What a night to be alive (May)

The night was  clear, no clouds in sight. The stars twinkled from lightyears away. The small clearing in the trees formed a small circle around a slightly large boulder. The moonlight and starlight combined bathed the boulder in a silver glow, turning the grey color of the rock luminescent. The grass surrounding it was obviously new, the terrain recovering from a very chilly winter. It was a very peaceful scene, very movie-like.

As if the cliche of the visual had to worsen, the picture was interrupted by a cloaked figure. Black-dressed and bustling, the figure drew nearer to the rock, cloak flapping behind it. As it reached the rock it turned slightly to the left, slightly to the right and then deemed that nobody was in the vicinity. Then, it bent over the rock and set down a medium cauldron. It rested upon the rock with a small clang. The figure still did not remove the hood which was drawn up over his head, covering his face in a mask of complete darkness. Suddenly there was a flash of silver light as something reflected the moon into the empty woods. A knife was drawn.

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Toby awoke in a small sweat. He had faint memory of how he ended up where he was, but he found himself on the floor of his cabin. His last memory was of the leaves rustling in a petite breeze. He peeled himself off the floor and stood. He found that his knees were wobbly, feeling very weak. And he had a pounding headache. He closed his eyes and stood there, rubbing his temples for a moment or two. He staggered over to his bedside table and grabbed his wand and tucked it away.

Although the sunlight was killing him, Toby made his way to the mess hall. The chattering voices of the people were like pile drivers in his ears. He searched quickly for some coffee. He felt as hungover as the time that he had had those beers in downtown New York City. Shaking his head, he continued down the lines of tables until he found a small cup. He grabbed it and breathed the word "coffee" into it. Just as his lips released those words, the cup filled almost to the brim with a steaming hot brown liquid, exactly to his preference. Not caring of temperature, he began to gulp it down.

After drinking the beverage and gaining some energy, he stood up. He was no longer weak, but still felt slightly used and worn. Whatever he had done the night before must have taken energy from him. He squinted and began to walk out of the hall, but as he pulled the door open, someone else came barging through it in the opposite direction, and Toby piled into the person like he had run into a wall.

When Toby first bumped into the person, he didn't give it much thought other than how he didn't want to be delayed on his way to his cabin. To him, it was just another impediment and he wanted to leave. Especially today. But, Toby was not a rude man. He knew he must apologize and make right what he had done wrong. And so, sighing, Toby brushed his hair from his face (he did not feel in the mood to style it up that day), and he looked at who he had bumped into. Upon seeing the boy, however, his response changed.

His heart did the typical beat-skipping as it does when one sees an unexpected surprise. His eyes dilated, and he suddenly felt a mix of emotions flood into him. Whether they were good or bad, he was not sure. He knew that he was very sorry for knocking his boyfriend on his ass. He also knew that he was angry. Angry because after a night of love, Toby did not see Finnegan for a long while, perhaps weeks. Finnegan didn't have the best sense of time, very self-absorbed and in his own world. Still, it wasn't any excuse to forget his boyfriend. Toby was also scared. This was one emotion for which he had no reason. All he knew was that he was frightened, as if he had something and he did not want Finnegan to know of it or take it from him. But, he did not know what.

"Oh, hello," Toby responded, all too quickly. He stepped to Finnegan's side and took a hold of his arm, pulling the rather thin boy to stand. Toby's own muscles were definitely more voluminous than his friend's, but he still thought Finnegan's own body was perfect. "Sorry about that." For a second time, Toby sighed. "Well, I'm good, I suppose..." He paused for a moment, looking at some campers going about their business across the yard. He broke his gaze from them to look down at his dirt-ridden shoes. "You might know how I am doing if you would bother to check in on me," he muttered. He turned his head to the side, halfway turning away from the boy.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see Finnegan, but it was that he was. To see Finnegan shouldn't be this big thing, it should be normal for them to see each other. But, because it was a rarity for them to see each other, Toby often got excited whenever the got a chance. And it shouldn't be that way, to him.

Toby did not turn to look at Finnegan right away, but he could see out of the corner of his eye a flash of white teeth exposed in a smile. Why was he smiling? Did he think it was funny that they never saw each other? Was it just some sort of thing to show up for a day and then disappear for weeks? Toby didn't think it very funny. In fact, his face lit up a bit red, and he clenched his square jaw. Plus, as if to invigorate Toby further, Finnegan said he was busy. Busy. What a typical excuse for everyone to use. If it was true, then he could have dropped by to tell him that he wouldn't be available for a few weeks, rather than just disappearing. Further, if he was lying, which Toby suspected, then that just goes to show how much Toby seems to be worth to Finnegan.

