[Fanfic] Simple Obsession
Title: Simple Obsession
Characters: Tim, the team, Mr. and Mrs. McGee, and Tom(OMC).
Genre: Drama, hints of slash.
Rating: FR15
Pairings: One-sided OMC/Tim
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Spoilers: Spoilers for 9.03 “The Penelope Papers”
Summary: "It is the total dependence on their partner for identity and feelings of self worth that makes these stalkers so very dangerous. They will often go to any length and stop at nothing to get their partner back. If they can't have the people over whom they can exert dominance and total control, their lives are truly not worth living. Unfortunately, along with becoming suicidal, they also often want to kill the partner who has left them."
“Obsessional does not necessarily mean sexual obsession, not even obsession for this, or for that in particular; to be an obsessional means to find oneself caught in a mechanism, in a trap increasingly demanding and endless.”
Jacques Lacan
Chapter One
“Damn it Tim! I’m doing this so you can be an admiral some day! Scuttlebutt says your dad is going to be promoted real soon.” The black haired boy leaned hard on the tiller, sending the tiny craft bouncing across the waves. “What is he going to think of you if you are the first McGee in generations to wash out of the Navy?”
Tim McGee clutched the side of the sailboat, eye squeezed tightly closed as the waves crashed over the side. His gut churned. There was no doubt in his mind that if there had been anything left in his stomach, he would have lost it. He wanted to do nothing other than lie down and close his eyes. But he knew that if he so much as budged from his seat Tom would kick at him until he got back up. He cracked an eye, glaring at his friend as he replied.
“Tom I don’t know how many times I’ve told you this, but constant exposure is just not going to work! I’m probably going to need medication or something!”
Tom frowned, wiping his spray slicked hair out of his eyes.
“Tim, no sailor is going to respect an Admiral who has to pop a pill every time he steps aboard a ship!”
The burrito was perched on the edge of his desk, taunting him. Tim swallowed, willing himself again to ignore it and breath through his mouth. Forcing himself to focus he leaned forward in his chair, eyes sweeping over bank records for any inconsistencies to suggest their Chief Petty Officer was living outside of his means. On the other side of Tim’s desk Tony bit into his own burrito with gross exaggeration and after a moments pause, moaned with pleasure.
“My god! I think they put something special in the burritos this morning Probie!” Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo finished his breakfast with a flourish, licking any remaining traces from his fingers with obscene glee. Across the bullpen Ziva David laughed and finished her own food with a great deal less enthusiasm. Smirking Tony allowed his eyes to dance across his friends desk until they landed on the lonely burrito. He leaned forward on his elbows, watching the computer screen while surreptitiously reaching for the uneaten food.
“It really is a waste you know. Burritos should be eaten hot and it’s just sitting there getting cold while you finish work that you were supposed to have read for Gibbs yesterday.” He licked his lips slightly, eyes flickering momentarily away from the younger man as his fingers brushed against warm wax paper. “It’s almost not fair to the burrito. It deserves to be enjoyed to the fullest-”
Tim’s hand snapped away from the keyboard and latched around Tony’s wrist. His green eyes were darkened with hunger, his full lips drawn to a thin line.
“Tony, I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. If you lay a hand on that burrito, I swear, I will show you what Ziva taught me to do with a paper clip!”
Tony laughed.
“I would not laugh Tony. McGee has always been a fast learner.”
Tony twisted slightly in his chair without retracting his hand. Over his shoulder he gave the new Special Agent a knowing glance.
“Nice try Agent David, but I was there when you tried to teach him to throw a knife remember? Our Probie-san might be a fast learned in the brains department, but it’s a whole different story when it comes to the physical.”
Ziva stood, chuckling as she made her way towards them. Tony’s smile faltered slightly at the sight of the paperclip twirling between her fingers. He felt Tim’s fingers release his wrist and turned back around as Ziva crossed to stand behind the desk. The burrito had vanished, probably into a locked desk drawer. But Tony’s eyes were now locked on Ziva, who was watching Tim type with her eyes half-hooded. When she was sure that Tony was watching she threw him a predatory smirk.
“True, McGee might not have taken to the physical aspects as easily as the mental. But all he needed was,” She paused for dramatic effect, enjoying the flush that crept across Tim’s face. “A little hands on practice. Some one on one time with the teacher.”
