Partners In Crime (Ticciwork fanfic) [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 3: Good Riddance

The next day, Toby pretended she was invisible.

Somehow she had fallen asleep the night before, though she didn't really remember how. She'd woken up with painful crook in her neck and a sour attitude, and didn't really mind how he ignored her. Good riddance.

He'd walked into the combined living room and kitchen, already with his goggles and his mask on and glanced around at the people already up.

"Masky, Hoody." He focused on Clockwork briefly but didn't acknowledge her. His eyes flicked right over to the person sitting beside her. "Pepper." The he stepped out of the door and vanished into the great outdoors.

There was a moment's silence, then Pepper turned to Clockwork.

"What did you do?" She demanded

"He was annoying me!"

Pepper sighed in exasperation. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Nothing." Clockwork said loftily. "I'm not staying here long, anyway." She tried moving her shoulder but it exploded with pain and she stopped, letting it hang limp instead. Another day, then. She sighed.

Hoody coughed a little too loudly while reading the paper. Clockwork shot him a glare.

"What, you don't believe me?"

"No, I just-" He faltered into what sounded like a laugh that he was trying to avoid. "Never mind..."

Masky sighed hugely and walked away from the window he was staring out of.

"I'll go after Toby. Make sure he doesn't... do anything... stupid..." He muttered something else incoherent as he walked out the door. Hoody stood up too, apparently done with the newspaper, though he had only skimmed over it.

"Hey Smiley!" He called into another room. A mangled dog with blood caked fur came tearing around the corner, claws slipping on the hardwood floor. He was panting enthusiastically, like he knew exactly what was coming.

Hoody tossed the dog the newspaper and it ripped it to shreds with a disturbing amount of enthusiasm. Clockwork stared.

"Did you want that?" He asked her. She shook her head, watching as the paper was reduced to nothing but slobbery grayish bits in a matter of seconds. Hoody shrugged, standing up. He stepped over the dog's wildly thumping tail and grabbed his gun off the counter.

"I'm going out too." He said, mostly to Pepper. "See you in a few hours." And then he was gone, too.

"Why does he carry a gun everywhere?" She asked Pepper.

"Why do you carry duel knives everywhere?" She challenged. Clockwork shrugged, figuring it was a reasonable answer. She watched the dog finish making a mess all over the floor and it looked up at her curiously, perking its ears.

"Ummm..." Clockwork shrank away, unsure whether he would use those sharp teeth on her the way he had used them on the newspaper.

"That's Smiledog." Pepper said. "We mostly call him Smile or Smiley. He's mostly friendly, unless he finds a reason not to trust you."

As if to emphasize the point, Smiledog snarled. Clockwork tucked her feet underneath her chair warily, not wanting to extend any limbs toward him. She'd felt what it was like to get mauled, and she also felt like Smile would be harder to fight off than even Smeagol.

Smile lost interest in Clockwork quickly though, and she was relieved. He wandered away back down the hallway he'd come from, leaving slobbery footprints and slips of newspaper behind him.

"Slender isn't going to like that." Pepper muttered. Clockwork tensed.

"Slender is here?" She demanded. Pepper looked surprised.