"What's wrong?" Toby repeated Finnegan's question back at him. "What's wrong?" he raised his voice, as if he was getting agitated. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his face growing hotter. He opened his eyes and turned to Finnegan, opening his mouth to speak, but got cut off when he saw Finnegan smiling again. It caught Toby off guard, seeing the goofy and charming smile before him. He was even more shocked when he heard Finnegan speak.

As he listened to the words Finnegan spoke, Toby's face became less and less red and reverted back to its usual pale visage. He wanted to spend time with him? He couldn't really believe the audacity of this boy, but he still found it great. His emotions began to lift off his shoulders, and there was an obvious change in the boy's overall air. He scrunched his eyebrows together, focusing on Finnegan as he spoke, but the corners of his mouth twitched skyward. At Finnegan's last line, Toby felt a quiver in his heart, and when Finnegan's warm hands found Toby's ice-cold ones, it sent a wave through Toby's body.

There was just one problem. Toby was exhausted. If he spent a whole day in New York City, it would probably kill him. The people, the noise... It all made Toby's stomach do an uncomfortable turn. And yet, Toby felt that he was willing to sacrifice his physical well-being to aid his emotional well-being by spending time with Finnegan. He would just have to pretend like he wasn't feeling bad. Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let it show. He sighed for the third and hopefully final time. He looked from their intertwined hands to Finnegan's eyes. "Alright. Let's go," he agreed, nodding slightly.

Toby looked at Finnegan. He seemed a bit put-out. It was probably because Toby had gotten mad, which was understandable. It filled Toby with a sense of regret. He didn't want to make the boy unhappy, no matter what. Toby shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He didn't really know what to say, but he didn't want to cancel their plans. His fingers moved slowly over Finnegan's dry hand that was holding his.

When Toby heard Finnegan say he was a terrible boyfriend, there was a pang in his heart. "No, don't say that," Toby responded, very quickly. "No. You're not. Don't let me make you think you are," he said, sternly. Gods, he hated himself now. This day was not starting out well, and he couldn't handle it. He felt so bad. But he wasn't going to cry, not again. There was too much crying.

"Let's go to the city, like you suggested," said Toby. He listened to Finnegan's next words, then looked around. It was true. There were campers scattered here and there either looking at them and giggling or looking at them with an expression of disgust. Instinctively, Toby dropped Finnegan's hand. He hated being the center of attention so much, and this probably wasn't helping. If by letting go of Finnegan's hand it hurt his feelings, then Toby didn't even realize.

The son of Hecate drew in a breath. "Get a cab, and I'll meet you on the hill in a little while. I'm not, uh, dressed," he explained. He moved about an inch forward to kiss Finn's cheek, but paused. He looked around again at all the faces turned towards the couple. Then he quickly brushed past Finn and began towards his cabin as quickly as his aching legs could take him.

There was so much regret and sadness in him that when he arrived to his cabin, he darted to the restroom and vomited. He wiped his face and rinsed his mouth with mouthwash and then brushed his teeth. He went to his room and quickly changed into a long-sleeved shirt. He felt way too exposed without it. The whole time he was fixing himself up, he was thinking over their conversation. He felt so bad for making Finnegan feel bad, but even worse because he was a hypocrite. He was lying to Finnegan about many things. Well, he wasn't really lying, but withholding the truth. He didn't want to go out with Finnegan that day because he was exhausted from what he had been doing the previous night. Furthermore, Toby was on the verge of telling Finnegan to just not bother seeing him at all anymore.

Toby stared at himself in the full-body mirror which was propped up stiffly in the corner of his room. Although the dim light made it hard to see, Toby could see all of his flaws perfectly in it. People thought his jaw was strange, the way it seemed pushed forward. His height compared to his body mass was odd and disproportionate. His hunched shoulders, his tiny eyes. The way his faced looked pushed down his forehead. Even though in reality he was quite attractive, he only saw these extremely nit-picky things about him, and due to his mental illness he blew them out of proportion.

