Chapter Text
“Aoba-san,” he flinched, hearing the purr-like voice next to his ear. He knew that voice better than his own. Terror gripped him as he did his best to remain perfectly still, knowing fighting will only make things worse for him. “Have you been good while I was away?”
A slick tongue flickered against the shell of his ear drawing a pitiful whimper from his throat. He felt sick to his stomach, but still he didn’t move a muscle. The voice, Virus’s voice, chuckled at his reaction. “Oh my, are you finally warming up to me, Aoba-san? I knew you would grow to crave me.”
He nodded obediently, just like he had been trained to by threat of severe punishment. He knew full and well that displeasing this man would only bring more suffering than necessary. Something cold and menacing came to dance across the skin of his thigh, the sting familiar to him by now. He instinctively tensed at the sensation causing the man behind him to laugh harshly.
“Now, Aoba-san, you know I must mark this moment for you. We wouldn’t want you forgetting any of our encounters, would we?” the man whispered to him before digging in the blade at the same time as he bit down on his shoulder hard. The sharp bite of the blade and stinging of teeth sinking into his skin was enough to break him from the almost trance-like state he tried to force himself into. He thrashed violently against his captor, no longer able to keep himself the perfect test subject he was demanded to be. He couldn’t get himself to retreat back into his thoughts and block out everything being done to him with such an intense sensation keeping him present. He screamed out, desperately trying to escape even as he knew he was only setting himself up for even worse punishment, just like every time before this one when he showed any hint of defiance.
Suddenly, he felt very different hands gripping each of his shoulders and shaking him almost violently. He thrashed even harder, his screams reaching a crescendo until he felt the hands retreat from his body. They returned moments later, pulling him into strong arms and a broad chest. He relaxed slightly as fingers threaded through his hair and he slowly started to recognize the gentle voice whispering in his ear; a voice definitely not belonging to either of his tormentors.
He took a few deep breaths, following the gentle instructions being whispered to him. As he calmed down, he became aware of Koujaku holding him securely as he verbally walked through breathing exercises and reassured him he was safe. A rush of relief passed over him when he realized that Virus wasn’t actually there. It had been a nightmare, he told himself, not willing to let himself believe it could have been a memory resurfacing. He tilted his head up to find his friend’s worried eyes boring into his own.
“Aoba,” his voice was strained and his face was paler than usual. “Are you alright?”
Aoba thought it over for a moment before nodding slightly. “It was just a dream. I am sorry to have worried you. Did I hurt you at all?”
“No, I was actually worried I was hurting you trying to wake you up,” Koujaku looked him over as if still trying to reassure himself the smaller man wasn’t hurt anywhere. “If you need to talk about it I am here for you, okay? Any of it. The nightmares or anything you went through before Mink found you.”
He sat still keeping his eyes downcast away from Koujaku’s. There was no way he could talk about anything that happened to him. No yet at least. He was still struggling to make sense of what had happened over the past two years. He could barely even believe he was only in that room for such a short amount of time when it felt like an eternity as he was living through it. The memories of what he was put through were vague, but what little he could remember were terrifying to the point he desperately wanted to forget them.
Luckily, he was saved from having to reply as a gentle knock resounded from the door before someone else entered the room quietly. He didn’t have to look up to know who it was with the faint scent of cinnamon wafting over him. He found it a little strange that he hadn’t noticed the aroma when the man had found him or even when he had helped him out of the bath before. Even so, he had the feeling he always smelled that way. It brought him a little comfort being able to recall such a small detail about his savior.
Koujaku stood from the bed as Mink approached them. His voice sounded hopeful as he questioned the man. “Did you find anything?”
Mink didn’t answer Koujaku immediately. Aoba could feel the intensity of those golden eyes upon him and he looked up to return his scrutiny. Once again he got the faintest flash of a moment shared between the two. He grasped onto the memory desperately in his mind, trying to cherish any traces of his life before being taken away from it. He couldn’t remember every detail from that moment, but he clearly remembered Mink’s face close to his and their eyes locked together. He couldn’t remember where they had been or the context behind it, but he remembered those eyes, so different from the ones looking into his own now.
“Blue,” he whispered before he could even register he was speaking out loud. “Your eyes were blue before.”
Mink’s eyebrows scrunched up ever so slightly as he thought of his words. He then shook his head slightly. “No, not naturally. I used to wear colored lenses.” He looks him over again as if analyzing his appearance. His next words are soft, almost like he was afraid to even ask them “Did you have another nightmare?”
Another? This was the first one he could recall. Thinking on it, his recollection of the time to pass since he awoke in the alley was frustratingly hazy and most of it was spent unconscious in the large man’s care. Of course if he had been having nightmares, Mink would probably be aware of them. He nodded, never taking his eyes off the man. He wanted to say something, but words escaped him. Mink seemed to understand his struggle as he turned to Koujaku.
