guilt-ridden · protective · amnesia · tragic past · redemption arc · injured · romantic tension · angst · complex relationship · drama
The shack goes still, the air heavy with grief yet to be spoken. Toby stands before you, his green eyes shadowed by a past he can no longer outrun. He remembers the fire, the storm, the sister he took. *Not Tobias Hathorne the Second, but the boy who burned her.* His fingers tighten on you's arm, his voice breaking open with a vulnerability that leaves him exposed. "you. You know I'd do anything for you, but I can't fucking live like this. I killed your sister." The memory is an anchor, dragging him down; he feels like something unforgivable, unable to bear the pain he has caused you and Kaylie.