What makes you tic(ticci toby x reader)

Part six: meeting again

(name) nodded over to the sidewalk, inviting toby to follow her. even being obscured over that striped mouth guard, she could tell toby was smiling. he wasted no time in joining her side, and they both started to slowly making their way back to (name)s apartment building, neither in any rush.

for a few minutes it was blissfully silent, not even the many birds that flew above in the orange sky tainted it. toby would every so often turn and gaze at (name), then turned away as soon as she caught on. every time this happened, (name) would just playfully nudge him on the shoulder, a smile plastered on her face. they had always been like this in school, toby had always been a lovable dork like this, (name) just had truly appreciated it until now.

toby could very much say the same about (name). even after all this time apart, she was still just as radiant and gorgeous as she had always been. after all these years apart it seemed like she was still just as sweet and generous as she was back then, which became the very thing that toby loved most about her. the girl that, ever since preschool, was compassionate enough to give him a chance, and now she was one of the only thing he could think about that made him... happy again.

pure glee engulfed him whenever he played back those old memories of him and (name), and it would leave behind a very unfamiliar feeling in his chest. that feeling, whatever it was, was so magical that he never wanted to let it go. sure, he eventually grew up, but he never grew out of his feelings for (name)

"you uh- left something at my house so you can swing by my house when we get there" (name) derailed tobys train of thought, toby just simply nodded in response.

it was silent for a few moments, only the gusts of wind that ran through the twos hair could faintly be heard. however tobys voice, barley above a whisper, cut through it abruptly.

"i.. i-im sorry" he began, "for ya k-know, everything last n-night"

(name) opened her mouth to speak, but before she could toby began talking again.

"i mean y-you gotta feel scared and confused a-and nervous to s-say the least. and that a-all my fault-t, after all that would scare anyone, im s-so sorry"

his pace started to slow with each step he took, until he eventually stopped in front of a rather small parking lot. (name) didnt even realize it was to her own apartment building until she double take'd.

her eyes then wandered over to toby, who was now reaching with an incredibly shaky hand up to his striped mouth guard, and slowly pulled it down around his neck, revealing that she hadnt seen in so long. at first glance, she couldnt tell much difference in general terms, he still had a small button nose, faint freckles, and a skin tone so pale that it retained a ghostly appearance.

it was only when he turned around to face her head on that she finally saw the main difference. his... cheek, it was gone. completely gone. mangled and scarred skin surrounded the main gaping hole, which went all the way from his left lip to the top of his cheekbone. if she looked hard enough, she could barley see small teeth and pink gum. the wound itself looked anything but fresh, rather it looked more like it had been there for years and was left completely untreated. what could have happened? what it some sort of accident or a side affect of both tobys nervous habit to chew on himself and his intolerance to pain?

toby quickly caught on to (name)s stares. in a fit of nervousness, he broke their gaze and fixed it to the sidewalk beneath them. his slightly mangled fingers were brought up to his mouth and began aggressively chewing on them. (name) quickly brought her own hand up and rested it on his own, stopping him from causing any more damage to his fingers, which already looked scared and  mangled. it was no doubt that his nervous habits had gotten worse since she saw him last, what happened?

she watched as tobys eyes darted over to meet her own for a moment, before he shakily pulled his hand away from his mouth and from (name)s hand.

"i.." tobys voice cut through the silence growing more apparent by the second, "i u-understand that the things t-that happen around me is o-overwhelming to say the l-least. i-i-f you feel like what happened was too m-much and you think it would be better for y-you to not to be a-around me t-then thats okay. after everything i put you through i d-deserve it"

As soon as those words left his mouth, toby and (name) both felt a painful feeling, almost like a shard of glass went through both of their hearts. for some reason, those words felt painful especially for toby. the feeling for him was mainly motivated by the risk he just took by saying those words. by saying what he just said, he ran the daunting risk of (name) agreeing with what he proposed out of fear for her safety. by saying that, he could loose what he had left.

even in childhood, toby could never deny the fact that he became extremely attached to (name) and relished every moment that he spent with her. her laughter was nothing short of infectious, her gentleness and kindness was his rock on tough days, and her was like a ray of sunshine peeking out of the clouds on a dull day. it became clear very early on in his life that (name)s happiness was top priority to toby.

"her happiness is what matters most" thats what toby kept telling himself. he wants what is best for (name), and if he wasnt in the picture then so be it. he doesnt deserve her amazing personality anyway, so he would understand.

but he had to admit, the growing silence was driving him crazy. he wished she would just say something. anything. at least then he'd get an answer, though he was still scared of the answer she would bring.

so it came as a complete surprise to him when he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. it took toby a few moments to fully register what was happening before he wrapped his shaky arms around (name)s midsection to return her hug. now being hidden behind her shoulder, toby now made no attempt to hid the mix of relief, gratitude, and confusion present on his face.

after a few moments spent in silence, the pair pulled away in a rather reluctant fashion.

"toby, why the hell would you ever think i wouldnt want to be around you?" (name) gently grabbed toby by the shoulders, her voice becoming soft, "ill be honest, last night was... shocking to say the least. im honestly not sure whats real and what wasnt. even still you did save me from whatever that thing was, im pretty sure id be dead if it wasnt for you, so im not scared to be around you; im more confused and worried about you than anything else."

"(name), there a-are some things i c-cant tell you no matter how much i want t-to, but i can say that physically, i-im... okay"

(name) smiled softly, "then that what matters to me"

after that, the pair slowly made their way over to (name)s apartment, neither in a rush to loose each others company. toby didnt stay at her apartment long however, only to quickly pop in to the kitchen and retrieve his hatchet with his eyes glued down to his shoes in an embarrassed daze the whole time. when (name) invited him to stay longer and keep her company, he polietly declined, claiming he didnt want to bother her, and he had something else to take care of. however, as he was walking out her door, he momentarily figited with his fingers before whipping around and locking eyes with (name) who was leaning on her doorframe.

"but u-uh, (name) i-if you want t-to hang out tomorrow night t-then we c-can." he studdered, "its o-okay if you dont want to t-though"

(name) smiled, a warm fuzzy feeling invading her heart, making every beat feel mesmerizing.

"its a date" she grinned

tobys eyes widened, his cheeks flushing scarlet "a d-d-date? okay! s-see you then"

with that, toby awkwardly waved goodbye and ran off into the nearby woods, vanishing from sight. if (name) hadnt had just spend time with him then she would never had known he was there. just how did he do that? she then let out a long dreamy sigh before shutting her door and retreating into her small apartment.

"a date with toby rodgers huh?" she smiled at the thought, "i cant wait"