#tootles1

[panforever]

New Year, New Decisions — a self para

featuring @panforever & @toddtootles

Though Tootles hadn’t been surprised that Peter and Wendy kissed at midnight, Peter had certainly been surprised by the sight of Tink kissing Tootles. He wouldn’t say he was jealous, because he easily could have kissed Tink instead had he not been focused on Wendy the whole night.. besides, he and Tink had kissed in the past for New Years. It was no big deal. He was unbothered, at least he had convinced himself of that.

Still, that didn’t stop him from stepping away from Wendy for a moment after midnight as he saw Tootles going to the outside patio alone for some fresh air. Some people were already leaving or heading off to bed now that the high of the night had passed, while others were still chatting and having a good time. Peter floated past the others still around as he followed to where Tootles was, keeping the glass door open but closing the screen door. Peter didn’t think twice about whether anyone passing by would be able to hear their conversation outside, not thinking it would turn into a confrontation in just a few moments. 

“Happy New Year, Tootles,” Peter greeted his friend as he floated over beside him, sitting on the patio railing and facing him. Tootles' arms rested on the railing, taking in the view from where he stood as the moon and stars lit up the evening.

“Happy New Year,” Tootles answered simply with a nod, turning his gaze to his friend. He was still feeling the buzz from the brownie and the champagne, and especially the buzz from the kiss he’d had with Tink. Truthfully, he was surprised Peter came out here to see him; it was easy for someone as quiet as Tootles to sneak off on his own and get some alone time with his thoughts, easily slipping through the group of others who would be preoccupied with the party. He’d figured that Peter would still be giving all his attention to Wendy instead of focusing on his friends. 

“You finally got out of work to celebrate with us, huh?” Peter laughed, always poking fun at how Tootles was the responsible one. He remembered how before the Darlings adopted the boys how different it was, how Tootles wasn’t as responsible or serious, and how he had once been the smallest of the bunch. Oh, how so much had changed. Speaking of change… before Tootles could even respond, Peter continued, “I’m guessing that kissing Tink tonight was just an added bonus to getting the holiday off?”

Tootles' expression immediately shifted, surprised that Peter would be so blunt with all things considered. He didn’t think that was the reason Peter had come out here with him, but now it kinda made sense; he didn’t want to actually spend time with Tootles... he wanted to confront him. Tootles wasn’t going to play into his games though, having already been fed up for a while now. Tonight was the final straw. 

“I’m surprised you even noticed Tink at all tonight,” he responded instead of answering Peter’s questions. 

“Of course I did,” Peter answered as if it were obvious, crossing his arms over his chest like a child. “She’s my best friend.”

Unaware that Wendy had been looking for Peter and could hear them from inside, Tootles addressed the elephant in the room. “If that were true, you would have noticed how upset she was when you were giving all your attention to Wendy and kissing her.”

A moment of silence lingered, the distant sound of chatter from the rest of the party inside filling the void. Tootles could feel himself growing more heated, unable to believe that Peter had the audacity to confront him like this, as if he were the problem. What, was he jealous now that he’d seen Tootles and Tink kiss, despite that Peter had kissed Wendy? Did he really think he could have both of them and get away with it somehow? 

Peter kissing Wendy in front of Tink was only the tip of the iceberg though; the leader of the lost boys was messing with both the girls’ feelings while also leaving out the most important detail about himself to them, which only Tootles seemed to remember since Peter brought it up to the boys when they were younger — his immortality. Tootles could remember vividly when Peter revealed this to them, aware that now that he’d turned 25 in August he’d no longer age like the rest of them. How could he lead on two people they all cared about when he couldn’t even be honest? Did Peter ever plan on bringing it up again now that his birthday had passed months ago?

“You’ve really got some nerve, you know,” Tootles finally broke the silence again, shaking his head. “Kissing Wendy in front of Tink after making her think she had a chance.. for making them think that either of them have a chance with you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Peter answered stupidly, seemingly playing innocent, but the reality was that he really was clueless. He had no idea where Tootles was going with this.

“I remember…" Tootles continued, "What you told us when we were kids… I don’t think anyone else does, but I do. You’re immortal.”

Peter felt his entire world shift. He’d been avoiding his immortality this entire time, playing dumb and ignoring the reality that came with turning 25, but Tootles had been holding that truth close to his chest like a weapon of defense. How long had he been waiting to throw that out there? How long had he been burdened by Peter’s worst secret? 