With every word she leaned further across Tim’s back, until she was practically breathing the words into his ear. She slipped an arm around his shoulder, fingers tracing seductively down his arm, and dropped the paperclip beside the keyboard. His focus never wavered from the screen. If anything the furious tapping of keys only increased. She stood and made her way back to her desk, throwing Tony a suggestive wink as she past.
When she was safely on the other side of the bullpen Tim risked a glance away from his monitor. He immediately regretted it a moment later.
Tony was watching him with all the curiosity of a cat and the intense focus of a well trained hunting dog. As their eyes met his lips quirked slightly and he eagerly leaned forward, pulling the keyboard out of the others reach.
“Hey! Tony I need that! Gibbs has already been on my case once this morning. If he comes in and doesn’t see me working he’ll-”
“Now, now Timmy, that can wait. Now is the time for some serious grown-up conversation.” Frowning Tim opened his mouth to argue and Tony slapped a palm against his lips. Tim barely resisted the childish urge to lick. After all, he had a pretty good idea where that hand had been. “Now, after seeing that little show and you’re reaction I’m going to go out on a limb and say something happened during these lessons you two had.”
“Now I know better than to believe the first scenario that pops into my head. But something definitely happened. What was it?” Tony was practically bouncing on his chair now, like an excited puppy. “Come on Probie, you can tell me! Man to man. What happened? Did it involve burying an innocent bystander?”
“If you don’t let him finish his work, the next body we bury is going to be yours DiNozzo.”
Tony’s head snapped forward from the force of Gibbs’ head-slap.
“Grab your gear.”
Tony jumped up, an eager grin on his face.
“What do we got Boss? A dead petty officer in Rock Creak Park? A sailor go missing out of Norfolk? Bomb threat on a submarine?”
Gibbs smirked, grabbing his weapon from the drawer in his desk. He checked the clip before slipping it into his belt holster. Grabbing his coffee he rounded the desk passing each of his agents as they headed towards the elevator.
“None of the above. Marine Staff Sergeant Jeremy Mathews got attacked on base at Quantico.”
“A marine was attacked at Quantico? Did they manage to catch his assailant?”
They piled together into the elevator, doors sliding closed behind them. Ziva mentally running through a list of possible assailants. Base personnel and other Marines were the most likely. However they could not rule out an outsider until they began their investigation. Tony voiced the next obvious question as the elevator doors swung back open.
“How is the Staff Sergeant doing? Any way we’ll be able to question him soon?”
Gibbs nodded.
“Seems like he gave as good as he got, fought back pretty hard. His injuries were mild at best but the MP’s on scene insisted that he get checked out at the hospital. Me and Ziva are gonna head over there to question him, you and Tim go ahead and start processing the scene.”
The four agents split off into their assigned pairs, Gibbs and Ziva heading to the motor pool to sign out a sedan while Tony and Tim went to the garage to retrieve the truck. Tossing Tim the keys Tony jogged ahead to sign the vehicle out, leaving the other to gas it up.
Tim’s cell rang before the vehicle was half full. He stepped away from the pump and glanced at the number. Not one that he knew. He could see Tony heading towards him across the garage as he answered with the most polite tone that could still convey the message, ‘I’m much too busy to talk to you.’
“Hello?”
Tony jogged up beside him, waving a hand for the keys. Tim gestured distractedly towards the cab and Tony tossed his backpack into the back before jumping into the drivers seat. He drummed impatiently for a moment against the steering wheel, watching his partner in the side mirror. He still though when Tim’s face went slack with something like shock…or fear.
The senior field agent slid quietly across the seat. Glad that the mechanics always left the windows cracked. He had to listen closely but he could just hear Tim over the background noise of the garage.
“Who is this?” Tim paced out of sight for a moment behind the truck. When he came back into view he shot a weary glance towards the cab. “Who gave you this number?” His teeth worried at his bottom lip and Tony could see the muscles in his shoulders stiffen with tension. “No! I do not want to see you. Do not call this number again!”
He ended the call and stared for a moment at his cell. Tony narrowed his eyes, but from this distance even his 20/20 vision couldn’t read the number on the screen. The pump shut off automatically with a snap as the truck finished fueling causing both agents to jump.
