This one be looooong so enjoy! I had a lot of fun writing it :3

Toby was currently moving his hand through the water, sitting on the edge of the bath in just his boxers and mask waiting for (Y/N) to come back when the door swung open. He startled, nearly falling into the bath as the girl burst into the room and slammed the door behind her. The towel and clothes she had managed to grab fell to the ground as she leant on the door, breathing heavily as tears ran down her cheeks.

Toby calmed his racing heart, before turning his full attention back to (Y/N). Seeing the tears on her face, he hurried over to her as best as he could with a damaged foot, kneeling next to her to ask if she was okay. This was similar to two weeks ago, and he was ready to throw fists if he found out her mother had hit her again.

"(Y-Y/N)?" He asked, tilting his head in front of her face, "Wha-at happened?"

"It's... It's nothing..." She said, her head lowered so her hair fell in the way, "I got your towel..."

"(Y/N)..." Toby sighed, pulling her into a hug, "W-Will I ha-ave to wait anoth-another two weeeeks?"

She was silent, Toby wasn't sure if she was contemplating telling him, or if he upset her more by pointing out that she took so long to tell him the last time something happened. He twitched and scratched his head,

"Th-That's not what I-I meant..." He said, next scratching over his mask, "W-Was it... Your-Your-Your mother?"

She was silent a tad longer, before letting out a deep breath through her nose, "No... I told you she was out."

"Then your b-brother."

"How could you guess?" She asked, almost dryly.

Toby shrugged and stepped back, rubbing his neck, "F-F-Figures... He's b-been smoking d-d-d-rugs... I'vvve smelt it s-since the day a-after your mother hit yo-ou."

"What?!" (Y/N) raised her gaze at him, her eyes wide in shock once more. She couldn't believe what Toby was saying, did he really think her brother would take drugs like that? She had admitted in a joke that he could, but she never thought it would be true.

But... She had admitted it in a joke, so she must have been right. If that was the case, then the strange smell coming from his room, and his red eyes and strange attitude... Made sense. But what did that mean for her? Her mother was being nasty and her brother as doing drugs. What more could happen in this hellhole?

"I guess that's it then." She sighed, holding her head in her hands, "Great..."

But then she froze, slowly raised her gaze to Toby. Her (e/c) eyes met his chocolate brown and her cheeks turned bright red when she realised he was almost totally nude. Toby tilted his head, before chuckling and grabbing the towel and other things from in front of her. He moved them to the vanity and hung the towel up, limping back to the bathtub,

"D-Did he... H-Hit you?" He asked, sitting next to the bathtub.

"N-No. Thankfully..." She mumbled, turning her gaze away when she realised she was staring, "I-I should probably... Probably leave you to it then..."

The girl stood, completely embarrassed to have burst in on him like this. She spotted his clothes and walked over to grab them, saying she'll go wash his clothes.

Toby watches her, silent for a moment, before grabbing her arm. The girl stopped and looked at him, instantly pulling her arm away. He let her arm go, turning his head away. This feeling... The room was full of it, it felt so strange, like he could barely move. The man had never felt like this before, this feeling of... Awkwardness? Embarrassment?

"S-Sorry..." He mumbled, holding his own arm, and (Y/N) tilted her head.

"It's... Alright... Is something the matter?" She asked, still holding his filthy clothes.

He bit his lip under the mask and turned his gaze onto the shampoo and conditioner. The truth was, he hadn't washed his hair in... Years... Since before his sister's death. He was sure it was easy but...

"I-I need help..." He mumbled, pointing at his dark brown locks, "I-If it's n-n-not a bother."

(Y/N)'s eyes moved between the two things and she gave a soft smile, putting his clothes back down, "Alright, but I'd keep your boxers on if I were you. I don't really... Want to see... Well, you know."

The male nodded quickly, "O-Of c-c-course. I-I was-was-wasn't going to."

"Fantastic." The girl smiled and dusted her hands, "Do you need help getting into the bath then?"

Toby smiled under the mask and nodded. He was grateful she was so understanding, so so grateful she wasn't judging him, wasn't asking why he didn't know, wasn't judging him for not doing it in, well she wouldn't have a clue for how long. Her ease with him... It was so comforting. And he was so glad Slenderman had been keeping out of his head today, he must have been busy with his other Proxies or his own murders.