Tootles took Peter’s silence as a sign to keep going — it didn’t surprise him that he had nothing to say to defend himself. He wasn’t trying to attack Peter or make him feel shitty though; he wanted him to stop playing with the emotions of those he loved, who they all loved. He wanted Peter to finally grow up.

“I can’t begin to understand how it feels,” he began empathetically, because truthfully turning 25 was probably a reality check for Peter. It explained his change in behavior since his birthday, his increased recklessness and his lack of caring for others around him, to some extent. But Tootles didn’t believe that gave him the right to treat them poorly, especially the girls. “… but we’ve all looked up to you for years. You’re supposed to be the leader. Keeping the truth to yourself and spiraling out of control isn’t right to any of us.”

Peter felt awful. Tootles may as well have punched him in the gut instead of confronting him like this. But Tootles wasn’t that kind of guy. He was trustworthy but also soft, caring. Truthfully, he made a better leader than Peter ever could, but Peter was the more extroverted and fun one, so he got away with taking on that role. At the end of the day, Tootles was a threat to Peter as a leader, even if he was the quiet one of the bunch. Sometimes, the quiet ones were the ones you had to watch out for the most. Suddenly though, it was Peter who was quiet. 

“If you want to be with Wendy, that’s fine,” Tootles finally continued after some deep thought. “If you decide you want to be with Tink instead… that’s fine too.” Even if that would break Tootles' heart in the process, he knew deep down that’s really what Tink wanted. He just had to ensure that whoever Peter chose, he did it right first. “But you can’t have both, and you can’t keep lying to them either… you need to choose, and you need to be honest.” Peter’s continued silence was almost infuriating, but the reality was that Peter was just digesting all of this carefully. 

Tootles sighed, finally standing up straight and pushing himself away from the railing to go back inside. “It’s time to grow up, Peter.”

Tootles went inside the warm apartment and shut the patio door behind him. Instead of following him inside or staying on the patio, Peter flew off into the night. He had a lot of thinking to do — a lot of growing up to do.

[slightlyconceited]

@toddtootles said: “I got my rep as the strong, silent type to think about”

“Sure, but…It’s still okay to talk about your feelings sometimes, y’know.” Big words from someone who only genuinely expressed his own true thoughts and feelings through music—in day-to-day conversations Slightly always felt like he was performing a character of someone who had it all more together than he did. Someone cleverer and more sure of himself. He supposed it only made sense that everyone else was pretending too; they were all just imposters, playing the roles that they had either been assigned or carved out for themselves over time. Tootles was the “strong, silent type,” so he had to deal with everyone else’s problems, but didn’t get to complain about anything or express his own feelings? That was totally unfair. Life’s not fair, yada yada, but even knowing that, Slightly could wish for better for his loved ones.

"How long have you been holding onto this?" he asked. Tootles was always so selfless, it had been hard to realize he also struggled sometimes. Now that he knew, Sly wondered how much else he missed. He probably knew Cubby’s soul the best of all his brothers, from the art they’d created together, followed by Michael and the twins. Tootles, Wendy, John and Nibs were almost another category entirely, as the older siblings who he wasn’t supposed to have to worry about or be protective over. Maybe he should check in with them all more often.

[nibsdarling]

@toddtootles said “I didn’t think anyone noticed me.”

That was honestly heartbreaking, albeit expected. The same way Nibs was perhaps the only one in the group who tended to sense that Tootles actually needed attention beyond the support he was expected to provide everyone else as the eldest brother—Nibs also realized he was the only one who saw this. He generally tried his best to accommodate for that, including Tootles as much as possible when he was in danger of being left out, but he knew there were times he could do better about it. For instance, Tootles still ended up the designated driver nine times out of ten because Nibs couldn’t resist joining the festivities and Tootles was so good at self-effacing that it was easy to convince oneself, when you were really in a mind to enjoy yourself, that he was truly just as content to play Dad. Was it worse that the others didn’t notice at all, or that Nibs did notice and still didn’t do enough to make up for it? “Of course, man,” he said, rubbing Tootles’ head with affection and unspoken apology. “You do so much for all of us…You’re the glue that holds us together." It was an unhelpful and ironic truth about being the underappreciated caretaker of a family, but Nibs said it out anyway, "Even if people don’t actively notice, they’d notice if you stopped.”

