#annzy writes

[annzybwrites]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary: Angel learns that he's first on Adam's extermination list. But more than that, he finds out that he's good enough for Heaven? There's no way. He needs to talk to a friend about this.

Excerpt:

“Angel.” Husk’s deep voice sent shivers up his spine. “What happened? What did Charlie say?” 

“In the room,” Angel practically whimpered, curling even further into himself. “Please.” 

Husk hesitated for only a second before nodding, this time definitely pressing his cheek against Angel’s as he mumbled, “Okay.”

[annzy-bananzys-corner]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 2/8 Fandom: South Park Rating: Mature Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage Relationships: Kenny McCormick/Leopold "Butters" Stotch, Kenny McCormick/Original Character(s) Characters: Kenny McCormick, Leopold "Butters" Stotch, Original Characters, Karen McCormick, Kevin McCormick, Eric Cartman Additional Tags: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Baggage, Underage Sex, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Psychological Trauma Series: Part 2 of Everyone Has Issues in South Park Summary:

Butters is a sobbing mess after his latest breakup, so Kenny does his best to cheer him up. After a lot of talking and a lot of sharing, Kenny and Butters decide to start dating, but it's not happily ever after from there. Kenny has some major baggage, and an abusive "ex" that doesn't quite want to leave him alone.

[annzybwrites]

First Comes Friendship

Read on AO3

"Tobey, I think you just need a good friend." WordGirl sighed, holding the remote control for all of his robots as she hovered a few feet above his head.

"Friend?!" Tobey scoffed, crossing his arms as he looked away. "Don't be ridiculous! I have my robots. They're all the friends I need!"

"Oh, really?" She crossed her arms, raising a brow at him. "Because lately it seems like you've been doing petty crimes just so I'd come out and talk to you."

"What?" Tobey jolted, laughing nervously as he glanced around. "N-no! These are masterful schemes, I assure you! And I absolutely detest when you stop me!"

"Just this week you've used your robots to rob one store and then waited for me to show up."

"I did not wait for you to arrive, I was merely caught in the act --"

"And when I put a stop to your 'dastardly scheme,' you gave me a gift and asked if I was busy."

"Well, I was only curious --"

"And when I said I had to go, you said you'd keep attacking stores until I went somewhere with you--"

"All right!" Tobey interrupted with a yell, sighing just as loudly afterwards. "All right, I admit it! I've... been feeling very lonely." He took a deep breath, turning his back to his greatest enemy and crush as he crossed his arms. "Mother's job is going to be keeping her very busy for a few months, and the babysitters she hires are not exactly the best company. They never understand me! They either want nothing to do with me, or they talk my ear off about something meaningless like, like high school drama."

"Yuck." WordGirl shivered at the prospect. "That does sound rather torturous."

"See?" Tobey groaned, walking to the edge of the skyscraper they were on so he could take a seat. "Now do you understand why I want to be anywhere except my house?"

WordGirl frowned, slowly flying over to sit next to him. While being sure to keep the remote away from him still. "Yes, I can understand... But that doesn't excuse your behavior! You can't wreck the city every time you're in a bad mood."

"Why not?" Tobey sniffled, hugging his legs to his chest. "It always cheers me up. Or at least distracts me for awhile."

"Oh, Tobey." WordGirl sighed again, glancing away as she tried to think about how to solve his problem. "If you stayed at a friend's house, then your mom wouldn't need to hire a babysitter, right?"

"A peaceful proposition." Tobey scowled, glaring sideways at her. "Unfortunately, I don't have a close friend like that."

"Really?" WordGirl chewed at her lip, having an internal debate with herself before she decided to bite the bullet. "There isn't one family who wouldn't mind having you around? Say... a certain family you have Thanksgiving with every year, for example?"

Tobey's eyes widened in surprise. "The Botsford's?" He straightened up, turning to her with wide eyes. "You really think they'd have me?"

"Why not?" WordGirl shrugged, keeping her polite smile on her face. She knew what she was signing herself up for but, honestly, this would be much more preferable than having to stop his robots every day. "They already know you and your... eccentricities."

"I don't know..." Tobey winced slightly, glancing away as he admitted, "Becky and I don't exactly get along well. And I can't really blame her, considering how often I almost destroy her home. And how I've accused her of being you multiple times now."

"That does sound kind of bad." WordGirl hummed, tapping at her chin. "But I know Becky pretty well. I'm sure if you told her about your plight, she'd have some sympathy."

"You really think so?"

"Mmhm." WordGirl narrowed her eyes at him. "But only if you also promise not to destroy anything while you're at her house!"

"Of course!" Tobey brightened, clasping his hands together. "Oh, staying at the Botsford's sounds much better than dealing with Suzy. She's my latest babysitter -- she makes terrible meatloaf! The worst I've ever had! Would you like to come experience it for yourself?"

"Um, yeah, no thanks."

"Please?" Tobey scooted closer, widening his eyes as he gave a truly pathetic frown. "I'm so lonely. Remember? The talk we just had? I promise not to destroy anything for the rest of the week!"

WordGirl groaned before relenting. "Fine. Let's go." She scooped him up and flew back to his house, the single robot he'd brought slowly following after.

---

A new routine emerged for Tobey McCallister III and Becky Botsford. Mrs. McCallister was ecstatic that her son was showing interest in another classmate of his, and had called up the Botsford's that night to ask if they wouldn't mind housing Tobey after school for a few days -- with compensation for the trouble, of course. The Botsford's had agreed immediately, since they were very friendly and polite people.

Honestly, it wasn't that bad to have Tobey around. Sure, he was still annoying whenever he insisted that he was "so much smarter and better" than everyone around him, but he and Becky were both avid readers and could spend hours discussing the finer themes and details of their favorite book series, as well as share in some of their own personal headcanons for the characters. They also helped each other with homework, and could complain about how difficult art class was for them together. Tobey was more than delighted to teach Becky some more advanced coding when she'd shown an interest in it, and she returned the favor by teaching him how to make a few simple snacks, like ants-on-a-log and peanut-butter-banana rollups. She even helped him practice a few sports so he would have an easier time during P.E. class.

Unfortunately, Becky quickly realized something she hadn't considered when she'd so graciously suggested Tobey come stay with her family. Anytime a different villain began wrecking the city, she had to come up with some kind of excuse to sneak away so Tobey didn't become suspicious, since it was rare that she could send Captain Huggy Face to fight a villain alone. Sometimes an excuse was easy, like saying she was going to take a quick nap or that she was having trouble focusing on an assignment and needed to lock herself in her room to complete it. Other times she blurted something out like "I have to use the bathroom!" or "I just, um, forgot something!" which was usually met with questions when she returned.

Honestly, she considered it a miracle that Tobey hadn't started accusing her of being WordGirl again. But she decided she shouldn't keep pushing her luck, so she also invited Scoops and Violet to come over most evenings so they could help distract Tobey when she had to do WordGirl business. She was so used to doing everything herself that it felt a little weird to rely on her friends for this, but she really couldn't be more grateful. She almost wished she'd told her friends about her secret identity sooner.

After two months of this routine, Becky was relieved when Mrs. McCallister's job stopped being so demanding and Tobey only needed to come over three times a week instead of every day like before. At first Becky worried that this would come with more robot catastrophes, but surprisingly Tobey still kept quiet. Which was great news for both her and the city.

And so two more months passed like this, with Tobey staying out of trouble and Becky able to live her double-life with relative ease.

Then, something happened that she didn't expect.

---

"It was amazing, Becky!" Tobey was practically bouncing as they walked to the Botsford's home. "I've never, ever been able to even hit a baseball before. But thanks to your help, I got a home run in gym today!"

"That's amazing!" Becky chuckled, bumping their shoulders together playfully. "I wish I'd been there to see it."

"Y-yes!" Tobey cleared his throat, his smiling cheeks just a bit more pink than Becky remembered them being a second ago. "Well, I'll, I'll be sure to have one of my robots record me next time."

"As long as they don't start wrecking the school if you flub it."

"Flub!" Tobey laughed jovially, rubbing the back of his neck as his smile softened. "What a word. You don't hear that one every day."

"Oh, do you need it defined? It means --"

"No, no, I know what it means." He chuckled, shaking his head as he mumbled under his breath, "although you do sound rather cute when you explain what something means."

"What was that? You were mumbling."

"Nothing!" Tobey straightened again, rubbing the back of his neck. "And I won't be destroying anything anytime soon as long as I'm staying at your house. I made an oath to WordGirl, and I intend to keep it!" He chewed at his lip, glancing away as he mumbled again, "Although now I think I'd keep that promise for a very different reason."

"What was that last bit?"

"Not important." He took a breath, facing forwards again as he chewed at his lip. "Um... I did want to discuss something with you, though, if you wouldn't mind?"

"What is it?" Becky tilted her head, blinking at him.

"Well, you see, um..." Tobey rubbed the back of his neck again, his eyes shifting back and forth. "Since I haven't been getting into any trouble lately, I haven't had an opportunity to interact with WordGirl, either. And there's something I desperately need to tell her."

Becky raised a brow in suspicion. This couldn't be good. "Okay... what does this have to do with me?"

"I was wondering if you knew the best way to contact her?" Tobey chuckled weakly, a sheepish smile on his face. "She'd said she knew you quite well, so I assumed you must have some form of communication with her."

"Oh." Becky pursed her lips, staring at his hopeful expression as she considered the request.

He really had been good lately, not deploying his robots for the smallest inconvenience like he used to. She remembered one lunch period when they'd ran out of pudding cups, and she'd actually felt kind of proud of Tobey when he'd calmed himself down from a tantrum. He'd slumped over and humbly asked if he could share some of Becky's pudding, instead of threaten to destroy the lunchroom or break into the pudding factory to get more.

So why did he want to talk to WordGirl? Was it really just for a harmless chat? He did have a crush on her after all, despite how much he claimed they were "mortal enemies." Maybe he just missed her. And, besides, if he tried anything funny she could easily escape.

