Nothing Up My Sleeve (Toby)

[Deleted]

March

Ashley was in a good mood today. Honestly, that wasn't a surprise. This semester of school was one of the best she'd had in a long time, and a lot of that was due to Eli. Being with him made her happy, but everything else in the semester seemed to be going her way as well. As she made her way into the Potions Room, Ashley looked around to see if Toby was there yet or not. She couldn't see him, but she still sat down at her spot, curious to see when he'd get here. Normally he arrived before she did. She pulled out her book and some parchment to take notes on, just in case it was needed, then hummed as she started to doodle on a corner of the parchment. When was the rest of the class going to get here? She glanced on the clock to make sure she was in the right place. Yup, she was. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Today Toby was running late to Potions. Being late was out of character for the Ravenclaw, however, upon getting his first girlfriend, Lusie, his mind had been a little stuck in the clouds on a few things. This afternoon he misjudged how long it would take him to get to the dungeons from her class room. Usually he and Ashley Fontaine would go over their homework and work on other partner assignments before class, so he wasn't necessarily late for class but he was tardy meeting with her. It was in the back of his mind though. 

The Ravenclaw descended the stairs to the dungeons and cracked open the large wooden door and poked his head in. "Hey mate" he greeted, a bit of guilt behind his voice. Toby was very polite, so even being "a little late" to meet his friend admittedly made him feel a little embarrassed. "Sorry I'm late meeting up with you, I was a little distracted and misjudged time." he admitted to her, pulling out his chair and falling into it. The Ravenclaw swiftly unloaded his backpack of neatly constructed notes with perfect scrawl across the parchment and books. 

Taking a breath in, he turned to his friend, "How are you today?" he asked her as he finally got settled. Hoping that the blonde wasn't upset for her being later than usual.

@ashley

[Deleted]

Ashley couldn't help but laugh when Toby greeted her and then went right into apologizing for being late. She shrugged, shaking her head at the apology. "Toby, you're fine. We still have a few minutes, if you want to talk about that." She paused for a second and then smirked. "Orrrr you can tell me why you were distracted. I don't think that's happened to you since I met you," she teased. Ashley couldn't help it. The fact that she considered Toby a good friend made it easier for her to tease him too. She thought he'd react well to it. Hopefully. 

She thought for a second at his question. "I'm really good actually. Glad to be back from the break. Is that too much of a nerdy thing to say?" She already knew Toby was aware of the fact that she liked school. He liked it too though, so if he thought she was a nerd for being happy to be back, then he was definitely one too. Not that it was a competition or anything.

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby chuckled when Ashley sarcastically said they could talk about why he was late more, or he could tell her why he was distracted. That sounded like the same thing to him. The Ravenclaw blushed ever so slightly, still not used to talking publicly about his relationship, but knowing whatever they talked about was safe with Ashley. She had become a great friend over the year, she offered good insight and advice for things, he really enjoyed her company as a friend and Potions partner. There was a time he found her intimidatingly hot but somehow he was able to overcome that obstacle. The corners of his lips curled upwards as his face went hot, "Yeah, it was nothing exciting, I was walking Lusie to class and misjudged the time it would take me to get back here." he laughed awkwardly with a shrug, scratching the back of his neck. Too bad it wasn't something juicy like snogging Lusie in the broom closet and losing track of time that way, though he probably wouldn't admit that to Ash... then again she'd probably be able to tell by the look of his face. "Care to share why you're 'really good'?" he asked her, "I like good news, tell me somethin' good." he demanded more playfully while pulling his books out of his bag and lining up his quill and ink.

@ashley

[Deleted]

Ashley definitely noticed the little blush on Toby's face, but she didn't want to make him feel more self conscious, so she waited to see if he was going to tell her or not. If he decided not to she wouldn't push him for information. She really didn't want to make him feel like he had to tell her things. She laughed when he finally did come out and told her why he was late. "Walking a girl to class? That seems pretty exciting to me," she teased. After all, if Eli were to walk her to class she'd be ecstatic. So she really couldn't judge Toby. "I guess that's a good reason for making me sit here all on my own for five full minutes," she continued to tease. It was nice to feel comfortable enough with Toby that she could talk to him like this. 

She shrugged as he asked his own question about why she was 'really good'. "I ... might have started dating someone over the break," she admitted with a small smile. Okay, so she and Eli might not be officially dating, but they'd kissed! And talked about it. They both liked one another so it felt like a done deal even if they hadn't made that official. "That a good enough reason to be really good?" Honestly, Ashley didn't know why she liked teasing Toby so much, but this was fun. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby snorted with Ash said that walking a girl to class sounded pretty exciting to her. His face took on a light red hue and a crooked smile, knowing she was joking about making her wait again, Toby was just painfully polite and felt bad for making her wait on him. Class didn't even start yet so he was a huge worry wart. "Glad you deem that appropriate. Can't promise it won't happen again.." he stated dryly but meant be be taken playfully. He hoped it wouldn't happen again though.