Tony slid back into the drivers seat and buckled his seat belt. He would have to talk to Ziva about this. He didn’t like the direction the call had seemed to go and knowing Tim the second they asked about it he would clam up and deflect. The kid might not be able to tell a lie, but his deflection skills were some of the best. He needed to consult with Ziva though before he made any hasty decisions.
Like having Abby run his call history. Or breaking into his apartment in the middle of the night. Or telling Gibbs.
The passenger side door opened and Tim swung himself into the cab. His face already schooled into an expression of normality. Tony shot him a grin as the engine turned over.
“So who was on the phone Timmy? Got a hot date planned?”
Tim’s grin faltered for maybe a fraction of a second.
“Unfortunately no. It was a telemarketer. They keep calling me, I think I’m going to have to get my number changed. Gibbs said the Staff Sergeants name was Jeremy Mathews right?” Tim pulled his cell out of his pocket and accessed one of his apps. With Tony’s affirmation he plugged the victims name into the search bar. Soon he was looking over the Staff Sergeants personnel file.
Tony listened as he read the file out loud. The senior field agent watched his probie out of the corner of his eye. Tim’s voice was strong and clear, it didn’t give any hint that something was wrong. Put Tony didn’t miss the slight trembling of his fingers.
Tim McGee scowled and adjusted the thin elastic string underneath his chin. On the far side of the table Sarah leaned heavily on the table, brown waves framing her face as she blew out the six colorful candles on her birthday cake. Tim reached up, pulling the colorful birthday hat into a more comfortable position.
At the head of the table his mother was gesturing for kids to sit back. She quickly plucked the candles out of the cake, careful not to drip wax onto the icing. One of her friends was trying to distract the children with party favors, but each child seemed to be more interested in the sugary cake.
The doorbell rang loudly over the children’s excited scream and his mother sent him a pleading glance. He jumped out of his chair, grateful for the temporarily release from his brotherly duties. He didn’t know why Mom insisted that he stay. It wasn’t like Sarah was paying any attention too him. She had friends her own age to play with. He was fourteen! A six year olds birthday was boring him to death.
He opened the door, expecting to show in a tardy party goer. Instead he was met by an angry scowl and a raised black eyebrow. Tim frowned, he hadn’t known that Mom had invited any of his friends to Sarah’s party.
“Tom what are you doing here?”
His friends eyes were trained on the crown of his head, thin lips twitching into a smirk. Tim’s eyes widened, cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as he reached up to pull the party hat off of his head. Seeing the offensive bit of cardboard and glitter did nothing to alleviate his embarrassment. Sarah had chosen it for him special, it was a lovely shade of purple with glittering pink stars and long streamers attached to the top.
Tom laughed and he tossed it carelessly behind him into the house. He stepped outside onto the porch, closing the door behind him and blocking out the screams of excited children.
“So did my Mom invite you?”
Tom shook his head.
“No, I came because I’ve been waiting for you at the arcade for the last hour and a half.
I thought that we had plans today?”
Tim sighed, he should have known that Tom hadn’t been listening.
“No we didn’t. I told you almost a million times yesterday, today is my little sisters birthday. She turns six today and Mom made me promise to help with the party.”
For a moment Tom’s face was shadowed, a cloud passing in front of the sun. In that brief moment Tim thought he saw a flash of anger in his friends eyes. It worried him. Every day Tom was growing more persistent. More sure that Tim was destined to be the next admiral in the McGee dynasty. If only he could get over the seasickness. If only he worked on his fitness a little more.
“Dude, are you actually doing anything in there? Or are you just sitting on your ass scowling at everyone from under your pretty princess hat.”
Tim glared.
“I am not just sitting on my ass! With Dad deployed Mom is all by herself in there, trying to corral all those kids.”
With a sharp bark of laughter Tom wrapped an arm around Tim’s shoulders, steering the younger boy away from the house.
“Your Mom will be fine. Now come on, we’ve got another date with my uncle’s sailboat!”
Tim scowled, violently shrugging out of the embrace. He backed away from his friend shaking his head.