[wcndydrliing]

"Sorry. I didn't realize you could hear me." -Tootles ( @toddtootles )

With hurt apparent on her face, the most Wendy did in response to her brother was slowly nod. She had in fact overheard what he had said. She heard every single word Tootles had spoken to Peter, including the way he had said it. All the disappointment he felt towards the other male, and as well as all the hurt that could be traced within his tone. But none of it was for himself. Not even for Wendy. No— Tootles was hurt for Tink. But that wasn’t why the Darling girl was feeling rather upset herself. The reason why she was upset over what she overheard Tootles saying to Peter was because he apparently didn’t agree with the fact Peter had chosen to kiss Wendy when the New Years had arrived. Not only that, but Tootles deliberately brought up the two of them kissing in front of Tink, and how ignored the other girl had felt by Peter through the night. Like he was scolding him for choosing Wendy instead— that’s what hurt her the most.

“Is it that shameful Peter chose to spend the entire night with me instead of Tink?” The brunette found herself asking as she glanced at Tootles. Don’t get her wrong, Wendy’s could understand why Tootles had said that to Peter. After all, it wasn’t a hidden secret that Tink had feelings for Peter, in fact she’s had them for such a long time now. However, the Darling girl also had feelings for him herself, and though they may not have been there longer than Tink’s has, was she not allowed to explore these feelings herself? Especially when it seemed like Peter was reciprocate them in return. After all, they had shared a kiss merely an hour ago and it was him who initiated it in the first place. Simply recalling the moment caused Wendy to lift a hand and touch her lip, wanting nothing more than to relive the high she felt when her lips connected with Peter’s, only for her expression to once again drop when realizing that one of her own brothers didn’t seem to approve of being with him. “Is it that bad that he chose to kiss me instead of her?” 

[losttwinduke]

Tootles was SO baked, is what Duke thought at the sight of the goofy smile on the older’s face. He even went as far as blinking his eyes a couple of times to make sure he was actually seeing this. Don’t get him wrong, this wasn’t the first time the older has had one of Cubby’s laced brownies before, but this was definitely one of the first in where he’s seen Tootles have way more than he should’ve. At least, that’s what he’s guessing by the way the older was acting because that definitely wasn’t the personality of a guy who had one or two bites of brownies filled with weed inside of them, but instead of a guy who may have ate more than one or two whole brownies filled of weed. “Peter made you eat those brownies?” Duke questioned, raising a brow in confusion as it wasn’t like Tootles to listen to Peter as much nowadays. In fact, most of them hardly followed along with his antics anymore, but as the older continued on, the twin realized what his brother actually meant. “Oh, you accidentally ate them?” That made more sense! “Uh, maybe I should go get you a glass of water first.” 

Instead of answering his statement, Tootles responded with a silent, goofy smile. No more needed to be said to explain his out-of-character silly behavior. At least he was having fun and letting loose tonight for once. Though Duke seemed unimpressed, that didn’t deter the other lost boy’s behavior; the brownie overpowered any embarrassment he may have felt otherwise. “Mhm, and we can thank Peter for that,” he answered with a single nod. Sure, he typically had his complaints about Peter, but he didn’t actually care that it was he who had the idea for the laced brownies. It seemed to become a staple for the lost boys' parties, a household tradition. “You’d think they’d taste different, right? But it tasted just like a normal brownie,” he explained with a small shrug. It was a good thing that Cubby actually labeled them this time. “But don’t worry, I’m good. You wanna sit?”

[tinkabells]

Tootles was definitely exhausted, and Tink was pretty sure she’d heard somewhere that driving drowsy was just as bad as driving drunk, but who was she to question a first responder’s judgment when it came to safety matters? He volunteered, after all, and he could assess his own capability to operate heavy machinery better than she could. Also, she was really hungry and willing to make excuses in the name of getting food. She took Tootles’ hand as he offered it, though she really didn’t need help off the couch—he had a gentlemanly way about him like only a few of the other lost boys did, and it was something she liked to encourage rather than rebuff.

