Chapter Text
It was a bright and sunny morning, it seemed like nothing was off.
Well, nothing apart from the absence of Toby, which brang a whole new level of quiet into their cul-de-sac.
Jim opens up his garage door, it sliding open roughly, it had gotten old from excessive use every morning. He couldn't recall the last time it had been oiled. He'd need to do that when he got home. That thought quickly left his head though. He let out a sigh at the lack of Toby. Of course, Toby had informed Jim ahead of time about how he had another dentist appointment this morning, but he couldn't help but feel lonely at the lack of his best friend.
His only friend.
Whether he was there or not, he had made lunch for the other. Both his own and Toby's in hand, he places one of the bagged lunches in his bag, gently unbuttoning it and oh so carefully,, placing it in there so as to not to get squished. He took a quick glance at his phone for the time,
"shit shit shitshit-" he murmurs to himself, placing his phone in his pocket before speeding off on his bike towards the canals.
Pedaling as fast as he possibly could, he hit the brakes as soon as he saw the giant pile of rocks come into view at the bottom. He had just barely stopped in time, letting out a deep breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding in. After a moment of just staring in confusion, he got off of his bike and pushed down his kickstand to get a better look at it. It wasn't very uncommon to see rocks in the canals but,, this seems a little excessive. He crouches down and...
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Toby made his way into the school, practically dragging his feet in the process. He slowly rubs his cheek where his teeth had been worked on last in a soothing manner.
"ow,, Jesus does that hurt."
He made his way into Strickler's classroom, who looked over to Toby for a moment or two but continued onward with his lecture, taking Toby's late pass and skim reading over it before strolling over to the recycling bin.
Toby lets out a dramatic sigh as he sits down next to Jim. The other just chuckles.
“You good, Tobes?" He whispers over to him with an amused smile.
"Noooo.. everything hurtsssss..." he whines, placing his head on his desk. It was clear he was being over dramatic, but Jim reaches over and gives Toby a small pat on the back anyways. Toby let out a comical 'ow' which left them both suppressing laughter. After a couple of moments of them both calming down, they looked over at Strickler to make it look like they were paying any sort of attention.
"Anyways, what'd I miss?" Toby asks, glancing over to Jim for a split second, he raises his head from the frigid desk (Sadly. The cold had been easing the tooth pain).
He glanced over again as Jim seemed to be having some inner argument. As if something was on the tip of his tongue, but was fighting the urge to speak on the thought. Jim shook his head slightly after that moment of consideration.
"Not much, school’s been boring as always."
Toby nods, not taking much thought in Jim’s hesitation. He just put it off as his general anxiousness. He took a quick peek at the time. Only a few minutes left of class. It couldn't come soon enough for Toby, though. All the minutes felt like hours, blocking out the noise of whatever historic event Strickler had been talking about in that moment. It all blurred together. Whether that was because of boredom or sleep deprivation he was unable to tell.
It was his fault for staying up late so often, but he couldn't help but procrastinate when he had to beat his Go-Go-Sushi high score! He remembered the one time Jim mentioned getting sick from sleep deprivation.. Well he hadn’t gotten sick yet, so it must be fine.
...
Although.
He never liked the worried expression Jim gave him when he heard of Toby’s sleeping habits. Always made him feel a little guilty.
Just a little.
That thought was happily interrupted by the bell and everyone began to stand up and pack all their things. Strickler raises his voice slightly to get everyone's full attention before they head to their next class.
"Alright class, don't forget your assignment is due Thursday." To which he received a collective groan from most of the class. Toby slung his bag onto one of his shoulders, he quietly watched as Jim got his stuff together, taking a little longer due to him taking out his history notebook presumably at the start of class.
"You ready to roll out, Jimbo?"
Jim's lips turn up slightly at Toby. "I'm ready when you are, Tobes."
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"Sorry dude, hate to leave you by yourself back home but I forgot to put my bike in the trunk this morning, so Nana is picking me up."
There was a slight frown on Jim's face, but it quickly dissolves as he shakes his head.
"No, no, it's fine. I'm just glad you didnt leave me alone at lunch like that one time." He reminds him with a smirk.
