Come Back To Me (Toby)

[Deleted]

January 6, 2025

Kinsey was more nervous than she cared to show. Everyone was coming back to school today, including Toby. She'd thought of him repeatedly over the break, played through their last conversation over and over. She was an idiot. She knew he liked Anastasia. She knew he wouldn't want to hear bad things about the girl. Why was Kinsey being so pushy? She knew why ... it was because she cared about Toby. She didn't want him to get hurt by someone who didn't care about him. She hadn't expected what happened to their friendship though. 

She couldn't remember a time when she'd gone so long without talking to her best friend. Even during Summer Holiday and any other time they weren't in school, the pair always wrote one another. Until this time and she knew that she was to blame. Which meant it was up to her to try and make it right. 

So here she sat, on the couch in the Ravenclaw Common Room, petting Shadow as she anxiously waited for Toby to come in. She had no idea what she was going to say. Everything she thought of sounded lame and insincere, but she couldn't stand the silence anymore. If he would forgive her, she wanted him back. 

The door opened and Kinsey glanced up, rising to her feet when she saw her best friend. Well, her former best friend. "Toby," she said softly, confident that he would here her. She opened her mouth to ask him to join her, but the words wouldn't come. Her throat was tight and she couldn't speak. So she waited to see what he would do first. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

January 6th, 2025

School starting back up after holiday was always a bittersweet time for Tobias Watkins. Getting away from the castle and school work was a nice getaway from his normal routine. The Ravenclaw enjoyed spending the days resting his mind, reading whatever his heart desired, playing piano, and doing nothing all day with his family if that was what he pleased. But after about a week away, he was always ready to go back. Only, he was dreading one thing returning to the castle this New Year. He and Kinsey hadn't made up from their stupid fight since before Christmas. Toby had been thinking about it long, day and night since the night that it happened. The ordeal was eating him up inside out. He missed his best friend more than anything. Toby couldn't blame her if she hated him now, he just wanted to make up and settle their differences, he was just horrible at confrontation. It gave him crippling anxiety. 

Toby had made his way into the Ravenclaw Common Room after his last class of the first day back. He was planning on grabbing his tarot cards and meeting up with Lusie, but as he entered the large, airy, circular room... heading for the direction of the boys dormitories, he heard his name from across the room. At first, he was planning on just walking straight ahead and beelining for the desired direction, but the voice calling out was none other than Kinsey.

The gangly sixth year stopped in his tracks, cocking his head to look in her direction out of slight surprise, "Kinsey." he greeted, swallowing as his mouth went suddenly dry. His feet were frozen to the ground suddenly as his jaw clenched, "What's up?" he asked, feigning confidence, and failing horribly. He wasn't sure what to say.

@kinsey  

[Deleted]

He didn't want to talk to her. The way Toby entered the room, walking straight toward the boy's dormitory without even looking around was evidence of this. There was no other reason he'd do that, unless he was trying to make sure he didn't have to deal with Kinsey, which made her feel like crap. He didn't want this, but she'd said his name before she could talk to herself, feeling giddy and terrified at the sight of her former-best friend. 

Toby froze when he heard her voice, turning just a little bit to look at her as he greeted her. She looked at him for a moment, then suddenly couldn't meet his eyes. He asked what was up and she shrugged, feeling like a complete idiot. He probably didn't want to have to talk to her and she didn't want to force him into anything, but she missed him. "Wanna join me?" She glanced up for half a second before hastily continuing, "I mean, you don't have to. You-you're probably busy or something, I just- uh nevermind." She couldn't do this. Not now. Not with Toby. She missed him too much. Kinsey turned away, trying to mentally force herself to keep her composure, just until she was alone again. He'd probably just walk away now, go back to whatever he'd been doing before. It was fine.

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

January 6th, 2025

Toby wasn't prepared for this encounter. Sure, he had thought of a million ways he'd apologize to Kinsey when he had the chance to talk to her, but he wasn't expecting to see her face to face so unexpectedly. Especially when he was just running up to the tower real quick to grab a few things. A part of him was really cursing himself in the inside for not just 'Accio'ing the items like any other young wizard would, but deeper part, was relieved. It was time to bite the bullet and face the problem head on. Toby could tell that Kinsey was struggling just as much as he was; the awkward invitation to sit down, and her revoking the invitation out of what he was assuming anxiety toward their situation. Merlin, Toby hated this. He wished things would just go back to normal. He'd do anything.