"Okay... I can tell her to meet with you."

"Yes!" Tobey shot both of his fists into the air as he cheered. "Oh, thank you, Becky! I'll repay you somehow, I swear it! I could build you a robot that does anything your heart desires. Perhaps one that will clean your room for you?"

Becky gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. "You mean it?? That would be so helpful!"

"Well, of c-course!" He laughed, his cheeks turning a bit pink again as he smiled at her. "Anything for you."

Becky creased her brows together. "Huh?"

Tobey jolted, his smile stretching unnaturally. "I mean -- it's the l-least I could do! To repay you! Ha, ha..."

---

After Tobey had went home for the night, Becky waited a half hour before turning into WordGirl and flying over to the McCallister house. She still had her suspicions, but she'd promised he'd be able to talk to her, so she didn't have much choice.

After two knocks on his window, Tobey opened it up with a wide smile. "WordGirl! So nice of you to drop by. Please, come in, come in -- I had some hot chocolate prepared for us while we talk."

"Ooh, really?" WordGirl quickly flew in, snatching up a mug from his desk and taking a big sip. "Aaah, that's good stuff."

"I'm glad you like it." Tobey chuckled, coming over to pick up his own mug. "Becky seemed to like this brand, so I had mother buy a lot of it. I still enjoy tea, but there is something comforting about cocoa."

WordGirl raised a brow at him, setting her mug down so she could regard him more seriously. "I know you didn't invite me over just to chat about hot beverages."

"No, no, of course not." Tobey took a sip of his drink before setting it down as well, his cheeks a little pink like they were walking home from school that day. "You see, there's, there's something I must confess to you, WordGirl."

"Oh, yeah?" She tilted her head, surprised at his expression. He looked rather flustered if she had to put a word to it, what with the way he was avoiding her gaze while playing with his fingers. "And what is that?"

"You see, I..." He laughed softly, covering his eyes with both of his hands. "This is rather embarrassing to admit, but I... I used to have a rather large crush on you."

WordGirl tensed, her own cheeks heating up from his bluntness. And then she cued into a rather important part of his statement. "Used to?"

"Yes." Tobey took a deep breath, lowering his hands and folding them behind his back instead. Though his head was still tilted down, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes avoiding hers shyly. "I know, I know, you must be devastated. To think, you and I could have been a power couple, a dream team! If only you'd realized how I felt sooner and acted upon it. But, alas, in your hesitance someone else has snatched my heart."

WordGirl decided to avoid mentioning how she did know how he felt, and was simply not interested. "Someone else?"

"Yes." Tobey sighed dreamily, bringing his hands up to his cheeks as he smiled. "The most wonderous girl. Top of her class, a voracious hunger for knowledge, so beautiful and graceful, with such a kind heart -- a little messy, perhaps, and not the best artist but, then again, neither am I!" He chuckled, glancing up at WordGirl with a shine in his eyes that she usually only saw when he'd gotten something he wanted. "But the best thing about her by far is that she's... she's actually my friend. We get along so swimmingly now, and she makes me want to be a better person; less destructive. I've even started making more friends because of her, to the point where I actually think I could invite some of them to my house instead of just talk with them at school!"

"Wow..." WordGirl was speechless after that, her jaw just slightly open. He was really serious about this, huh? "So, you're not only over me, you're... turning good?"

"Yes!" Tobey brightened, sliding his hands off of his cheeks to clasp them together in front of his chest instead. "That's right! I don't have much need to be a villain anymore. Now that I have a real friend, the unpleasantness of the world doesn't seem so unbearable. At least not so much that I need to wreak havoc with my robots." His smile lessened, his tone losing some of its excitement. "I guess the only downfall of turning good is that I won't have an excuse to see you anymore. You were my first love, after all, so this has been a difficult decision to make, but... I think it's the right one."

WordGirl honestly felt like she needed to sit down. She never thought that Tobey would just stop being a villain. He called himself an evil boy genius all the time! And not only that, but he no longer had a crush on her? This was incredible! Something she could have only dreamed about!

She laughed quietly, picking up her mug again for another sip of hot chocolate. "Well, whoever this girl is, she must be really special to crack through your evil exterior."

"Oh, she is." Tobey sighed again, closing his eyes as he smiled up at the ceiling. "I'm so lucky to know her, WordGirl. I think... I think I might ask her on a date soon."

"Wow." WordGirl smiled warmly, patting his shoulder encouragingly. "Well, if you think she likes you, too, then go for it!"

"Oh, thank you!" He beamed at her, his cheeks turning pink again. "It's so nice to have your blessing. And, if--if it's not too much of an imposition, maybe you could... put in a good word for me to her?"

"I guess I'll give it a shot." WordGirl started taking a sip of cocoa. "Who is it?"

"You actually know her already! Becky Botsford."

WordGirl choked on her drink and accidentally spit it out, all over Tobey.

"Oh!" He winced in disgust, snapping his fingers so a robot would come over and start toweling him off. "Gross, so gross!"

"Sorry!" WordGirl wiped at her mouth, certain her own cheeks were pink now. "Did you say B-Becky Botsford?"

"Yes." Tobey grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket so he could wipe off his glasses. "We've become quite close! Sharing deep discussions of literature and history together, teaching each other new skills -- I actually hit a home run today thanks to her previous instruction!"

"Th-that's great." WordGirl chewed at her lip, her stomach flipping around several times over. "But, um... are you sure she feels the same way about you?"

"Well, no, I'm not sure," he admitted, glancing away as he put his glasses back onto his face. "But that's why I'd be so grateful if you put in a good word for me! We're so compatible, WordGirl, you have to believe me."

"Um..." WordGirl chewed at her lip, glancing side to side as she thought of how to handle this situation. She liked Tobey just fine, in fact she would go so far as to say he was a friend of hers now. But to date him? She really hadn't thought of him that way, nor was she looking for that kind of relationship right now. She was busy enough as it was. "I don't know if I --"

"Please, WordGirl!" Tobey stepped closer, staring at her with wide, pleading eyes. "Just a good word, nothing more. I know you can't make her date me, or even like me that way, but... but if I could just be given the chance to show her how I feel, prove to her how much I care, demonstrate what I'd do to win her affection -- that's all I ask."

WordGirl gave a wavering hum, now even more conflicted. How could she promise to "put in a good word" for him without giving him too much hope? Oh, why did he have to have a crush on her secret identity; what if he went back to being evil after being rejected!

"I have a question before I agree to this."

"Ask away!" Tobey brightened, his hands still clasped by his chest. "Anything!"

"If I do put in a good word for you, and she still doesn't want to date you, will you go back to wrecking the city?"

"Ah." Tobey actually chuckled a little, placing his hands behind his back again as he took a breath. "A fair question; I'd expect nothing less from you. I won't deny that it will be very tempting to go back to my old ways if she rejects me, but I have thought about this outcome." Taking a deep breath, he stared right into WordGirl's eyes as he spoke, his tone firm and serious, "I decided that as long as she still remains my friend, then I shall not destroy the city. After all, I wouldn't want to lose the relationship we've developed already, and she'd never come to love me if I behave like that again! No, no, I would just try even harder to win her over. No matter how long it takes."

"I see." WordGirl smiled uncomfortably. She supposed it was nice to know that he wouldn't go back to smashing buildings after she rejected him, but she didn't exactly feel relieved at the last part of his statement. "Well... I guess if that's really the case, then..." She sighed, accepting defeat. "I'll put in a good word for you."

Tobey squealed in excitement, rushing over to hug her. "Oh, thank you, WordGirl! Be sure to mention to her how smart and clever I am, and how we could go on marvelous dates thanks to my ingenious robots -- do you want me to write this down for you?"

"No, no, I got it." WordGirl sighed, trying to think of the kindest way she could turn him down as he rambled on and on about how great he was.

---

"Wow." Violet stared at her best friend in shock as they sat in the sandbox together the next day. "Tobey's really going to ask you out?"

"This is juicy news!" Scoops was already scribbling on his notepad. "The first real couple in our class! And we're not even 7th graders yet!"

"I didn't say I was going to agree!!" Becky groaned, covering her slowly-reddening face. "I need your help on how to reject him, you guys."

When she was met with silence, Becky peeked at her friends between her fingers.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." Violet waved her hands nonchalantly, sharing a look with Scoops. "It's just that... we kind of thought you liked him, too."

If Becky's face hadn't been warm before, now it definitely was. "What!? Why would you think that!"

"Well..." Scoops scratched underneath his hat with his trusty pen. "Lately, you guys have been hanging out even when he doesn't need to come to your house. And you should hear how fast and excited you two get when you talk to each other."

"That's just because we're talking about books!" Becky crossed her arms, turning her head away. "We like to discuss and debate things sometimes."

"True." Violet nodded, hesitating before continuing. "But you guys also share your lunches a lot."

Scoops nodded in agreement. "You even voluntarily chose to be his partner in our latest group project."

"That's just because you two always pair up!" Becky huffed. "And, I mean -- we are friends, you know? I just--I don't feel that way about him!"

Violet and Scoops shared another look, increasing Becky's annoyance.

"Okay." Violet smiled weakly. "If you say so."

"Then just tell him you want to stay friends." Scoop shrugged, muttering quietly under his breath, "For now."

"Hey, I heard that!" Becky stood up, certain she was bright red. "Ugh! I'm just going to get this over with and prove to you that I do not like Tobey McCallister!"

Violet and Scoops simply giggled together as she stomped off, heading to where she knew Tobey would be hiding -- the school computer lab. Because as much as he appreciated Becky helping him improve his physical fitness, he still preferred to work on something robotic during recess.

"Tobey!"

"Gah!" Tobey jumped at the computer desk he'd been hunched over, quickly closing out of whatever he'd been doing before turning to her with a nervous smile. "Becky! So nice of you to visit -- did you decide to try playing a video game with me after all?"