Toby rolled his eyes playfully "Am I ever going to live that down? I have a dentist appointment once during lunchtime and suddenly I'm the scum of the Earth." He jokes along, nudging Jim in the side with his elbow, receiving a laugh from Jim.
"Dumbzalski, Jim 'Lame' Jr."
Steve.. ugh.
Toby just couldn't seem to catch a break.
He had pushed both the backs of their heads down while he walked by, as if being dunked underwater into a pool. Toby just barely missed his head hitting the locker he was trying to open. He sighed as he pulled his head up and watched as Steve walked away snickering with his little group.
"Dick." He says under his breath as soon as he was sure they were all out of earshot. Even if he was whispering, it was better to be safe than sorry. He'd much rather avoid getting bullied even more than currently.
He decides to just continue on with what he was saying and struggling with the lock.
"Anyways, I'll call you when I get home… But god damn is this lock is being uncooperative."
Jim glances over as he places his unneeded school supplies in his own locker. He closes it and reaches over to help Toby with his.
"Here, lemme help."
Toby left his hands there for a moment, their hands meeting for just a few moments before pulling them back into himself and backing up slightly, watching as Jim also struggled with it for a few moments but opening it eventually. Even if it was brief, and Jim’s hands were cold per usual, it was still a nice feeling.
"Thanks man!"
"Anytime, Tobes."
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Toby sighs as he enters his room. His Nana needed to go to the grocery store so it was a while after he would usually get home. He throws his backpack onto the ground next to his bed, flopping onto his bed defeatedly soon after. He lied there for a minute or so, just staring at the ceiling. He pulls out his phone, quickly entering his password and going into his contacts. Toby stared at the few contacts he had, before clicking the button to call Jim.
…
Did it usually take this long for him to pick up?
Toby didn't think it did.
Oh!
There he was.
Maybe.
There was only shuffling on the other end.
"Hey Jimbo!"
More shuffling and… whispering? He couldn't make it out, it was too quiet.
"Oh uh,” Pausing. “Hey Tobes!! Sorry, I'm um. A little bit busy right now. I'll call you back soon, alright?"
He.. hung up?
Well that was.
Definitely strange.
Well, whatever.
He can just wait until he calls back. No biggie.
Toby took a deep breath, turning off his phone, he dropped it onto the bed purposefully, it jumped back up slightly. But he was then left alone with just nothing but the blank, boring ceiling. He got up slowly, looking around his bedroom for something to do.
Video games sound nice right about now. He walked over and went through his collection of games, he decided on an easy going one. Jim would probably be done with whatever soon, so there's no need to get really submerged into a game with plot and story. He just needed a distraction was all.
He carefully took out the disc and placed it into the game console, it was just Go-Go-Sushi. The happy-go-lucky music began to play, but it felt a little out of place for the situation. He pats his face as a way to maybe calm himself down.
"It's just one late phone call, Toby, you can survive. Like he said he's just busy right now. He said he would call back later, right? Everythings fine, Toby."
No matter how many times Toby had tried to convince himself, it all failed.
God, why did he have to be so clingy?
He knew Jim hated when he used that word to describe how he acted, but that's what it felt like.
Unneeded clinginess.
Specifically unneeded clinginess towards Jim.
He sighs.
"Just play Go-Go-Sushi so you can forget about it. It's unimportant anyways." He picks up the game controller and sits down, pressed the 'one-player' option, and begins to try and drown out the world around him.
---------
Jim didn’t call back that night.
Toby waited hours upon hours for a phone call back,
a text,
or really ANYTHING!
He even stayed up later than he usually would to wait for it.
The longer and longer he waited the less hopeful he became. Every ounce of energy drained from his body, slowly one by one as the seconds went by. It all felt like a waste of time by the end of it. All the checking his phone once every match was done, even trying to catch glances during them as well, drinking energy drinks and coffee to help him stay awake. All of the exhaustion made him even more emotional than usual. The later it got the more he felt like he was standing on the cliff and about to jump into the river below of painful sobs.