“I’m sorry Tom, but I promised her. Besides, we’re having a smaller party just for the three of us after Sarah’s friends leave.” He opened the door, slipping back inside before his friend had a chance to respond. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The door closed. Tim waiting for a moment, hand resting on the knob. After a few moments he looked though the peephole. Tom was still standing on the porch, his back to the door. He stood there for several moments before jumping off down the steps and jogging down the street.
Tim sighed, relaxing against the door. Behind him he could hear Sarah’s excited cry’s as she began ripping into presents. He turned and grabbed his party hat from where it had fallen. The elastic band snapped his skin as he put it back in place. He took a few steps towards the dining room then, changing his mind, turned back towards the door and locked it behind him.
Characters: Tim, the team, Mr. and Mrs. McGee, and Tom(OMC).
Genre: Drama, hints of slash.
Rating: FR15
Pairings: One-sided OMC/Tim
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Spoilers: Spoilers for 9.03 “The Penelope Papers”
Summary: "It is the total dependence on their partner for identity and feelings of self worth that makes these stalkers so very dangerous. They will often go to any length and stop at nothing to get their partner back. If they can't have the people over whom they can exert dominance and total control, their lives are truly not worth living. Unfortunately, along with becoming suicidal, they also often want to kill the partner who has left them."
“Obsessional does not necessarily mean sexual obsession, not even obsession for this, or for that in particular; to be an obsessional means to find oneself caught in a mechanism, in a trap increasingly demanding and endless.”
Jacques Lacan
Chapter One
“Damn it Tim! I’m doing this so you can be an admiral some day! Scuttlebutt says your dad is going to be promoted real soon.” The black haired boy leaned hard on the tiller, sending the tiny craft bouncing across the waves. “What is he going to think of you if you are the first McGee in generations to wash out of the Navy?”
Tim McGee clutched the side of the sailboat, eye squeezed tightly closed as the waves crashed over the side. His gut churned. There was no doubt in his mind that if there had been anything left in his stomach, he would have lost it. He wanted to do nothing other than lie down and close his eyes. But he knew that if he so much as budged from his seat Tom would kick at him until he got back up. He cracked an eye, glaring at his friend as he replied.
“Tom I don’t know how many times I’ve told you this, but constant exposure is just not going to work! I’m probably going to need medication or something!”
Tom frowned, wiping his spray slicked hair out of his eyes.
“Tim, no sailor is going to respect an Admiral who has to pop a pill every time he steps aboard a ship!”
The burrito was perched on the edge of his desk, taunting him. Tim swallowed, willing himself again to ignore it and breath through his mouth. Forcing himself to focus he leaned forward in his chair, eyes sweeping over bank records for any inconsistencies to suggest their Chief Petty Officer was living outside of his means. On the other side of Tim’s desk Tony bit into his own burrito with gross exaggeration and after a moments pause, moaned with pleasure.
“My god! I think they put something special in the burritos this morning Probie!” Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo finished his breakfast with a flourish, licking any remaining traces from his fingers with obscene glee. Across the bullpen Ziva David laughed and finished her own food with a great deal less enthusiasm. Smirking Tony allowed his eyes to dance across his friends desk until they landed on the lonely burrito. He leaned forward on his elbows, watching the computer screen while surreptitiously reaching for the uneaten food.
“It really is a waste you know. Burritos should be eaten hot and it’s just sitting there getting cold while you finish work that you were supposed to have read for Gibbs yesterday.” He licked his lips slightly, eyes flickering momentarily away from the younger man as his fingers brushed against warm wax paper. “It’s almost not fair to the burrito. It deserves to be enjoyed to the fullest-”
Tim’s hand snapped away from the keyboard and latched around Tony’s wrist. His green eyes were darkened with hunger, his full lips drawn to a thin line.
“Tony, I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. If you lay a hand on that burrito, I swear, I will show you what Ziva taught me to do with a paper clip!”
Tony laughed.
“I would not laugh Tony. McGee has always been a fast learner.”
Tony twisted slightly in his chair without retracting his hand. Over his shoulder he gave the new Special Agent a knowing glance.
“Nice try Agent David, but I was there when you tried to teach him to throw a knife remember? Our Probie-san might be a fast learned in the brains department, but it’s a whole different story when it comes to the physical.”
