Trollhunters: Tales of Baniar

Part Fourteen

I told him the first thing that came to my mind, which certainly not the brightest thing to say to him.

"You do not look like your picture."

I blushed pink and refused to meet his eyes, but that didn't take away from the fact that it was true. Gone was the short, chubby boy that Toby had once been only a few years ago. Now, in front of me stood a tall and muscular boy, with a charming smile and gelled hair. He was completely unrecognisable, yet his eyes still held the warmth and humour that the photo had depicted him with.

Toby waved his hand at me, in a dismissive notion. "That photo was taken years ago. This is the new, and improved, Tobias."

"Wow. I mean-" I stuttered, when I realised what I had said, "- no, it's just- I-"

He chuckled smoothly, running a hand through his hair. "It's okay. I tend to have that affect on girls. To be a Trollhunter, I had to be fit and healthy enough to run long distances, so my body quickly changed."

"I hope you're not stealing my girlfriend, Tobes," a playfully scolding voice came from one of the hallway openings and my head snapped up to see Jim.

Even though I had seen him last night, my heart still fluttered. I staggered over to him, pulling him in a tight embrace which he returned. His hug would have killed me if he used all of his strength, but I guessed he would have gotten used to holding humans. I pulled back from him slightly, breathing in relief.

"I missed you," I told him honestly, cupping his cheek before kissing it.

He smiled warmly. "I missed you too, Ro."

"You guys act like you haven't seen each other in yesrs. So can I call you Ro? Or is that like a boyfriend-girlfriend thing? Because Romera is kind of wordy- no offense, of course- and Ro just sounds nice and is easier to say."

I sent a playful glare at Toby, who actually looked invested in his question. I rolled my eyes before answering.

"Call me whatever you want. Is Tobes a best friend thing, or can I call you that?" I asked him, and he smirked.

"Babe," he told me with a wink, "you can call me anytime."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the embarrassed blush that quickly spread over my cheeks.

"I'm her boyfriend," he exclaimed to Toby, before looking back at me in exasperation. "I am your boyfriend, right?"

I paused for a moment, frowning to myself. Of course, I was just playing along. Jim had asked me to be his girlfriend on one of the nightly visits, and I had nearly cried with happiness. I nodded slowly, still in character. A small smirk appeared on Toby's face, and I nodded at him slightly. I didn't have any feelings for him, buffm

"See?" Jim declared, but Toby shook his head exaggerstintly sad

"I'm sorry, brother, but there was a lot of hesitation in that. Perhaps you would have a better chance with that rat to woo that lives down the road?"

I giggled, and Toby let out a short laugh. Jim rolled his eyes and pulled me closer to him, subconsciously claiming me as his. I snuggled against him.

Merlin had left sometime before, so Jim began leading us to Blinky's crystal room, or as I had learnt the name of it, the Heartstone. Toby followed behind, making funny faces at me as we walked. There were more trolls in the halls, many of which seemed familiar with Toby.

"So, what happened to Darci, anyway?" Jim asked, glancing back at us. He slowed his pace so he could be walking beside us.

Toby shrugged, nonchalantly. "We just grew apart, I guess. Well, that and the fact she cheated on me."