∆Three days later∆
(Y/N)'s POV
"Ugh..."
An inaudible murmur left my lips. I had woken up, however I remained laying down atop a warm, snug surface with my eyes glued shut. My skull pounded violently, trying to escape to aid the demise of my anguish. The world presented itself as a blur, colliding everything into one. I softly dropped my head to the side, facing a dark silhouette wearing orange and black. They were staring at me. Once my vision deciphered more prominent shapes, the blurry figure started to form a person sitting in a chair. Who I once thought was Hoodie, was actually Toby, slouched uncomfortably in a waiting chair with his orange goggles propped on his head. From his faint snoring and his head resting on his chest, I could tell he was asleep.
After I let out a louder groan, and shuffled lightly, the twitching male was snapped out of his fantasies.
"L-look who's *tic* a-awake," His raspy voice stammered out while adjusting his posture. He stretched his arms to reach the roof, and dropped them immediately. He acted as though he was sleeping there for decades.
"Th-the pig-ignorant *tic* j-jackass,"
"Shut up and leave," I murmured, tossing my head to the opposite side not wanting to torture myself any longer. The last person I wanted to see was Toby. Why was he even here?
"You c-could have d-d-died, you're l-lucky," He snarled, picking himself off the chair to his feet. His sluggish movements carried him to the sink, raising a small, clear plastic cup under the tap to fill it with water.
Succeeding his words, memories overwhelmingly flooded back into my mind. Shivers trickled down my spine realizing death could have taken me. Although, I had also remembered the person that saved my life.
"Thanks to Hoodie, I didn't," I snapped back, pleading for Toby to shut his trap. Plus, my head pounded with every word he spoke; but, that wasn't new. I observed how he swiftly guzzled the clear liquid and crushed the plastic cup in his gloved hand.
"Th-thanks to *tic* to me, you d-didn't," His voice came out sharp once he corrected me, proceeding to tell me how lucky I was to bathe in his presence.
"I dodged b-bullets to sa-save y-your ass." His unbelievable words made my lips gape in shock. Toby saved me? I didn't share a single detail with him, so how could he have possibly known?
"Your dum-dumbass looked b-b-better dying, th-though,"
I propped myself up to stare blankly at the male, yet my bones felt like they were going to shatter under the abrupt movement. I let out a scoff, lowering myself back onto the fluffy pillow.
"I didn't ask you to save me," I sighed, staring up towards the ceiling. Luckily, the bed and blanket hugged my figure warmly, making my stay comfortable.
"So y-y-you don't ap-appreciate my kind-kindness?" He queried, walking back to the seat and picking up his rustic, wooden axe. His head crooked back to stare at me, a twisted smile danced across his lips.
"Ca-cause I *tic* can undo wh-what I did,"
His voice came out deranged, almost scary. Seriously, what was he doing here?
"Ugh, you're impossible," I groaned, leaning back into my pillow to get as far away from Toby as possible. Honestly, he was a bit terrifying. He was cold and heartless- a complete maniac. He could slice me up in a few swings if he really wanted too. But, I would never let him have the benefit knowing this information.
"Why'd you help me anyways?"
"It's n-not like I-I wanted to,"
-
∆Toby's Flashback∆
I had just entered the kitchen, however the normal creek that followed the closing door didn't sound out. I knew something was up, or someone was following me. There were a pair of eyes burning into the back of my skull, nobody casually cruising through the kitchen would look at me like that.
"Wh-what can I-I do for y-you?" I spun on my heel, seeing Hoodie's towering figure standing at the door, causing it to remain open. His figure approached closer, shaking his head lightly once he confirmed it was in fact me.
"Toby," His muffled voice uttered my name, exhaustedly. I could tell he was already fed up with what he was about to say.
"Why aren't you with (Y/N)?" He asked, I could still hear the rasp in his voice from being sick.
"Th-they said *tic* said they didn't n-need me," I muttered, already dispassionate about the conversation we were about to have.
"They do, obviously, you're just going to let them go on a dangerous mission by themselves? Or are you too busy smacking lips with Clockwork?" He crossed his arms and his aura stabbed into me. Insulting me for my actions. Something about him saying that made me irritated. Was I angry that people were starting to catch wind of the kiss?
"They're still your partner for the week," His hands rummaged through his yellow pockets, finally plucking out a lined piece of paper.
"Masky's handy work," he stated before forcefully grabbing my wrist and placing the small paper in my hand.
Behind his mask I could tell he was itching for me to open it. Unfolding the paper, I peered down at the contents. Masky's writing littered information all over the paper. This was probably the research that (Y/N) had discovered.
"If you care about (Y/N)--"
"I d-don't," I regretted my words instantly once I heard a low growl from the towering hooded figure. Hoodie never did appreciate my snarky comments, or being interrupted.
"Don't interrupt me. If you want to be a good partner then here's your chance," he offered, shrugging as he proceeded to make his leave.
"I-I'm not hel-helping (Y/N),"
"Then you're a pussy shit," With that, his appearance was no longer seen. I was left in the kitchen contemplating whether or not I would aid (Y/N) in their expedition.
I unravel the folded paper one last time before leaving the kitchen.
This feeling really sucked ass.
∆End of Flashback∆
-
Toby had just parted his lips to snap another ruthless comeback, however, his voice vanished once the door to the infirmary boomed open. An unphased Hoodie and an infuriated Masky appeared before me. Hoodie observed your state closely while Masky vocalized his rage. Both didn't contribute to a healthier mindset. So far, nobody did.