The Ravenclaws lips curled upwards into a curious smile, eyes narrowing at his friend with eyes for slits, "Might? Or haaave youu?" he drawled slowly in a dorky sing song tone. His smile widened, "Oooh-Who is it, Ash?" he asked quickly, noticing that little smile on her face. Toby loved to hear about his friends affairs when they chose to tell him, maybe even a little gossip here and there if there was tea involved.

@ashley  

[Deleted]

Ashley grinned when Toby snorted, proud of herself for being able to make him laugh. His face did turn a little red at her teasing, but Ashley ignored it, as she normally did with him. Toby could be perfectly normal, as long as you didn't draw attention to it when he was uncomfortable. Ashley shrugged when he said he wasn't sure it wouldn't happen again. "Of course you're not," she teased back. "Now that you have a girlfriend, there's no time for our pre-class discussions," Ash continued, pretending to lament the idea, just to see how he would react to it. 

"I might have," Ashley answered loftily, raising her nose into the air for a second before cracking. "No, I have." A small grin slid onto her face. She thought for a moment, not even sure if Toby would know who she was talking about. "Okay, well his name is Elijah Flemming. He's a seventh year, also from Ilvermorny. Do you know him?" She highly doubted it, but it'd be nice if Toby did. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

"You're so dramatic." he chuckled, knowing she was teasing him again. Toby was finally getting used to Ashley's teasing but it never stopped his face from getting warm. "I like our pre-class discussions and we always get the best seats." he stated with satisfaction, flattening out his parchment so it would be ready to go. Being a good student was all about preparation; Toby always prepared himself for success when it came to academic endeavors.

Toby's face slowly twisted into one of amusement when she shared who she was dating. Honestly, Toby wasn't expecting it to be someone he knew, but he knew the Puff, not entirely well but they were on acquaintance terms. Eli and Toby had a very interesting first encounter with merpeople at the lake he'd never forget about. "Ohh, Eli?" he asked with a laugh, "I know Eli. He's really nice." Toby said with a smile and approving nod, not that his approval even needed. "Wow, I wouldn't have ever expected that, but I imagine you both are good for each other, you're both great people." he said honestly, the sweetness unintentionally oozing out of him. Toby liked to see his friends happy. Ashley seemed genuinely happy so it made him happy.

@ashley

[Deleted]

Ashley grinned when Toby accused her of being dramatic. "Ahh, but that's why you love me, right?" she teased, leaning over and nudging his shoulder with her own. Yes, she noticed his face changing colors, but she wasn't going to say anything about it. With Toby, she rarely did. She just liked to tease him when she could. It was too fun to not do. "Oh? So does this count as one of our 'pre-class discussions'?"

She watched his face closely after telling him who she was dating. Ashley had no idea what to expect. Honestly, there was little likelihood that Toby even knew Eli, but she still told him. Toby was one of the people she trusted. "You do?" her eyes widened when her friend shared that he knew her boyfriend. Then she quirked her head to the side. "No? Why wouldn't you expect me and Eli?" Ashley was sincerely curious to know what Toby thought. She liked Eli. She knew why she liked him, but wondered what Toby saw there, other than the idea that they were both "good people." 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Nodding with a slightly bashful smile, "Yes, this would qualify for a pre-class discussion, only we won't be ahead in our studies today." Toby said in as a matter of fact like tone laced with humor. Sometimes it was fun to talk about nothing. Toby was used to being so articulate about everything he said and done, at times, it was hard to have a simple chat. Ashley made that easy. She fancied gossip and small talk.

Ashley made a face when he shared that he knew Eli. He chuckled, already knowing that Ashley was going to try to make him feel awkward for admitting that he didn't seem like her 'type.' His face went hot out of default, but he chuckled, "Forgive me, but I assumed you would fancy more of the...atheletic type?" Toby said slowly, choosing his words carefully, though he knew Ashley wasn't easy to offend. He ended with an awkward laugh, raising a hand to scratch the nape of his neck.


@ashley

[Deleted]

Ashley rolled her eyes at Toby's logic. He was right, of course. He just hadn't gotten embarrassed, which was kind of the point of her teasing. Still, it was fun to talk with him, which was one of the reasons she enjoyed sitting with him. He didn't always react the way she expected him to. It was refreshing, and really nice to have someone as a real friend. Someone that she didn't think would go behind her back and make snarky comments to other people. See, this was why she needed more friends like Toby and Eli. Ashley wanted to have friends she could trust. "Oh, I suppose you're right," she teased in her "best" British accent. He would know she was teasing, but that was kind of the point. 

She shrugged at his assumption, feeling a very slight tinge of red creep onto her cheeks. "I prefer ... the type that sees me for who I am instead of just arm candy?" she answered, a tiny bit embarrassed. "And the kind that actually cares how I feel about things and tries to make me happy." Really, she just preferred Eli. He was the first person outside of her family that truly tried to get to know Ashley for who she really was and she cared about him for that. 

tobias charles watkins