Is There Something I Should Know? (Aoba X Clear Modern! AU)

Ch 3. Psycho

Aoba's POV

I couldn't feel the lower half of my body. My wrists were cold and constrained, in shackles even. My mind was numb. It seemed as if my heart was bleeding out. I was alone and afraid. Or so I thought.
"Master"
A voice called out from the dark. It sounded vague yet familiar.
"Are you hungry? I could feed you."
I wanted to scream out, yet my voice was lodged inside me. I felt a presence shift behind me, moving their hands to the back of my head. In a moments notice I was released from my darkness, I was..in a cage?
"I'm here for you, Aoba-san"
The voice whispered in my ear. The hands roamed over my naked shoulder blades. I turned to be greeted with a dark mask. The person moved their hands to the mask, preparing to remove it. As it started to come undone so did my consciousness. When I started to slip away my voice managed to bark out..
"Clear?!" I awoke in a cold sweat. My heart was racing. What the fuck was all that about? I looked at the clock. 'Oh boy 3AM!' Lucky me. I decided now would be the perfect time to look up that hoopla surrounding Clear. I pulled out my phone to find the article. 'She could've at least given me the name of the cover story' it was then that I saw something peculiar. It read "Man Discharged from Mental Institution, No Family Left to Greet Him" it talked about some money scandal and the hospital was releasing patients left and right with nowhere to go, they were basically being thrown out on the street for budget cuts. There was a picture of Clear and some rioters outside the institution. There were no hints as to why Clear was in the hospital in the first place. Though since he constantly wears a gas mask, it wasn't all that surprising. I heard a knock at my door and I stuffed the phone under my pillow.
"Uh..come in"
Clear peaked his covered head around the door.
"Are you okay Aoba-san?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I thought I heard you call out to me."
My breath hitched. Oops.
"Uhm no I didn't..why are you up anyway?"
"I could ask the same to you, Aoba-san"
"...trouble sleeping?"
He nodded shyly.
"You could probably sleep better without that mask you know.."
"It's not that.."
"What is it then?" This was getting serious.
"It's a long story."
I motioned to the edge of my bed.
"Come, sit. Let's talk."
He slowly approached the bed and sat down next to me, leaving the door cracked. The moonlight seeping through the window was illuminating his figure nicely. His muffled voice choked out.
"I-I miss my grandfather."
My face softened, I could tell he'd been through some hard times. We all have at some point or another. I set my hand down on his knee, trying to comfort him.
"We all go through love and loss, it's okay to mourn, Clear. I'm here for you."
He nodded.
"I trust you Aoba-san."
It was then that he did something I wasn't expecting. He reached behind his head and started to undo the straps to his mask.
"Uhh! Clear it's okay! You really don't have to do that!"
"I want too."
My heart was racing, this was so thrilling. He leaned his head down into his hands to release that barrier between us. He slowly looked up at me and I was met with crimson eyes that held so much emotion for the very first time. My mouth was held ajar as I took in every aspect of his face. He was truly beautiful, I'm not even sure why he'd hide his face from the world. I hadn't realized I'd been staring at the poor boy for a good 5 minutes. I could just see the anxiety building within him. He turned away from me quickly.
"Is it that bad..?"
Those words pained my chest. Had he never seen his face before? Or does he really have that high of an insecurity level? I reached out my arms and pulled him towards my chest. I really didn't know what I was doing.
"No Clear. There's nothing bad about your face. It's just as mine or anyone else's, better even."
He snuggled into my chest and let out a quiet whimper.
"Thank you, Aoba-san."
I still wanted to ask him about the mental hospital, but I figured it could wait for another day.
"Are you guys doing gay shit?"
I jumped up, Kou-jackass was at my door.
"Kou-Koujaku.." I stuttered out.
"Get your asses to sleep, you have work in the morning Aoba."
"Yes mom."
He gave me a glare and held the door open for Clear. They exited my room and left me alone again in the darkness. I lay back down and attempt to sleep. I replayed my conversation with Clear back in my mind.
'I trust you too, Clear'