, let me help you. You need help. You can't die. Not now."

He forces his eyes open to look at you, a sad smile playing his lips.

"What's wrong with me...?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. Here, take this."

You reach into your pocket and pull out a pack of gum, your favorite Hubba Bubba grape. You cram a piece in his mouth.

"Use that sugar to your damn advantage while I clean you up, just focus on staying awake alright?"

He nods slowly as he chews, resting his head back against the cool cement wall. You stand and pull out the whole bundle of paper towels from its dispenser, wetting some with cool water from the sink. You then kneel back in front of him, pressing a wet cloth to his forehead that was layered in a sheet of cold sweat. He sighs and gasps as you start wiping the blood gently from his arms, the slits in the skin swelling. After washing off all the blood on his arms and hands, you presses dry papers to the cuts on his arms, letting what little blood there was soak up and hoping they would stop bleeding. You sit back and pull your knees to you chest and watch his arms, listening to the silence between the two of you and the breathing of him, hoping the breaths wouldn't falter. After a few minutes, the bell blares and you jump, your eyes widening in realization. They could get caught being in there. He opens his eyes and notices your worry.

"It's alright," he said, " Mr. Leer doesn't have a class this period.."

You nod and let out a sigh of relief, and he smirks slightly at you, the smirk fading into a confused and timid look.

"Why help me?"

You look at him and speak softly,

"You need it."

"Yeah, I've needed it for years, and you start now? At the beginning of my high-school life? What's the delay?"

"I.. I was too scared... I was-"

"You were afraid you'd become a loser like me."

You blink at him.

"N-no... I.. I was just afraid you'd reject the help.. And.. Also because of your brother. I was afraid he'd bully me like he does you."

"Oh.."

He turns away in embarrassment of cutting in and sounding like an ass. You watch him silently and scan his face before you speak.

"I know why he bullies you."

He laughs and shakes his head before turning to you.

"Not even God knows why he bullies me the way he does. He-"

"He's gay, Eridan."