A/N: I hope you all had a good new year's! I just realized that I never really had Toby (or Renee, for that matter) featured in any of my HM: Animal Parade fics, which is kind of a shame since they're actually pretty cool, and so I ended up writing this ficlet just now on a whim as a small tribute to my chill little fisherman. Plus I didn't have any stories written for this "New Year's Day" theme ahead of time, haha.
Also, I'd like to thank everyone who has taken time out of their day to read these little oneshots and review and/or favorite! I appreciate it so much! Though there seems to be an issue with reviews on the site lately, as they haven't been showing up on my stories properly in the last few days or so, and therefore, while I know I've gotten the reviews, I haven't been able to read them in full. I don't know if anyone else has been having the same problem, but I hope it gets fixed soon! -CCM
Going With the Flow
New Year's Day in Castanet was a peaceful and rather uneventful affair, a striking contrast to the parties and outright shenanigans of the night before. It was a time to look forward to the upcoming year ahead of them with a fresh dash of hope and optimism (and, in many cases, to sleep off the effects of their earlier indulgences of sweets and alcohol).
By this day, most of the villagers in town had formulated their own resolutions for the upcoming year – aspects they would change, things they would try and do better in the future, goals to accomplish and dreams to fulfill. And they each loved talking all about it, comparing resolutions with friends and brainstorming ways to get a head start on putting their plans into action.
The carpentry apprentice, Luke, for example, wanted to beat his record for amount of lumber chopped and collected from the previous year, which he enthusiastically explained to anyone who bothered to listen; already, Dale and Bo, as well as his best friend Owen, had heard enough out of him on the matter.
Calvin and Phoebe wished to go on an exploration together to the deepest portions of Garmon Mine, hoping for better luck in their search for ancient treasures of days past - and perhaps even check out the mines in a few other nearby towns, as well, as they had heard some crazy stories involving cursed tools, mysterious cave creatures, and something about a lost legendary sword.
Maya wanted to finally learn how to cook something that didn't explode or turn out utterly charred, for once - though her first obstacle was getting Chase to agree to start giving her cooking lessons again, which wouldn't be easy after what happened the last time he let her in his kitchen. Chase himself had plans to hone his own techniques with a collection of brand new recipes to test out.
Gill hoped to become even more well-organized than last year, when it came to the way the town festivals were run (there had been a few incidents in the past that the mayor-to-be hadn't been all too pleased about, mostly thanks to an overenthusiastic Luke, a fireworks mishap, and a couple of escaped farm animals on the rampage). Selena wanted to finally perfect a new dance move she had been practicing, and Luna planned to try and get her shy older sister Candace set up on a date with a guy for the first time ever.
Everyone had their own goal set in place, it seemed; eager for a chance to start anew.
Toby, however, was perfectly content to spend the new year just as he had spent every year past. The young fisherman was prepared to sit back and continue fishing, relaxing, and enjoying whatever experiences the world had to give him. Nothing new there, just going with the flow.
It wasn't that he was lazy, or that he didn't have any goals or dreams to speak of - no, Toby simply wasn't a take-action sort of guy. He wasn't one to go out and force change to happen in his life; he would rather continue doing what he loved most, just as he always had been quite comfortably in Castanet, and to leave all the rest up to fate.
If fate decided something new was in store for him in the coming year, then so be it, but he personally didn't see a point in purposely messing with what was already assured to be great. He had a wonderful home in Castanet, living with his uncle Ozzie and younger cousin Paolo, and had all the time in the world to spend his days fishing off the shore and appreciate the peaceful natural beauty in the land around him.
And that was good enough for him.
Perched on the wooden bridge that crossed over the river, his feet dangling over the smooth flow of water and his trusty old fishing rod in hand, Toby looked out over the beautiful expanses of Flute Fields, basking in the fresh golden sunshine that warmed him right down to the toes. Gone were the snowy, frozen winter days in Castanet, to be replaced by the comfortably warm spring weather of the new year that Toby always looked forward to.
He wasn't the biggest fan of winter, after all, and with good reason; the waters he loved to fish from often froze over with ice in the cold weather, and it was a lot less comfortable to sit out for hours at a time when the temperatures were below freezing. Even the rain showers frequent in the season of growth and rebirth were preferable to the snow. And so, the return of spring always sent a flutter of joy in his heart.
Grasping his fishing rod in both hands, Toby drew it back and then quickly cast his line into the river, releasing a small sigh of satisfaction when he heard the faint plop of the bobber hitting the surface of the water. With any luck, he would be able to catch something good, but right now, all he had to do was wait, and listen.
His eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the wind in his pale hair and the gentle sounds the river below, the fisherman heard sudden footsteps approach him along the bridge. Toby focused on the sound of the footfalls - they moved slowly, calmly, but with a sense of purpose all the same. They weren't excitably rushed like the thudding footsteps of his cousin Paolo, or Luke; nor were they quite as slow and lightweight as Candace's timid footsteps, for instance.
He knew exactly who it could be.
Toby finally opened his eyes to glance over his shoulder and grin at the girl who stood behind him. Renee smiled sweetly back at him and wordlessly presented her own fishing rod, then settled down at his side on the edge of the bridge, allowing her feet to dangle freely off the side of the worn wooden planks just as his were. The sunlight fell softly onto her short chestnut-brown hair as she cast her pole into the water, right alongside his, but not so close that the lines would get tangled.
Toby couldn't help but notice how very close Renee sat next to him, so close they were nearly touching, and how she seemed to know exactly what to do now without uttering a single word. How her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink when he looked over at her for the briefest moment, and how she kept smiling shyly at him, a smile which he gladly returned.
They had gone fishing together so many times before, just as they were now, but this time... something felt inexplicably different. In a good way, though.
Perhaps something would change for him this year, after all, Toby thought to himself with the hint of a grin as he affectionately watched Renee tuck a loose lock of her brunette hair behind one ear and peer down into the water under her feet. If that's what fate had in store for him, he'd willingly let it happen, ready to be pulled along on the gentle current of life.
Never good enough.
She was absolutely gorgeous, the most beautiful girl Elliot had ever seen.
And she deserved better than him. He was weak, nerdy,
Maybe he was good enough, after all.