𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐜𝐢 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐭

Stinging Skin and Strangulation

Y/N is furious as she stomps towards Toby. It's just past midnight and they had agreed to meet up, having not seen each other in a few days. She almost called it off but she has a few words for him. Usually when they link up, they'll just talk for a few hours. Sometimes kiss if the mood is right but it usually isn't. It's still a little awkward but it's sweet nevertheless. Their time spent together takes the edge off Y/N, a refreshing change for her as she usually turns to drugs to calm her nerves. Especially after work.

Speaking of work, Y/N is starting to crack under the immense pressure. She's completely used up all of her vacation and sick days, however most days, she still can't find it in herself to make it to the hospital.

Toby notices the anger on Y/N's face; her brows are furrowed and her lips hold an ugly frown. Why would she do that with her face, he sighs to himself, she's too pretty to do anything but smile. He looses himself in her approaching figure, a vicious smack across the face brings him back to reality. Toby knows that was would've stung like a bitch if he could feel it. She let out all her pent up aggression in that slap.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Toby cups his cheek in defence, face reading utter shock. Y/N crosses her arms over her chest, taking a step back, expression turning to stone.

"You're the one with the problem, Toby. Do you want to explain to me why you tried to kill Jeff?" How did she know that, Toby wonders. He can only assume Jeff went to her house after the attack and that makes him enraged, his plan's execution totally backfired. Instead of getting Jeff out of his way, he just pushed him right into Y/N's arms.

"Maybe because he almost killed you!"

"I'm not even surprised that you somehow know about that, stalker. By the way, I'd like my panties back." She rolls her eyes, watching his cheeks flush deep red; almost as red as the underwear in question, "Jealousy got the best of you and you tried to kill him, huh? Even after he did you a huge favour years ago!"

"What favour?"

"Oh that's right, you can't remember!"

"You can't get upset with me because of my amnesia." Y/N is frustrated. They've talked about this before and both agreed to just start fresh. As much as it crushed Y/N, she settled to see Toby at peace. She could tell it made him feel guilty that he had forgotten her. She thought she could tolerate his amnesia but it's eating her alive. It's nearly impossible for her to accept that he's forgotten almost a decade of experiences shared through their companionship. "You're just mad because I don't remember that little relationship we were supposedly in when we were teenagers, if you can even call it that."

Ouch, that one cut a little too deep. He's not wrong; they were never in an established relationship but anyone who saw them could swear to you up and down that the two were very much into one another. Hell, call it love. Neither Y/N or Toby like that romantic shit but they were each other's sanctuary. Toby was the only thing that held Y/N together for a long time when she was a teen and even when they parted ways, the memory of him kept her going. And Toby practically lived for Y/N. He had nothing without her. When they reunified at the psychiatric hospital— misunderstandings settled and put aside—they rejoiced together, missing each other unbearably so. Each time he held her, she felt as though she existed for love.

Y/N doesn't even comment on his remark about their entanglement years ago.

"Don't you ever wonder why you have no memory of anything? Could it be what he arranged?"

"You've let Jeff get into your head. You're going to believe him over me—?"

"Yes because he's not the one enslaved to some beast in the forest. He has a sense of individual consciousness unlike you!"

"You're a Goddamn kill joy, Y/N." Toby groans, massaging his temples. He finds peace in her presence except she's not being herself today. Maybe it's the pills she's always on, devouring them like candy, but she's usually mellowed out and has a relaxing aura around her. This nagging bitch attitude came out of nowhere and Toby doesn't appreciate it.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Y/N scoffs, offended. She thinks he's referring to the fact they're arguing and not making out right now.

"You seriously drain the life out of me. I look at you and all I see is misery." Toby has thought about this a lot recently. He's currently suffering from Manic Depression as result of his Bipolar Disorder and isn't enjoying her misery bleeding into his, like two opposite colours mixing to create an ugly blend. He pauses, "Christ, you make me wanna put a gun in my mouth."

Y/N laughs bitterly at this, tears stinging her eyes, "If only you knew." She begins walking backwards away from him, eyes locked, stupefied that he'd even say something like that to her. She just wants to get away from this asshole now.

"Y/N, I didn't mean that—" Toby steps closer to her, grabbing her wrist gently.

"You wouldn't have said it so easily if it wasn't true, right?" Smiling through sparkling eyes, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Get your hands off me, you fucking liar."

"No, you have to talk to me."

"I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to listen to you spew your bullshit about Slenderman anymore. You're not Toby Rogers; the man you used to be, the man I loved," Toby's personality has altered so much during his time as a proxy and that's not surprising; it happens to them all. They're being reprogrammed after all. "You're brainwashed! You're pure evil just like—"

Toby's arm reaches towards the woman before he can even process his actions, his hand tightly gripping her throat, constricting like a viper. She feels the pressure on her trachea and the sides of her neck, cutting off both her air supply and the blood flow to her brain.

"Running this pretty mouth of yours will get you killed one day, you know that?" His deadly grip tightens while he struggles to resists all urges to crush her windpipe, everything inside his head screaming at him to do it. To end her bittersweet existence. Finally, he releases her throat, fingers quickly moving to grab the lower half of her face and squeezing. Toby's expression is furious with a hint of mild disgust; he can't believe she would say something like that in reference to the Slenderman. A slave shall always defend its owner. He shoves her away and she stumbles back, regaining her posture a second later.

Y/N touches her neck, surely a bruise will be forming there. She can't stand to be near him any longer, now fearing for her own safety. Without hesitation, she turns to leave. The pain felt like a kiss and that's when she knew Toby is no longer the one. She would love him until her death and if she is to die by his strike, she would not complain. Like a moth to a flame, she knows she'll always stay by his side; even when the fire burns a little too hot and scorches her. Her love for him is going to kill her.

Y/N trudges down the path through the trees and finally reaches a lone stretch of road, she starts walking on the pavement. Her footsteps echo a second late behind her, resonating through the buildings surrounding the area. Y/N thinks this is her fault; if she didn't blow up like that, maybe things would've been okay. They were slowly but surely falling again, and she ruined that. For the greater good, she supposes.

She feels a presence accompanied by resounding thudding steps in tandem with hers. It begins to frighten Y/N until she snaps, turning around to tell off whoever is bothering her, and she had a feeling as to who it was. She's had a rough night and can't deal with anymore from him.

"Toby, get lost! I don't want—"

It wasn't Toby. It was Slenderman, about 20 feet behind her. He must've tricked her with the footsteps, his end goal was to disturb her. She's all alone, standing before this lanky being. She finally gets a good look at the creature up close. He's what nightmares are made off. She lets out a shriek and turns on her heels, booking it out of there. She swears she could still feel his empty-eyed stare the entire time as she raced home. No eyes, but always watching.

Once she gets in, she locks each door in the house, checking to ensure her windows are bolted shut and the curtains are drawn. When she's more confident about her home security, she collapses on her bed and begins to weep.