She helped him into the water, steadying him so he wouldn't fall over as he twitched. His hand slipped off the side of the tub as his arm gave a small spasm and he fell into her. The girl was there to catch him again, as she had before when he stood to talk. He gave a weak chuckle and she only smiled and shook her head, helping him to sit in the bath,

"Got your leg out of the water?" She asked, and he nodded, keeping it up on the edge of the bath, "So, I assume you don't wash your hair because you're so busy all the time hm? Never really picked up the skill because of it?"

"S-S-Sorta..." Toby said, moving his hands through the warm water, "I-I could... I-I just forget to... I-It's not real-really on m-my to do list."

"That's fair, I'll do it for you then." She said, giving him a wink, "And I'll throw in a head massage for an extra $10."

Toby chuckled and shook his head, telling her not to bother as he won't feel it. The girl insisted, saying that surely he can feel at least pressure. She did have a point, so he shrugged and told her to give it a go, they'll find out soon enough.

"So what exactly can you feel?" (Y/N) asked next, cupping the water and bringing it up over his head, "Like, can you feel the water on your body at all?"

He tapped his chin, "Y-Yes."

The girl then tilted her head, before reaching up and turning the shower on. The water fell from the showerhead and onto his own head. It was ice cold, but he didn't really react, just turned his gaze to her,

"Wh-Why?"

"It's easier to wet your hair that way." The girl shrugged, "But you can feel that hitting you?"

He nodded, "S-Sorta, I-I feel... Pressure..."

"Okay, but you can't feel the cold?"

"I-It doesn't bo-bother me..." He shrugged, "I-I can tell i-t's cold... But I-I don't mind it. I-I can only feel... Pressure... S-So any actual d-damage like c-cuts or broken bones... D-Doesn't hurt... J-Just stops me from m-moving."

"Interesting. That was why you tried to get to your feet when I found you. You didn't know you were injured." She rubbed her chin, before turning the shower off, "That must get confusing, or cause problems."

"S-Sometimes..."

"Well hey, at least you don't have to worry about freezing." She gave a light chuckle.

"I-I-I will... Still f-freeze. I am n-not immune."

"I know, but you wouldn't be able to feel it." She said, "Man, to not be bothered by the weather."

She then told him to shuffle forward, and the boy did, having to bend his knees so she could sit up above him on the curved wall of the bathtub. He tilted his head back up to her, tilting it in curiosity. She only smiled and grabbed the shampoo, pouring it into her hand and lathering it up in the other.

(Y/N) then reached down to his head but stopped, hesitating. Toby blinked, giving her another confused look and she let out a sigh, pulling her hands away,

"I... Can't wash your hair with your mask on..." She said slowly, "It covers parts of it..."

The boy tensed slightly, his hands moving up to touch his mask almost as if insecure about it's entire existence. (Y/N) bit her lip, before closing her eyes and taking a moment to compose herself. She had to ask, and she hoped he would answer,

"Toby... Why do you wear it all the time?" She asked, averting her gaze from him, "You wear it all the time, like... All the time. I understand if you're hiding something but... Surely you can trust me by now... Right...?"

The male sat there, his eyes blank as he stared at her, and she couldn't meet his gaze. The girl felt... Nervous... For even asking about the mask. The numerous times he flat out ignored any questions or changed the subject, it was clearly a sore spot for him, a bad topic. But why? Why couldn't he tell her anything? Why did he have to be such a secret?

Toby was at war with himself as she looked away. He wanted to much to keep the mask on his face, he wanted to much to just evade the question again. But... He could see (Y/N), he could see how nervous she was, how she was biting her lip, how she couldn't look at him. He knew it was something that had been bugging her, and he knew he couldn't answer.

But now, when she was trying to help him, he'd have to come clean.

"I-It's... A-A-Another e-effect o-o-of the ner-ner-nerve failure..." He managed to say, his stuttering growing with his own nervousness, "I-I-I am more... C-Comfortable with i-it on..."

"I get that, and I respect that." (Y/N) said, "But... Why? I can't wash your hair with it on. I've... Never seen your full face before."

"D-Does that matter?" He asked, and she closed her eyes,

"Maybe not to you... But... It does for me." She said, her chest felt tight, she didn't want to upset him, didn't want him to shut her out. But he was silent now, his head down as he stared at the water. She shook her head, before leaning forward and pushing her hands through his hair,

"Forget it, I'm sure I'll manage." She said, "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to..."

"(Y-Y/N)..."

"It's fine Toby, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She said, working the shampoo through his hair.

He pulled away, turning to face her, his eyes searching, "Wh-Why are you s-s-ssso accepting of me?"

She froze, pulling her hands back, before lowering them and giving him a smile, "Everyone is different, and you're the first person to... Be kind to me. I don't want to upset you... I don't want you to hate me as well... Besides, how could you be so horrible when you've been so kind?"

