What makes you tic(ticci toby x reader)

part eight: a shocking revelation from a servant

By the time (name) had once again leaned over to check the time displayed on her bedside clock, only for it to show that time had only barley ticked by since the last time she checked, she could obviously tell that it was going to be yet another sleepless night, and once again her mind was behind it all.

This habit had previously attempted to be broken, using anything from calming music playing in a soft volume to ease her mind, to picking up a humidifier to ease her thoughts via a calm misty room. However everything she tried did very little to help her, for she was far too lost in thought about a certain boy and the feelings she began harboring for him to even consider the thought of sleep. no, she had far too much to think about.

as she laid coddled in her warm fleece blankets in a multitude of colors, her mind and heart both raced. her thoughts becoming cloudy and filled with distant memories and contradictions. all blurring together, and all only adding to the confirmation she was feeling deep within her soul. it had only been a few hours since toby had swung by her apartment to drop her off after their date had eventually come to a close, much to her dismay. even though toby had only just come back into her life after years of absence, hanging out with him just felt so natural. the quality time she spent with him today was extremely enjoyable, and a part of her yearned to do it again sooner rather than later. she wanted to be near toby more, she wanted to do more things with him rather that be in a romantic setting or not. she looked forward to seeing him and felt lonely when he wasn't there. he was so open yet mysterious, she didnt know just what he was doing for a living, and he seemed all but willing to share that information with her, which only peaked her interest more. she wanted to figure him out, she wanted him to really open up to her. she wanted to know just who Toby was now.

She knew that with age brought personality changes, and with everything toby went through in early life, she was surprised that he wasn't a completely different person and drastically changed from the young boy she knew. he was still roughly the same though, much to (name)s delight, he was still caring, easily flustered, introverted yet still willing to try new things. all the key points were there, yet he was different in ways too. he was a bit more jumpy, more anxious, and more romantic somehow.

that brought up the questions she had been pondering

did that date today mean something? did she want it to? who really was toby rodgers to her? who was (name) to him? Did he take her out on that date just to be nice and to really spend time with her in a platonic manner or did it mean something else? He didn't flinch away when (name) pecked him in the jawline but that just might have been because she had startled him and he had no time to pull away before she had already kissed him. Maybe she was just overthinking things that meant nothing, or they could possibly mean everything. she had no real way of knowing without confronting Toby directly, which was something she was in no way ready for.

A small pang at her window brought her out of her thoughts. For a moment, she almost mistook it for some sort of tree branch or rock that was flung by the increasing wind speeds outside. However when it happened again, and it sounded like more of a knock, she compelled herself to pop her head up and out to her bedside window. She was in no way prepared for what she saw.

In the occasional clap of lightening that lit up the sky, (name) faintly could make out he silhouette of a man. With every bolt of lightning or loud strike of thunder, he visibly tensed and shook from presumably both the chilly rain and fright. What was going on?
Curiosity took hold of (name) and she slowly got out from under her blankets and cautiously approached her window. After all, it could be the very familiar Rodgers family member, or it could be a complete stranger that was attempting to break in, she never knew.
However on closer inspection, she soon was met with a glimmer of silver that sparkled from a loop on his belt in the lighting, the metal of a hatchet, who else was walking around with a hatchet at night like this? This had to be him.