"No." Becky huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she took a deep breath. And then stopped, because she realized that she couldn't actually reject him until he asked her out, since she shouldn't technically know that he liked her yet. "I mean, uh... yes! I thought it could be fun..."

Tobey brightened, quickly hopping off of his seat to offer it to her. "Oh, wonderful! There's a lovely little online co-op game that I've been wanting to try called 'Fireboy and Watergirl.' It's rather old, but, I, um, haven't had anyone who would play with me before, so I haven't had the chance to play it -- anyway, I'll get another chair!"

He rushed off before Becky could say anything, so she simply sighed and took a seat. Okay, this wasn't a big deal. She'd play the game with him, then he'd ask her out and she could tell him she wanted to stay friends. Nice and easy; a simple plan.

Except he hadn't asked her out before recess had ended. Nor did he ask her out as they walked to her house, or when they did homework together, or when they started watching a movie and complaining about the plot-holes.

He didn't ask her out the next day, when they worked on their group project during and after school.

He didn't ask her out the day after, when he asked her to show her some more soccer moves to prepare for the upcoming unit.

He didn't even ask her out when he presented her with the room-cleaning robot he'd promised to make her, and she felt like that would have been the perfect opportunity.

It was honestly starting to get to her a little bit. An entire week passed and he'd said nothing, and on top of that she had to endure more teasing from Violet and Scoops as they still insisted that she liked him.

But she didn't like him that way! Sure, she had fun talking with him about movies and books, and he was kind of funny when he started ranting about society's arbitrary rules, and she could always count on him to help her with an assignment, and he was kind of cute when he was so focused on building something--

... Wait. Had she just called Tobey cute?

---

"I can't believe Sir Finvold has to go fight in another battle!" Becky complained to Tobey as they left the library together.

"I know, right?" Tobey sighed, staring forlornly up at the sky. "Can't he and Princess Triana have just one, romance-filled day together?"

"Right??" Becky groaned, crossing her arms as she pouted. "I think they've earned that!" She took a deep breath to try and calm down. "At least Prince VanLandingham is doing well."

"I wouldn't be too sure -- he's preparing to take over as king in just under a year! That's a lot of pressure."

"But he'll be able to do so much good as king!" Becky argued. "He can finally initiate all of those agriculture ideas he has, and you just know he'll really listen to the people of his kingdom!"

"If he doesn't decide to ignore his duties by pigheadedly rushing to the battlefield again --"

"Hey, he outgrew that behavior in book eight!"

"Old habits are hard to break, you know."

Becky scoffed, rolling her eyes before grinning at him. "What, speaking from experience? Is this your way of telling me you're returning to evil?"

Tobey went silent after that, his own smirk dropping into a small smile. "No, no. That life no longer appeals to me, I assure you."

"Oh." Becky felt her own vigor for their mini-argument deflating. "Yeah, that--I, I was just joking. Sorry."

"Mm, no need to apologize." Tobey hummed, turning to her with a brighter expression. "Say, why don't we get some ice cream before heading our separate ways?"

"Sounds great!" Becky smiled back before teasing again, "That way I can formally debate you on Prince VanLandingham's newfound dedication to his role as king."

"Oh, you're on!"

They went right back to playfully bickering as they walked the rest of the way to the ice cream shop, and even kept up the argument inbetween ordering -- which was a little confusing for the servers. They only stopped talking once they sat on a bench outside and took their first licks of ice cream -- rocky road for Becky and mint chocolate chip for Tobey.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Tobey asked, much quieter than just a few moments ago when he'd been recalling all of the bad decisions Prince VanLandingham had made in the past. "Talking together, indulging in a frozen treat."

"I suppose so." Becky licked at her cone, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. "It'd be even better if you had the correct opinions on the prince."

"Oh, you are truly a delight." Tobey chuckled, his smile only widening as he fully turned to look at her. "I could say the same thing about you, you know?"

"But I said it first," Becky sang, very pleased with herself.

"Yes, that you did." Tobey bit into his ice cream, chewing quietly for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Becky, I... I have something I would like to tell you."

"Hm?" Becky froze, halfway between licking her own ice cream. She quickly pulled her tongue back into her mouth so she could look at him, her heart skipping a beat. Was this the moment? He was finally going to ask her out? Right now? After a month??

"Well, I..." Tobey cleared his throat, his cheeks slowly turning red. His eyes flickered over to her, but it seemed he couldn't keep them on her as he continued. "I wanted you to know how much I've been enjoying our time together. When I first started coming to your house out of necessity, I never anticipated that we'd grow so close. But now I feel very comfortable calling you my friend, and--and I hope you feel comfortable calling me the same?"

Becky chewed at her lip briefly before she nodded, staring avidly at her own ice cream cone. "Yeah. I can very easily call you a friend, Tobey."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Tobey laughed quickly, his hand starting to shake as he held his ice cream. "I mean, I thought so, but when I'd said it just now I realized I didn't actually know if you felt the same or if I was reading too much into things -- anyway!" He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath to calm the shaking before he started again. "I would be very happy continuing on just like this. But... I would be lying if I said that friendship was the only thing I wanted from you."

Becky's stomach flipped around inside her. She ate some more of her ice cream to try and settle it.

"Becky Botsford." Tobey took another breath, turning to look at her. He only continued talking when she met his gaze out of the corner of her own. "I would be so very honored if you would agree to go on a date with me. I already have the perfect one planned out! I'll have one of my robots fly us to New York where we can peruse the gargantuan library as we please, then it's off to Paris for a nice meal --"

"Woah, woah." Becky interrupted him with a laugh, using her ice cream to cover her smile as she glanced away. "That is way too much for a first date."

"It is?" Tobey's smile dropped into a look of pure panic. "S-sorry, just--forget the whole thing, then--"

"Wait." Becky silenced him by reaching for his hand this time; just a gentle touch of her fingertips on the back of his hand, but she could feel how he tensed from the action. "I didn't actually give my answer yet."

"Oh?" His voice cracked, so he quickly cleared his throat and said the same thing, only lower. "I mean, oh?"

Becky giggled, shaking her head lightly. "Oh, indeed." She looked at him then, taking a second to enjoy his disbelieving eyes and his bashful blush. "A date sounds fun."

His already widened eyes opened even more, his jaw dropping in shock. "It... it does?"

Becky nodded.

"It does!" Tobey was so excited that he jumped to his feet, smiling ear to ear as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "It does!! Oh, it does!"

"Yes!" Becky laughed, joining him in standing as she watched him bounce. "But it definitely needs to be more relaxed than what you first had planned. Maybe just a movie to start with?"

"That's perfect!" Tobey stood flat on his feet, holding his ice cream in both of his hands as he stared at her, his smile turning more dopey by the second. "Just the two of us in the dim theater, sharing a popcorn, maybe even holding hands?"

Becky hoped she wasn't blushing as hard as Tobey was. She swallowed before mumbling, "We could even h-hold hands right now, maybe."

"What??" Tobey's voice cracked again. "Do thine ears deceive me? Did you just say --"

"I'm not going to repeat it if you ask."

"Then say no more!" Tobey straightened up, hesitating just a little as he reached for her hand. When she didn't move away, he smiled even wider and confidently took her hand in his, squeezing gently.

Becky felt the need to eat more of her ice cream, hoping it would cool some of the heat she could definitely feel in her face now.

"Oh, Becky," Tobey sighed out her name, hearts in his eyes as he stepped closer. "You've just made me the happiest man alive."

"Yeah?" Becky ducked her head, trying to hide her own smile as she squeezed his hand back. "I feel pretty happy right now, too."

[annzybwrites]

First Comes Friendship; Ch. 2: First Kiss

Read on AO3

(Apparently y'all are starving for ToBecky content, so here you go!)

Becky hummed as she scribbled out the answers to some of her math problems, chewing idly at the end of her pencil’s eraser when she needed to think a bit harder. When she was stuck for a bit longer than she thought necessary, she looked up to ask Tobey if he’d already solved this problem. And was struck silent when she was met with the sight of his dopey smile, his bright, blue eyes staring right at her.

She felt heat enter her cheeks immediately as she looked away. “Did you f-finish your homework?”

“Most of it,” he hummed airily. “I’m taking a break.”

“How… how long have you been taking your break for?”

“Hard to say. What question are you on now?”

“Twelve.”

“For four questions, then.”

“Tobey!” Becky covered her now very red face in embarrassment, curling her legs up to her chest as she stayed at her desk. “You c-can’t just stare at me like that without saying anything!”

“Oh, let me indulge in your beauty.” He sighed softly, the sounds of her workbook being slid over to him hitting her ears next. “Were you having difficulty with something? Let me help.”

Becky simply groaned quietly, keeping her face covered for now. Tobey could be so embarrassing like this sometimes; staring at her randomly throughout the day, bringing her flowers and chocolates for no reason, building her unnecessary robots, trying to recite poetry to her during class. It was all so much, and yet so distinctly Tobey that she usually just let it slide.

After all… a small part of her did kind of like all the attention.

“There.” Tobey slid her workbook back over, prompting her to lift her head enough to glance at it. “I wrote out every step. Does it make sense?”

Becky scanned the page for a second before nodding, still feeling too shy to look at him. “Mmhm. Th-thanks, Tobey.”

“You’re very welcome, my dear, sweet Becky.”

Her stomach flipped around as she covered her face again. “Tobey.”

“What?” Tobey chuckled, scooting his chair closer to hers. “I distinctly remember you saying not to call you pet names in public. But we’re alone right now! Save for the door being open per your parents' insistence…”

“Well, a-also don’t call me pet names when we’re supposed to be working!” she snapped, curling up even more. She didn’t think she’d be able to stop hiding for at least a few minutes.

“Why?” Tobey hummed, clearly enjoying himself as he purred, “Too distracting?”

“Yes!”

“My, my. You must like me an awful lot to be so flustered by my gaze.”

Becky groaned again, extending her arm so she could push at where she assumed his head was. Except instead of pushing his head like she wanted, she felt him grab her wrist, something warm and soft pressing into her knuckles in the next second.