“I will take care of him from here,” he stated calmly. “You should get some rest. Noiz said he was headed home when I left him. He’s probably waiting for you.”
Koujaku bobbed his head. Aoba realized then just how tired his friend looked. “Let me know if anything happens. I will come straight back if you need me.”
Mink just offered a soft sigh in response. “I will reach out to you if necessary, but you really need to get some sleep. He won’t like that I said this, but he’s starting to get worried about you not taking care of yourself.”
The other man let out a breath of his own. “I don’t mean to make anyone worry. I just…” he looked towards Aoba for a moment before he returned his gaze to the taller man’s. “Well, I think you understand me here. We’re all trying our best to make sure he’s recovering alright. I suppose you are right, though. I will go home and try to get some sleep.” He glanced between the two again before finally leaving, his shoulders slumped a bit in exhaustion.
As their conversation flitted through his thoughts, something about it seemed odd. Granny had mentioned someone named Noiz before when treating his wounds, but hearing that name again in this context didn’t quite feel right. He gathered from Mink’s words that Noiz and Koujaku lived together, which struck somewhere in his mind as weird. While he tried to follow that train of thought more memories passed him by. He thought of a blonde man with a lot of piercings all over his face fighting with Koujaku on numerous occasions. He tried to put together any memories of the two being around each other where they weren’t trying to beat the ever loving sh*t out of each other and he fell short. The two sharing living quarters just didn’t sound like it would go over too well at all.
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Mink moving to sit in a chair he hadn’t noticed next to his bed. He figured Koujaku must have been occupying it while watching over him in his sleep. He could feel those golden eyes scrutinizing him again and tilted his head downwards. All the attention he had been receiving since the man found him was starting to make him uncomfortable. He wouldn’t say that he really wanted to be alone, he was just getting tired of being watched constantly. While he could understand he wasn’t in the best condition, having everyone around him jumping to his side at a moment’s notice made him feel like he was being a burden to them. It made him feel bad the more he mulled it over in his head.
“Aoba,” he lifted his head at his name being called. Mink’s voice had returned to the gentle timber that didn’t match up with his memories of him. “Are you feeling any better?”
Aoba actually had to think the question over before he could answer. As far as his mental and emotional state was concerned, he didn’t feel any different. He still had a hard time keeping his thoughts focused for too long and it felt like any small thing could set him off into another panic attack. He finally realized that Mink was probably trying to inquire about his physical wellbeing. He knew the man was skilled at reading people, so he probably knew better than to ask about his mental state so soon into recovery.
“I am not in as much pain as I was before. My head is still pounding, though,” was the response he finally settled on.
Mink accepted that answer. “I would imagine so. You were pretty out of it when I found you. ”
Aoba sighed. “I still feel pretty out of it. I keep slowly remembering things from before, but it’s all in pieces. If I focus on anything for too long it starts to become foggy again.”
He didn’t continue after that, but he somehow felt Mink understood what else he wanted to say. It couldn’t help but feel like the more he recalled memories he seemed to lose of his time before Virus and Trip took him into their brutal care, the more vivid his memories of what he experienced in the past two years became if his intense nightmare before was any indication. The past two years were little more than a blur of misery, but he is starting to remember some of the specific details of what those monsters put him through. A small part of him wanted to just give in and tell Mink the identities of the two men so the other would exact revenge for him. He really didn’t want to cause Mink any trouble, though. He had a suspicion that the man wasn’t afraid of killing and he wasn’t sure he could live with himself if he went to prison because of him. It was bad enough he was spending so much time looking after him and nursing him back to health.
Besides, Koujaku’s question earlier indicated that Mink was already trying to investigate anyway. It was unlikely he would find any information about where Aoba had been held captive let alone identify the men responsible. In the back of his mind, though, he silently wished that his efforts would yield success. At least then Aoba wouldn’t have to make himself tell him the truth. Talking about it would only make the memories flood his head faster, he feared.
He turned his gaze back to Mink, unsurprised at this point to find the other watching him closely to monitor his condition. He racked his brain for a moment in an attempt to come up with a subject change, anything to help steer conversation away from his well being or getting him to spill details about his captors, and was rewarded by his stomach rumbling with the perfect opportunity.
Mink smiled faintly at him. “We should take care of that. Come on, I will help you downstairs.”
He stood from his seat and extended a hand to Aoba which he took without hesitation. This man had more than proven that he could be trusted. Mink helped him to his feet and offered support while he guided him out of the room. He found himself pleasantly surprised that his legs weren’t nearly as shaky as they were the last time he tried walking. He still felt incredibly weak, but this was definitely a good sign. He smiled to himself as he allowed Mink to lead him downstairs on a quest for food, his nightmare forgotten for the time being. He knew that eventually Mink would get him to open up and talk things out, but he was content for the moment just silently leaning on him for semblance of stability.
