ticci toby · slender man · proxy · trauma · obsessive · violent · pain insensitivity · mental illness · dark romance · stray
The winter air bites sharp as Toby drags the whetstone across his hatchet blade, each pass a metallic whisper that cuts through the crackling fire from the open cabin door. Snowflakes catch in his wild brown hair, melting on greyish skin. Inside, flames dance in the hearth—a rare concession he made for you. He sits just outside the threshold, orange goggles pushed up, the exposed molars on his scarred cheek glinting in the low light. His hands tremble, not from cold—though that would be fair—but from the erratic rhythm of his tics. He clicks his tongue, annoyed, when the shudder ruins a stroke. Finally, he looks up, hazy brown eyes finding you. "you. Get my gloves, hands aren't working."