Oblivion (A Black Clover Story)

Fifteen

"Are you?" he shot back softly, avoiding the question. 

I shook my head, "Of course I'm ready, but I'm asking you. You seem more nervous than I am," I expressed, hearing his breath hitch at my words.

Captain Vangeance cleared his throat. "I'm ready to show my face to someone who can relate."

This time, I was the one who sighed as I took one more deep breath and turned my head all the way to my left, allowing him to look at my face while I looked at his.

It was silent between us when we saw each other. His eyes examined every little detail of my scar and my eye, while I looked especially close at the detail and texture of his skin. Because I'd only seen him from afar the first time, I didn't realize how unusual of a mark it was. The bottom of it had jagged edges like a saw, and only stretched to about halfway down his nose. Even the top three-quarters of his ears were the same purplish color. It was almost as if he had been badly burned; even worse than I seemingly was.

"May I... Ask a question?" I suddenly sounded, my voice breaking the silence. He nodded silently, his body tensing up. He was bracing himself. "Does it hurt?"

He relaxed a little. "No. It never has," he answered plainly, his eyes still locked on my blind eye. "Does yours?"

I placed my hand over my non-seeing eye. "Sometimes," I admitted. "But it's only when I try to remember who I was before." Saying that forced my mind to think back to why I'd washed up in a small river back in Hage, where Asta found me. Why? Why did that happen? I winced at the sudden pain that came with it.

But then, my newfound friend reached over to tightly grip my wrist and tug it away from my face abruptly. "If thinking about it hurts, then don't. It's not worth it."

We made eye contact, and the sensation of his warm, clammy palm against mine was... Comforting. I figured he was sweating a little because he was nervous, but then again so was I. Again, I cleared my throat and looked down. "I can't help it sometimes. It really, really bothers me."

He let go of my hand and suddenly brushed the backs of his fingers against my textured, discolored cheek. When he did, I felt an odd sensation. Something about his touch was... Familiar. "And you will find out the truth one day. But right now, you don't need to worry about it."

His face was only a few inches closer to mine, but that wasn't what made my heart beat faster. It was the fact that his hand was on my face, and that he was the first one besides myself to touch my skin there while my scar was visible. It was an obviously vulnerable spot, and because of that I was more than surprised that he touched me there in the first place. I swallowed hard and thanked him quietly for the words of reassurance before reaching out to touch his face too.

Vangeance flinched and pulled away for a second, but I was determined to break down the walls that he had up. He deserved to feel the touch of someone who wouldn't change a thing about how he looked. I firmly pressed the balls of my fingers on his right cheek, slowly running my thumb across his skin. There were bumps and rough areas here and there where the color differed, but it was overwise normal. For a moment, we merely stared at each other, fingers exploring our insecurities. And after a while, it felt as if he leaned into my touch and welcomed it.

"Thank you for this," I said softly, pulling away.

He followed my lead, leaving my skin cold. The captain shook his head. "No, I should be thanking you. It has been a very long time since anyone has accepted me like this. I guess besides Yami. And... Besides my mother, never a woman," he explained, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, I do like you the way that you are. I wouldn't change anything about you." It was the truth. He seemed so insecure and I just felt the need to reassure him. I guess my comment struck a nerve, because he blushed intensely. He... He really is adorable. "You say a woman has never liked your face? I don't mean to pry into your personal life Captain, but have you ever been in a relationship?"