“Sounds good,” she confirmed his suggested food option easily; she wasn’t particularly picky as long as there were vegetarian options, and as Tootles was already going out of his way to take her out to eat, she was content to accept his first suggestion. “Let me just get my purse.” She flew off to her room before he could argue about paying for their meal and came back tying her trusty belt bag around her hips. In the end, she’d let him treat her to dinner without a fuss, but she needed her wallet and the stash of secret tools she kept in her bag to leave the house comfortably. Just in case. As they put their shoes on at the front door, it finally occurred to her to ask, “How was work?” She’d been too stuck in her own sour mood when Tootles first got home to consider asking about his day, but she was already feeling better with just the promise of food on the horizon. That made it easier to think about other people for a moment.

Tootles nodded silently. Bill was the newest member of the household that no one quite paid attention to as much as the rest, whether it was because his history with Hook or just simply because he was the new guy, so it didn't surprise him that Jukes wasn't even mention-worthy to Tink at first. Still, a small part of him had just wanted that confirmation that it was just them — he genuinely couldn't think of the last time he and Tink were completely alone together. There was always someone else around: Peter taking up all her attention, Wendy putting her in a bad mood merely by her presence, any of the other boys even got Tink's attention easier than Tootles could. It was what came with being the quietest of the group, but it was the realization that there was no one else to get in the way that helped Tootles feel more awake than he had when he first got home. He could always catch up on sleep later.

He couldn't hide the light smile that formed as her stomach contradicted her words, confirming to Tootles that he now had to make sure they both ate before he was able to sleep at all. It made a lot more sense why she was in a mood now — not just because of Peter and Wendy, but because anyone was grumpy on an empty stomach. It really was bad timing that Cubby was working tonight. Not that he could've been that helpful anyway, as Tink pointed out there wasn't much food to cook in the kitchen. No one had to point fingers to know who was the most unreliable with the household responsibilities and likely the reason for the empty food supply, another reason that Peter was slowly starting to get on everyones nerves. No one had addressed it out loud yet, but it was becoming more obvious.

Shaking his head, he sat up a bit and rubbed his tired eyes, meeting Tink's gaze once his hands fell back to his lap. "I'm fine. We'll take my car and bring something back." We can even talk shit on Peter, a small part of him was tempted to say to make her smile again, but he figured it was too soon. Tootles noticed the indecision on her expression, smiling as he watched her play with her curls. The lost boy stood back up and reached his hand out to help Tink off the couch, squishing her indecision with a plan and a suggestion. "Taco Bell sound good?"

[ffcwn]

Fawn scoffed at his attempts of disbelief, as if her telling him any of this wasn’t her way of trying to encourage Tootles into finally making a move on Tink. “Yes way— you gotta believe me.” She claimed, shaking her head at him. She could see that he did wanted to believe her, but there was still some resistance in his eyes, and at that she wanted to roll her eyes. Don’t get her wrong, she can understand why Tootles didn’t want to fully believe her when everyone knew how in love with Peter Tink has been for so many years. But when there are facts proving that Peter only sees Tink as a close friend, and that things seemed to be stagnant with no plans of them moving forward, Tootles might as well swoop in and sweep her best friend off her feet so Tink can finally be with a guy who does want to be with her. And so, Fawn shot in an unimpressed look, only to grin when he rolled his eyes and finally gave in. “Fine by me because it won’t backfire on you! I can guarantee you that Tink will agree to kiss you by the ending of the night!” The brunette reassured, even if said promise wasn’t a hefty one considering how Peter was spending most of his night with Wendy already. “Oh— so now you’re curious, huh? But yeah, we do sometimes.” 

He stayed silent as Fawn continued, attempting to keep his expression serious despite wanting to giggle. Tootles shook his head — no, he didn’t need her to spell it out. He was somewhat smart enough to figure it out, and hot according to Fawn … And Tink? He wasn’t sure he believed that. “No way..” He attempted to brush her off in disbelief, though the look he gave her suggested that he wanted to believe it. Could it really be true? Even still, there was obviously someone else who had Tink's mind preoccupied... Regardless, he couldn’t help but trust Fawn’s words, considering she was one of Tink’s close friends. He rolled his eyes with a smile. “Alright, if this backfires on me later, you're to blame," Tootles teased. He couldn't help but be curious too, his smile turning to a sort-of smug one as he continued, "So .. when were you two talking about me?"

