They didn’t open on Sunday’s and Toby was grateful for that after the visit to the hospital to remove the bandages from his hands.The skin was raw and painful when he made a fist.From what the nurse said, they were much better than the day before.For that, Toby was grateful.
They’d assured him another day, and they should be healed enough that he could use them without pain.He really didn’t want to let his friends down.Shutting on one of their busiest days wasn’t the best for business, no matter what assurances Morty and Niall gave them.
They had been wonderful to him, and Niall had canceled his Saturday evening plans to spend it curled up next to Toby.The problem with that was he was a misery guts.
He’d done his best to cast it off.When that hadn’t worked, he’d blamed the drummer in his skull.He didn’t have that excuse now, which was a double-edged sword.He was thankful his head was better now that the drummer in his skull had finally taken a break.But he hated lying to his friends, so he couldn’t use his head as an excuse for why he was being moody and grumpy.It wasn’t him, but the scent clinging to his dirty hoodie—one he’d refused to let Niall wash—was still telling him he had a mate.
Are you going to start this again?We have a mate.A huge, gorgeous mate.A mate we need to find so he doesn’t think we’re rejecting him!So pull yourself together.
He released a huge put-upon sigh, failing to catch himself when Niall darted from the kitchen into his living room.His day-glow sleep pants flapping around his legs.
“What is it?Has the pain worsened?Do we need to take you back to the hospital?”
Toby carefully pushed his bangs out of his eyes and gave his friend a sheepish smile.“Sorry, I only sighed ‘cause my animal side is giving me a headache with all the moaning he’s doing.”
Niall frowned and came to the couch where Toby was sitting cross-legged with a big fleece blanket covering his legs—hiding the dirty hoodie underneath.
“What’s it giving you a hard time about?”Niall eyed him with speculation and concern.
Toby had no secrets from his two best friends, absolutely none.Yet he felt they might be a little judgy about his current situation—because he most definitely was.He considered and worried he’d done more damage to himself than the doctor thought.Saying aloud that he could smell his mate on his clothes, would that make him sound kookie?
Niall nudged him with his shoulder, and the sloppy T-shirt with a dragon on slipped off his shoulder.“You’re worrying about something,”—his finger traced over the lines between Toby’s brows softly—“tell me what it is, please.”
Toby sucked in a breath and chewed on his thumbnail, staring at Niall.Then, he snuck his hand under the blanket to pull out the filthy hoodie.
“Why have you got that under there?”The frown he wore deepened as his gaze moved from the hoodie to Toby and back.
His thumb popped out of his mouth, and he rushed to say, “I think I did more damage to my head than the doctors could see on their scan things.”
“Why?”
Toby held up the hoodie to his nose and inhaled, pushing the blanket away to reveal his reaction, blushing bright pink when Niall’s eyes widened at his obvious reaction.“I smell my mate,” he whispered like the words might attack him.
Niall bounced off the couch, his lips parted, arms gesticulating.Only he said nothing.He stomped in front of the couch; his hands fluttering about in the air like he was trying to capture the words with how his lips flapped.
Okay, not quite the reaction he expected.Toby tugged the blanket back over his lap.If his hard dick caused this type of reaction, he should have kept his thoughts to himself.
“The guy… the guy… holy fuck… the guy—”
“Why are you shouting at me?And you know, you aren’t making sense, Niall.In fact, you sound like the one with a concussion right now.”He did, and although Toby’s drummer had vacated his head, Niall’s odd reaction was making his temples throb.
“Fuck… he’s your mate!”Niall said sounding giddy with excitement.
Told you.
Please, having Niall talk in riddles is enough to deal with.
“What… are you talking about?”Toby worked to keep his voice even when his pulse hammered through him, making his movements jerky as he unfolded his legs, feeling the need for his feet to be on the floor to ground him.
Niall’s grin spread, making him look a little wild.He jabbed a finger at the hoodie that Toby was clinging to.“Sorry… but it all makes sense now.”
“What does,” Toby questioned in exasperation, rubbing at his temple.
“The dude at the hospital who was kicking off.The one who brought you into the hospital.He didn’t wanna leave.Heck, he was the one who got all shouty and demanding when I went to find the doc to get your pain pills.He was really upset at being asked to leave.I can tell you.It makes sense, can’t you see?”
“No, it doesn’t when I didn’t know it was the person who helped me doing an impression of a rampaging herd of elephants.”That was how it had sounded to Toby.“Are you sure it wasn’t for some other reason?”
Niall shrugged off his comment and continued.“The scent giving you a chubby must be his.He carried you into the department.So, it figures it rubbed off on your clothing.”His voice was rising with excitement.“That’s what the nurse was talking ‘bout this morning when we were chatting.The dude was the talk of the department ‘cause it took four security guys to drag him out when he wasn’t listening to reason.”