A shiver went up her arm as she lifted her head to look, her breath hitching at the sight of his pursed, pink lips resting against her fingers, and his intense, blue eyes back on her.

Becky was certain even her neck was red by this point as she pulled her arm back, clutching it to her chest. Her hand still tingled from the memory of his lips against her, and his amused chuckle was not helping her embarrassment any.

“You are downright adorable, you know that?”

“Tobey, please.” Becky closed her eyes, shaking her head lightly. “We need to focus on our work right now.”

“All right, all right. I relent.” Tobey sighed again, shifting his own workbook closer to himself. “But after this, maybe we could watch a movie against that lovely bed of yours, cuddled up next to each other?”

Becky’s heart skipped several beats as she nodded. “S-sure… after we finish our work.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Becky loved playing flag football. Being able to chase her classmates while also trying to dodge them? So her style. She just wished she could use some of her super speed during the game; really give it her all.

And this semester was even better, as she and Tobey were in the same gym class. He used to always despise this part of school, but thanks to Becky he didn’t feel quite so self conscious about his lack of physical prowess as before. Because now, at least, he knew he could improve, and he actually accepted it when the teacher and other classmates encouraged him to keep going or try again.

They were both still fiercely competitive, after all, and as Tobey improved this seemed to only spark more competition between them. He’d often boast that this was the day he’d “finally best her at her own game,” and when that didn’t happen he made a dramatic vow to get her next time. Almost like the kind of speech he’d use against WordGirl after his robots had been defeated.

Today, he was able to show off how much faster he’d gotten after months of playing with Becky after school. But not fast enough – she was easily able to overtake him as he tried to rush the ball to the goal, grinning as she reached to pull off one of the yellow flags at his waist.

Then she tripped over a bump in the grassy field, her speed causing her to collide quite harshly into him and bring them both crashing to the ground.

They both groaned in pain, though Becky was able to stand up rather quickly, gasping at the sound of a whistle blowing.

“I wasn’t trying to tackle him!” She started explaining as the coach ran over. “Honest! I tripped over the ground and ran into him –”

“Becky!” The coach interrupted with a fond laugh, kneeling beside Tobey, who was just now starting to push himself onto his hands and knees. “I believe you; accidents happen. But I’ve gotta make sure Tobey doesn’t have a concussion.”

Becky felt her gut twist nervously as she went to stand by Tobey, frowning down at him.

“Did you hit your head?” the coach asked, helping Tobey turn over so he could sit on the grass.

“Mm…” Tobey blinked a few times, grimacing from the sunlight before he covered his eyes with one hand. “A little, I think.”

“Are you dizzy?”

“Lightheaded, perhaps.”

The coach hummed, nodding decisively. “Better send you to the nurse’s office just in case. Becky, can you take him there?”

“Of course!” Becky rushed over to help him to his feet, feeling only a little better when Tobey smiled at her. “Feeling okay?”

“Quite.” He didn’t seem unsteady as he stood, though he still wrapped an arm around her shoulders, insisting, “But I think I’ll need your help to walk.”

“R-right.” Becky swallowed, cursing her heart for speeding up as she wrapped her arm around his waist and began leading him inside. He was definitely walking fine, a fact that had her feeling warmer and warmer by the minute.

Once the school doors had closed behind him, she started to slink away. “I th-think you can walk just fine without me–”

“Oh, my!” He gave a very fake stumble, able to slowly and gently wrap his arm back around her shoulders and press her close to him again. “I almost fell! No, I don’t think you can let go of me just yet.”

“Tobey.” Becky groaned, turning her face away as she crossed her arms. “Did you even hit your head?”

“I wasn’t lying about that.” Tobey huffed, thankfully relaxing his grip on her a bit. “And I do actually feel a little lightheaded. But it’s getting better quickly.”

“That’s good at least.” She sighed, back to feeling a little guilty as she glanced at him. “Well… let’s keep walking, then.”

“You’re the boss.” He chuckled, still keeping his arm around her as they walked through the halls. Becky just hoped he couldn’t feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest.

They only took a few more steps before Tobey spoke up again. “Becky?”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t… dislike being close to me like this, do you?”

Becky startled, almost tripping as she snapped her head to him. “Wh-what?”

“I’m sure you heard me.” He was actually looking away from her now, a small frown on his face.

Becky creased her brows together before facing forwards again. “Well… no, of course not.”

They took a few more steps in silence.

“Then why don’t you ever initiate contact like this?” Tobey asked quietly.

Becky chewed at her lip, staring down at the tiles as they passed them. “I… um…” It was a fair question. They’d been dating for about a month now, but Tobey was still the one to ask about holding hands, or hugging, or cuddling. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

Tobey hummed, clearly disappointed. “Well. Let me know when you figure it out.”

Becky’s stomach twisted anxiously. “Tobey, I… I do like this, you know? I just still feel so…” Conflicted, and bashful, and even a little scared. “Confused.”

Their steps echoed across the halls.

“I can.” Becky swallowed, since her voice croaked at the end. “I can r-reach out to you more. Okay?”

Tobey sighed, slowly sliding his arm off of her as he stood up straight. “Mm. We’ll see.”

Becky chewed at her lip, glancing down as she clasped her hands together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesdays were always the best, since that was the day she and Tobey went right to the library after school to read to their hearts’ content.

“I think I’ll check out some more robotics books,” Tobey hummed, tapping at his chin in thought. “Just to see if I need to alert the publishers of some updates they’re not aware of yet.”

Becky snorted before laughing and rolling her eyes playfully. “They should just give you their phone numbers at this point.”

“That’s what I keep saying!” Tobey huffed, crossing his arms. “But, no, they insist that email is ‘more professional.’”

“Let me proofread anything before you send it, okay?”

“Of course.” He smiled at her, letting his arms swing by his sides again as he chuckled. “I do appreciate you helping me with my tone; to sound more friendly and the like.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled back, before facing forwards again, the two of them climbing up the stairs to enter the library’s massive doors.

They headed to the technology section first, since Tobey actually knew what he wanted. Once he had a large stack of books with him at a table, Becky took her time perusing the children’s fiction section. She, unfortunately, was not allowed to check out any young adult fiction novels until she was at least in ninth grade, so she had to make due with what was available.

When she had a stack of her own, she joined Tobey at the table and picked out her first book. Though she found herself leaving it closed for now, her eyes wandering over to look at the blonde boy beside her instead.

Those deep blue eyes were focused solely on the book in front of him; sometimes wide with surprise, other times narrowed with suspicion, and occasionally squinted with amusement, his mouth stretching in all sorts of ways to match his expressive eyes. She found herself captivated by the different emotions flickering across his face, a small smile coming to her lips.

She jolted when his head snapped over to her, a grin quickly blooming on his face. “See something you like?”

She was certain her face was bright red as she completely turned away from him. “N-no!” She stopped, realizing that might have sounded more harsh than she intended. “I, I mean, I was just – you’re–”

Tobey interrupted her with a chuckle, the flip of a page reaching her ears next. “Oh, Becky, Becky, Becky. Still adorable as ever.”

“Hush.” Becky swallowed, slowly turning back to face him and feeling relieved at how his attention was back on his book. She took a breath before glancing at her own book, cracking it open. But for once in her life, she found it very difficult to focus on the words in front of her.

Chewing at her lip, Becky glanced at Tobey out of the corner of her eyes. He was still focused on his book, holding it tightly in both of his hands as he scanned the pages. She felt her heart in her head as she quietly scooted her chair closer, pausing every few seconds to make sure he wasn’t startled by her motions.

When their chairs were no more than an inch apart, she could feel Tobey’s eyes on her, but thankfully he was staying silent. She avoided his gaze as she slowly leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder so she could glance at the book he was holding.

“Everything in order so far?”

“... Y-yes.” Tobey’s voice cracked on the word, so he quickly cleared his throat. “Yes, they’ve gotten it all right so far.”

She could feel him swallow nervously, and she couldn’t help but smile a little at that. She supposed it was kind of fun to make him be the flustered one for a change. Though she couldn’t think of anything to tease him with before she felt his head rest against her own, nuzzling gently against her hair.

They stayed like that as he flipped through his book, Becky switching between super-reading the pages and closing her eyes to enjoy Tobey’s warmth against her. This was kind of nice, being able to feel every subtle movement of his arms with their shoulders pressed together. Her neck did start to strain a little bit, but she didn’t mind.

When Tobey was finished with his book, he gently set it down before whispering, “Becky?”

“Mm?”

“I would very much like to kiss you.”

Becky tensed up, lifting her head immediately so she could stare at him in complete and utter shock. “Wh-what? Now!?”

“Maybe?” His laugh did actually seem kind of nervous as he glanced away, tapping an anxious finger against the table. “I… I’ve been wanting to kiss you for awhile, I was just waiting until you seemed more comfortable with me, first.” He turned to smile at her, hearts practically in his eyes as he sighed out, “And after that lovely display of affection you just gave me, I assume you feel very comfortable indeed.”

Becky felt goosebumps across her arms as she looked away again, her heart beating in her throat at the idea of kissing him. It felt too soon; she wasn’t ready; she’d had to work up her courage just to lay her head on his shoulder for crying out loud!

Her mouth went dry when she felt Tobey’s hand on hers, the air shifting as he leaned in closer–

“I just remembered!” She said just a bit too loudly as she pushed the chair back, jumping to her feet. She lowered her voice, laughing inbetween her words, “Dad actually wanted me home early today! To, to help with dinner!” She slung her backpack over her back before taking her untouched pile of books in her arms, heading towards a return cart. “See you tomorrow, Tobey!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day at school, Becky avoided Tobey as much as possible. In the classes where they sat next to each other, she offered a smile but otherwise would pretend to be too absorbed in her textbooks or notebooks to offer much for conversation. For lunch she took her food outside, trying to enjoy some peace so she could think about what she wanted to tell him. After school, she made up another excuse to go home quickly, and thanked her lucky stars that this wasn’t a day that Tobey had to come over. She was also thankful that she didn’t have a cellphone yet; that made it more difficult for Tobey to contact her.