Ziva stood, chuckling as she made her way towards them. Tony’s smile faltered slightly at the sight of the paperclip twirling between her fingers. He felt Tim’s fingers release his wrist and turned back around as Ziva crossed to stand behind the desk. The burrito had vanished, probably into a locked desk drawer. But Tony’s eyes were now locked on Ziva, who was watching Tim type with her eyes half-hooded. When she was sure that Tony was watching she threw him a predatory smirk.
“True, McGee might not have taken to the physical aspects as easily as the mental. But all he needed was,” She paused for dramatic effect, enjoying the flush that crept across Tim’s face. “A little hands on practice. Some one on one time with the teacher.”
With every word she leaned further across Tim’s back, until she was practically breathing the words into his ear. She slipped an arm around his shoulder, fingers tracing seductively down his arm, and dropped the paperclip beside the keyboard. His focus never wavered from the screen. If anything the furious tapping of keys only increased. She stood and made her way back to her desk, throwing Tony a suggestive wink as she past.
When she was safely on the other side of the bullpen Tim risked a glance away from his monitor. He immediately regretted it a moment later.
Tony was watching him with all the curiosity of a cat and the intense focus of a well trained hunting dog. As their eyes met his lips quirked slightly and he eagerly leaned forward, pulling the keyboard out of the others reach.
“Hey! Tony I need that! Gibbs has already been on my case once this morning. If he comes in and doesn’t see me working he’ll-”
“Now, now Timmy, that can wait. Now is the time for some serious grown-up conversation.” Frowning Tim opened his mouth to argue and Tony slapped a palm against his lips. Tim barely resisted the childish urge to lick. After all, he had a pretty good idea where that hand had been. “Now, after seeing that little show and you’re reaction I’m going to go out on a limb and say something happened during these lessons you two had.”
“Now I know better than to believe the first scenario that pops into my head. But something definitely happened. What was it?” Tony was practically bouncing on his chair now, like an excited puppy. “Come on Probie, you can tell me! Man to man. What happened? Did it involve burying an innocent bystander?”
“If you don’t let him finish his work, the next body we bury is going to be yours DiNozzo.”
Tony’s head snapped forward from the force of Gibbs’ head-slap.
“Grab your gear.”
Tony jumped up, an eager grin on his face.
“What do we got Boss? A dead petty officer in Rock Creak Park? A sailor go missing out of Norfolk? Bomb threat on a submarine?”
Gibbs smirked, grabbing his weapon from the drawer in his desk. He checked the clip before slipping it into his belt holster. Grabbing his coffee he rounded the desk passing each of his agents as they headed towards the elevator.
“None of the above. Marine Staff Sergeant Jeremy Mathews got attacked on base at Quantico.”
“A marine was attacked at Quantico? Did they manage to catch his assailant?”
They piled together into the elevator, doors sliding closed behind them. Ziva mentally running through a list of possible assailants. Base personnel and other Marines were the most likely. However they could not rule out an outsider until they began their investigation. Tony voiced the next obvious question as the elevator doors swung back open.
“How is the Staff Sergeant doing? Any way we’ll be able to question him soon?”
Gibbs nodded.
“Seems like he gave as good as he got, fought back pretty hard. His injuries were mild at best but the MP’s on scene insisted that he get checked out at the hospital. Me and Ziva are gonna head over there to question him, you and Tim go ahead and start processing the scene.”
The four agents split off into their assigned pairs, Gibbs and Ziva heading to the motor pool to sign out a sedan while Tony and Tim went to the garage to retrieve the truck. Tossing Tim the keys Tony jogged ahead to sign the vehicle out, leaving the other to gas it up.
Tim’s cell rang before the vehicle was half full. He stepped away from the pump and glanced at the number. Not one that he knew. He could see Tony heading towards him across the garage as he answered with the most polite tone that could still convey the message, ‘I’m much too busy to talk to you.’
“Hello?”
Tony jogged up beside him, waving a hand for the keys. Tim gestured distractedly towards the cab and Tony tossed his backpack into the back before jumping into the drivers seat. He drummed impatiently for a moment against the steering wheel, watching his partner in the side mirror. He still though when Tim’s face went slack with something like shock…or fear.
