Now Or Never (Ticci Toby X Eyeless Jack)

Chapter XII: Not So Lonely Nights

It had been a few days since Toby was returned back to the mansion and settling back in, his nightly terrors coming back to haunt him.

The boy shuffled every now and then in his sleep, mumbling incoherent scrambled sentences, this nightly terror being different from the other ones he had experienced previously. Toby's hazel eyes shot open and he quickly sat up, looking around the dark room while holding his blankets up to his face, his night terror making him more vulnerable in the very moment. His eyes kept darting around the room in fear of something being there until he had had enough, "St-stop!" he yelped in fear. Feeling the voices in his head start to whisper very subtly here and there, planting both his hands on his head and shaking it.

Jack shuffled around in his sleep at the sound of the ruckus, finally waking up at Toby yelping, he slowly sat up and was surprised to see that Toby had already come over to greet him. Then he noticed that Toby didn't look so happy, "Mm, what's gotten you up?" he asked as he yawned, revealing those needle-point teeth. A shiver crawled up Toby's spine, but this time, not at Jack's teeth but at the night terror he had just experienced; he paused at the question, his gaze darting off to the side as the thought of his night terror alone scared him half to death. His eyes started to shimmer with tears and he expected a scolding from Jack but instead he felt arms wrap around him, Jack had bent down and hugged Toby. "It's going to be okay, goggles, it was only a nightmare. It's not real."

As Jack sat there comforting a falling apart Toby he felt his heart rate quicken, he was starting to feel so many emotions all at once it was almost unbearable. But most importantly, he felt good comforting Toby, a smile spreading across his lips as he rubbed Toby's back gently, the younger boy continuing to cry into his shoulder. "There, there, Toby." He reassured the younger boy once more, his smile shifting into a devious smirk as he leaned back onto his bed still holding Toby close to him, he felt like he could easily doze off. As Toby started to calm down gradually he felt his cheeks flush lightly, his breathing hitching every now and then, he felt so safe in Jack's embrace. He wanted to ask Jack why he was suddenly being so nice to him but decided not to, he didn't want to make the cannibal upset at all. Suddenly, Toby felt his eyes become heavy as he started to fall back asleep, his arms wrapped back around Jack and not wanting to let go. "Goodnight goggles," Jack said as he too started to fall asleep.

-

Toby's hazel eyes fluttered open and he felt blush lightly run along his face as he felt Jack's arms around him still, his lips curling into a smile. He scooted forward a bit to try and break free from his grasp but Jack had pulled him back, mumbling something, the twitching boy flushed a little before a smirk ran along his face. "I th-ink Ben wants t-to declare a th-umb war." He waited a few seconds before Jack's eyes shot open and he sprang up, "Where's the little shit!?" he hissed before walking over to his dresser, picking out a pitch black shirt and a pair of skinny jeans and got dressed. He then burst through their door and raced down the stairs to find the boy, leaving Toby a laughing mess.

After Toby stopped laughing he got up out of Jack's bed and went over to his own dresser, changing into a pair of knee high shorts and a light grey t with a waffle design on it. Coming downstairs he spotted Jack and Ben having a thumb war at the couch, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself a little. Walking over to the kitchen instead of sitting down he offered to help Clockwork with the dishes and breakfast, "Well you're in a good mood today!" she remarked with a smile. Toby nodded, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of Jack, did he really like him? No, no! He was just a friend, right?

Toby took the waffles he had baked and placed them on a plate which he had helped Clockwork clean, taking them to the island and sitting at a stool he couldn't help but glance up. He spotted Jack approaching with what seemed to be a smug look on his face, he took a bite of waffle and raised a brow at the expression. Swallowing his food he spoke up before taking another bite, "Y-you won th-at thumb war, I a-ssume?" Jack sat on a stool and nodded encouragingly towards Toby. "Correct. Iiii might've broken his hand as well." Jack chuckled nervously but attempted to brush it off, "Holy shi- Jack, what the hell!?" Clockwork intervened as she overheard the boy's conversation. "Hey! The boy asked for a thumb war and he got his fucking thumb war!" Jack snarled in defense, Clockwork simply huffed and returned back to the rest of the dishes, Toby had finished his waffles and gave Clockwork the dish with a smile besides his occasional tics. Jack suddenly felt a silent huff escape his lips, a wave of jealousy overcoming him for some reason and he didn't exactly know why, brushing it off and trying not to let it get to him he got up from his seat and headed towards the back of the mansion.

Jack went out through the backdoor and a mischievous grin ran across his lips as he got an idea. He walked up to a tree near the clearing and climbed up the trunk, looking for a thick enough branch to hold his weight, after a bit of more climbing he finally spotted one. Crawling towards it he climbed on and felt his foot slip, a sharp gasp escaped him as he thought he was going to fall but caught himself in the nick of time. He looked down towards the ground, being able to spot the back door of the mansion and now waited.