After completing her homework (and a quick battle with Dr. Two-Brains), she spent that night thinking of what she wanted to say to Tobey. Because she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.

But when Friday morning came, she still felt tongue tied and couldn’t think of a single word to say to him. So she just offered him a smile like yesterday before stuffing her face into another book until class started. She figured she could talk to him at lunch; they could go somewhere more private, and she could at least try to say some of what was on her mind.

When lunchtime came, however, she winced as her super-hearing picked up a very loud and annoyed, “WordGirl!”

Yep. That was definitely Tobey. And it sounded like he was on the school’s roof. With a sigh, she snuck off to the bathroom, transformed, and flew out the window and up to the roof to see the boy genius pacing across the cement, his hands clenching and unclenching into tight fists as a scowl rested on his face.

“Sorry to call you out like this,” he hissed through his teeth, still pacing as he looked up at her. “But it was either stand here and scream from the rooftops, or fetch one of my robots to make a scene. I figured this was better.”

Oh, no. WordGirl frowned, slowly flying over so she could hover beside him as he paced. “You’re thinking about turning back to villainy?”

“No!” Tobey snapped, flinging his hands to his hair so he could pull lightly. “But I am very upset, and the urge to smash something to bits to let off some steam is slowly becoming harder and harder to fend off!”

WordGirl could probably guess the reason. “Well… what has you so upset?”

“My girlfriend!” Tobey finally stopped pacing, his scowl morphing into more of a hurt frown than anything else. “If I can still call her that. She’s been avoiding me since Wednesday afternoon.”

“Why?” WordGirl asked, tucking her hands behind her back as she touched down onto the roof.

“I don’t know!” Tobey huffed, crossing his arms as he glanced away. “All I asked her for was a kiss! Something that normal couples do. When she first ran off I figured she just needed some time to think about the request; I even felt a little guilty for trying to push her. I was going to tell her that we could wait a little longer the next day, but she’s been avoiding me! How are we supposed to talk about this if she keeps running off at the sight of me?!”

WordGirl winced slightly. That was a fair point, but, “Maybe you just need to wait a little longer?”

Tobey scoffed, back to scowling as he glared at her. “You sound just like my new ‘friends’ at school. Honestly, I think I’ve been as patient as I can be!”

“Why don’t we try thinking about this from her point of view,” WordGirl tried a different tactic, offering a weak smile. “This is her first real relationship, right? Maybe it’s all a little… scary for her.”

“What’s scary about a kiss!” Tobey flung his hands up in exasperation. “People do it all the time! Shouldn’t she want to kiss me if she likes me??”

“Well…” WordGirl tried to think of a good simile to explain this. “People could still be scared of something they want to do. Like taking a dive off the high board, or trying a new food?”

Tobey grumbled a bit, but he seemed to understand as he slowly lowered his arms back to cross over his chest. “I… suppose that’s a fair point. But that doesn’t excuse her avoidance of me!”

“You’re right,” WordGirl admitted, grabbing at her arm as she glanced away. “It… doesn’t.”

“Ah, so you agree!” Tobey smiled triumphantly. “That’s all I needed to hear. Thank you, WordGirl.”

“Huh?” WordGirl blinked at him as he headed towards the exit, feeling a little lost. “You don’t want to talk anymore?”

“Nope!” Tobey laughed that high-pitched, scheming laugh of his, something she rarely heard anymore. “I have a plan now. Thank you for the advice!”

“But I didn’t actually give you any ad –!” The door slamming cut her off, and she groaned in disdain. Whatever idea she’d just given Tobey, it probably wasn’t good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Becky heard the distinct sounds of robotic clanking and whirring immediately after school, she knew her lunchtime hunch had been very correct. She groaned to herself when she went to the front steps, faced with the sight of Tobey standing on the shoulder of one of his signature robots.

“Becky!” Tobey called down to her right before his robot wrapped its hand around her, pulling her up to his eye level. “Hello, my dear.”

“Hello, Tobey.” Becky sighed, resting her chin against the metal finger wrapped around her.

“Ah, so you’re finally talking to me!”

“I was going to talk with you at lunch!” Becky groaned again, struggling in his robot’s grip. She couldn’t even get an arm free. At least, she couldn’t with her ‘normal’ strength. “But I couldn’t find you.”

“A likely story.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “I couldn’t take any chances, since you haven’t said a word to me in almost 46 hours!”

“That’s really not that long.” Becky sighed. “Was this really necessary??”

“Yes! And before you say anything about me turning back to villainy, I haven’t actually destroyed anything, nor do I intend to kidnap you for longer than ten minutes, so technically I am not doing anything wrong!”

“You literally just said the word ‘kidnap.’”

“But not for long!” Tobey groaned, pressing a few buttons on his robotic remote so the arm would extend, setting Becky down on the roof of the school. He used his robot’s other hand to bring him there right after, a pout on his face. “There. Happy? Can we talk now? You know, even WordGirl said it’s ridiculous that you’re avoiding me.”

“I doubt she used the word ‘ridiculous.’” Becky crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t – you’re stalling!” He pointed an accusatory finger at her, frowning again. “Tell me what you’re thinking now!”

“I don’t know what I’m thinking, Tobey!” Becky snapped, turning her side to him as she hunched her shoulders up. “I’ve never dated anyone before! I’m still trying to figure out how to act, what to do, what I even want to do.”

“What does that even mean?” Tobey seemed to be getting frustrated again. “How do you not know what you want?? It’s easy! You just ask yourself, ‘what do I want?’ and you think of an answer!”

“It’s not that simple for me!” Becky groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. “I want so many things at once, Tobey. There’s so many options to choose from and it, it’s overwhelming, okay?”

Things were silent for a moment. Becky kept her face covered even as she heard Tobey take a few steps closer to her.

“Becky…” Tobey sounded defeated, a sigh tailing the end of her name. “This is my first relationship, too, you know.”

“I know.” Becky lowered her hands, her gut twisting at the hurt shining in his downcast eyes. “So… isn’t there something you’re scared of with it?”

“The only thing I’m scared of is failure.” Tobey scrunched his eyebrows together, gripping his opposite arm. “Of doing something that makes you detest me again.” He looked up at her, staring deep into her eyes as he whispered his next words. “Of you never talking to me again.”

Becky’s insides twisted in guilt. “I… I’m sorry.”

“It really hurt, you know?” He sighed, ducking his head down so she couldn’t see his face. “Honestly, ignoring me is so much worse than anything you could have said to me. I kept thinking we were over and done with.”

“Oh, Tobey.” Becky rushed over to hug him, relieved when he returned the gesture, their heads resting against each other.

She should have thought of this earlier; of course Tobey hated being ignored. He’d felt lonely for most of his life, it made sense that her not saying anything would have bothered him so much.

“I really am sorry,” she whispered, squeezing him gently. “I didn’t mean to avoid you, I just… didn’t know what to say.”

“Anything.” Tobey dropped his remote so he could clutch her tightly, taking a deep breath. “Literally anything is better than nothing. Even if you’d just asked me to help you with an assignment I would have felt more at ease.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Becky promised, rubbing his back gently.

“Or you could have written me a note if you didn’t want to speak to me!”

“Another great idea.”

“It is! I’m full of them, you should know that by now.”

Becky just chuckled a little, closing her eyes as she nuzzled against the side of his head.

Tobey sniffled once before muttering, “I’m sorry if I was being too pushy at the library. I just get so excited, and then it’s hard to hold back.”

“I know.” Becky smiled warmly. “That’s one of the things I like about you.”

“Oh, good.” Tobey took a deep breath, collecting himself as he let it out. “Then… do you… know what you want to tell me now? About the kissing thing?”

Becky’s heart skipped a beat. She was glad they were still hugging, so she didn’t have to look at his face as she spoke into the air. “It’s still not a really clear answer, I’m afraid? Because I, I want to kiss you, eventually. But right now just doesn’t feel like the right time to me.”

“I see.” Tobey’s tone was quiet, careful, contemplative.

“I don’t want to move too fast,” Becky told him, hoping he wasn’t getting angrier with each word. “Can we… slow down a bit? Enjoy each step naturally?”

Tobey took a few seconds to respond, squeezing her gently before pulling away to show her a small smile. “Yes. I think that can be arranged.”

“Oh, good.” A wave of relief washed over Becky as she smiled back at him. “So, you’re not mad anymore?”

“No, I’m much better now.” He took another deep breath, bending down to retrieve his remote. “Honestly, just knowing that you do want to kiss me, however long ‘eventually’ will take, is enough to placate me for now.” He stood back up, regarding her for a moment before teasing, “Plus, your blushing face always puts me in a good mood.”

Becky flung her hands to her cheeks, embarrassed at the heat that had settled in them as Tobey chuckled at her.

“Come on.” Tobey pressed a few buttons on the remote, his robot’s hand flattening on the roof so they could step onto it. “I’ll take you home.”

Becky nodded, taking Tobey’s hand as she stepped up onto the robot’s hand to be lifted to the metallic shoulder. Soon they were being whisked off through the city, holding hands as Becky admired the skyline. She always flew much faster than this, and didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy the sights when she was rushing off to stop some villain. So taking it slow like this with Tobey was very nice; a welcomed change to her otherwise fast-paced life.

When they made it to her house, they turned to smile at each other, and Tobey called the robot’s hand up so she could step on it.

“Off you go, then.” Tobey released her hand, waving his fingers at her. “See you, and talk to you, tomorrow.”

“Right.” Becky nodded, about to step onto the robot’s hand before an idea came to her.

She chewed at her lip, excitement bubbling in her stomach before she decided to just go for it. She stepped closer to Tobey and, before he could say anything, pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Then she stepped onto the robot hand, smiling wide at the flush that had quickly entered Tobey’s face.