He took in shaky breaths that were supposed to be deep, calming ones. But it just drove him to the edge. He hugged onto the blanket wrapped around him tightly, muffled screams, groans, sobs, and so on finally escaping his lips like they had been trying to for hours on end. Tears began to run down his face and make his blanket damp.
He didn’t care.
He’d just keep telling himself that,
that all he cared about was how fucking much this sucked.
Toby pounded at his legs, only adding physical pain to the emotional and mental ones.
God fucking damn it.
Hating himself for the thoughts filling up his head about how much he missed Jim, and if this was the possible end of their friendship, or if Jim hated him too for being so selfish to think of himself when Jim was just probably taking some time for himself from Toby’s fucking obnoxiousness.
They only hurt him so, so much more.
Vision blurry, the TV screen’s light began to fade at the lack of activity from his controller. He watched as it did so, tears ran down his face without a care.
His eyes fluttered closed, still left with the bitter feeling of feeling abandoned like he was when he was little.
Even if he couldn't remember it, the feeling continued.
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The sound of his alarm blasts through his room as he lies on the uncomfortable floor. He groans at the noise, turning over and feeling the damp tears from early that morning left on his blanket. The feeling of wanting to stay there forever and just sleep the days away was intense, but the want to see Jim as soon as possible was even stronger than that.
He slowly sits up and looks around his room, but his head begins pounding in pain and his back reminded him quickly of how bad of an idea it was to allow himself to sleep on the floor.
"Oh, god- oh fuck-"
He sat there for a couple moments, as if that'd help him with his pains in the slightest. Rubbing his temples and taking in some deep breaths, Toby got up with a huff. He rubs his eyes in a circular motion and yawns, he makes his way down the stairs, he would just change later. He needed something to eat or he would probably just get emotional again.
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Toby kicks up the bike kickstand and practically sprints over with the bike to Jim's driveway. Seeing Jim as soon as humanly possible was his only priority.
He didn’t even care enough to clip his helmet yet.
...But he does kick the kickstand down to keep it from falling over.
Smiling as he watched as the garage door not-so-smoothly came open, he a bit winced at the noise. "You really need to oil that soon, Jimbo. That noise will be the death of me, if the door doesn't die first, that is."
He heard a chuckle from the other side, soon revealed to be Jim.
"Here ya-go, Tobe-"
Though he pauses mid-sentence and mid-passing. He repeats the nickname “Tobes” in a quieter manner, as if he was trying to recall something.
Suddenly Jim's face morphed into a look of panic and he quickly put his palm to his forehead. "Oh fuck! I forgot to call you back, I am so sorry, Tobes!"
Right.
The thing he tried so hard to forget about.
The smile from just moments before faded. "It's fine." The words were way too fast, as if automatic.
Jim frowns and reaches out his hand to Toby, lunch still in hand. "Are… Are you sure?"
The lunch bag was hastily taken as Toby replied,
"I said. It's fine."
Shit.
He didn't mean that to come out so passive aggressive.
There was silence for a few moments, but it felt deafening, crushing, heavy. Oh god was it heavy. He rolls his hands on his handlebars anxiously, not wanting to say anything more out of fear of worsening this interaction.
",,I'm really sorry, Toby."
"We should,” he pauses awkwardly and glances in the direction of the canals before going back to Jim. “Start heading to school."
Nudging up the kickstand and choosing to ignore the apology.. It felt like the best option.
The safest one.
It wasn't outwardly saying he was still hurt by it and made it so he didn't have to talk about it. And also that he didn't have to lie to Jim's face either.
He put one leg over his bike, he quickly rode off towards school, he didn't feel like talking to Jim at that point,
Well.
He did.
Just not about this.
But it did pain him to be away from the other. Even if he was close behind. The silence between the two of them only made this situation worse.
---------
Ever since that day when Toby went to the dentist in the morning, Jim began to be more distant. Or more so that they'd hang out and suddenly he'd have to leave without warning. He made up tons of excuses, and it was getting to the point that even Toby of all people was getting suspicious.
And..
...lonely.
What was he doing that took up so much time that he could barely even text the other?