He stares at her, and she goes back to shampooing his head, "I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do. If you want to keep wearing the mask, then I won't make you take it off. It would be easier, but I'll handle it."

"I-I'll do it." He said, and she stopped, looking into his eyes once again, "I-I'll take it off."

The boy's chest was heavy, his heartbeat was quick. The girl stared at him, her eyes hard but swimming with understanding, with relief. She gave him a nod, moving back so he can take it off.

"J-Just... Promise n-not to scream..." He said, moving is hands up behind his head.

"Why would I scream?" She asked curiously as Toby unstrapped his mask. It fell from around his nose, his jaw, and crumpled against his chest. He hooked a finger around the material and pulled it away entirely, keeping his head to the side. A thick stubble lined his jaw, defining it in the bathroom light, it moved up under his nose, he clearly needed a shave, something he hadn't been able to do since he'd been here. He was keeping the left side of his face from her line of sight, and she tilted her head.

"Toby..." She rinsed her hands and reached forward, but stopped and smiled, she wasn't going to push him any further, "Alright, I'll finish washing your hair, and then you can put the mask back on of it makes you feel better."

"Wh-Why...?" He asked, almost quietly, "Why aren't you e-even the sl-slightest bit c-c-curious about this...?"

"Trust me, I am." The girl admitted, "I want to know why you're hiding half of your face a hell of a lot right now."

"Th-Then why not... Force me t-to show you?"

"Because you're clearly uncomfortable about it, so I won't force you. I did just say that." She gave him a smile, "Now turn around so I can finish washing your hair."

He nodded and turned around, keeping his head lowered. Finally she finished shampooing his hair, turned on the shower again to rinse it off, this time with warmer water. Once it's all gone, he moves forward again, his entire body is shaking. (Y/N) started to worry, asking if he's alright but he doesn't respond. His shoulders are tense, and she touches them slightly,

"Hey, it's okay." She said, hoping to sooth him, "I don't mind Toby, you do what makes you happy."

"I-I-I'm going... T-To turn around..." He said, his voice was shaking.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I-I do."

"Alright... If you're sure." She let go of him, and he took a deep breath. Slowly, he turned back around, facing her. His head was down, but (Y/N) was patient, waiting for him to move when he was ready.

Finally, he lifted his head, showing a large gash in the left side of his cheek. Teeth and gum were visible, and the grotesque sight made the girl gasp. The wound was clearly scabbing and the flesh around it was stained with a red tinge. It was clearly trying to heal, but making no progress.

She was quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say. She could only stare, the horrific sight was hard to process and she had to remind herself that he couldn't feel the pain.

"How... How'd it happen?" She asked softly.

He only shrugged, reaching up and scratching at it, "A-A-Anxiety... I-I chew m-my cheek when I g-get nervous and-"

She cut him off, finishing his sentence with "You chewed right through it without realising."

He nodded, letting out a sigh and telling her it's one of the reasons he wears the mask, to keep bugs and things out of his mouth and to hide it. (Y/N) tilted her head, taking in the wound as he scratched at it, as small beads of blood started to appear around the wound. She reached forward and grabbed his hand to stop him.

"What's the other reason?" She asked, "For wearing the mask."

"S-Same a-a-as my hoodie..." He said, "S-Skin burns easily in the su-u-un. I-I can't feel but i-it causes problems..."

The girl nodded slowly, before a smirk spread out on her face, "So, do you drink blood as well?"

Toby blinked, at first confused, before a lopsided smile spread out over the uninjured side of his face. Seeing his smile... It was beautiful to (Y/N), being able to see his whole face now, to know when he really was smiling.

"H-Heh... Nah... A-And I don't sp-sparkle either..." He joked back, and the girl chuckled.

"That's probably for the best." She said, unable to stop the overwhelming feeling spreading through her chest. She couldn't stop smiling at him, "Thank you... For trusting me."

"Y-You're... E-Easy to trust." He said, and the girl blushed slightly, shaking her head,

"T-Turn around... I'll finish washing your hair."

The boy complied and turned around, chuckling at her blushing and letting her condition and massage his head. (Y/N) couldn't explain it well, but she had a sort of buzz in her chest, knowing that she was one of the few to see Toby's hidden side – literally.

But to think he trusted her enough to show her, it filled her with happiness. And his smile, it was the sweetest, most innocent smile she had ever seen. And she knew she'd want to see it again, as many times as she could before he returned home, before he left her for good.