THEN AGAIN • TC ✔️

16. Panic Mode

At first, Timmy panics. He can't see anything remotely suitable for a stocking-stuffer, but then again, he is in the baby care section.

Clem hobbles past him, flipping him off as she tries to half-walk, half-run to the next section. Timmy can see something in her basket already, and he looks around in bewilderment. Turns back the way he came and looks at the end of the row. There's a little stand with those weird wire head massagers on it--

(And Timmy knows he's struck gold because he's always stroking Clem's hair as they sit there on the couch watching TV. And like, he doesn't mind it, quite likes it in fact, but he's only human and his hands do get kind of tired after a while.)

--so he picks one up and chucks it in his basket. Rounds the corner again and there's a hot chocolate-bauble-ornament of some description, so he puts that in too.

He sees a Clem-sized figure bundled up in scarves flash past the gap in the aisles, and smiles to himself. Goes back the way he came, past the baby food and the diapers and the pacifiers. (Momentarily considers getting Clem a Sesame Street body wash just to see what she would do, but then he sees a cuddly little frog and chooses that instead.)

The thing is, Timmy needs more time. He wants to think things through, wants to get her gifts that actually mean something, wants to show her that it might all just be a bit of fun, but he really does care. Probably too much for his own good.

(And of course there's that thing he's making for her but she might not even like it. It's probably best to have a back up.)

Only time is not on Timmy's side, and he scuttles to another row. What else? Food. That's got to be a sure-fire option, right? He gets to the candy aisle and sees Clem smuggling something into her basket.

"Go away!" she yells from the other end of the aisle, and an old man looking at milk duds glowers over at her. Timmy shields his eyes with an arm, stoops his back melodramatically and looks for the Reese's. Clem disappears around the corner, and he picks up a regular sized pack. Wonders if he strictly has to stick to the ten dollar limit, because there's a giant version for two bucks. He decides against it though. Rules are rules, and surely there have got to be more things he can find. How many does he have so far? Head massager, bauble, frog, peanut butter cups. Six items left to buy and seven minutes left to do it in.

He's actually panicking now, so he heads directly to the Christmas section, sees if there's anything else he can pick up. There's fluffy socks and candy cane spoons - Clem hates candy canes, but he picks up the hot chocolate flavoured ones on a whim, as well as a pair of tartan socks.

Timmy hasn't moved this quickly in a while, and he's breathing heavily, laden down by the scarf Clem insisted on him wearing. He looks frantically either side of the aisles - he's getting towards the back of the store and still nothing - when he sees a rack of scarves and picks one up. What's her favourite colour? Timmy doesn't know.

(Fuck, he should know. He should know this.)

Pink? No, that's just- blue, it's blue. No, wait, fuck, maybe it's dark green. Timmy goes with red because it's festive (and because he can't remember if she likes dark blue and green or blue and dark green).

Oh! Christmas lights in the shape of snowflakes. They're cute, and Timmy chucks them in the basket. Maybe they can decorate Filly's tank, make it a little more festive.

He gets to the toiletries section, immediately sees shower gel and wonders if she'll take that the wrong way. (Wonders if he really wants her to stop using his own shower gel instead.) But he picks some up anyway - apparently it smells like candy canes and why the fuck does everything smell like candy canes? Timmy puts it back. Picks up another that's supposed to be vanilla, and it's kind of boring, but it'll work. He has probably like, a minute left, so he finds perfume of some description. It might smell like toilet cleaner but it says it smells like a Christmas wreath, so Timmy puts it in the basket and does a quick round up.

Head massager, frog, bauble, peanut butter cups, socks, scarf, perfume, shower gel, Christmas lights, candy canes. Ten.

Satisfied with his purchases, Timmy wanders down the aisle he's currently in. Looks at the sanitary products briefly. Looks away. Realises he shouldn't be embarrassed about it. Looks back.

(And it's not like Timmy's been keeping an eye on it, but the box of tampons in the bathroom cabinet has been running a little low since two weeks ago. Several times he's thought about coming home with more of them and some chocolate, so he can get into Clem's good books - although hopefully he's already in them - and maybe earn a smile. A hug if he's lucky.)

He steps toward the shelf and reaches out.

"Timmy, time's up!" he hears from around the corner. "Tim, time's u-" Clem stops talking as she sees him. Timmy can't work out if it's just because she's found him or if it's also because they're both looking at the tampons Timmy's holding.

Clem covers the contents of her basket with the stocking. "Are those going in my stocking?" she asks brightly, and Timmy stumbles over his words.

"No! I mean, like, if they- may- no, they're not, well, unless-"

"I need some anyway," she cuts in, taking them from Timmy's hand. "Do you need an extra minute to go find something else?"

She's looking at him expectantly and Timmy is absolutely mortified. "No, I- they weren't part of- I was just..." he trails off, covering the contents of his own basket with Clem's stocking. "I'm done, let's go," Timmy tells her, and now he's really blushing. Is suddenly quite thankful for the scarf she made him wear.

Clem snorts. "Are you sure?" she asks, letting herself be led by Timmy to the self-checkout.

"Yes, I'm sure. I was just...looking," he says off-handedly, and she smiles like she knows something he doesn't.

"Okay," Clem replies. "You go to the furthest one and I'll use this one. No peeking!" she reinforces her point, and Timmy nods. Scans his purchases with burning cheeks, and they shouldn't even be burning but Timmy can't seem to get this message across to his face.

They leave the store, each with a stocking in one hand because Clem had said it's waste of plastic(!!!) and she had been right. (Although Timmy thinks they might look a bit odd, each strolling along with a filled stocking swinging from their fingertips.)

They cross the road and begin the journey back to the park, passing the stores on the other side of the road, peering into shop windows, and she latches onto his arm again. Just as she did before. Timmy's first reaction is still to check if she's slipped, but then he glances up. Back at Clem, wondering if she's seen another store she wants to go into.

But no, she's just holding onto his arm. No reason at all.

Timmy ignores the jolt in his stomach.