Inner Demons 》Ticci Toby x Reader《 Savior Book 2

Chapter 7

You sat on your bed, watching the candles flicker. Even though it had been a few days since the wedding, you and Toby had been too lazy to clean up every last candle so you left a few. The sound of the shower drowned out your thoughts as you stared at the ceiling quietly. You knew you'd have to talk to Toby about Zero, knew that he wouldn't let you avoid it for much longer, knew that you were afraid to address it. You weren't quite sure why you were afraid, just like you weren't sure why you'd cried last time the two of you talked about it. It was a strange feeling, like something wasn't right but you couldn't figure out what the problem was.

You heard the shower trickle to a stop and you held your breath. You hadn't even realized you had until you began to feel light headed. You laughed to yourself. You were being ridiculous, you knew it, but you just couldn't shake that strange feeling; something was out of place. After what felt like seconds and centuries all at once, Toby emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. He'd thrown on a black t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants and was towel-drying his hair in the doorway. His face was flushed with heat and you felt your face flush too. You'd always thought he looked adorable with towel dried hair; it fluffed up, curly strands sticking up at every angle. Some of them would fall into his eyes and he would push them away with an aggravated sigh. For reasons you couldn't explain, it melted your heart.

Toby noticed you staring and smiled. Your face grew even warmer and he flopped onto the bed beside you, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into his chest. He buried his face in your hair and took a deep breath, then kissed your forehead.

"I love that about you," he whispered and planted another kiss on the top of your head.

"Love what?"

"I love that, no matter where we are in our relationship, we still have moments that make it feel like we've just met and fell in love all over again."

You didn't know what to say, so you tilted your head up and kissed him. You felt him smile against your lips and shift so you could run your fingers through his hair. He tangled his fingers in yours and gently pushed you onto your back, landing carefully on top of you. You broke apart and he rested his lips on your forehead once more. You reached up and wrapped your arms around his neck and he put all his weight on his elbows to keep from crushing you. The both of you were breathing heavily and you felt dazed. This Toby was new to you. The only thing you recognized about this Toby was that he was always gentle with you, as if he were afraid you would crumble and slip between his fingers if he weren't. It made you feel safe, but also like you needed to prove yourself otherwise.

"Why don't we pick up my training?" You asked after a quiet moment.

"You still want to?"

"Of course I do," you shrugged.

"It's a little cold outside and it's nearly dark," he warned, but you had already slid out from under him and began to change. He relaxed his weight and collapsed onto the spot where you'd been beneath him moments ago with his face buried in the pillow, drinking in the warmth you'd left behind. Once you had on a comfortable pair of jeans and a grey hoodie , you nudged an unmoving Toby with the handle of your cleaver. With a grumble he got to his feet and threw on jeans and his brown hoodie with striped sleeves. He fastened a holster around his waist and dropped his hatchets into it, then took your hand and led you out of the room.

"What are you two up to?" EJ asked when you reached the bottom of the steps.

"Training," you shrugged. "Care to join?"

EJ nodded and Jeff jumped up from the couch on the other side of the room shouting, "I'm in too!".

"What are we in to?" BEN asked, poking his head out from the kitchen.

"Beating up Toby and (Y/N)," Jeff grinned.

"Hell yeah, I'm always down for that."

With that, you and the four boys headed into the backyard brandishing a variation of weapons. 

"What's on the agenda?" BEN asked.

"How about sparring?" Jeff suggested excitedly.

"No one in their right mind is gonna let you run at them with a knife," EJ snorted. "I vote we wack each other with sticks."

"We're gonna spar with sticks?" BEN laughed.

"I'm in if everyone else is," you shrugged. You were perfectly fine with avoiding a few cuts. There was a chorus of agreements ending with Jeff's disappointed nod. 

"I would say pair up, but there is an odd number of us," EJ sighed, "There will have to be one group of three."

"Toby, BEN, and I can be one group, EJ and Jeff as the other?" You offered.

"Are you sure you're ready to take on two people at once? We haven't practiced in a while," Toby frowned nervously beside you.

"I've been practicing on my own a little," you shrugged and Toby stared at you in shock.

"What?"

"Three days a week since I got back," you smirked, "I thought I should learn how to better protect myself after what happened."

"How come you didn't tell me? I could have helped you," Toby frowned, looking a little hurt. 

"I wanted to impress you," you grinned.

"Well then," he smiled and took up a stick from the ground, "Let's see what you got."