Chapter Text
If there was anyone you could trust at the mansion, it’d be Toby. He was one of the only people you could stand. When he wasn’t on missions, or hanging out with his friends Ben or Jeff, he was with you. It was almost clockwork, the way you and him always found one another in the small clearing in the woods right before nightfall every night.
You began looking forward to those quiet moments of bliss with Toby, where nothing bad could happen, and you and he would make stupid jokes together, usually complaining about your coworkers or your boss. He had this impression of Masky that never failed to bring a smile to your face.
He loved hanging out with you, because you were one of the few with enough patience to withstand the boy’s horrendous stutter. You never rushed him, only made sure he was understood. Even when tics interrupted sentences, or he forgot to reply because he was chewing on his lip. He felt safe with you. Something he hadn’t felt in a while.
It was tonight that something would shift between you and the hooded boy.
Walking into the clearing was no different than usual, you walked the same path, met up at the same time. Seeing Toby already there when you arrived was a little out of place. You typically got there earlier than him. You shrugged it off, supposing it didn’t matter as long as you got your moment of peace with the boy.
When Toby saw you, he called your name. Behind the goggles, his eyes lit up with that same joy he had every time you two got to talk. A smile was present in his voice.
Your heart swelled for just a moment at the audible smile in his tone. It had been maybe a couple weeks now you felt the way you did, everything Toby did made your heart race. Just looking at those big brown eyes eased tension out of your shoulders. The horrid day you just had didn’t matter anymore. Not Ben’s annoying comments, or messing up on the mission you just got back from, or even when you looked away from your food for five seconds this morning and Smile Dog jumped on the table and ate it. None of the annoying moments of your day mattered anymore.
Not with Toby here.
The boy started his usual ramble about his day. Toby’s hands fidgeted in that way they always did when he was focusing hard on conversation. The tone of his voice suggested he needed this visit even more than you did.
“- And, And, You wouldn’t believe wha-What Slender said to me to- to- today.” He said, hands flopping to his sides as he leaned against a tree. His dirty, worn-out converse shifted under him, moving the leaves on the forest floor aside to adjust to his stance.
You hummed out a response, “Oh yeah? What’d he have to say?” The question rolled off your tongue. It was so easy talking to Toby, conversation flowed so simply.
“He said tha-that I was getting ‘Sl-Sloppy with my work’. Can you believe that?” Toby asked, throwing his hands out in exasperation. “So he won’t, won’t let me on the next mission.”
Seeing Toby upset reminded you of a sad puppy, with the way his eyes got all big and hopeless. The way his posture slumped, as if his sadness was physically tolling on his spine. Even when he was sad, you found him cute.
Toby ranted on about his day, using his hands to emphasise his words. Every now and again, his neck would jerk to the side, or his head would snap to the side, sometimes cutting him off as he spoke. He took his time with you, tried not to let himself get mad about the ticking. Maybe he had grown more accepting of them because of you.
You weren’t really listening to what he had to say when he ran his hands through his hair, effectively pushing his hood back and down. You didn’t know exactly what he said. It might’ve been some dumb point about Jeff pissing him off, or maybe it was Nina that bothered them while Toby was talking to Jeff.
What you did know was that Toby had two dog ears, standing at attention now that the hood wasn’t covering them.
The fluffy brown ears were streaked with a light brown, almost tan, on the inside where the fur poked out. They resembled a border collie’s ears, one up and alert, the other flopped to the side.
Toby hadn’t noticed until you stopped responding, and instead started staring above his head. When he did notice, the ears shot backwards in alarm, and he shoved his hood up. His face burned bright red, and he looked like he had just been caught with the most embarrassing thing known to man.
“So.. What was that?” You asked, taken aback by what you had just seen.
Toby didn’t answer for a while, trying to find the words to deny what just happened. When he did eventually speak, his voice came out quiet and anxious.
“Uhm. You.. didn’t see that?” He attempted. It was a futile attempt to get you to forget about the ears.
Unfortunately for Toby, it was too late. You’d seen them, and now you wanted to know more. You grinned, already letting the excitement slip into your voice.
“No, come on! You gotta show me. Please?” You asked, taking a step forward towards Toby.
The boy grunted, upset that he was being forced into this position. He sighed and slowly reached up to remove the hood from his head. The ears poked up, both of them this time. They stood, betraying his attempt to seem upset. They were tilted forward, as if he was intensely focused on something. One tilted to the side, listening to the sounds of the woods, then moving back to face you.
Your face must’ve been something of awe, because Toby looked away. His face was dusted red, and he looked completely over it.
“Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Ma- Make fun of them.” Toby huffed, his voice low. His eyes were trained on a tree far off, so he wouldn’t have to look at you. What he didn’t expect was your hand, gently feeling the fur of the ears. When your nails gently scratched into his scalp just behind the ears, he nearly melted. His eyes shut, and his shoulders slumped. He leaned forward, subconsciously leaning into the touch.
The next thing you saw was a brown tail behind him, extended out of his lower back. It had slipped out of the waistband of his pants, and was now wagging. The tail thumped against the tree behind Toby each time it made a pass from left to right, then back again.
You almost couldn’t stop, not when Toby looked this peaceful getting scratches. You eventually did, when his head was almost cocked sideways from him leaning into the touch. You didn’t mean to, but a quiet laugh escaped your throat.
That brought Toby back to the present. He stood straight suddenly, ears pushed to the side, and tail tucked. His face had never been more red. The usually touch-averse boy had just let you, of all people, into his space, in such a personal way.
Toby fumbled with his words for a moment, the embarrassment making his stutter much worse. You eventually cut him off, trying to save him the embarrassment of continuing to talk.
“Maybe we should head back soon, it’s getting late. You know how Slendy is about curfew.” You said, your stupid grin still present on your face.
At seeing that you had no hint of malice in your tone, or your expression, Toby softened just a little bit. His eyes softened, and his blush let up. His ears pressed down to be flat against his hair, then he pushed his hood back up. He looked a little awkward when he shoved his tail down his pants, so you looked away to give him a little privacy.
When he was done, he cleared his throat, and spoke.
“Uhm, Come on then. Let’s walk back together.” He said, beginning to walk in front of you. You followed him, staying behind him to watch his back. You couldn’t be too safe in these woods.
You didn’t know whether to bring that up or not, but the walk back to the mansion was a long one. The two of you didn’t talk like you normally did on the way back. You thought back to just the other day, when you two laughed so hard the entire time walking back that you almost missed curfew. You didn’t want things to be awkward now that this was out there, so you struck up a conversation.
“So.. Did you see what Jeff was wearing today?” You proposed.
Toby chuckled, “Oh my god, yes. Wh- What was that outfit? Wash- Wash your clothes every now and again, the- the blood doesn’t make you look tuff.”
“Oh, look at me, I’m Jeff the Killer, I’m the most unhygienic person you know,” You laughed, making some dumb impression of the boy. Toby laughed that same cute laugh he always did when you and he made fun of your friends.
Maybe things wouldn’t be too awkward after all.
When the two of you got back to the mansion, and went your separate ways to your rooms, he gave you a dorky smile and waved you goodbye. You tried to ignore the way your heart raced when you waved back, and you slipped into your room.
Your mind raced with all you’ve learned today about your best friend. You’d have to get to know more about this new side of your friend. You couldn’t wait to see that cute set of ears and tail again.