“Okay.” She giggled, hands behind her back. “Ready to be dropped off.”

“Huh?” Tobey jolted enough to skew his glasses, his expression practically melting into a smile as his brain finally caught up with the current moment. “Oh, right, yes – lowering you to the ground, ha ha, that’s what I was doing.” He cleared his throat, a dreamy smile still on his face as he pressed another button. “So long!” he called, waving excitedly to her as she slowly descended. “Farewell! Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow, but I’ll adore your lovely face in the morrow.”

Becky was sure she was blushing just as much now as she waved back, having no idea what to say yet again. “N-no robotic kidnappings tomorrow!” she called up, clearly flustered as she stepped onto her front lawn.

“I promise!” Tobey’s giggling could be heard even with him several stories above her. “No avoiding me, either! No matter how shy you might feel right now!”

“I’m not shy!” Becky argued, stomping her foot. Though she pouted as she relented anyway, “But I also promise!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I have such a cool invention to show you!” Tobey was far too excited, for once being the one to pull Becky down the sidewalk after school. “I haven’t worked out all the kinks yet, but I’ve been working on something that I think you’ll really like!”

“Slow down!” Becky laughed, yet still sped up to match him. “It’s not gonna go away if we walk.”

“Yes, I know that.” Tobey huffed, not slowing down in the slightest. “But it’s rare that I have you over to my house, and I want to enjoy every second!”

Becky didn’t have anything to say to that, certain her cheeks were flushing again as she glanced away. It was true; they rarely spent time at Tobey’s house due to his mother’s busy schedule. Which had suited Becky just fine, because honestly she found Tobey’s house to be way too big and empty to be comfortable. With all that space, she wouldn’t expect a house to feel so isolating.

As soon as they arrived at the McCallister residence Tobey dragged her up to his room, calling distractedly to his mother in the living room, “Hello, mom, we’re home! I’m showing Becky my new invention now, bye!!”

“Tobey!” Mrs. McCallister’s demanding tone made Tobey stop in the middle of the staircase, wincing slightly.

He turned around, a pout already on his lips as he squeezed Becky’s hand. “Mother, I told you about this at breakfast!”

“I know that, dear.” She strutted over to them with a firm look on her face. “But I still expect a hug before you go anywhere, young man.”

Becky giggled a little, and Tobey flushed pink. But he decided not to argue as he ran down the stairs, gave her a quick hug, and sprinted back up the stairs to push Becky farther along. “Okay, see you at dinner!!”

Once they were in his room, Becky had to tease, “Mamma’s boy.”

“Hush!” Tobey pushed her into taking a seat onto his bed, huffing before he rushed to his window to close the curtains, casting the room into darkness. “Just sit there and prepare to be amazed, Becky Botsford!”

Becky rolled her eyes playfully, but otherwise stayed quiet as she watched her plucky boyfriend pull out what appeared to be an ordinary telescope out from his closet. She raised a brow as she watched him carry it over to the window, pressing a button on the side of it so tripod legs would extend out to hold it up. He then shoved the telescope in between the curtains, clipping the cloth above and below the spyglass together so the room would still be dark.

“Don’t we have to wait until it’s actually dark out to go stargazing?” Becky had to ask, confused at the wide smile Tobey still had on.

“It’s always dark in space.” Tobey chuckled, pulling another remote out of his pocket before hopping onto the bed next to her. “Just watch. Normal telescopes can only see stars through a series of mirrors and glass, creating what appears to be a 2D image to our eyes. But this telescope!”

He pressed a button on his remote, and in a flash the darkened room was lit up with holograms of all sorts of stars and constellations, one such star appearing right in front of Becky’s face and causing her to fall back onto the bed in surprise.

“This telescope brings the stars to us!” He laughed, turning a dial on his remote to “zoom out,” the stars around them slowly shrinking in size and allowing more stars to come and light up the space. “And we can see them during the day, too!”

“Woah!” Becky sat up, her jaw dropping as she looked around her. The little dots everywhere made her think of the few times she’d actually been able to fly through space in her airship; with Captain Huggy Face’s supervision, of course. Tobey had managed to make his holograms in full color, as well, which made it much easier to tell what was a star and what was a planet, an asteroid, or even a few black holes.

“Tobey, this is incredible!” She laughed, smiling wide as she looked around her.

“Yes, I know.” Tobey beamed with pride, looking around the room with a shine in his eyes. “Studying astronomy will be so much easier now! That’s something you wanted to learn more about, right?”

Becky’s heart skipped a beat as she glanced at him, eyes widening. “Y-yeah, it is.”

Tobey chuckled, tapping another button on his remote to make the stars zoom in just a bit more as he spoke, “Like I said, not all the kinks have been worked out. The holograms are still a bit too fuzzy for my tastes, and I can’t be too sure if that lack of visual quality is affecting anything else…”

As he kept talking about all of the current faults in his invention and how he intended to fix them, Becky found herself not wanting to look at the cosmos all around her. Instead, she wanted to focus on the boy right next to her, whose expressive face shifted through expressions as fast as a hummingbird flapped its wings.

She felt something bubble in her stomach, the rest of her starting to feel warm the longer she looked at him. He really was so cute and sweet, always doing unexpected things like this for her, no matter how long it took. Always wanting her to be the first one to see his inventions, even if they weren’t finished yet. It seemed like he was always thinking of her.

“Tobey?” she interrupted, scooting closer to him.

“Hm?” He stopped his rant, turning to her with wide eyes. “Sorry, was I talking too long? I’ll –” His words died in his throat as Becky leaned in to press her lips against his, the remote slipping out of his hand and clattering to the floor.

They stayed together, with only their lips touching, for about three seconds before Becky pulled away, suddenly nervous as she looked at him. He was stunned, his face bright red and his mouth hanging open in shock while he stayed completely silent. Oh, no, did she do it wrong? Maybe she should have asked about it first, like he’d done at the library all those weeks ago?

Chewing at her lip, Becky straightened up, beginning to fiddle with her hair as she glanced away. “Um… s-sorry for interrupting you?”

Tobey exhaled quickly in a laugh, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “Oh, please.” It was as if he was practically melting into his bedsheets as he hunched over, hearts forming in his eyes. “Feel free to interrupt me like that anytime.”

Becky laughed lightly in relief, that bubbling in her stomach only getting worse when Tobey grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly as he leaned close to her.

“Could we try it again?” he requested quietly. “My brain short-circuited the first time, and I want to commemorate this occasion in my memory forever.”

Becky’s heart was in her throat as she stared into Tobey’s dazed, dream-filled eyes. She swallowed before glancing away, nodding twice.

“Excellent.” Tobey wasted no time, practically surging forwards to place his lips on Becky’s again, squeezing her hand tight as he did so.

Their second kiss was just as short as the first one, but this time Tobey sighed afterwards, his free hand lifting to caress her cheek.

“Oh, Becky,” he whispered her name as if it were a prayer, and the gentle touch combined with his quiet tone sent goosebumps across her arms. “How romantic, kissing me under the stars? I dare say you’ve made me even happier than I already was.”

Becky was almost certain that Tobey said that just so he could feel how much heat entered her cheeks. She lifted her own free hand to grip his shoulder, gently keeping him at bay as she laughed quietly. “It just f-felt like the right moment.”

“Mm,” Tobey hummed as he leaned in again, but Becky turned her face to the side so he’d kiss her cheek instead.

“Why don’t you show me more of your invention now?”

That seemed to snap Tobey out of his sudden trance. His eyes widened and he straightened up immediately, his eyes wide as his face slowly turned red again. “Right! Of course, shouldn’t get too carried away the first time, I suppose?” His laugh was high-pitched and breathless as he slid off the bed, fumbling for the remote on the ground. “Just a minute. Then we can m-move the telescope and see a different part of the sky! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Mmhm.” Becky nodded, folding her hands in her lap as she took a deep breath. Her heart was still racing, and she had a feeling both of them would be blushing for awhile, but she was very happy she’d kissed him. She felt warm all over, and she didn’t try to hide her smile as Tobey turned back to her, remote in hand. “Very exciting.”

Tobey blinked at her for a second before matching her smile. He cleared his throat before climbing back up onto the bed, sitting up straight as he turned a different dial on the remote that caused the telescope to shift to the left, the holographic stars moving and changing with it.

He started explaining what part of the galaxy this was and how far it was from Earth, though he stuttered a few times when Becky laid her head on his shoulder and entwined his hand with hers.

Becky couldn’t help but think that this was the perfect way to stargaze.

[annzybwrites]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Ch. 14: Moomin is antsy as he waits for Snufkin to come back from his meeting with the Lady of the Seas. But when an hour passes and he's nowhere to be found, he, Snorkmaiden, Alicia, and Little My all head down into the water to find him themselves. Bypassing a few distractions, they make some mermaid acquaintances and find Snufkin -- only to discover something is very wrong.

Summary: Snufkin has a secret: he's part mermaid. Wanting to shy away from unwanted attention as much as possible, he didn't see the point in telling anyone. He preferred dry land to the sea, anyway. But when Moomin begins to fancy his merman altergo, Snettles, he starts spending more and more time in the water, and it isn't long until some troubling mermaid instincts kick in.

[annzybwrites]

Epiphany

Snufkin laughed, but the way his mouth was pulled tight at the edges to show off his fangs revealed that he wasn't actually that amused.

Moomin swallowed, taking a sip of his punch and turning his face away as the others continued to tease them.

"I mean, really." Little My rolled her eyes, standing on top of the moomins' coffee table. "You two spend most afternoons cuddling under the sun and both of you still say you're 'just best friends'??"

"It is getting a little ridiculous," Snorkmaiden agreed, reclining upside down in what was usually Pappa's armchair, her bangs just an inch off the floor and her fur an amused, dark yellow. "We all know about your 'secret' birdcall so you can sneak off together in the night."

