Chapter Text
New beginnings are just that—they’re new. It’s a change in your life to redo from scratch, a beginning, something that’s hopefully for the better. Some fear them, some love them. However, it is said that those who fear change cannot move on. Clear was one of those few who adored change.
Sure, going into something you were unsure of was scary. But, his grandfather always said that he wouldn’t be able to move forward with fear in his path. And Grandpa was a wise man, so Clear followed his every word.
Today was his first day of high school. Well, his first day of real school rather than homeschool. Clear had been homeschooled for the majority of his life, from grade school to grade ten. It had been Grandpa’s idea to have him live out his junior and senior year like the majority of kids. Clear was nervous, but the older man had reassured him that he’d be okay.
So Clear packed up all of his materials, slipped on his uniform and headed out the door, waving a goodbye to his grandfather. The walk to the school wasn’t very eventful, just the usual stare or raised brow that he usually got. He knew exactly why they were staring, but he ignored it.
His fingers reached up to scratch at the hospital mask covering his mouth and nose. It was exactly like the kind surgeons would wear, protecting their mouth and nose. It was black, however, unlike the usual stark white or pale blue.
There was a reason for this. He wasn’t a member of the yakuza, or ill at all. Clear was just afraid, very afraid. He was ugly, hideous—it’s what they had said, and he’d begun to believe it. His grandfather constantly told him it wasn’t true, but it was buried deep within the confines of his heart. The flashes of all the teasing would flash in his mind, and he’d retreat behind a mask. It was safe that way.
Of course, the only downside was being labeled a “weirdo”, but he’d rather be called that than “ugly” or “unwanted”.
At that thought, his hands clenched into tight fists as something akin to pain tugged at his heart. Just those words had him aching. Now he was scared, now he wanted to turn around and go home. But, he couldn’t. His grandfather believed in him, and Clear wanted to do this. School couldn’t possibly be that bad, right? He’d watched every high school drama on T.V. They seemed fun.
Anxiousness ate at his stomach and he nibbled on his bottom lip. It would be okay. It would be fine. He would be fine.
Watching as the crosswalk light turned green, he walked with the morning crowd across the street to the adjacent sidewalk. He spotted other teens wearing the same uniform as him, walking together and chatting happily, and he shyly looked the other way.
That was another thing sad about being homeschooled. Clear had no friends. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever having any. It had always been he and Grandpa. Always.
He stopped in his walking, realizing that he had arrived at the school entrance. Other students pushed past him, finding their friends and entering the school gate together. Clear’s heart thumped nervously and he shoved his sweaty hands into his pockets. He could do it. Grandpa believed in him.
Making his way through the gate, Clear ignored the stares and whispers to the best of his ability. Instead of going to the classrooms like the other students, he went up to the principal’s office. Since he was transferring here a few months later than the beginning of the year, he had to get his documentation and information all straightened out first.
The principal, Haga-san, was a kind man, and reminded Clear a lot about his own grandfather. When he walked into the office, he was greeted politely, but of course, the inevitable question came.
“Um, Toue-kun—“
“Call me ‘Clear’, please.”
“Clear-kun, that mask—why are you wearing it?”
Clear immediately stiffened and looked away. He was embarrassed to say why, but if he didn’t, would he be forced to remove it? His hands tightened into fists in fear. He looked up, however, to see the principal smiling.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll let your teachers know that I permit you to wear it.”
“Ah! Thank you,” Clear gave a relieved smile as Haga-san scribbled a few things onto a slip of paper. They then talked for about half an hour about his classes and how the school worked and functioned, telling Clear where his shoe locker was as well. His six classes of the day were Pre-Calculus, P.E., Japanese History, English, Biology, and Art. And his homeroom teacher was his pre-calculus teacher as well. The principal even smiled and said that the teacher was kind and was very much liked by all of the students in the school.
Afterwards, Haga-san stood and gestured to the door. “Well, now that I’ve got you all informed, first period’s about to begin, so I’ll escort you to your classroom.”
His heart quickened in pace and perspiration gathered in his palms, but Clear nodded, gulping nervously as he did so. The elder man gave a smile of reassurance and patted Clear’s shoulder gently. A transfer student’s first day was always tough.
Stopping in front of his assigned classroom, Clear looked down at his feet as Haga-san knocked on the door. Footsteps approached before the door slid open and Clear peered up, pink hues widening in surprise. Heat gathered in his cheeks and his heart beat steadily at a fast pace, as if it were to leap out of his chest.