[tinkabells]

“He’s out, too,” Tink answered with a shrug; she knew Tootles liked to keep track of everyone’s whereabouts, but Billy never said where he was going, and she never asked. There were too many boys to keep track of all the details of their comings and goings—or at least that was her excuse despite having an answer for where each of the other lost boys was now. In truth, she’d had little interest in getting to know Jukes since they had taken him in. She trusted Peter’s judgment implicitly (on all things non-Wendy related) and could therefore accept that Bill was trustworthy enough to live in their midst, but that didn’t mean she had to forgive him for his time as one of Hook’s dogs. Tink didn’t say any of this aloud. Her clipped response and body language expressed her disinterest well enough.

When Tootles asked if she hadn’t been hungry, her answer was an automatic, “No,” and then her stomach growled as if to call her bluff. She really hadn’t been hungry when the other boys asked earlier, though—she always lost her appetite when she was upset. But then simply thinking about food reminded her body that it needed to eat and she spent the next half hour wishing she had just gone ahead with the others instead of staying back. She was still too stubborn to admit that she had made such an error in judgment, so she could only be grateful for Tootles disguising his offer for her to join him in a meal with the implication that he was planning on eating anyway. As if he wasn’t doing this mainly for her benefit, when he looked like he could fall asleep right on the couch, without eating a bite.

“We don’t have much to make in the kitchen,” she said. She was unsure whose turn it was to restock the household’s shared groceries, but the list of what they needed out-measured the items they had left in their pantry and refrigerator now. Neither she nor Tootles could cook as well as Cubby anyway. And she might really have burned the place down if she’d tried to cook something alone in her state of distraction tonight. “You’re not too tired to go out?” she questioned, assessing his current state. They could order delivery, only it would take longer and be more expensive. Tink tugged on a curl of hair from her bangs, considering the options.

Similar to Tink, Tootles assumed that she wouldn’t have even noticed him coming home, not if he hadn’t gotten her attention, at least. His smile didn’t seem to be enough to get one in return at first, her blank expression confirming his immediate suspicion that something was wrong. It wasn’t everyday that the girl was completely alone at the apartment, after all.

He was able to crack a small smile out of her with his debatably dark joke, though his smile fell just as quickly as hers had. Silently, he made his way around the couch to sit with her, feeling his own tense body relax as his back rested against the furniture and closed his eyes momentarily. He knew her well enough that he wasn’t going to push or ask questions, but he’d be there for her anyway. No matter how tired or out of the loop he may be. Once she began to list where the rest of the crew was though, it automatically clicked as soon as Peter and Wendy’s names were brought up together. He understood without even having to ask, though he mentally wondered how dense Peter could be to make it a big deal about getting the second helmet and not invite Tink for a ride.. Asshole. He avoided drawing attention to the obvious for now. 

“No Bill either?” He confirmed as he opened his eyes again, liking to have a head count of where the household was at in a very Tootles-like fashion. It was no surprise that some of them took off to get food with Cubby not around to cook — even a small part of Tootles had been hoping that Cubs at least had some leftovers stored away in the fridge somewhere. “You weren’t hungry?” He asked, eyeing Tink carefully. He didn’t have a cool new motorcycle to give her a ride in, but he did have his car to drive them to get food, at least. “If you change your mind,” he continued with another attempt of a smile, “I know I won’t be able to sleep on an empty stomach.”

[tinkabells]

Tink didn’t call out in greeting when Tootles got home, assuming he’d be dead on his feet after the shift he’d started a day ago and would probably head straight to bed, perhaps not even noticing her silent presence on the couch. She’d recognized his arrival from the way he set his boots and bag down softly instead of kicking them off or tossing his things around like certain others would—but it wasn’t until he spoke that she actually turned to look at him, meeting his smile with a blank expression of her own. She wasn’t in particularly friendly spirits after sitting in her feelings for the past few hours, stewing over the fact that Peter had taken Wendy for a ride on his new bike, leaving Tink in the dust. Because of course he had. What else was new? She blinked then at the joke Tootles made, finally pulling her out of her own head.

“You’d get the call if we had,” she replied, a tiny smile twitching at the corners of her lips despite her general mood. It fell just as quickly. She turned back, pulling her legs up on the couch to make room for him to come around and sit next to her if he was so inclined. It wasn’t that she wanted company in general—she never did when she was upset—but he wasn’t liable to bother her the way some of the other lost boys might. Besides, it felt like she hadn’t seen him in days, with his schedule being what it was. Tootles time was rare. “I’m the only one home now. Slightly and Cubby are still at work, Nibs and the twins went out to eat, and Peter took Wendy for a ride,” she listed their other roommates’ preoccupations, the last one coming out in somewhat of a different tone, unable as she was to mask her displeasure.

