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Toey is quiet and withdrawn.
It’s - worrying. Incredibly so, because even when he’s upset, Toey will be saying, doing something - crying, sulking, complaining. But he’s never - Q’s never seen him like this, eyes glazed over and gaze distant. He replies when asked something, but… it’s not Toey.
Everyone else at Peem's today is also more subdued, taking turns to steal worried glances at him. They don’t know how to talk to him, how to pull him out of this reverie without hurting him in the process. Everyone except Phum, whose expression is unreadable.
Q looks at Matt sitting next to him, hoping he’ll get some sort of explanation, but all he gets is a confused shrug. “I don’t know, phi,” he says, glancing worriedly at Toey. “He was fine when we finished class, but then we split up, so…”
“Do you know where he went?” Q asks, quiet and low. He doesn’t want to alarm his boyfriend, but it’s so strange and he hates Toey being so - not Toey.
Matt just shakes his head silently, and Q wants to yell at him. He’s supposed to be Toey’s friend, how can he -
Before he can say anything, though, Toey stands up, drawing everyone’s attention. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he says, and he makes an attempt at a smile that looks so forced Q winces.
No one says anything, but Toey doesn’t seem to register it - he just turns and starts walking into the cafe to, presumably, Peem’s room. “I’m gonna go talk to him,” Q says distractedly, gaze focused on Toey’s retreating figure, and only turns around when a tug on his arm stops him. “What?”
It comes out snappy, but from the other side of the table, Phum is unfazed, just shaking his head. “Give him a minute.”
That’s stupid, and Q hopes his incredulous look gets across exactly how stupid he thinks it is. “Phum -”
“Give him a minute,” Phum repeats, and his voice is firm but his gaze keeps sliding back to where Toey just left. “One minute. Let him…” Phum trails off, and slowly lets go.
Q stares at him. “What -”
“I know how he is,” Phum says, and it feels odd to be told that, to be told that someone else knows Q’s boyfriend better than he does. But he knows how close Phum, Fang and Toey are, and he knows there’s parts of his boyfriend he’s yet to discover. And he’s never seen Toey like this, he doesn’t know what to do. So -
Reluctantly, Q nods. “One minute.” That’s all he gets.
Phum smiles, small and something like a thanks.
—
Toey looks like shit when Q walks into Peem’s bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible. His eyes are swollen, red from crying, and he’s pulled his knees up to his chest like he’s trying to protect himself from something.
It’s.
“Toey,” Q starts, low and soft. “Are… what happened?”
Blinking rapidly, Toey’s gaze focuses on him. “P’Q?” He stops, like he’s trying to think of something, before shaking his head. “I - can I get a hug?”
“Of course,” Q replies immediately, climbing onto the bed even as his chest aches. “C’mere.” Toey immediately folds into his side, and he tries to be as comforting as possible, shuffling so Toey doesn’t have to stretch into the hug.
It’s only a few moments before Toey interrupts the silence. “I ran into, um,” Toey pauses, swallowing. Q can’t see his expression from this angle. “Some people I knew. In middle school.”
It doesn’t quite register at first for Q, and he waits for more but it doesn’t come so he tries to think about why meeting people from middle school would leave him so shocked, not unless it brought back bad memories, or -
Oh.
Toey was bullied in middle school.
Q has the sudden, all encompassing urge to fight someone. “Toey, if they did anything -”
“Nothing happened,” Toey interrupts, voice wavering. “It was just - I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. I was surprised.” Shaking his head, he just keeps his head ducked, expression too hidden for Q to read properly. “Sorry, I didn't mean to worry everyone. It wasn’t anything big, I didn’t feel anything, it was fine -”
“It wasn’t,” Q interrupts, voice sharper than he means for it to be, but Toey doesn’t even flinch. “It left you like this. I don't care what they did but it wasn’t nothing, Toey.” His grip tightens, and it’s probably uncomfortable for Toey, but again he doesn’t even flinch.
They just sit in silence for a beat, then another. Q isn’t - he’s not used to comforting people, he’s not sure what he’s supposed to say, he feels - lost, a little bit, and then Toey exhales, slow and deep.
“I don't... I wish I just didn't remember it, that's all.”
Q doesn’t know what to say to that, so he doesn’t say anything, just pulls Toey closer. Later, there’s a damp spot on his shirt, but he doesn’t say a word about it.