Finally he tore his eyes from the mirror. He shuffled over to his bed and sat down. He leaned over and began to tie on his shoes. They were his typical all-black vans, paired with his black jeans. He wore a long-sleeved grey shirt which had a v-neck cut. Once he finished tying his shoes he grabbed a pair of sunglasses and stuck them on, wanting to hide his muddy-brown eyes. Plus, it would help cover up the beaming hellish ball of fire that people called the sun.

Once finished with his attire, he stood and made his way out of his cabin. As soon as he stepped out of the dark and into the light, he could feel the beams trying to push through his sunglasses. He ignored it the best he could and began across the freshly-grown grass. His sight was set on Half-Blood Hill where Finnegan was likely waiting for him already. Suddenly, his line of vision was blocked and the sun's rays no longer focused on Toby when someone tall transected his path. Toby's eyes only reached about the boy's chest, and as he lifted them he withdrew a couple steps, also taking the sunglasses from his nose.

"Quit it," the boy said. The voice was child-like, but gruff as if worn by constant shouting. Toby recognized it almost instantly. It was one of Finnegan's half-brothers, the one who despised Toby and often used very degrading words to describe him. "Quit. it."

"Quit what?" Toby snapped back. He lost all patience for this guy a long time ago.

"Quit gaying up my sibling. I mean it. Back off. You need to either stop doing what you are doing, or stop breathing."

Toby irritably made a very rude gesture concerning a particular finger, and then began to stomp away. Only when he was three steps away did the back of his collar stretch backwards and Toby was yanked by his neck.

---


Toby reached the top of Halfblood hill, standing at the boundary separating his world from the other. His pants were splotched with dirt, but since they were black it wasn't immediately noticeable. Also, his ribs ached and his breath was in short gasps. Under his shirt the next day there would likely be many purple splotches.

Toby began to descend the hill, catching site of the cab. His pace hastened, knowing he was already late. He finally came upon the car and yanked open the door. He slid into the seat beside Finnegan, but whenever he saw the boy his mind only flashed back to the incident in camp. The words still rang. Stop gaying him. What an odd verb to use, but it was still effective. Toby was severely rattled.

"Sorry that I'm late," Toby breathed. He quickly looked out the window without another word as the car began to roll forward.

Toby's eyes travel from the outside of the window to Finnegan and watch him sadly. He began to smile, but flinched. Finnegan was so cute, but after what just happened to Toby, he couldn't afford to get too close to Finnegan. What if he got hurt just like Toby did? He wouldn't be able to live with himself anymore.

"I would never stand you up," Toby assured him. He lifted his hand and touched his palm to his boyfriend's cheek. The worn skin of his palm against the smooth skin of Finnegan's cheek was a strange contrast. Figuring it probably felt weird for Finnegan, Toby dropped his hand into his lap. "Nothing is wrong," he said, drawing up a smile from somewhere deep deep inside.

After a couple moments of silence, Toby's head started to turn back to the window. Finnegan, however, once again began to speak. Toby glanced down at his clothes. "Yeah, sorry." He wondered if Finnegan thought he picked them out of the dirty clothes hamper. Quickly, he added, "I sort of just fell down on my way. I'm too clumsy." He quickly looked out the window again before Finnegan could speak, hopefully to discourage further inquiries.

As they came to a stop in downtown New York City a couple hours later, Toby could already feel the effects of the increase of people. He pulled the handle on the cab door and pushed it open. The sounds suddenly flooded into his ears as he left the car, and he scrunched together his eyebrows. Everything was so distracting. Toby didn't know how anyone could function in a place like this.

"Wherever you want to go is fine with me," Toby responded after a while. He took Finnegan by the hand and began to walk with him down the sidewalk so that they didn't look totally strange standing in one place.

Toby keeps a hold of Finnegan's hand as they walk, but he does slow down as to not drag the boy along. As they walk, Toby can feel various stranger's shoulders brush against his, and it makes him uncomfortable. The only person he could stand being very close to him was Finnegan, and so he drew the boy closer to him so that he knew he was there, and somehow it comforted him. Kind of like when kids hug stuffed animals. They can't really do anything, but its good to know that they are there, and it somehow eases tension.

Suddenly, like a dog seeing a fire-hydrant, Finnegan darts to the side, entering a clothing store. Toby had never seen Finnegan get excited about clothes in his life. It was really strange, but Toby didn't resist. He weaved through the people going down the sidewalk so that he could get to the entrance. Maybe he could get some clothes while they were here. Toby wasn't the type to shop every day to get clothes and wear the most popular brands, but he did appreciate them. Toby liked to look nice and feel good about himself whenever that was even possible.