The man was just a hair taller than Clear was with the usual dress shirt and tie get-up that all teachers wore, accompanied with a dark blue sweater vest. His eyes were a warm toffee color, but his hair was a vibrant shade of blue. It was the color of the sky, tied into a loose ponytail that lie on his shoulder, and Clear almost wanted to reach out and touch it.
“Ah, Aoba-kun, this is the new transfer student,” the balding man gestured to the nervous Clear.
A look of surprise crossed his teacher’s features before they softened into a smile. “Well, then it’s nice to meet you. Toue, right?”
His voice was indescribable. It lifted Clear’s chest, cleansed the air, and made the mood somewhat lighter just with words. Clear almost forgot how to speak himself. “A-Ah, pl-please call me ‘Clear’.” He nervously stuttered, bowing nearly robotically.
“Alright, Clear it is,” Aoba nodded and replied with a grin, “you can call me ‘Aoba-sensei’.”
“O-Okay, Aoba…sensei,” he said quietly, trying out the name on his tongue.
“Err—“Aoba turned to Haga-san, “—what about the mask?”
“I permitted him to have it on. Do you mind telling Koujaku-kun the same?”
The blue-haired male nodded. “I’ll tell him.”
“Great, then I hope you have a good day, Clear-kun,” the principal smiled. “If you run into any problems or have any questions, Aoba-kun would be delighted to help you, me as well.”
“Y-Yes, sir,”
With that, Haga-san patted Clear’s shoulder once more and turned around, heading back towards his office. Clear became a bit fidgety, nervous now that he was alone. But, Aoba only smiled at him and gestured to the door. “Don’t be afraid, alright? You’ll be okay. I’m here to support you, after all. Just be yourself, Clear.”
His heart skipped a beat and goose bumps rose on the skin of his arms. Giving a slow nod, the fair-haired boy felt the pressure of nervousness lift from him once more. His instructor gave another beaming grin and walked into the classroom, Clear following closely, staring at his feet.
The entire class was silent as Aoba picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the board neatly, looking up Clear saw his name. “Class, this is our new transfer student, Clear. Please treat him kindly.”
Clear took a small bow in front of the class. “I’m Clear, nice to meet you.”
There was a fraction of silence before an overly tanned girl sitting in the back raised her hand and spoke. “So, yeah, why are you wearing a mask?”
All the blood drained from his face and butterflies flooded his stomach. His lips parted but no sound came out. What would he say? That he was uncomfortable with his face? No, he couldn’t admit it.
Just lie. Just lie and tell them you’re sick. “I’m—“
“He’s been permitted by the principal to wear it. End of story. If you have any other questions to ask, you can do so later. Class is starting, Yokoshima.” Aoba answered sternly and the girl immediately lowered her hand, looking somewhat ashamed.
Clear looked to Aoba with sparkling eyes for the millionth time. He was saved again. The boy couldn’t help but be reminded of his grandfather once more. His teacher was truly kind, wasn’t he?
“Clear, you can sit back there for today,” Aoba pointed to a seat near the back, in the far right corner, next to a blonde kid who seemed to have no interest whatsoever and was snoozing on his desk. “We’re changing seats tomorrow.”
The masked male nodded once and walked back to his desk, avoiding the stares and near glares he was receiving. Why were they glaring at him? Was it his imagination? Had he done something to anger his fellow classmates?
Sitting down anxiously in his chair, he blinked watching Aoba come down the aisle, book in hand. With an irritated look, the blue-haired male, smacked the sleeping teen beside Clear with his book lightly. “Oi, wake up, Noiz! You do this every period!”
Slowly, the tired boy raised his head, the amount of piercings on his face startling Clear. His lime green eyes looked at Aoba with an uninterested attitude and, without a word, he laid his head back down on the desk, ignoring Aoba’s shout.
“~~~~~~~” Aoba gave a furious grumble before stomping back up to his podium. “Alright, open your books to page forty-four.”
The lesson went on smoothly. Clear had already studied this material before. His grandfather loved math and enjoyed teaching it to him, so much that he taught him nearly everything he knew. The boy loved learning himself, so he always listened and paid attention.
However, this was much different.
He couldn’t focus on the numbers on the board, nor the letters in his textbook. Aoba’s words sunk into his brain, but he absorbed none of the information. Clear’s eyes were focused on his teacher the entire time. Watching his chalk-coated fingers dance in the air as he spoke, the way his long hair would somehow turn a brighter shade of blue as the light from the windows shone on it, how his lips moved when he spoke, and how Aoba would unconsciously wipe chalk onto his black trousers.
Clear wasn’t sure why he was so intrigued by this one man, but he was mesmerized. He couldn’t help himself whatsoever.