"That's what that is??" Sniff almost dropped his own drink in surprise. He was sat on the couch next to Moomin, with Snufkin on the troll's other side. "I thought it was an actual bird."

"Well, that's the point of it, right?" Snufkin hummed, his face still tense as he sipped his own drink. "To sound like an animal."

"If Sniff's the only one who was fooled, you've failed miserably." Little My snorted.

Moomin should stop them. He knew he should; with Snufkin smiling like that he was either going to snap or go on a two-week long solo trip, and he didn't want either of those outcomes.

But he didn't really know what to say.

"Can't you two just admit you're a little more than friends already?" Little My pressed, bringing two of her fingers together and squinting at her hand just to show how tiny the distance between them really was. "It's becoming unbearable."

"Sorry to hear that." Snufkin turned to look at Moomin, his already tense smile being pulled even further. "What do you have to say about all this, old friend?"

Moomin's mouth went dry, the edge of his cup pressed against his mouth. He stared into Snufkin's annoyed, brown eyes and slowly lowered the cup, swallowing. "Well, I..." His mouth was already dry again, so he cleared his throat, staring avidly at the floor now. "It's o-our relationship, so --"

"But do you two actually talk about your relationship??" Snorkmaiden interrupted, throwing her hands up towards the ceiling, the momentum causing her chair to rock a bit. "Do you really think everything you two do is just best friend behavior? Because Little My and I don't do half the things you two do."

"I didn't say --"

"Wait," Sniff interrupted, staring at Snorkmaiden with a sudden worry. "If you and Little My are best friends, and Moomin and Snufkin are best friends, then who's my best friend??"

"I don't know." Snorkmaiden shrugged. "Stinky?"

"He pulls my tail!!"

"Just admit you're the fifth wheel already and be done with it," Little My advised.

Sniff gave an offended gasp, jaw dropping. "I think that's the cruelest thing you've ever said to me."

"We can be best friends, too, Sniff," Moomin offered, patting his shoulder.

Sniff shrugged him off, crossing his arms as he turned his whole body away. "I don't want to be a rebound!"

"Well, when Snufkin and Moomin finally become boyfriends then the best friend position will open up."

"Little My!" Moomin hissed, pulling at one of his cheeks as he closed his eyes. "Can you please stop already? Can we talk about anything else?"

"Oh, don't be embarrassed, Moomintroll." Little My snickered. "Poor you. Even if you did confess, Snufkin probably wouldn't be ready."

Moomin snapped his eyes open, a cold shiver running through him. No, no, no, she did not just say that! He turned to look at Snufkin, who's hands were starting to shake with how forcefully he held his cup, that unnatural, too-polite smile still carved onto his face.

"And why would you think that?" Snufkin asked, his voice just a few decibels too low. He might as well have growled out the words for how much Moomin wanted to run away right now.

"Come on." Little My scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Mr. 'I Don't Need Anything' admitting he loves someone? Mr. 'I'm Better Alone' being that vulnerable?"

"Moomin does seem like he'd be more in tune with his emotions than you," Snorkmaiden agreed, albeit more quietly. "And more likely to actually talk about them. I mean, he used to cry to you before every winter."

Moomin flushed, stammering, "I don't do that anym-more!"

"Yeah." Sniff nodded. "Now he just cries to me about it. Hey, maybe we are second best friends!"

Moomin groaned and slapped a paw to his face. "Sniff, please, shut up."

"You cry to him and not me?" Snorkmaiden pouted, crossing her arms as he fur took on a tinge of lime. "Out of everyone here, he's the worst at emotions!"

"That's why it works," Moomin mumbled. "He usually forgets by the next day."

Little My snorted, starting to laugh so hard she fell on her butt. "See what you're doing to him, Snufkin? The poor troll loves you so much, and you won't admit you feel the same."

"I see." Snufkin took a breath, carefully leaning forward to set his cup down in front of her, tilting his perpetually smiling face. "So, you think I don't acknowledge my own feelings, is that it?"

Moomin felt every strand of fur across his body stand on end. His voice was hoarse as he choked out, "Snufkin, wait --"

"You think that if I discovered that I did love Moomintroll, that I wouldn't tell him immediately?"

"Snufkin --"

"Or, worse, you think that I don't realize what I feel? Or that I actively repress what I feel?"

"-- wait!"

"Well, I think I've just had an epiphany!" Snufkin clapped his hands together as he stood, turning to face Moomin. His smile had finally lessened, but now his eyes looked positively seething. "Moomin, I think there's something I need to tell you."

Moomin stood as well, his nearly empty cup falling from his hands and clattering to the floor. "Snufkin, wait, please, we can just leave --"

"Oh, no, no. That would just start more rumors, wouldn't it?" Snufkin's downright harsh laugh made Moomin want to shrink into the floorboards. "And I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about me."

"Snufkin, I'm sorry," Moomin tried to say, gripping both of Snufkin's shoulders. "Please."

"Then is there something you'd like to say instead?" Snufkin pressed, his smile finally dropping completely.

Moomin opened his mouth, desperately trying to get any words out. But he felt like his throat was closing up, and soon he found his gaze cast to the floorboards again.

"So you agree with what everyone else has said tonight?"

"Of course not!" Moomin choked out, glancing up at him again and withering at how hurt those brown eyes looked. "But it's, it's a matter between you and me, not them."

"Well, that's fine for you to say." Snufkin's teeth were clenched now as he pushed Moomin's hands off. "You're not the one who's being told they're an emotionally stunted creature, are you?"

"What is happening right now?" Sniff whispered just a bit too loud.

"Sniff, please shut up," Moomin hissed, bringing his hands up to pull lightly at his ears.

"Wait." Everyone turned to look at Snorkmaiden, who had righted herself to sit normally in the chair during all the commotion, her fur now shining in a curious orange. "It almost sounds like you two are dating already?"

Moomin groaned again and shook his head. "No, that's not it--"

"Then what is it?" Little My asked, her eyes as wide as possible as she looked between the two.

Moomin's mouth went dry again. He locked eyes with Snufkin, who was staring at him expectantly, his jaw tight and his hands clenched at his sides. He knew he stayed quiet for just a bit too long when Snufkin narrowed his eyes at him.

"Like I said." Snufkin forced a smile back onto his face, turning to everyone else as he clasped his hands together beside his head. "I've had an epiphany!" He glanced at Moomin one more time, giving him the chance to do something, anything, before he spoke again. "I truly do love Moomintroll with my whole heart, and it's about time I admit it."

Little My's jaw dropped as the room was silent. Moomin's vision started to blur around the edges, his ears pounding along with his quickened heartbeat.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, Moomintroll." Snufkin turned to him then, his hands still clinging to each other by the side of his head as he chuckled lower than normal. "I hope you can forgive me. I don't expect you to give an answer back right now, either, I just wanted to share how I felt." He patted Moomin twice on the shoulder before walking off, quickly grabbing his backpack from against the wall and not breaking his stride as he slipped it on. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Footsteps and a door opening and shutting were the only sounds in the next few moments. Moomin felt hot tears starting to well up in the back of his eyes. He sniffled once before sinking back into the couch, covering his face. He really screwed up this time. Why couldn't he have said one, single thing in Snufkin's defense?

"Moomin?" Snorkmaiden's gentle voice reached his ears. He felt a paw on his shoulder. "Are you crying because you're happy, or...?"

"No," Moomin croaked out. He took a deep breath before lifting his head, staring into Snorkmaiden's concerned eyes first, then at Little My's shaken expression, and lastly at Sniff's confused face. "I'm not happy at all."

"But he just confessed?" Little My was clearly having a hard time wrapping her head around this. "In front of everyone??"

Moomin laughed wryly, glancing away. "Yeah... the thing is, he, uh... kind of already told me how he felt last year?"

"What!?" Snorkmaiden yelled, her fur turning red with shock. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Moomin swallowed, bringing his legs up so he could try and hide behind them a little. "Because... I still haven't given him an answer."

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

[annzybwrites]

Epiphany, Part 2

Warning: Angst ahead. (Read part 1 first.)

Last Year

Moomin heard his laughter echo inside the cave right before he entered the waterfall, travelling down with it into a deep pool of cool water. He opened his eyes once he was under, immediately looking for Snufkin who was at the bottom of the lake, smiling up at him with that familiar, fond crinkle in his eyes.

The two of them swam to the surface, gasping for air right before laughing again.

“How do you always go right to the bottom?” Moomin asked, pouting slightly.

“I turn my body into a spear,” Snufkin replied, chuckling as he playfully splashed at Moomin. “Instead of a fuzzy cannonball.”

Moomin splashed him back, pretending to scoff with offense. “I can’t help it. Cannonballs are objectively more fun, anyway!”

“Objectively, you say?” Snufkin raised a brow, grinning wider. “So you’ve done research on the matter?”

“Oh, definitely.” Moomin nodded, starting to do a lazy backstroke towards the edge of the lake. “I took a survey of everyone in Moominvalley and they all agreed that cannonballs are the best.”

Snufkin laughed even harder, shaking his head as he doggy paddled after him. “I don’t remember being surveyed.”

“Really?” Moomin hummed, trying not to grin too wide. “Must have slipped my mind.”

“You’re telling me Mrs. Fillyjonk does cannonballs?”

“She actually preferred belly flops.”

Snufkin laughed so hard that he snorted and had to stop swimming. Moomin stopped as well, a warm pride welling up in his stomach at the sight of Snufkin covering his mouth, his normally wide eyes wrinkled in amusement again as his laughter bounced off the dimly lit cave’s walls. Moomin knew he was one of a select few that was able to see Snufkin so loose, and he loved having the privilege. Snufkin was naturally carefree, of course -- anyone that spent even just a minute with the mumrik could tell you that much -- but he did usually keep some reservations around strangers, or even friends sometimes.

“Let’s jump again!” Moomin suggested when Snufkin settled down. “I’m sure I’ll get to the bottom this time.”