Upon entering the store, Toby noticed a Captain America t-shirt in the window. He shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. If it wasn't about superheroes, then it wasn't Finnegan. Toby should have known that. He walked further into the store, crossing the sections until he found the men's. He saw Finnegan digging through racks of clothes, so he began to browse by himself. There were all sorts of brands, which the boy didn't really care about. So, he just began to walk between the racks scanning the items until he came across anything he liked. Almost immediately, he came across a purple plaid button-down with short sleeves. Although he did not admire the short sleeves, the shirt looked very nice on the manikin. Hopefully, it would look just as nice on him. He found the corresponding shirt on the shelf under the manikin and removed the one that was his size. Then, he began to browse for some pants to go along with it.

When he had found some, he began to make his way back to Finnegan. He liked being in this store much more than outside. He had never shopped with Finn before, but it wasn't a bad way to pass the time. It was peaceful, and he liked a little bit of self-indulgence every once in a while. Once he got back to Finn, he found the boy looking at himself in the mirror with a shirt laid out on his chest. Toby let a smile turn the corners of his mouth up.

"It looks great," he said. He gestured to Finnegan. "Come on, I'm going to try these on. You could try that on too, I suppose." Toby took the boy's hand and began towards the changing rooms. He didn't really mind sharing one with Finnegan, since it wasn't like it wasn't anything they've never seen before (OOC: that was a weird sentence oh my god forgive me).

Once Toby and Finnegan arrived at the changing room, Toby clicked the locking mechanism and began to un-do his belt so he could try on his pants. Before he could do so, Finnegan asked him to try on a small stack of superhero shirts. Toby turned and looked at them reluctantly. He wasn't one to wear many shirts with designs on the front, especially superheroes. He preferred solid colors or patterns. When Toby looked up at Finnegan's expectant face, however, he found himself unable to refuse. Toby nodded to Finnegan.

The boy sat down on the bench and took the first shirt from the stack of superhero tee's, and unfolded it. As the front was revealed, Toby observed a Batman logo. The shirt was black except for a faded gold logo in the middle, and in the center of the gold was a black bat. Toby bit his lip. Batman was his favorite superhero, after all. Plus, the shirt was black. Toby set it down in his lap, then reached over his head and slipped off his current shirt. The cold air from the store made goosebumps appear on his bare skin. He began to put the batman shirt on, but before he could do so, he felt something soft and warm touch his neck. Toby smiled, and tilted Finnegan's head up to kiss him back, before kissing his neck in return. Before Toby got much further, Finnegan laughed and pushed him away, and Toby began to laugh too.

Toby resumed trying on the Batman shirt. He slipped through the fabric and then stood up to look in the full-length mirror. He didn't look as goofy as he thought he would. Soon, Finnegan joined him looking in the mirror. He was wearing the shirt that Toby had picked out. Toby began to smile very widely. The two boys looked like they switched roles completely. Toby was wearing a superhero shirt, and Finnegan was wearing a button down. Both of the boys looked out of place and uncomfortable in each other's attire.

"You look great," Toby said, honestly. Finnegan really did look great. It was a rare sight to see the boy out of his typical comic-book related attire, but it was a nice change. He really did look pretty nice. "You should buy it," Toby told him, smiling.

The two boys continued to try on clothes together, and after about ten or fifteen minutes, each boy had made a stack of clothes that they were going to buy. Toby's stack consisted of the clothes he'd picked out with an additional two shirts that Finnegan asked him to try on; a batman shirt and a black and purple hawkeye shirt. As Toby glanced at Finnegan's clothes, he noticed that the boy had not chosen any of the clothes that Toby picked out. He bit his lip, but said nothing. Instead, he picked up the hanger from which Finnegan had hung the shirt he tried on.

"I'm buying this for you and you are going to put it in your closet. I don't care if you don't like it, but you're going to at least own it," Toby told him, chuckling. He laid it down on his stack of clothes. He then picked up his stack and walked over to Finnegan. He leaned up and pecked the boy's lips.

"Let's go," he smiled.