He didn't know. But he was getting fed up with the whole situation. Weeks of this had gone by and he put up with it. But not anymore.
Okay, maybe Toby was being a little over dramatic.
All he was going to do was sit in Jim's side yard and see if maybe he could hear something. Not the most fool-proof plan, but at least it was something.
So there he was, sitting on the floor of Jim's yard after they had hung out. It had been quiet for the most part before.. The back door opened? Toby stayed put to see if he could hear anything else from his current position. Murmurs? It sounded a little familiar but he couldn't be sure. Toby quietly crawls closer to hear better, and maybe see what was happening.
"Mm. Bad idea."
"We simply cannot let you do that without a plan, Master Jim!"
What?
'Master Jim?'
And whose voice was that? Not one Toby had known personally, that's for sure.
"Then what do you suggest? I know what I saw! It was the bridge! And there were changelings, Blinky!"
"Shush! Not so loud!"
The murmuring began once again. Toby went to go maybe get a look at these people, and 'changelings'? What, is he LARPing? Rude not to invite Toby.
Toby quietly looked around the corner, it was too dark to see whoever Jim was talking to clearly but… their outlines.. seemed too big to be human. And.. was Jim… in glowing blue armour? He tries to get a better look but his hand lands on a twig.
CRACK.
shit.
shitshitshitshitsHIT-
Jim turns his head right as Toby pulls back around the house. Jim DEFINITELY saw him. He got up and ran back to his house as fast as he possibly could, slammed the door shut as soon as he got inside the house. He leans against the door, breathing heavily as he did so, he tried his best to catch his breath but failed. He slid down the door defeatedly, scared out of his mind.
What was Jim doing in armour?
Why was it glowing?
And with those... those.. THINGS?
How could they talk???
This seemed like some supernatural bullshit but,, he didn't know anyone that knew any of this type of stuff or how to deal with it.
Apart from..
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"Eli!!"
Eli looks over to Toby from his locker. "Toby-?"
"Eli Eli Eli Eli Eli!!! I NEED to tell you something." Toby's voice became hushed at the end, Eli leans in to hear better. "You're always saying how there's something weird going on with our town, right?"
"Did you see something too?! I've got so many theories about what's happening and no one believes me! All these creepers are running around and somehow everyones ignoring them! Even denying my photos being legit! I-" Toby covers the other's mouth with his hand to stop him from going on a long tangent.
"Hey, hey, hey- dude- it's alright, I believe you, just calm down for a moment and let me explain." Eli looks at him, waiting for him to continue. But he did whack Toby's hand from over his mouth. Toby leans in closer, as to not let anyone overhear.
"I think I saw Jim in glowing armour with some.. Things."
Eli was obviously intrigued. "Things..? Like.. Like creepers?"
"Something like that. They were big, huge even! I couldn't see them fully because it was dark, but they obviously weren't human. They were talking about.. Oh, what was the word.. 'Changelings'? As well as some sort of bridge."
Eli pulled out a notebook from his locker, writing furiously into a page before looking back up at Toby, deadpan. "We need to spy on Jim. He's gotta know something we don't."
"Doesn't that seem a little.. Illegal?"
"Shush. Do you wanna know what's going on with Jim or not? This is the only option."
"What about just… Asking him?"
Eli only shook his head. "Yeah, let's just ask the possible evil mastermind about his plans to possibly take over the world with the creepers. You're his best friend, right? If he hasn't told you what's happening, I really doubt he'd say it if we just asked politely."
"There are so many things to unpack here, first of all, eVIL MASTERMIND???" Eli slams his locker shut to override the sound of Toby's confused screeching.
"Listen, I have a theory and-" The first school bell for their next class rang. Eli pulls out a pen and begins to write on Toby's arm, not having any paper on him at that moment.
"Hey! what are you-"
"This is my address. Come to my house after school, so we can talk about this more in private."
Eli then puts the pen away and dashes towards his next class, leaving Toby absolutely bewildered. He sighs, taking a look at the address on his arm for a moment.
Sure.
He could do that.
Why not.
It's not like it's any weirder than seeing your best friend in a glowing suit of armour.