Swallowing, Toby tittered on the balls of his feet for a second. Suddenly, he was unsure what to do with his hands. He laughed nervously, taking her invitation and stepping away from the staircase leading to the boys dormitories. "No, I'm not busy..." he had the thought of Lusie waiting for him in the Library lingering at the back of his mind, but he knew she'd understand when he explained what happened. Toby slowly took a seat, his heart sinking down to his stomach with him. He couldn't remember a time he had been so nervous to talk to his best friend, "We need to talk." Toby insisted awkwardly with a nod.

Kinsey Page Bainbridge

[Deleted]

Toby didn't want to be here with her. Kinsey could tell, just by looking at him. For once, it had nothing to do with her gift. She knew Toby wanted to be somewhere else because she knew him. The fact that he didn't want to talk to him, the way he looked back to the staircase almost longingly made her wish she could just disappear. She wanted to hide from him, to never bother him again.

Even when he stepped closer to her, sitting down on the couch beside her as he said that he wasn't busy, Kinsey knew he didn't want to be here. And she felt bad for forcing him to be. She wouldn't again, and she wouldn't keep here long. She didn't want to burden him any more than she already had. She just had to get one thing out and then she'd leave him alone. She glanced up when Toby spoke again, saying they needed to talk. 

The words came out quickly, falling from her lips before she had the chance to try and make them cohesive, before she could say them the way she'd practiced. She didn't even get a full sentence out before the tears started to fall. She couldn't handle this. Not after everything else that had happened during the last year. This would be the last straw. "I'm sorry, so sorry for everything I said and for hurting you. I never wanted to, you're the most, the best- you deserve better, so much better. I never should have said anything about Anastasia. It's not my business and I swear I won't do it again. Please, forgive me." Kinsey looked away, feeling like a complete idiot. He probably didn't want to hear any of that, which was why she didn't ask him to be her friend again. She couldn't take another rejection. She should just walk away now, but she was so shaky she wasn't sure she could. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Tobias could tell that Kinsey was uncomfortable. It made him uncomfortable to know that they could be like this. The fact that he knew that she could read him like a book made him a little self conscious, but he’d hate for her to sense that. He was worried about that until she was hearing the words spilling from her lips.

She was apologizing... Which was more of a hit to the gut that Toby had imagined. He didn’t want Kinsey to feel like everything was all her fault, because it wasn’t. He was relieved that they could slowly coming to amends and talking about their problem. Kinsey Bainbridge was not only one of Toby’s first friends at Hogwarts, she had always been his nearest and dearest. Something he was trying to work on, because he didn’t want to be considered a clingy friend.

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes from her apology, but he’d hold them back for as long as he possibly could. Toby was afraid of his peers seeing him cry; he feared looking weak. He was quiet for a second after she was finished talking, already shaking his head back and forth, ”No, Kinsey. You don’t have to apologize, it’s not only you. I’m so sorry.” he told her, his voice threatening to crack. Toby moved over to the sofa that she was sitting on and he pulled her into a hug, unable to express his yearning for her friendship in that moment other than the physical gesture. Toby squeezed her and continued his apology with her in his arms. ”I was a horrible friend..I refused to try to look at it from your perspective because it wasn’t really what I wanted to hear at the time, but I don’t want you to have to hold back those things from me because you’re my best friend. I was just frustrated and being stupid and I’m so sorry for not just hearing you out when you were trying to help.” he finished with an increased heart rate and he felt his eyes welling up.

@kinsey

[Deleted]

Kinsey couldn't look at Toby. Despite the fact that he was her best friend in the whole world, or he used to be, she didn't want to see his expression right now. She didn't want to see the annoyance or whatever else that would be written all over his face. He didn't say anything for a bit and she was telling herself to get up and leave when he did speak, telling her not to apologize? Kinsey turned to face him, her eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed. He was apologizing? She stared for a moment, hardly believing what was happening. Wasn't he still furious with her. 

The next thing she knew, Toby was beside her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. In an instant, she sensed his sincerity and she fell against him, hugging him back tightly. Toby wasn't angry with her anymore. The knowledge was the best she could have imagined. She shook her head when he said he was a horrible friend, but she didn't say anything yet. She'd let him get it out. She hugged him tighter as his apology continued, pulling back just a little bit after he finished speaking. 