"You could have died! Are you insane??" Masky practically screamed, his fists clenched tightly and his figure showed signs of pure aggravation. Couldn't he give me this lecture once I recovered?
"Not the first I've heard that today," I scoffed, crossing your arms. Could one person treat me with a little bit of dignity? I got the job done and I showed that I would lay my life down for the Operator.
"If I was Slender I would have had your ass for doing something so insanely stupid," There was a relucant pause in his voice, the next set of words pained him to say.
"But I'm not Slender," he sighed.
"You can start patrolling and killing once you feel better, and Toby" -he groaned as he turned to face the jittery male- "you can start as well," His voice broke after that. Anyone could read that Maksy didn't think this was fair, but the Operator never once needed a second opinion. Especially one as biased as Masky's. There was a slight tension in the air between the four of us, although Masky's low voice broke it while he was leaving.
"That concludes my report," His sentence lingered as he left, followed by Toby picking up his belongings and taking his leave as well.
All that remained was Hoodie staring at me. His figure rested on the chair Toby was in, adjusting into it and tried to create a comfortable space- which didn't seem to happen.
"He stayed here all three nights," Hoodie's voice lingered in the air. Shock affected my system to the point where speaking grew impossible. He clasped his hands in his lap as his stitched mask stared into me.
"To me, he wasn't even going to help you,"
My eyes widened hearing this news. Toby couldn't even last one night of patrolling with me, now he was watching over me?
"He wasn't with Clockly?"
"No," he chuckled.
"I'm pretty sure Toby doesn't like her like that. The fact that they kissed is..." Hoodie's words fell quickly, not knowing how to describe the circumstance. He hoisted himself off the chair, now standing over top of my weak body.
"So, he was using me as an escape route," I rolled my eyes while staring up at Hoodie. He shook his head prior to walking towards the door. He hesitated before stepping to freedom, staying idle for a few moments.
"Something tells me that's not why he was here, but I could be wrong," just as you were about to say something, Hoodie shut the door.
My thoughts were infected with what Hoodie just said. Toby stayed here with me and it wasn't for his own gain? I was definitely still dreaming, or dead maybe?
Something about this didn't feel right.
(?・・)σ
It had turned to night pretty quickly, causing the moon to shine beautifully through the window. The moonlight lit up the infirmary and made a relaxing setting. A few hours passed before the door cracked open again, you were expecting another tiresome monologue about your undesirable actions. You patiently waited to see a jumble of messy brown locks make way into the door first, followed by a blue, oozing mask peeking in.
"How is everything?" the figure faintly asked, his body was carried through the doorway before closing it gently behind him. Finally, somebody that could calm your nerves in such a distressing situation.
From the blood stains on his clothes and the smell of rusty iron, he had been out collecting kidneys.
"It's fine," you smiled, "I could be dead," you carried on, repeating the haunting words that were thrown at you prior. It was a way of making fun of the situation, and bringing some light.
"That wouldn't be ideal," he chuckled, gently placing his weight on the end of the bed. He slid his mask off to show his grayish skin and set it beside him. His chocolate brown hair framed his face and his sockets peered out the window.
"Did you need anything?" He asked, his head turned towards you and his intensiveness shone through. He was so caring it hurt.
"Maybe a cup of water?" I asked. He nodded, rising up to walk towards the sink. As he was filling up the small plastic cup, his view was once again found out the window. He was searching for something in the sky.
"Have you seen the Orion constellation?"
"Not since I was little," you stated, gazing out the window. The only things that filled your view were ancient trees and the black of night.
"It's out tonight, would you like to see it?"
The sudden offer made you sheepishly smile. EJ was always so kind, but he never spent time with you like this. Nor did he make the effort to.
"Yes," you whispered, fiddling with your thumbs as he set aside the small cup of liquid.
You peered over at him, since his mask was off you could see a toothy grin take over his features. He bent down slightly to cast aside the blanket and set you free from your cozy space. As the cold made contact with the exposed parts of your skin, he hoisted you into his arms like a groom would hold his bride. Your arms remained limp in your lap as you were taken on a trip.
It wasn't long until you two made it outside and found a nice grassy patch to sit in. The night was cool, which caused you to shiver considering you were blanketed for the entire day.
EJ seemed to notice your trembling, so he took off his black hoodie and chucked it at you. He was then left in a bright white shirt, it complimented his dark skin nicely.
"Thank you," you smiled.
You two stared up at the sky, mesmerized by the astonishing light the stars brought. It was almost perfect.
"There," he pointed upwards towards a cluster of stars, moving his finger across the sky as he traced the constellation.
"It's beautiful," you stated, smiling as the stars blinked at you. However the constellation shun softer tonight.
"Yes, sometimes it's the only beauty you can see in this world,"
EJ turned his head to stare into you, his gaze piercing yours. Your cheeks started heating up due to the tension, resulting in your gaze retreating from his. Before these past few days you never really noticed Jack, his intelligence and attractiveness never caught your eye until now.
He was always so hidden behind everyone else.
After about thirty minutes a yawn broke through your lips, which made Jack get up and dust himself off.
"Let's go back inside," He yawned with a smile. He brought you back up into his arms, the warmth of the act made your eyelids fall heavily atop your (E/C) orbs. Before you knew it, your body was placed gently in the warm hug of a bed and a blanket was draped over you.
"Goodnight, (Y/N)," you heard EJ yawn through his exhaustion, but you didn't hear him leave.
You then felt the bed beside you sink heavily and the blanket being pulled lightly from atop of you.
This feeling was nice.
__________________
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Thanks for reading!! (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)