Tear In My Heart (COMPLETE)

Chapter Six

A year. It only took a year, and the kid was already becoming annoying.

Not BEN level -- not quite, but he was pretty close. And Masky still had to live with him!

But Tim supposed he would rather that than -- well, he wasn't too sure of the alternative, nor was he sure he wanted it per say. Perhaps anything other than now, what with BEN and Toby shouting haphazardly at the video game they were currently playing in the living room. If he hadn't decided to oh so promptly sit in the kitchen where he had deemed it 'safe', someone might have ended up on their arse; and it certainly wasn't going to be Tim.

The man sighed, lifting up his mask just enough to sip his still piping hot coffee before slipping it back down, mug being placed gently on the table. Brian moved silently through the kitchen, mask hiding his own face as he cleaned up his dishes from breakfast. At least he didn't threaten to burn down the house every time he cooked, which was probably the only reason why he was still allowed to cook in the first place.

"Clockwork said something about taking Sally to go camping," Brian was saying as he piled more dishes into the slowly filling sink; stopping only once the sudes of the soap threatened to overtake the top. "Asked if we wanted t' go."

"And?" Tim asked curtly, quickly moving to take another sip of coffee -- and, momentarily forgetting about his mask, almost spilled the hot liquid on more undesirable places if not for the clinking of the mug gently rasping against the porcelain mask. Brain did his best - and utterly failed - at trying to hide his smirk as he began to scrub away at the dishes.

"Well, I told her I'd ask you," Brian chuckled, "but Tobes seems really apt that we all go." Tim snorted, earning a semi confused look. "What?" Brian asked, more clean dishes piling up on the empty side to be rinsed and set to dry.

"Nothin'," shrugged Tim as he shifted his mask back around to sit properly. "Sounds fine by me. Big guy knows?"

"Knowing him, probably," Brian snorted with a nod. "He knows everything, remember?"

Tim gave a nod at that, but anything he was going to say was cut off by a shrill screech in the living room, followed by hurried footsteps. Sally was the first to come barging into the kitchen; quick to slide underneath the table and squirm her way into sitting in between Tim's legs. Tim could hear a muffled snicker from Brian as the raven haired man gave the girl a rather confused look from underneath his mask as he shifted around to stare at her.

"Shhhh!" was her simple, giggling reply as she pulled Charlie close to her.

Sure enough, as Tim rolled his eyes and did his best to ignore whatever it was the girl was doing, in came Toby; heard first by his ticking and footsteps, and then seen poking his head into the room curiously.

"We-well I co-could've sworn I-I saw he-her go into he-here," spoke the teen loudly, hands on his hips as he entered the kitchen, quite obviously feigning being unable to find the girl that had run in moments before.

Which, of course, was more than obvious from any vantage point within the kitchen; the table being quite high and there not being too much room between Tim's legs for the girl to properly hide otherwise. That still didn't stop her from trying to stifle a giggle as she pressed further into Tim's legs. Surprisingly, the otherwise gruff man only gave a grunt in response to both question and girl, carefully taking another sip of his coffee before it got too cold.

"I could've sworn I heard someone come in here earlier!" Brian played along with a roll of his eyes; plates easily drying as he moved onto smaller objects. "Maybe check in the fridge?"