Even after his first period ended and the second began, followed by the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, Clear’s thoughts were consumed with earlier fascination of his instructor.
He hadn’t managed to make any friends whatsoever. He opted for eating lunch in the classroom alone. The only other student who even spoke to him was Noiz, asking if he could have one of Clear’s octopus-shaped weenies.
It seemed Noiz wasn’t very liked by the other students either, though Clear had no idea why. They avoided him. Noiz was nice to him, however, not commenting at all on Clear’s mask or giving him a cold stare. He was probably just uninterested, but even so, the white-haired teen took it to heart.
He walked home with a light mood. Hopefully, tomorrow would work out for the better. Clear was hopeful. This new beginning was going to be a tremendous leap for him.
------------------
“I’m home.”
With a sigh, he closed the front door behind himself, slipping off his shoes and placing them next to the white ones by the steps. Loosening his tie, a smile was brought to his lips at the small footsteps running towards him happily. A small dog ran towards him, tail wagging.
“Hey, Ren,” Aoba grinned, picking the puppy up and into his arms, petting his soft dark fur.
“Welcome home, Aoba.”
Looking up from his cuddly pet, he gave a small wave to his older brother walking towards him, apron around his waist. He must’ve been cooking. “Thanks, Nii-san.”
Sei smiled gently. “Dinner’s almost ready. It’s—“
“—nikujaga?” Aoba said in a hopeful voice.
“A~o~ba,” his brother frowned, “we just had that last night. It’s just stir-fry for today.”
“I know, I know,” the teacher laughed, following Sei into the kitchen. “It was just a joke.”
The raven-haired male puffed out his cheeks. “At least sound like you’re joking, please.”
Setting Ren down onto the floor, Aoba went to set his briefcase in the living room, nearly knocking over a picture of their family on his way. He stopped for a moment, glancing at the silver-framed photo of their grandmother, parents, and the younger smiling boys. Aoba huffed, turning away and walking back into the kitchen. They hadn’t seen or heard from their parents in years, practically being raised by their grandmother.
Sei was currently placing two plates on the table, filled with delicious looking vegetables, rice, and meat. Sei’s cooking was nearly as delicious as their grandmother’s was, having learned from the woman herself. Aoba took it upon himself to set the chopsticks down, along with two glasses of water.
Ren curled up beside Aoba’s chair once he sat down, Sei sitting across from him. They said the usual prayer, and Aoba began eating. He frowned as his brother popped open a pill bottle, pouring two into his hand and swallowing them one at a time.
Sei had been sickly since birth, diagnosed with a rare disease resulting in a weak constitution and immune system. Aoba was used to it by now, but he was constantly worried. He wasn’t sure what he would do if Sei ever left him alone in this world. They were twins, always together since they were born.
Sei gave him a reassuring look before beginning to eat his share of food as well. They ate in silence as usual, simply enjoying the food. It didn’t take Aoba very long to clear his plate, exhaling a deep breath once he was done.
“Ah~. That was delicious, as usual, Sei,” he said, relaxing in his chair.
“You always eat so quickly, Aoba.”
“That’s because it’s so good.”
“Haha, thank you, then,” his brother smiled. “Ah, I forgot to ask, how was your day?”
“Fine, I guess,” Aoba said before pausing and sitting up. “Oh, yeah, I got a new transfer student in my homeroom and first period today.”
“Oh? Was he trouble?”
“No, no,” the blue-haired male shook his head, “well, not yet, at least. It’s just that—he was really nervous and kind of weird.”
“Weird?”
“Yeah, he wore a mask, like those ones that surgeons wear, but it was black. The even weirder thing was that Haga-san let him wear it. He had a permission slip and everything.”
“It didn’t say why?” Sei blinked.
Aoba shrugged. “I didn’t see an explanation on there. Maybe he just has an illness? Either way, he seemed pretty shaken up when it was mentioned.”
“Then it’s best not to push for a reason,” Sei concluded.
“Yeah, I’d feel guilty for snooping anyways.”
“Ah, hand me your plate,” Sei stood from the table, reaching a hand out. Aoba picked up his clean plate, but not before noticing the half-filled plate of Sei’s.
“Nii-san…”
"I'm not hungry, Aoba."
“You heard what the doctor said. You have to eat more.” Aoba protested, standing to put his own plate in the sink. With a grimace, he pointed to Sei’s chair. “Sit and eat.”
The other male opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself and sighed. Giving a light smile, he sat down once more. “I’ll try, but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”
“That’s alright. I can sit here all night.” With a smirk, Aoba sat back down.
Sei frowned. “I was afraid you’d say that.”