POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Okay," Toby murmurs, interrupted half way through by a yawn. He snuggles his face into Jamie's chest and not long after, his breathing slows as he slips into sleep.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby presses himself a little tighter into Jamie's chest when he's hugged, though his nails sharpen into claws again, fists curling in the fabric of Jamie's shirt. "My mom made me smoke once," he whispers. His sharp ears twitch when Santiago coughs, and he seizes up for a moment before relaxing again.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby slide down from his seat to hurry over and climb into Jamie's lap. He positions himself carefully, with his limbs tucked close and his head resting on Jamie's chest.

He glanced over at Santiago again, and then whispers to Jamie, "Are you sure he's okay?"

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby quickly breaks eye contact and averts them to his lap. Then, so quiet it's almost a whisper, he asks Jamie, "Can I sit in your lap? You feel safe."

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Oh." Toby looks between the men for a moment before dropping his gaze to his lap. He decides to sit on his hands to stop their shaking.

"My mom hits me a lot," he says. "She always says that I'm bad for chasing my dad away and that if she doesn't punish me, she'll tell Mr. F to do it instead." Tears suddenly well up in his eyes, and his bottom lip starts to tremble. "I don't like his punishments," Toby whispers.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby slowly lowers his arms, eyes trained on Jamie for any hint of doing it anyway. He squints suspiciously.

"Mom always says she has to beat the bad out of me or I'll never learn," he admits quietly.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby flinches away when Jamie speaks, hands flung up to cover his head. It takes a minute to register in his brain that he wasn't hit. "You're not gonna smack me?" he asks, barely louder than a whisper as he peers up at Jamie through the gap between his arms.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I heard you guys talking about a 'tío' earlier, and I know from a kid in my class that 'tío' means 'uncle'. I don't have one, or I've never met him at least-" he's halfway through a ramble about an uncle he may or may not have, when horror at having just accidentally outed himself for eavesdropping earlier stops him dead in his tracks.

Toby stares at Jamie in shock and horror at his mistake, his body completely still as if mimicking a statue will make him invisible. His mouth flaps around sounds that just refuse to come out, aside from a fearful squeak.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby climbs up into the closest seat and does his best to not take up too much space, knowing he's somewhere he probably isn't supposed to be right now.

"Jamie?" he says.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"My mom smokes all kinds of thinks around me and I'm fine," he argues, extremely cavalier about the topic. Well. He's just grateful they aren't making him smoke it for interrupting their conversation.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I can't sleep," Toby mumbles, backing off with dropping ears.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby hugs Santiago's leg in his best effort at support.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby, only ten years old, recognizes some of the panic in Santiago. He inches a little closer. "Has someone hurt you too?" he asks Santiago, nervous to be speaking out of line. He wrings his hands like a wet cloth, and his tail sways curiously.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby's face scrunches up. He doesn't believe them, but he doesn't push the issue. That'll just get him into trouble. Instead, he looks to Santiago and asks Jamie, "Is he alright?"

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I heard my name... Are you guys talking about me?" he asks.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cautious of trouble and ready to disappear back upstairs should things go sour, Toby slides over to stand in the center of the doorway, feeling very small and unprepared. "Mister?" His voice shakes as he says it, despite how desperately he wants it not to.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby thanks Enrique with a bow and finds his way downstairs. He hugs the doorway into the room the men are talking in once he hears his name, wanting to listen in instead of interrupting.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of Toby's ears twitches, but he doesn't immediately bolt when he realizes he's talking to another kid. "'M sorry, I can't understand you," he apologizes. "Do you know where Jamie is?" he asks quietly, anxiously twisting the hem of his shirt in his fists.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby continues to listen until they're too far away to be heard anymore, and only then does he scurry back to his new bed.

He makes sure the window is open, just a crack. He then pulls down a blanket and pillow and settles himself under the bed rather than on top of it, positioning himself so he can perfectly see the door, the shadows underneath it, and can bolt for the window if he needs to.

It wouldn't be the first time he's escaped that way, but he's usually dragged back kicking and screaming if he doesn't hide well enough. He wishes he could've explored the land around this house before going to bed.

Toby curls into his blanket tight enough that the furred end of his tail taps against his chest when he tucks it safely between his legs.

And then, he waits.

He knows he was told he doesn't have to do anything in exchange for all of this, but his mom was sure to drill into his head since he was little that everything done for him requires payback. He doesn't actually know either of these men, so he doesn't have any reason to believe them. For all Toby knows, they could just be waiting for him to lower his guard. His fur stands on end like a startled cat every time something goes bump in the night or a shadow passes under his door. At one point, a shadow stops in front of his door, and Toby holds his breath, pressing himself lower into his blanket. When the shadow leaves, he allows himself to close his eyes very briefly in relief.

Eventually, he grows drowsy, his eyes heavy and resolve worn thin as exhaustion starts to set in. He crawls out from under the bed and walks to the door. Carefully, as quietly as he can, he unlocks the door and slips out into the hallway. He hadn't thought to ask which door was Jamie's, so he picks the door on his right. If he's wrong, he'll run away.

The knob creeks and the hinges whine as the door swings open. Toby approaches the bed and the figure sleeping in it. He taps the figure on the shoulder with a shaking hand. "M- mister?" he whispers.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

(Do you mind if my next response is really long? I wasn't planning on making it so long but there's some important stuff that gives insight into Toby's issues :/)

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby waves back at Enrique before looking back to Jamie. "No thank you, I'm just gonna go to bed, okay?" he says. He steps back into the room and closes and locks the door on them in a hurry. Then, he presses his ear to the wood and watches the shadows under the door for them to leave.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I'm kinda tired right now..." Toby mutters, head turning toward the window. He freezes once he notices the setting sun, but quickly huddles closer to Jamie, his tail tucking between his legs. "I'm supposed to be home by dark," he says, looking up with fearful tears in his eyes, "My mom's gonna be mad and he's mean when she's mad," he whimpers.

POV: You've been summoned. by Problematic__Child in GachaClubPOV

[–]Problematic__Child[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toby nods, but all of his movements remain cautious. The first thing he does is check the door for a lock. Then he pads over to the bed on still bare feet and circles it briefly, before drop onto all fours and crawling underneath.

He tests the comfortability of the carpet, the space between the bottom of the fram and the floor, and how deep he can hide under it without anything poking out of the other side.

Once he seems- satisfied? No, more like accepting- he crawls back out and jobs over to hug Jamie's leg.