The dark bruises on his neck were glaringly obvious. They coiled around his throat like a collar and only hurt when he spoke, swallowed, or breathed too deeply. He was glad, so fucking thankful that it was just him and Mink. How could he explain this to Granny or Koujaku? What would they think? Would they figure it out on their own? Questions swirled around his head, making his head throb painfully. He pushed the thoughts away.
"Aoba, are you alright?" Ren asked, brushing his head against the man's arm.
"Yeah," Aoba replied, his voice weak sounding.
Slowly, Aoba tilted his head back to better examine the damage. In the bright bathroom light, the markings looked even more noticeable against his plae skin. He watched hid reflection as he brushed his fingers against the bruises. They would go away soon, he told himself. He never stayed injured for long and they would disappear in no time.
Turning his attention away from his neck, he looked upto stare at his face. He almost had a black eye, but the wound was too low and wasn't as dark as it could be. Slightly darker markings colored his other cheek and painted his cheek. His split lip had begun to heal and surprisingly hadn't swollen. There was a dark scab where the flesh had split and purple dusted the area. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.
The distinct sound of footsteps reached his ears and he tensed. Everything froze and all he could focus on was that sound. They grew louder, he was coming closer. His ears rang with the sound, and he couldn't tell if it was actually the footsteps or the pounding of his heart. He didn't move, didn't dare breathe. The footsteps stopped.
Mink rapped sharply on the door. "Oi, you almost done in there?"
Muscles still taunt, Aoba gathered his allmste into his arms and quickly exited the room. He kept his gaze on the floor but he could feel a pair of deep blue eyes burning holes into his head. His eyes burned as he kept a swift pace. He didn't have any destination in mind, maybe his room. Yeah, his room sounded nice. Maybe he could take a nap.
The bathroom door closed with a click, yet he didn't relax. His grip on Ren was dangerously tight but it barely registered in his terrified mind. He swallowed the lump in his throat and went to his room. It wasn't the pain from swallowing that sent a shiver down his spine, it was the ghost of hands around his neck.