What makes you tic(ticci toby x reader)

Part six: meeting again

'i wonder what he was even doing with that thing'

'why did he have to sneak in? why couldnt he just have gone out the front door?'

'why did any of that happen last night? did it even happen at all? was it all just a crazy dream?

"(name)? Come on you've been acting weird like this all day, the boss will fire you for sure if you can't focus"

(Name)s coworker derailed her thought process yet again, out of yet another rabbit hole her mind had run down. She just faintly smiled at her friend, jades look of concern and returned to making the last coffee before the small cafe she worked in before it would close for the night. Though all throughout the day, she hadn't really been here per se, sure her physical being was there but her conscience was elsewhere.

Ever since last night she hasn't been able to think of anything else but the boy she met, and that he turned out to be her childhood friend she thought she had lost. it all felt surreal, how could something like this even happen? how was toby still alive and how was he able to fly under the radar so easily? why wasnt he afraid of those two guys or that hideous monster? furthermore how could a monster like that exist? if he really eats humans then doesnt that make what toby and the others did illegal? just how many people has toby gotten for the monster before or after her? was all of this just a dream? maybe that hatchet she thought she saw by her window was just a figment of her sleep deprived imagination?

thoughts like this plagued her psyche all day. from when she woke up that morning and  found a dull-bladed hatchet by her ajar kitchen window, to now as she half-consciously made a no whip frappuccino to serve to the last customer before the cafe closed. though today, she wasnt counting the minutes like usual. she was almost... nervous, yet excited at the same time.

it didnt seem like more than a few minutes before her shift ended, but for the first time in a while she almost reluctantly walked out of the building, as if just what on earth she had gotten into would confront her as soon as she walked out the door. nevertheless, with a sharp intake of her breath, she walked out of the friendly warm cafe, and into the unknown.

it had rained for the entirety of the day. grey cloud-ridden skies that had settled into the sky late last night, had done nothing but spilt their contents on the ground below. though, making no attempt to avoid the rain, (name) walked home in the puddle ridden street, starting on the way home. the whole way there she was left unaware of the being gazing at her longingly in the dense woods nearby.

it wasnt until a slight 'psst' hit her ears that she finally turned around and saw a very familiar waving awkwardly from his perch on a old oak tree.

(name) watched in awe as toby effortlessly climbed, branch to branch, down the rather tall tree. in just a few minutes, he was back on the ground and engulfing (name) in a warm yet tight hug. because of his medical condition that left him incapable of feeling pain, he never knew what was considered 'too much', especially with things like hugs. it wasnt until (name) tapped toby on the shoulder, that his grip loosened and he  muttered a small "sorry" under his breath.

she just smiled and shrugged it off, still a part of her couldnt comprehend the fact that the toby rodgers, the boy that was presumed dead by everyone in her childhood neighborhood, was actually here, standing in front of her. all throughout today a part of her reasoned that this wasnt entirely real, how could it be? however seeing him now in the shade of the woods thick foliage, looking as awkward as he ever did in school, she could deny it longer.

"i hope i-im not bothering you t-too much" toby gestured to your name tag, "y-you probably are tired from work"

"no no its fine, no worries! my shift was boring anyway so i could use the company"