You're On Your Own, Kid (Taylor Swift Mother, Sister Imagines)

scratches (tw)

Requested

Trigger warning: Self Harm

It's been three years since Taylor welcomed you into her life, saving you from all the nightmares and pain you had for so long. Growing up in the foster care system was a nightmare you'd rather forget, a series of painful memories that left scars both seen and unseen.

Your parents, too young and overwhelmed to care for you, left you in the foster care system. Each week, you carried all your belongings in a trash bag, moving from one house to another. The last family you stayed with noticed the scratches on your arms, threatening to send you away to the hospital, but your fear of needles only pushed you even further away.

One day, you couldn't take it anymore. So you ran, as far as you possibly could, away from everyone and everything. That was until you almost got hit by a car, a car that was driven by Taylor Swift.

She offered you a place to stay, and eventually adopted you. Taylor being Taylor, was a ray of sunshine, she always have been. And until this stay, you'll still never understand why she took you in, there was just this underlying feeling built up by 12 years of trauma which has caused you to develop a habit of scratching yourself, purposely.

That was just your way of coping, it was your lifeline. Whenever things get overwhelming, you would scratch yourself nonstop, until your fingers were sore and your skin hinted faint red lines. To you, it wasn't self harm, there were no razor blades or lighters involved, it was just a way to calm yourself down.

But despite the great lengths you've went to hide your scars, long sleeves, hoodies, you actions haven't gone unnoticed. The little scratches on your arms crosshatching each other weren't exactly something that could be hidden from Taylor permanently, especially when you see her everyday.

You tried to mask the truth, and most of the times, you blamed it on the three cats that taylor adored. And for a while, she bought it, but deep down, she knew something was wrong, it just didn't seem right. There was no way, you skin was like an open sketchbook where a toddler scribbled down countless of red lines with a red crayola. She noticed, and she saw through your smiles.

So one night, when the both of you were sitting together on the couch, catching up on an episode of greys anatomy, she finally decided to approach the topic.

As you were reaching out to the bucket of popcorn to get a handful, she slowly grabbed you arms, her fingers traced the fajnt red marks on your skin as she looked at them with a hint of sadness.

"Zoe, you've been scratching yourself, haven't you?" She muttered quietly, her voice was soft, and gentle as she met your gaze. Tears started to well up your eyes as you stared bacm at her blankly, slowly nodding your head in acknowledgment.

"I'm sorry, Taylor," you whispered, your voice barely above a breath. "I didn't mean to. I just... I couldn't control it. It's not like I'm cutting myself with a blade. It's just... my way of coping."

Taylor's heart ached at your words, but her voice remained steady as she gently clasped your cheek with one hand, the other still holding onto your arms. "Zoe, any form of hurting yourself is self-harm, whether it's pulling your hair, burning, cutting, scratching, or pinching. What's wrong, sweetheart?"

With a shaky breath, you confessed the truth that had long been haunting you for years.

"It's... it's foster care," you whispered, your voice barely above a whisper. "They haunt me, Taylor. The constant moving, the feeling of never belonging anywhere..."

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you traced your fingers over the scars on your arms, "I scratch myself because I don't know how else to deal with the pain, I'm scared that you'd leave me someday."

Taylor reached her arms out and wrapped you around her body, her heart breaking at what you just said. She wiped away your tears with her fingers, "Oh, Zoe," she murmured, "I had no idea you were going through so much, you can always talk to me, no matter the time sweetheart."

As you buried your face in her shoulder, Taylor's fingers trailed through your hair, "I'm here for you," she whispered into your ears. "You're not alone anymore. I'll never leave you, promise me, no matter the time, whenever you feel like scratching yourself, please come talk to me, alright?"

With a silent nod, you acknowledged her words. Taylor's lips brushed against the top of your head in a tender kiss,"You're the best thing that ever happened to me," she whispered, "I love you so much, I promise you that everything will get better."

"I love you too, Mom,"