Coming back to the apartment after a 24 hour shift, Tootles never quite knew what to expect upon his arrival. There was enough people living in the apartment to where there was always someone around or awake, hardly ever a true moment of silence. He was already changed into his sweats and a hoodie as he returned from the station, his backpack over his shoulder with his things as he sat his boots by the door. He knew right away that Peter wasn't there, his absence easier to spot now that he got the motorcycle. Tootles had noticed immediately that the bike wasn't parked outside, though he didn't know that Peter had taken Wendy for a ride. He sighed tiredly, debating flopping on the couch or heading to bed until he recognized a familiar bun of curly hair a few feet away, Tink's back in his direction on the couch and seemingly tense. He cleared his throat, dropping the backpack from his shoulder and resting it by his boots. "Hey." He gave her a tired smile, in attempt to ease whatever may be bothering her. Even if he was tired as hell, he knew it wouldn't feel right to leave Tink on her own if something was wrong. He wasn't sure whether to ask or not, so he tried to lighten the mood instead. "No one burned the place down while I was gone, huh?" @tinkabells

[nibsdarling]

Nibs smiled as Tootles fixed his tousled hair, making a matching motion to fix his own, though it mostly fell right back into place after being ruffled. It seemed like Tootles was in a bit of a better mood with the moral support he’d offered, but something still felt off. Nibs couldn’t put his finger on it; he just had a sense for how his brothers were feeling after spending their lives looking out for each other, and it seemed like Tootles had more on his mind than he was actually saying. But Nibs still didn’t know what that something was, so he couldn’t ease his brother’s mind from it—and he didn’t want to pry if it wasn’t something Tootles wanted to talk about.

“Nah, I don’t do much,” he answered, because he really doubted that the ship was staying afloat due to any of his efforts. He was just the happy guy, there making sure everybody was having fun and not being left out or overlooked. When it came to actually taking care of things in the household, well, Tootles was the one who actually kept things running. “You can talk to me anytime, though,” he said meaningfully. “I’m always here for you.” Like right now.

Out of anyone, it was almost always Nibs who noticed Tootles first. Though he appreciated his efforts, making sure he felt included when he fell into the background of things, Tootles couldn't help but feel guilt, too. He was the one who missed out on things the most, therefore when Nibs hung back with him just to make sure he was good, he was missing out too. That was never the eldest lost boys intention. Still, he couldn't help the smile that formed as his (unspoken favorite) brother rubbed the top of his head affectionately. He got Nibs in return, rubbing the top of his head before he reached his arm up to fix the disheveled mess that his own curls surely looked now.

Hearing that he was the glue that held them together didn't exactly put him at ease like Nibs had likely hoped it would. It seemed that keeping everyone together was becoming more and more difficult; between Slightly and Cubby moving out and Peter's continious strain on the peace around here, it felt like all of Tootles' efforts were failing. "Thanks man," he answered, keeping his doubts to himself like he usually did. "I couldn't do it without you, you know?"

[slightlyconceited]

Tootles said it wasn’t like that, but Slightly wasn’t sure what else it could be like. He said it had been on his mind more recently; despite trying to emphasize the word recently in that sentence, Slightly caught the implication that it was something that had been nesting in Tootles’ head for longer, even if relatively dormant. He wasn’t the kind of guy who talked about his feelings a lot—anyone close to him knew that—but if this had been bothering him a while, it was about time he finally said something about it. Screw the strong and silent reputation. Well, they were talking about it now, and hopefully Tootles wouldn’t clam up after feeling like he’d said too much or been too honest.

“Since he got the bike?” Slightly repeated, thinking back to then and trying to figure out what it had to do with Tink and Wendy…He knew Wendy had been the first one Peter took out for a ride. He knew that was the kind of thing that would probably piss Tink off. It wasn’t a stretch to guess that something had happened surrounding that, but he hadn’t heard about the two women fighting or anything, just their resident fairy being moody when he’d left to go to his gig that day. “Because he didn’t ask Tink if she wanted to ride with him first?” Slightly hadn’t really thought about it, but he supposed it was pretty inconsiderate of Peter to insist on giving Wendy the first ride when she wasn’t even interested in motorcycles, as opposed to Tink. That was just one little thing, though. Slightly didn’t want to say he wasn’t understanding the full scope of the issue, so instead he intimated, “That seems like a…tip of the iceberg kinda situation,” in hopes that Tootles would elaborate and lay it all out for him.

