Partners In Crime (Ticciwork fanfic) [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 29: Well done.

Jeff was never the same.

Smiledog never left his side, and would always give people death stares if they got close, as if Jeff's demeanor wasn't enough to scare them off in the first place. He always had his hood up, always wearing his black hoodie rather than the light grey one Clockwork was used to. He rarely spoke, but when he did, it was usually some scorching comment on why they should leave him alone and stop trying to talk to him.

On the rare occasion that he was in a good enough mood to talk, it was never for long, and he didn't ever put much effort into the conversation, so it always felt one-sided.

Clockwork wished he'd go back to the optimistic, clever Jeff he used to be and stop dampening everyone's mood like there was a rain cloud hanging over his head.

The tag game she and Toby had been playing for only a few days now had started to get half-hearted, as Toby was watched more and more closely by the tall man in the suit. The cold gazes were slowly wearing away at him, Clockwork knew, but it wasn't like she could make him feel better when they weren't allowed to talk.

There were only two people who remained the same, and they were none other than Masky and Hoody. Other than the fact that Hoody wore his mask more often, and Masky was a bit quieter than normal, nothing about them had changed. They woke up at the crack of dawn like always and were the last to turn in for the night, as always. Sometimes Clockwork doubted they slept at all, probably on some midnight mission Slenderman had assigned them to.

Then, all at once, Clockwork was very bored. Without Toby's company, she had no one to cause trouble with, and without Jeff's optimism she had no one to stop her from sitting around and sulking.

So that's what she did, either with her chin down on the kitchen table, tracing the woodgrain, or upstairs in her room, staring at the ceiling. What was 4 days felt like years, with absolutely nothing to do and absolutely no one to talk to for more than a few minutes.

It was somewhere around three in the morning and she still wasn't asleep, sprawled on her bed, watching the ceiling fan go around and around and around, when a soft knock on her doorway startled her so much she fell off her bed with loud flunk!

"Are you okay!?" Toby's voice cried in a startled whisper. She laughed, rolling onto her back.

"Come in," She said pleasantly.

He cautiously opened the door, took a look at her lying on the floor, and started laughing.

"I don't think you're okay."

She giggled, pulling herself into a cross-legged position. "Hi, Toby."

That half smile spread over his lips and her heartbeat quickened. He pushed the door closed with his elbow but the latch didn't close. "Hey,"

"What time is it?" She asked him.

"There's a clock behind you."

"I'm too lazy."

"To turn around?" He sat down on the edge of her bed and glanced up at Cameron's Klock. "Three fifty five."

"You didn't use my clock this time." She pointed out. His eyes focused directly on her's and he raised an eyebrow. "It's still three fifty five." He said sassily. Clockwork wiggled her eyebrows.

"That's good. I'd hate for my clock to be off."

"Do you have to take it out for daylight savings?"

"Yes."

"Eww." He wrinkled his nose.

She laughed. "Yeah, it's kinda gross. I never liked daylight savings time."