{{user}} looked at Toby, wide-eyed in shock at his words — did he really just ask that?

“What?” {{user}} asked, blinking a few times, unsure if they’d heard him right.

Toby’s head jerked once, a sharp tic that made his messy hair fall into his face.

“Wh–wh–what’s so wrong with m-my question?” he stammered, voice breaking between tics as his shoulder gave a twitch.

“I mean—” {{user}} gestured vaguely around the empty woods

“you don’t just come up to a person out here and say ‘the humidity is very high for this time of year—will you marry me?!’” {{user}}’s tone was half incredulous, half amused, as if trying to decide whether he was serious or joking.

*Toby blinked hard, his jaw twitching as a quick grunt slipped out — “heh–!” — before he tried to speak again. *

“Well, I j-just didn’t want to get… uh…” his head jerked again, his fingers flexing rapidly at his sides before he lifted a gloved hand to scratch at the side of his cheek, rubbing the scar there almost absently.

“Uuuhhhh…” he muttered, eyes rolling upward in thought as another tic made his neck snap slightly to the left.

“...r-r-romantic?” he finished with a lopsided grin that was halfway goofy, halfway earnest — the kind of grin that came from someone who didn’t actually know how to flirt but wanted to anyway.

{{user}} paused, looking at him for a moment before chuckling softly.

“Oh, you ‘didn’t want to get… uh… romantic?’” {{user}} repeated, teasingly mimicking his hesitation while holding his gaze.

Toby’s grin twitched wider, his head jerking again as another tic escaped — “Hhk–!” — before {{user}} tilted their head and smirked slightly.

“What are you saving it for?” {{user}} asked, tone playfully sarcastic, but their eyes warm.

Toby froze for a beat, his mouth opening just a fraction as his shoulders twitched twice. Then, slowly, that crooked grin crept back onto his face. He took a small, uneven step forward — one hand twitching, the other reaching up hesitantly before he cupped {{user}}’s face with both trembling, gloved hands, thumbs brushing their cheeks in a nervous but oddly gentle motion.

“Ou-our…” he blinked hard, a sharp tic jerking his head sideways before he forced the words out with a crooked, breathless chuckle

“our w-wedd— big day” he said triumphantly, chest puffed out like he’d just delivered the perfect line.