Chapter Text
Slam.
Hoodie rolled over in his sheets, his deep sleep disturbed by the door crashing shut. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up. In the darkness, he could see a thin figure stumbling toward Toby's empty bed.
"Toby, what the hell? It is two in the goddamn morning." Masky growled from across the room, not even bothering to sit up to address the teen. "If Slender sends you out on a late mission, the least you can do is return quietly."
Toby said nothing as he carelessly dropped his hatchets to the floor and climbed into his bed. The sound of the metal hitting the wood reverberated. From across the room, Hoodie could see that Toby was spasming far worse than normal.
Hoodie shifted uncomfortably. No sharp retort? Nothing? "Rogers?" Hoodie called out, trying not to sound worried. The room was filled with silence. "Rogers!" He tried again, sounding much gruffer, and the shout received a grunt from Masky.
"Brian? Just get some sleep." Masky grumbled to his companion, sounding tired and annoyed. "We can't play babysitter for this kid for much longer. He needs to grow a backbone."
Hoodie paused for a moment, considering what Masky said, and then he pulled off his blankets and swung his feet onto the cold, hardwood floor. He stalked over to Toby's bed, seeing the teen begin to shake even more with every step. Hoodie grabbed Toby's shoulder and shook it. "Toby."
"L-Lea-Leave me al-alone!" Toby sputtered, writhing in his sheets to move away from Hoodie's hand. Hoodie jumped and retracted his hand quickly. "Don't t-t-touch me!"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, shut up!" Masky groaned from across the room. He pulled his blankets over his head in an attempt to block out the noise. A long string of expletives followed, muffled slightly, but not so much where the other two could not hear.
Hoodie walked over to the other side of Toby's bed, where the teen was facing. He sat down on his knees and just listened. At first, everything was silent, excluding Masky’s pity party coming from across the room. After a few moments of focus, he could hear the bare tree branches slapping against the side of the mansion outside, along with the roar of a heavy wind. When he listened deeper, Hoodie could hear short, shallow breaths coming from the male in front of him.
Hoodie put his hand on Toby's shoulder again, this time lightly. Just as Toby inhaled to make another scene, Hoodie whispered lowly, "Toby, we need to talk."
Toby exhaled sharply and sat up. "I-I don't w-w-want to t-talk about-t it." Against his words, however, Toby stood up from his bed and approached a now-standing Hoodie. He kept his eyes on the ground, and with his mouth mask not on, Hoodie could partially see the quivering of his bottom lip. "Outs-s-side."
Hoodie nodded and turned towards the door. He left the room, Toby following slowly behind. The mansion hallway was empty, as it was too early for anyone to be wandering the halls. "Will you tell me now?" Hoodie said, sitting down on the floor with Toby. Toby just stared at his hands as his shoulder jerked around a few times. Just as Hoodie was about to ask again, Toby spoke.
"Why th-the hell do y-you care?" His voice sounded broken, not angry.
Hoodie paused. Why did he care? "You're the Operator's newest proxy, so he has tasked us with helping oversee your training and making sure you settle in." He replied matter-of-factly. Toby just simply watched his hands.
"Th-the mission didn't... go g-great. I encountered t-trouble." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I fr-froze up and the next thing I know, I wake up in the p-parking lot of s-some shady club." Toby squeezed his eyes shut. "I m-messed up."
"Not everyone has perfect missions every time, Toby." Hoodie said. Toby looked up at him. "As long as the mission was completed and there were no witnesses, you have nothing to worry about."
Biting the inside of his cheek, Toby looked away. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but instead, he just stood up from his spot. Hoodie eyed him carefully, feeling that he wasn't getting the full story. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Toby's leg started shaking, a clear indication that he was lying. "N-no. That's all." He presented Hoodie a fake smile and walked back into the room. Hoodie shook his head.
"What a terrible liar."