Finnegan's comment echoed in Toby's head as they bundled their things together. You look amazing, he had said. Toby didn't really understand why he looked that great. It was just a normal shirt. Usually people said that when the other person was wearing something nice or flattering. This was... just a t-shirt. Still, if Finnegan thought it looked good, he might as well wear it once in a while. Even if Finnegan wasn't considerate enough to do the same with his clothes.

As Toby waited behind Finnegan in the check out, his eyes began to wander around the store, looking at people, and manikins, and posters. The posters had a bunch of perfect-appearance models. It was so hard for Toby to look at them and imagine their clothes on himself, since he was so very different from them. Some people looked completely careless about the fact that the clothes won't make them look the same as the models. It always bothered Toby, since he had image issues, but he never talked to anyone about it.

When Finnegan finished checking out, Toby stepped up to the register. He set the clothes on the counter and gave the lady working the register a kind smile. He observed a white square pinned to her collared shirt that said Tammy. She looked kind enough, brown eyes, wavy brown hair to her shoulders. He could see faint creases in her skin at the edge of her mouth and eyes, showing that she was used to smiling. She looked around mid-forties.

"Find everything okay?" she asked him, returning his smile. He was right, her smile was kind and look as if it was worn often.

"Yeah, good. Thanks," responded Toby. He watched her scan his items before he paid. She placed his clothes in a plastic bag, tore a receipt off the register, and placed it with the clothes.

"He's cute," said the girl, Tammy. He eyes flicked sideways in the direction of Finnegan. Toby turned his head and looked at him, but he seemed too far away for a voice as low as hers to be heard. Still, Toby's face flushed a deep red.

"Wh-what?" he sputtered, uselessly. Tammy simply laughed and handed him his bag.

"You two have a great day," she smiled. Toby thanked her, took his bags, and joined Finnegan. As he reached the boy, he turned around to look at the woman, but she had gone. Probably work to do elsewhere.

"Hey," Toby greeted upon joining him. "Uh, I don't really know what I want to do. Want to get something pierced?" Toby asked, snorting. It wasn't a sincere suggestion. In fact, Toby was extremely afraid of piercings and tattoos and just needles in general. At camp, there are enough weapons to worry about going through your skin. Toby didn't need to think about voluntarily letting someone jab at his skin with a needle.

Oliver intently watches the two boys ahead of him. It seems like they are going to spend the whole day by each others side, almost as if they are not capable of being separated. Honestly it is disgusting, he witnessed them sharing a fitting room, ew. Honestly he is beginning to wonder why he is even following the boys in the first place, but then he remembers.

The boy in the Captain America shirt, the boy who is identical to him, the boy who could be his twin. The boy who is his twin. Finnegan, Oliver has been waiting for this moment for a long time. He has always wanted to meet his oh so lucky brother. The lucky little shit, getting the good end of the straw, getting to live with their father while Oliver got sent to an uncle who hated him. Needless to say other the years, Oliver has built up an intense hatred of his brother.

Rolling his eyes, he watches as Finnegan excuses himself to use the bathroom. Now, the perfect time to strike. Standing up, Oliver straightens his shirt and ruffles his hair so he looks like his twin. Of course he isn't dressed alike his twin, but maybe the boy won't notice.From what Oliver has been able to tell, the boy doesn't seem to like superheros, which should be a crime. But hopefully it means that he will not be able to tell the difference between a Captain America tee shirt and an Iron Man tee shirt. If he is able to tell the difference, then Oliver is screwed.

Smiling lightly, Oliver walks over the boy and sits down in the chair previously occupied by his twin. He grins and looks over at the other boy. He didn't really notice before but the other boy is sort of hot. No Oliver that is not your mission. Unless he could possibly get the boy to cheat on Finnegan with him, now that sounds fun. Really fun actually, and maybe if all things work out Finnegan will cry, yes Oliver will like that.

Grinning, mainly to himself of course Oliver turns his head to look at the boy. He then leans forward, and forcefully presses his lips into the other boys. In between kisses, he throws in a few small phrases such as, "I love you"and stuff like that. The traditional phrases one might use whilst making out with someone, hopefully the boy falls for it. Otherwise, that might be a problem.

Toby grinned a little at Finnegan's panic. Sometimes it was funny to see such a toned down person react to such extremes. It was like if you told Barney Stinson that you were about to have fun by counting your quarters. First the extremely shocked look, and after realizing its a joke, an embarrassed blush. Priceless.