It wasn't that Tootles wanted to be quiet about everything all the time — he wasn't good with words. He wasn't a musician like Slightly, or a poet like Cubby, or charming like Nibs. He didn't naturally draw everyone's attention like Peter did either, making it so easy for him to stay quiet on the sidelines and keep peace. Most of the time he was too busy anyway; if he wasn't working, he was taking care of everyone. Starting a ripple in the family by being honest about his feelings would only result in more for Tootles to feel responsible about, more mess to clean up. At least, that's what he's kept telling himself.

Tootles shook his head silently instead of answering Slightly's question. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything — the last thing he wanted to do was burden his problems onto someone else, especially any of his siblings. Also, truthfully, he wasn't even sure how long. Regardless, the answer wouldn't make either of them feel better about it. "It's not like that." No, it really was though. "It's just been on my mind more recently," he attempted to emphasize, "because of Tink and Wendy. Especially since Peter got the bike."

[ffcwn]

When she realized he didn’t get what she had meant, the brunette rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. “Come on, do you really need me to spell it out to you?” she began, now staring at him with a look of disbelief as there was no way Tootles didn’t get what she meant by telling him to ‘just be hot.’ Obviously, Fawn wasn’t saying that because she thinks her best friend was shallow. Tink was a lot of things, but caring about someone’s look wasn’t one of them, not when it came to her being interested in them. Otherwise, her friend would have moved on from Peter a long time ago when there were way more hotter people out there for her to be into. One of them, for example, was the guy she was currently standing in front of. “What? You don’t like me telling you to be hot? You are. So, I don’t see why that’s such a big deal, and it’s not like I haven’t heard Tink comment on your attractive looks before!”

"I don't know. Just be hot." -@ffcwn

Tootles looked at Tink's friend with a confused smile, as if trying to decipher what the hell Fawn meant from that. Tink wasn't shallow like that, right? It couldn't be that easy. "I don't think it really works like that," he answered with a chuckle, though he was still looking at her with narrowed eyebrows, as if wondering if it really were that simple. Maybe the brownie just had him overthinking. He thought it would help shut his mind up, but instead it only made his thoughts louder. He chuckled again, his smile growing. "Seriously, that's the best advice you got?"

[losttwinduke]

“Oh you are totally baked, aren’t you.” Duke responded, making it more as a statement rather than a question. It was the twin joke that sealed the deal for him, Tootles being one of the only ones among them who rarely makes twin jokes when it came to Duke and his twin brother, Benji. In fact, nowadays, most of the Lost Boys rarely made twin jokes when it came to the two of them, the once inseparable pair who couldn’t be distinguished from the other because all they knew was that they had the same face and the same voice, so it made sense if they acted the same too, they were now a pair of two boys trying to be their individual selves. At least, that’s what Benji had been trying to do. Duke on the other hand? That hasn’t been the easiest feat for him to accomplish, but he was trying. Anyways, how is Tootles making a twin joke be the concluding factor for the younger in realizing that his brother was baked? Easy, even back when the twins acted as one, Tootles still was the least among the lost boys to make that kind of joke, meaning he had to be baked for the older to have done so. Narrowing his eyes, Duke looked at his brother, unimpressed. “….Cubby laced the brownies again, didn’t he?” 

"are you baked?" -@losttwinduke

"Depends on who's asking," Tootles teased with a playful smirk, though he didn't mean it to be a twin joke at all — really, the only person he didn't want to know that he was high was Wendy, because he really wouldn't know how to act around her right now — but suddenly he wondered if Duke would take it as a twin joke. It wasn't like him normally to indulge, but what the hell; Peter got to have fun all the time and no one batted an eye. Tootles didn't have the heart to say no when Cubby offered him the brownie, anyway. The eldest lost boy was currently slumped quite comfortably into the couch, almost feeling as if he had become apart of it entirely. His cheeks had a hint of pink to them from the warmth of the apartment, and his eyes were glossy. Still, he smiled again at his brother to confirm he was messing with him (and confirm that he was in fact baked), but he attempted to play it off anyways with a shrug. "I feel fine. Just giving the couch some much-needed attention."