Partners In Crime (Ticciwork fanfic) [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 7: Stay here

"Hello America!" Toby announced when he came home.

"Are you doing that all day?" Masky grumbled, pushing past him so he could get in.

"Yes!" Toby said with exuberance.

"What have you been doing?" Slenderman sighed. He reached forward with one of his tentacles and pulled a clump of mud off of Toby's jacket; he was covered in it.

"Nothing." Toby said cheerfully.

"Why don't I believe you?" Slender folded his arms like a stern father.

"Eh." Toby shrugged. "I dunno. That's your problem. Say, where's Clockwork? I need to tell her something."

Clockwork looked up. "Here." She eyed him a bit nervously from the kitchen table. The mud streaked across his face looked like war paint.

He looked at her and a bit of a mischievous light went up in his eyes. She leaned away from him even though he was across the room. That light made her nervous.

"You." He said. "Need to see this thing I found."

"Don't fall for it." Masky said instantly. Toby shot him a look.

"You're not doing anything until you wash all that mud off." Slender growled. Toby rolled his eyes.

"I'm going right back outside there's no point."

"Toby."

"It's a logical reason!"

"Toby!"

"...Fine." Toby muttered. He walked away towards the bathroom, tracking mud everywhere. "Overprotective little..."

"I am not overprotective!" Slender protested. Masky coughed.

"Debatable."

Slender ignored him. He turned to Clockwork and she pretended like she wasn't watching. He walked towards her.

"So, you following up on Hoody's... request?" He asked in his strangely formal voice.

It wasn't a request, it was a threat.

"Do I have much of a choice?" Clockwork said coldly. She didn't look at him. He chuckled.

"Well I could talk to Hoody about that." He suggested. Clockwork looked up very slowly.

"What?"

"I could talk to him. Convince him to let you stay." He sighed. "He usually listens to me. Unlike Toby..."

"But you hate me!" Clockwork blurted. "Everyone hates me." Slender sighed. He sighed a lot, Clockwork realized. It sort of bothered her.

"I don't hate you." He said. "I don't hate anyone. Except maybe Megan, but that's a different story." He had started absentmindedly moving his tentacles around again. "But the point is, you don't have to leave. If you don't want to."

Clockwork didn't understand what he was offering her. "You mean you want me to stay here?"

"I never said that."

"Are you kidding me?!" Clockwork cried. "I don't want to stay here! The whole reason I'm here in the first place was because some stupid wolf freak thing ripped my shoulder open!"

"Pepper likes you." Slender pointed out. Clockwork groaned.

"Yes, I get that." She retorted. "I know she likes me. And I like her! She's nice! But I'm not staying anywhere. I never stay in the same place for that long."