Inner Demons 》Ticci Toby x Reader《 Savior Book 2

Chapter 10

All eyes in the room were on you. You hadn't realized you'd dropped the plate you were holding. The shattered remnants of the dishware lie scatter at your feet. You were acutely aware of Toby's arm slipping around your waist in attempt to steady you. The room was silent but your thoughts were defining. 

This is all my fault. Zalgo is gone and it's because I gave Dr. Smiley my blood. I put my life above somebody else. I was selfish and these are the repercussions. 

"(Y/N)," someone called, but you didn't respond. You just stared forward. You felt Toby move his arm from your wait to your shoulders but you shrugged him off and took a step back. There was a grain of hurt in your husband's hazel eyes, but it was quickly doused in worry.

"Whose blood?" You asked after a moment. Nobody else moved to touch you.

"(Y/N)...," Slender sighed.

"Whose blood?" You repeated louder.

"Both yours and Zalgo's," Slender replied quietly, "There was a glass of your blood mixed with wine on his desk and more on the floor. His was also on the floor, though there wasn't much of it."

You felt yourself beginning to sway again. Your mind was hazy and you felt light-headed. Toby reached for you again but you shook your head and folded your arms over your chest as if you pull yourself away from everyone in the room. Your friends, your loved ones, your husband; they all felt like strangers with wide, judgmental eyes.

"(Y/N), this isn't your fault," Toby whispered.

"Yes," you snorted, "Yes it is."

"If anyone is at fault here, it's that bastard Dr. Smiley," Jeff said quietly. The softness in his voice made you wince. Sympathy.

"I let him take my blood," you whimpered, "I had a choice and I chose myself."

Your eyes fell on Zero. He didn't look sympathetic or worried. He only observed you with a cold, calculative look.

"We'll find him," EJ declared.

"He's already dead," you said with a cold, emotionless laugh.

"It's possible," he shrugged, "but Slender said that there wasn't much of his blood. And his body wasn't found there. Why would Smiley move the body, but leave his and your blood? It's only logical to assume that something went wrong."

"EJ's right," BEN nodded, "We've got to look at the facts."

"And the facts put my blood at the scene."

"Did you put the blood there?" Jeff snapped and stood in front of you.

"No."

"Did you want to kill or harm Zalgo?" He growled.

"No."

"Did you intend for any of this to happen?"

"No!" You had to bite your lip to keep from crying. You wanted for everything to turn out alright more than anything.

"Then none of this is your fault!" Jeff's voice had risen to a shout. "You had a choice to give him what he wanted and let you live, or have him kill you and take it anyway. Any of us would have done the same. Besides, he said he had you and Toby on that 'compliance' gas, didn't he? It was easy for him to make you agree to his terms. It wasn't entirely free will and it most definitely was not your fault!"

You stared at Jeff in awe. Then you threw your arms around his neck and drew him closer to you. He rubbed your back and whispered into your ear, "We're going to figure this out. We're all here for you, (Y/N)." You felt another pair of arms slip around you and recognized them as Toby's. EJ, LJ, and BEN joined in after. Then Masky and Hoodie and finally, Zero.

Everyone you cared about was reaching out to tell you that they were there for you and it meant the world. Finally letting the tears escape your eyes, you burrowed into the warm embraces of the people you loved.

"I'm so embarrassed," you groaned into a pillow. You and Toby were lounging on your bed, taking some time to be alone together after everyone had cheered you up. The two of you claimed to be taking a nap, but you knew that despite their support, a good night's sleep was not in your future.

"You shouldn't be," Toby laughed and gently pulled the pillow away from your face. "They don't care that you cried."

"But I do!" you sighed. "I want them to see me as a strong individual."

"They do," he reassured you and tugged on your sleeve like a child, indicating for you to lay closer to him. You complied and he ran his fingers through your hair. "I promise you, they think you're one of the strongest people in this house. Tears don't make you weak, they make you strong. It takes courage to show such a raw emotion openly and even more courage to allow them to help you. We all think you're amazing."

"Are you just saying that because I married you?" you giggled.

"That's only a small fraction of the reason I said it," he smirked and kissed your forehead. You closed your eyes and nestled closer to him, letting the heat of his body mingle with the chill of your own and melt away the cold. When you opened your eyes, you found his gaze already on you. For a few seconds that felt like centuries, you stared into each other's eyes, silently saying wonderful things to each other that you would never be able to put into words.

"It's not your fault," he whispered after a thousand years wrapped in several seconds. His eyes never left yours and you didn't dare look away either.

"I know," you nodded reluctantly. "But what if her turns up dead? My blood is at the scene. Someone is bound to come after me."

"And if they try anything, they won't get past me or the guys. We lost you once and we won't let it happen again."

After another pause you asked, "Can we go visit my mom's grave tomorrow?"

"Of course," he smiled lightly, "We can go on a picnic and make a day of it."

"I love you," you whispered, "you know that, right?"

"I know," he grinned, "I love you too."

Soooooooooooooooooooooooo, sup guys? Sorry for the HELLA late update! I caught a combination of writer's block and procrastination, paired with packing for an ever-looming move. Thank you all SO much for your patience and support, it's truly unbelievable. 

Also, thank you for the ridiculous amount of support Savior and Inner Demons has gotten! Savior just recently hit around 18.5k reads and that is at least nine times as much attention as I expected it to get. I can't even keep up with all of the comments! I absolutely love reading everything you guys leave on my stories and seeing everyone come together. Nothing makes me happier than seeing two or more people having a conversation and meeting each other just because of something I wrote. It's seriously mind-blowing  and I can never thank you guys enough!

I love you all and thank you so much for reading!