She looked up to meet Toby's eyes, offering a hesitant smile. "Maybe it was both of our faults, a bit," she said in a soft voice. She hesitated a second, then added, "I missed you." Those three words didn't actually express her feelings adequately, but they were the only things that would come close. She missed talking to him, writing him, knowing that things were good between them. She missed his friendship, even though he'd been miles and miles away. But ... if he was apologizing too, that meant he wanted to still be friends, didn't it? They could actually fix everything?

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

A rush of relief was slowly coming over Toby. This had been bothering him for what felt like a lifetime, he was getting used to the gloomy little rain cloud over his life. Holding Kinsey in his arms at that moment was extremely comforting, he was just so glad that she had forgiven him. All he wanted to do was forget about everything and make things go back to normal. He'd stop talking to Anastasia... He'd do anything. Tobias Watkins wanted his best friend back. 

A small chuckle slipped past his lips when she said that maybe it was a little bit of both of their faults. He nodded his head. Since he didn't want to fight anymore, he was willing to agree to that, even though he did feel like it was his fault for being stubborn about defending Anastasia; the mean girl who hadn't done squat for him. "I don't care anymore, all I want is to know that we're good." he told her honestly, looking her in the eye. When she said that she missed him, he could feel his stomach sinking again. He wanted Kinsey to know how bad he felt, so he hugged her again, allowing her to feel the intentions. He'd never forgive himself for allowing their disagreement to last so long. "I missed you so much, Kinsey. I can't believe it dragged out for so long. I won't let it happen again." he told her earnestly, trying not to allow himself to get too emotional but he had been holding it in for so long he was just relieved things were starting to go back to normal.

@kinsey

[Deleted]

Kinsey could feel Toby's chuckle, as well as when he nodded his head. It felt so nice to actually be talking with him again, to be hugging him like they'd done so many times over the years. He was her best friend and she missed him. She wanted him back, more than almost anything. She nodded too when he looked down at her. "We're good. I mean, on my side we're good. I can't avoid you Toby. You're my best friend." He knew how much that meant to her, having him around. He hugged her again, tighter and Kinsey returned it. She started to tremble a little when he said how much  he missed her, expressing that he never wanted to go through this again. "Me neither. I don't think I could stand it." Kinsey said, squeezing him for a second before sitting up and facing him. "So ... we're good? No bad feelings between us at all?" she asked, holding her hand out to shake, like this was a deal. She just wanted things to be normal. Then they could lighten the mood and just talk, let things be right again before they had to go to bed for the night. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby couldn't believe how much of a weight had been lifted off of him once he and Kinsey started talking things out. It seemed like she never wanted their fight to escalate and drag out for as long as it had. Toby couldn't remember a time they ever really found about anything other than minor disagreements about petty things that they'd usually brush off anyways with a laugh or change of the subject. 

When Kinsey looked up at him and told him that there were no harsh feelings on her side, he felt more reassurance, "No bad feelings at all, I promise. We're good." Toby told her, bobbing his head up and down in agreement, unable to hide the smile from his face now. He couldn't believe that they were talking again! Today had turned around to be better than he anticipated. He had his best friend back.


Toby smushed her again with a hug, unable to hide his happiness to have her back. "I missed you, Kinsey. Would you like to tag along to the Library? Lusie and I were working on homework." he told her, hoping that she'd come. 

@kinsey
[we can end this now for new stuff!]

[Deleted]

Kinsey was more relieved than she could express. Things were finally better with her and Toby and she had her best friend back. She felt a little giddy at that fact, as he told her that he didn't have any bad feelings. She smiled back at him, glad that they were both better now. She could tell that their conversation had lifted a weight off of her friend. 

She chuckled when Toby crushed her in a hug, hugging him back with a small laugh and nodding when he said he missed her. She nodded, "Yeah, I'll come with you, as long as you don't mind. You don't think she'll mind me being there?" She hadn't heard of Toby spending a lot of time with Lusie ... weren't they just partners in one class? Or had they done homework together for a while? Either way, she waited in the common room while Toby grabbed his book and then they went to the library together, Kinsey feeling more like herself than she had in a while. 

--- the end ---

tobias charles watkins