Toby's hand was taken by Finn before he was guided towards the food court. Toby loved holding Finnegan's hand. It was bigger than his, and it fit like a glove. Although Finn's hands were typically clammy, Toby had brought himself to the point that he didn't really mind. He just liked walking hand in hand with Finnegan. It probably didn't seem like a big deal to Finn, but it meant a lot to Toby. And, as a plus, nobody was staring at them. For once, nobody looked at them weirdly. It was NYC, and there were so many couples like them that the two boys fit in rather well, and it relieved Toby more than one would think.

When they arrived at the food court, it was extremely crowded, as expected. The lines were long, the people were loud, but it smelled good. At least it smelled good. Finnegan guided Toby carefully through the people, and Toby followed directly behind him. He was careful not to be lost in the sea of faces. When they found somewhere to eat with the shortest line, they stood.

After getting their food, they found an empty table for two people. Toby set his food down on the table, and the plastic bag of his purchases on the ground next to his chair. He sat down and began to dig into his food. The boys sat in silence, eating and not really conversing. Occasionally, Toby would glance up and see Finnegan staring at him, and then quickly look back down. It seemed as if that boy never peeled his eyes off of Toby. Finally, Toby met the boy's eyes, and what he saw shocked him. Finnegan was smiling, and his eyes looked like he was looking at the whole world right in front of him. And it was scary. Not the kind of Halloween scary, or horror movie. It was a kind of scary that Toby hadn't felt before. He was scared that their relationship was getting serious, and that he would soon have to be thinking about a long commitment. Toby always viewed himself as the commitment kind of guy. He couldn't see himself ever breaking hearts. But, he always saw commitment with, well, a girl.

As Finnegan excused himself to use the restroom, Toby nodded and absent-mindedly sipped his drink. He didn't even notice when he was kissed on the cheek and then left alone at the table. He sort of just stared at his food, not really focusing on it. Thoughts ran through his head like messages running constantly through a telephone wire.

After just a minute or two, he was rejoined by Finnegan. Toby finally relinquished his thoughts and looked up at the boy.

"That was really fast," Toby said, biting his lip and arching an eyebrow. Toby's eyes fall to Finnegan's shirt. "Is that a ne-" Toby began, but he was very quickly cut off. Finnegan practically lunged over the table and forced their lips together. It surprised Toby, and he was too shocked to immediately react. When the shock began to ebb away, Toby began to try to pull away. However, he noticed after a while that kissing Finnegan now seemed to be an improvement upon kissing Finnegan before. It was like he had practiced or something.

"Finn, when did you actually get good at kissing?" Toby asked, in between a breath. He began to smile, and perhaps even get into it.

I love you, Finnegan said. Upon hearing this, Toby ripped his mouth away.

"You what?!" Toby exclaimed, aghast. He had never ever said that before, even in all their time of dating. Because Finnegan decided that now was a great time to say that for the first time, Toby doubted its credibility. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, a red glow beginning to shade his face. He didn't know what to do. He was shocked, and his lungs felt cold. If Finnegan didn't mean it, Toby wouldn't know how to deal with it. He simply sat there, completely stunned in silence, trying desperately to figure out what Finnegan was doing.

Toby would have never in his life bet that Finnegan would be the first of them to say I love you. And yet, he just had. The fact that it was so unexpected caught Toby completely off guard, and he was helpless to do anything but sit and sputter between words. He doubted the authenticity of these very words. Even as Finnegan leaned forward and kissed his cheek, Toby did nothing in reaction. His eyes were dead-set on the table, careful not to meet Finnegan's eyes. Should he say I love you back?

Just as he was about to attempt a sentence, he heard his name. He looked up, at the boy across from him, but Finnegan didn't seem like he was the one who said it. Which was very strange, because Toby could have sworn that it was his voice. He arched an eyebrow, but a figure standing beside their table caught his eye. Toby swiveled in his seat, and the apparition sent a shock throughout him.

It was Finnegan. Standing there, looking as if he was about to break down, staring right at Toby. Toby's square jaw could have dropped miles beneath the earth's crust. The boy slowly turned to look at the man whom he had just kissed. It was the same face. The same exact face, only different clothes. There were two Finnegans.

"What in Hades' name," Toby managed to breathe out. Although the Finnegan that had just kissed Toby was not facing him, Toby was able to catch the words he was saying. Two in particular stuck in his mind. Oliver, and twin. Toby's head, still frozen in shock with his jaw drooping, turned back to... 'real' Finnegan.