Snufkin shook his head, smiling wide enough for his fangs to appear at the edges. “If you say so.”

~~~

A harmonica’s tinny timbre always felt nostalgic to Moomintroll. It was one of the first instruments he’d ever heard Snufkin play, and it made his chest fill up with a comfortable warmth. Tonight, the long notes echoing across the cave, backed by the constant roaring of rushing water a few yards away, caused him to doze in and out of sleep.

He and Snufkin had already set up their tent inside the cave. What little sunlight that had peered through the cracks in the cave’s ceilings was gone, so now their only source of light was a small campfire they’d made to cook some stew on. Right after dinner was when Snufkin started playing his music, still seated upright by the low flames, though his hat was put away for the night.

After a few tunes, they’d changed positions, heading over to a rounded corner in the cave so they could sit with their backs resting against the cold, occasionally bumpy stone, and their legs could rest atop each other’s. Snufkin’s usually always rested on top of Moomintroll’s, as it was more comfortable for the both of them. Plus, it allowed Snufkin to shift easier, as he usually had a hard time staying in one position for too long.

A few more songs later, Snufkin decided his lungs needed a break. He yawned, and Moomin opened his eyes just in time to see Snufkin stretching his arms above his head. “Oh, dear. I played a long time, didn’t I?”

Moomin nodded, yawning himself. His head shook lightly of its own accord as a shiver ran down his fur, his ears twitching as his body tried to wake up a bit. “Yeah. It was nice, though.”

Snufkin chuckled, shifting closer to the cave’s corner until his side was pressed against Moomin’s, his knee gently nudging Moomin’s. “You always say that.”

Moomin smiled, nudging back against Snufkin with both his knee and his shoulder. “It’s always true.”

Snufkin chuckled further, settling down against Moomin as he just smiled, staring right into his eyes. It was something Snufkin had started doing more recently, and it always made Moomin’s heart jump a bit.

It was rare for a mumrik to look you in the eyes in the first place. The Joxter had told him once that a mumrik’s eyes portrayed every emotion they felt, even if the rest of their body and face betrayed nothing. To stare into a mumrik’s eyes meant you had their complete trust, and maybe even a bit more than that.

Moomin felt his stomach clench, and he cast his gaze to the side as he laughed lightly. “Do you think it’s time for bed?”

“Not yet.” Snufkin’s low voice sent a shiver across Moomin’s scalp, and when Snufkin grasped his paw his mouth went dry. “Do you have the energy to stay up just a bit longer, Moomintroll?”

He hated when Snufkin said his name like that; all airy and practically pleading. Well, maybe he didn’t hate it, but he definitely thought it was unfair. He’d probably do anything when Snufkin said his name in such a way.

“All right.” Moomin glanced back up, smiling a little at the small grin Snufkin had on his face. Ah, so he did know what that voice did to him. “More songs, or?”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Snufkin squeezed his paw, and his other free hand reached up, to caress Moomin’s cheek. Immediately, all of the fur on his face stood up, pleasant tingles running down his neck.

Moomin hummed low in his throat, his eyes slowly closing as he leaned into Snufkin’s hand. He adored having his fur played with, it always felt so nice and cozy. He was glad he’d taken a chance a few years ago and told Snufkin he’d really like to have physical affection play a larger role in their relationship. Over the years he’d found little nuzzles and hugs the best and easiest way for him to feel cared for and loved, and to show love in return. But Snufkin wasn’t always in the mood for it, which was fine with Moomin. He loved just spending time with him, too, which appeared to be the best way Snufkin showed his own care and love.

Tonight, though, Snufkin seemed to be in the mood for physical affection. After brushing his hand along Moomin’s cheek and neck fur for a bit, he settled himself into Moomin’s lap so he could hug him, his nose nuzzling at Moomin’s cheek now.

Moomin giggled, almost instinctively wrapping his arms around Snufkin’s waist to hold him close. “Someone’s cuddly.”

Snufkin chuckled, bringing his head back just enough for Moomin to see his smile. “It’s quite easy with someone so soft.”

Moomin snorted once, shaking his head as he tried not to laugh too much. “You’re sure you’re not just tired?”

“I’m sure.” Snufkin placed his hands on Moomin’s shoulders then, slowly brushing them back and forth across the top of Moomin’s chest as he hummed. His eyes were cast down, but he was clearly just staring into space as he thought. “I’m almost never tired when I’m with you.”

Moomin smiled a little, though his fur was starting to rise from Snufkin’s quiet tone.

“Time just seems to melt away when we’re together,” Snufkin continued, his hands still brushing back and forth across Moomin’s fur. “Your presence is so warm and comforting to me that sometimes it’s actually hard to turn away. It used to terrify me, you know?”

“Did it?” Moomin laughed weakly, tilting his head down. A bit of coldness was starting to sink into his legs.

“Mm.” Snufkin chuckled softly, his hands stilling. His forehead came to rest against Moomin’s, warm breath ghosting across the top of Moomin’s snout and causing his fur to bristle again. “I thought I needed to be careful around something so strong. To enjoy it only in moderation.”

“Seems logical,” Moomin whispered, so quiet he wasn’t even sure he said anything at all. The coldness in his legs was making its way to the base of his spine, clutching tightly to his bones.

“I used to deny myself this closeness,” Snufkin whispered, just his fingers brushing back and forth across the tops of Moomin’s shoulders. The sensation sent warm shivers down his spine, and it tried to fight against the coldness building in his lower half. “It seems foolish to me now.”

Moomin swallowed, his heart pounding in his head. Half of him warm, half of him cold -- he wasn’t sure which part he should be listening to. So he tried to ignore both of them. “I don’t know if it was f-foolish, it’s just… how it happened?”

Snufkin went silent at that, his fingers stilling again. The waterfall’s strong, rushing sounds filled Moomin’s ears so suddenly that he started to feel dizzy.

“Moomintroll,” Snufkin whispered in that special way again, and Moomin closed his eyes. The more Snufkin talked, the more the cold and the heat surged through Moomin’s body, joining together right at his heart. “At risk of saying something that’s already obvious, I wanted to tell you --”

Moomin let him go and lifted his head, effectively cutting Snufkin off and forcing him to slide off of his lap to avoid being hit by his rather large snout. He didn’t dare look into Snufkin’s eyes right then as he laughed quietly, muttering, “Wait, wait,” more to himself than anything.

This wasn’t happening, right? He never thought something like this would happen. Sure, he’d dreamt about it when he was a child, but he never actually thought it was a possibility. He thought they’d just be very close best friends forever. It was comfortable, and nice, and simple.

Most of all, it was safe. For both their relationship and his own heart.

“Moomintroll?”

Moomin shut his eyes tight, swallowing. He relaxed just a bit when he felt a familiar, gentle hand at his cheek once more.

“Can’t you look at me?”

Moomin clenched his teeth, not quite having it in him to shake his head. He slowly opened one of his eyes, his stomach rolling in guilt when he saw the small frown Snufkin had on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Snufkin whispered, glancing away just for a moment before staring into Moomin’s eyes. Their dying fire was just bright enough to allow Moomin to see the hurt and concern swirling in his hazel irises. “I don’t have to finish if you don’t want me to.”

Moomin felt his heart lurch so painfully in his chest that he found himself clutching Snufkin’s outstretched arm in both of his paws before he could stop himself. “No, I…” He swallowed, blinking a few times until he had both eyes open, trying to be brave as he stared at his dearest friend. “I’m just -- I don’t --” He started to feel frustrated that he didn’t have the words. What was the point in trying to stop him? He already knew what Snufkin wanted to say anyway. “You can continue if you want to.”

Snufkin smiled weakly, understanding with a slight melancholy at the edges. He nodded softly, glancing down now as he completed his earlier thought. “I love you, Moomintroll. With every fiber of my being.”

Moomin’s mouth went dry again, his vision swimming violently until he closed his eyes, letting his head turn the feeling into a dense fuzziness. He knew this wasn’t the way he should be responding. He knew he should be crying tears of joy, or laughing boisterously, or pulling Snufkin into his arms and nuzzling all across his face. That’s what Snufkin would want from him, right? It’s what their entire relationship has been building up to, hasn’t it? It’s what everyone seemed to expect from them, the older they became.

But what if he wasn’t sure he wanted this? What if he didn’t think he could handle it?

What was wrong with the love they already had?

“You don’t have to answer right now,” Snufkin’s tender voice reached his ears, the hand brushing against his cheek grounding him to the current moment. “I didn’t tell you in the hopes that anything would change, either right away or at all. I just wanted to tell you so you knew.”

“Snufkin.” Moomin’s voice cracked three different ways as he said the short name, and he was now aware of the tears streaming across his snout. He sniffled and tried to wipe them away, whispering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry --”

“Please, don’t be.” Snufkin’s arms wrapped around him in a warm hug, and Moomin eagerly held him flush against his chest, resting his snout over Snufkin’s shoulder. “It’s okay, really. Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to.”

A lone sob escaped Moomin’s throat and echoed hollowly throughout the cave. He squeezed Snufkin desperately as he whispered in broken syllables, “I just d-don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” Snufkin promised, his hand rubbing up and down across Moomin’s back to soothe him. “You could never lose me.”

Moomin desperately wanted to believe him, he really, truly did. He squeezed him even tighter for just a few seconds before easing up, knowing Snufkin didn’t like being in tight spaces for too long. “You’re my best friend, Snufkin,” he whispered when he felt able to.

Snufkin squeezed him back, though not as forcefully. “You’re my best friend, Moomintroll.”

Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

[annzybwrites]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Ch. 15: Moomin makes a somewhat risky deal with the Lady of the Seas in the hopes of saving Snufkin.

Summary: Snufkin has a secret: he's part mermaid. Wanting to shy away from unwanted attention as much as possible, he didn't see the point in telling anyone. He preferred dry land to the sea, anyway. But when Moomin begins to fancy his merman altergo, Snettles, he starts spending more and more time in the water, and it isn't long until some troubling mermaid instincts kick in.