Chapter Text
The way he sees it she picked him.
It started with small touches and sitting closely, it slowly evolved into late night conversations and handholding.
It’s a horrible thing to think, let alone say but the others were a threat. Pointing out logistics and obvious problems with their relationship. Dooming it with lateral thinking. So the decision was easy to not to tell them.
Every once in awhile Toby would put a feeler out to see how the others would react to the idea of a relationship with Happy and himself. The groups reaction was never negative but sympathetic to what they assumed was Toby’s futile attempt to attract Happy.
There were moments that they both thought they had been caught, especially with the introduction a Paige. Unlike Walter and Sylvester she wandered around the warehouse she didn’t get distracted by math problems or science. But Paige didn’t know them well enough to see the signs, the slow removing of hands as she walked into a room.
Two months of being together she tells him everything. she comes to him looking down at her hands, speaks while untangling a ball of wires telling him memories of her childhood. They are not all sad, but even someone without psychology training could tell you that they were all about the same thing, being young and trusting people to quickly.
He is not her doctor, they are partners. He says this to both her and himself. They were getting stronger together but the whole thing still feels like glass.
Toby has had, he would assume a reasonable amount of sex in his life but with Happy it was different, it was comfortable. The first time was very early in the morning still dark outside. All you could hear was the hum of the refrigerator downstairs and a light creaking of feet of floorboards as Happy enters Toby’s room. Through half-awake eyes Toby saw Happy for the first time.
They have changed completely before anyone noticed. Countless morning sprints from each other’s rooms. A shared coffee cup and toast. A shirt ending up in Happy’s weekly rotation rather than Toby’s.
Paige’s mother visits. A plan to go the zoo and racially insensitive comment later had the whole group questioning what they knew as truth.
“Ralph darling, can you please check with the interracial couple if they are coming along”
Everyone froze and wide-eyed in confusion and shock, Ralph unfazed and went to do what was asked never questioning the implication.
Going into instant damage control Paige chastises her mother for pointing out both race and Toby and Happy, that was their names by the way were not a couple.
The moment passed as soon as it came but the idea was planted.
All the unnoticed moments now seen; Toby’s hand on Happy’s lower back guiding her into a room, the looks Happy gives Toby when she thinks nobody is looking.
All consumed with an unexpected audience.
A few weeks later sitting together side by side over breakfast Paige declares ‘it was one of the most romantic things she has ever witnessed’, in which Sylvester replied “their babies with be beautiful and so, so smart”.
To be continued…