Toby had never been aware that Finnegan had a twin. In fact, Toby didn't even know Finnegan had siblings of any sort. They hadn't learned much about each other's backgrounds, and Toby was beginning to think that perhaps they should have. After all, this was probably the strangest and most shocking way to find out.

"I-I thought I was k-kissing...you??" Was all that Toby was able to get out. He constantly swiveled his head back and forth between Finnegan and Oliver. When the realization hit him that he had had this stranger's tongue in his mouth, he stood upright rather quickly.

"Finn- wh-what?" He said, dumbfounded. "You never told me you had a twin. I swear. I didn't even know. I thought I was kissing you. I though-" the end of his sentence faded away. His face flushed a deep deep red. He felt violated. Extremely, physically and emotionally, violated.

Toby looked back and forth from Finnegan to Oliver as they spoke. It was crazy, like watching a one-person conversation, but somehow with different people. Even though he could hear what they were talking about, Toby felt like he didn't have enough context to know exactly what was going on. Again, the realization came upon Toby that he didn't have a very clear idea of Finnegan's background. It seemed like somehow this problem kept arising, which pushed Toby to think that he should probably figure it out. If it kept coming up every time they met, it must have some importance.

Toby's eyes were still glued on Finnegan, even when Oliver addressed Toby. Finn's face was red, and if he hadn't been so confused, he would probably be angry. Very angry, with both Toby and Oliver. Toby knew he was treading on thin ice. He looked slowly at Oliver, which was almost exactly like looking at Finnegan. Almost.

Oliver's hair was different, almost like he had previously taken time to attempt to tame it. Finnegan's hair was much more wild. Also his eyes. Finnegan's eyes looked a lot more aware, a lot more curious, and a lot more knowing. Although Oliver's eyes also seemed very knowledgeable, they seemed less intelligent and more sly. It was dangerous. Although Toby could notice these differences now, there was not way that he could have noticed them before. Except for the whole changing clothes thing. But Toby isn't the smartest.

When the son of Hecate remembered that he had been asked a question, he sat straighter. He was in a very awkward spot between a stranger that he had just kissed and his boyfriend. He looked over at Finnegan, the boy he loved. He was fantastic. But there was no denying that it was true Toby said Oliver was a better kisser. It wasn't that Toby was even considering Oliver just for the kiss, but also because he figured if he liked Finnegan, why wouldn't he like Oliver? Still, Toby's inward scale dipped harshly towards Finn's side.

"Because he's perfect," Toby replied, harshly. He stood up and walked over to Finnegan and took his hand, hoping the boy would forgive him.

Toby was waiting expectantly for Finnegan to say something. Even with all the noise in the food court, the sound had drained from Toby's ears long ago. All he awaited to hear was a response from Finnegan. For a while, it looked like Finn was thinking to himself for a little while. Then, Finnegan pried Toby's hand off. At that exact moment, Toby's expectant ears hear his own heart shatter and fall to the floor. Maybe it was someone's plate. Still, he felt a void erupt in his chest. He stood there mutely as Finnegan turned and walked straight away from him.

Toby couldn't believe that had just happened. He was too defeated to even process what Oliver said. Otherwise, Toby would have gotten rather mad. Instead, the boy still stood there, looking at the space where Finnegan had retreated. His hands hung limply at his sides. His self-pity is short-lived, as the next thing Oliver did was not easily ignored.

Oliver stood and got within inches of Toby's face. Toby's eyes widened at this action, but for an unknown reason, he didn't recoil. Instead he just stared frightened at Oliver. To worsen the situation, Oliver extended a hand and put his fingers on Toby's cheek. The place where the two male's skin made contact burned for Toby. Why? It was obvious. Someone who looked so much like Finnegan, Toby couldn't help but feel the same attraction for them as he has with Finnegan. However, he knew well now that this was not Finnegan. So the next step was easy.

Toby lifted his hand and gave one hard punch in Oliver's direction, before turning and dashing out of the food court. Violence was not super pronged to Toby, but he was pissed. He had closed his eyes, so he didn't really check to see where his punch landed. He was just focused on getting out of there. He wove through the crowd as quickly as he could in the direction that he watched Finnegan go. Once he ran out of breath he began to walk and search for Finnegan rather than focus on evading Oliver.

"Gods, Finn," Toby said to himself. "I'm sorry."