Developments – A Collection of Romance in the Labyrinth Fandom

Masks

(Masquerade! Paper faces on parade! Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!)

-Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera

Moppet doesn't even realize it's happening until they're together in the tower. She's already come to conclusions about herself, finding out why exactly she can't remember anything before waking in the junkyard, and she's realized that the reason she's drawn to Toby is mainly because by all logic she shouldn't.

The two had run, laughing up the stairs as they evaded Mizumi and her calls, and had found the tower empty. No one had gone in since Jareth left, but no one had been able to either.

At least until Moppet and Toby make their way in, clutching their sides before collapsing. The door slams shut behind them, but they ignore it as they shake on the floor, laughter racking their bodies since they foiled Mizumi again.

Somehow Moppet had ended up on her stomach next to him, fists pounding the floor as tears leak from the corners of her eyes. Her mask is wet, but she refuses to remove it, even though he might have seen her face bare already.

But all their games would be over if he had.

His fingers move towards hers - he is on his back, but no, he's rolling to his stomach too. But though they're still laughing, his fingers are moving from her fisted palms to her elbows, and then shoulders...

Between shaking gasps, Moppet manages to choke out. "I'm not ticklish, y'know."

His fingers, paler than hers, rub tiny circles at her collarbone and her eyes shut. "Who said I was tickling you?"

The hands drift higher, and she nearly betrays herself. Her laughter is only a hiccup now, but she asks, "Then what are you doing then, Your Highness?"

"Don't call me that," his irritation is plain. "And I just want to see something..." he sounds more collected then her, and when she feels his fingers in her ratty hair, her breath catches again. This time it's for an entirely different reason.

Faster than you can say 'bog him!' she is on her back, her hands loop round his neck. "Don't," she warns him.

It is obvious he has been taken lessons in semi-innocent grins from the goblins. "Do what?" he asks playfully. His hands are still in her hair. Moppet tries not to sigh - instead she realizes the position the two of them are in.

Her mind is distracted for a moment and suddenly the string holding her mask in place has loosened. Moppet panics - her hands are still round his neck and in order to put another mask on her face she pulls Toby's head to hers and kisses him.

She's never kissed anyone before despite her old crushes, they never ever came to fruition. She knows she must be doing something wrong - were their teeth supposed to hit each other? - but his lips are on hers nearly as urgently as hers are on his.

Moppet wants that kiss to last long enough - forever even - but she has to breathe, and so does Toby. Panting they let a small space between each other.

And that's when Moppet's mask slips. She forgets to breathe as she struggles to cover her face again - he can't know, he can't, not after they kissed"...

Toby stops her, one hand pulling the mask and throwing it to the opposite end of the room, and then he cups her chin. Their eyes are right on each other.

Moppet considers wishing to die. She closes her eyes, sighing painfully. "It's not quite what you think."

"How do know what I am thinking?" he asks, his voice even. She doesn't open her eyes, instead moving her hands and pushing at his shoulders.

"Get off of me."

He does so, the warmth missed from his body. She slides away, sitting up and wrapping her arms about her knees. She looks at him and his face is clearly confused.

Moppet bites her bare lip for a moment. "I'm not your sister," she blurts out. "Not really any way. Not the way you know her at all. I just..."

Toby shakes his head, interrupting. "Moppet, I know, I already saw you without the mask."

Her thudding heart sinks to a horrible spot in her gut. "You did? But why did you..."

"Moppet," Toby tilts his head."Does it matter?"

She thinks before answering. "Yes it does, Toby. I'm what used to be Sarah Williams. After she left the Labyrinth I got left behind because I wasn't her anymore..."

"Exactly," says Toby, leaning forward. "You're not her - you said so yourself."

She opens her mouth to protest, but he interrupts her.

"You like me, right?" Moppet nods, maybe too fervently. "And I like you, and I think you are your own person."

Moppet's fingers twist in her dress. It was too much to take in at that one moment - she could barely think, unbelievable...

"But Toby," she asks. "Doesn't it bother you that I even look like her?"

Toby just looks at her. His words play again in her head. Her own person. The whole idea was ridiculous, impossible to comprehend.

"Does it bother you, Moppet?"

She had to think, to focus on what was going on in that moment. Did it bother her? Moppet didn't know - she had never thought about it in those terms before. She'd always thought he'd never accept her because of her history. Was it alright that she couldn't accept herself?

He is still watching her. She wanted to spill out the truth of the matter - that she didn't care since all she wanted was to be with Toby, that his very presence filled in her empty spots. But the words were caught in her throat.

So instead she reached out to Toby, and let him kiss her until she forgot the masks of so many years.

(Toby/Moppet)

A/N: You may have noticed, but this is the first in a series of unrelated one-shots that are all based on a different ship in the Labyrinth fandom. Though most everyone enjoys a good Sarah/Jareth story, I believe that there's so many possibilities for other pairings in this fandom.

This will be a collection of eighteen or so one-shots, each with two themes – all with 'development' and each with a personal quote to inspire the one-shot.

I hope you'll stick around to see the other stories – and if you did enjoy this Toby/Moppet pairing go check out Last Haven's 'Moving the Stars'. The story is amazingly well written and I highly recommend it.

Please leave a review!