The senior field agent slid quietly across the seat. Glad that the mechanics always left the windows cracked. He had to listen closely but he could just hear Tim over the background noise of the garage.
“Who is this?” Tim paced out of sight for a moment behind the truck. When he came back into view he shot a weary glance towards the cab. “Who gave you this number?” His teeth worried at his bottom lip and Tony could see the muscles in his shoulders stiffen with tension. “No! I do not want to see you. Do not call this number again!”
He ended the call and stared for a moment at his cell. Tony narrowed his eyes, but from this distance even his 20/20 vision couldn’t read the number on the screen. The pump shut off automatically with a snap as the truck finished fueling causing both agents to jump.
Tony slid back into the drivers seat and buckled his seat belt. He would have to talk to Ziva about this. He didn’t like the direction the call had seemed to go and knowing Tim the second they asked about it he would clam up and deflect. The kid might not be able to tell a lie, but his deflection skills were some of the best. He needed to consult with Ziva though before he made any hasty decisions.
Like having Abby run his call history. Or breaking into his apartment in the middle of the night. Or telling Gibbs.
The passenger side door opened and Tim swung himself into the cab. His face already schooled into an expression of normality. Tony shot him a grin as the engine turned over.
“So who was on the phone Timmy? Got a hot date planned?”
Tim’s grin faltered for maybe a fraction of a second.
“Unfortunately no. It was a telemarketer. They keep calling me, I think I’m going to have to get my number changed. Gibbs said the Staff Sergeants name was Jeremy Mathews right?” Tim pulled his cell out of his pocket and accessed one of his apps. With Tony’s affirmation he plugged the victims name into the search bar. Soon he was looking over the Staff Sergeants personnel file.
Tony listened as he read the file out loud. The senior field agent watched his probie out of the corner of his eye. Tim’s voice was strong and clear, it didn’t give any hint that something was wrong. Put Tony didn’t miss the slight trembling of his fingers.
Tim McGee scowled and adjusted the thin elastic string underneath his chin. On the far side of the table Sarah leaned heavily on the table, brown waves framing her face as she blew out the six colorful candles on her birthday cake. Tim reached up, pulling the colorful birthday hat into a more comfortable position.
At the head of the table his mother was gesturing for kids to sit back. She quickly plucked the candles out of the cake, careful not to drip wax onto the icing. One of her friends was trying to distract the children with party favors, but each child seemed to be more interested in the sugary cake.
The doorbell rang loudly over the children’s excited scream and his mother sent him a pleading glance. He jumped out of his chair, grateful for the temporarily release from his brotherly duties. He didn’t know why Mom insisted that he stay. It wasn’t like Sarah was paying any attention too him. She had friends her own age to play with. He was fourteen! A six year olds birthday was boring him to death.
He opened the door, expecting to show in a tardy party goer. Instead he was met by an angry scowl and a raised black eyebrow. Tim frowned, he hadn’t known that Mom had invited any of his friends to Sarah’s party.
“Tom what are you doing here?”
His friends eyes were trained on the crown of his head, thin lips twitching into a smirk. Tim’s eyes widened, cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as he reached up to pull the party hat off of his head. Seeing the offensive bit of cardboard and glitter did nothing to alleviate his embarrassment. Sarah had chosen it for him special, it was a lovely shade of purple with glittering pink stars and long streamers attached to the top.
Tom laughed and he tossed it carelessly behind him into the house. He stepped outside onto the porch, closing the door behind him and blocking out the screams of excited children.
“So did my Mom invite you?”
Tom shook his head.
“No, I came because I’ve been waiting for you at the arcade for the last hour and a half.
I thought that we had plans today?”
Tim sighed, he should have known that Tom hadn’t been listening.
“No we didn’t. I told you almost a million times yesterday, today is my little sisters birthday. She turns six today and Mom made me promise to help with the party.”
For a moment Tom’s face was shadowed, a cloud passing in front of the sun. In that brief moment Tim thought he saw a flash of anger in his friends eyes. It worried him. Every day Tom was growing more persistent. More sure that Tim was destined to be the next admiral in the McGee dynasty. If only he could get over the seasickness. If only he worked on his fitness a little more.
“Dude, are you actually doing anything in there? Or are you just sitting on your ass scowling at everyone from under your pretty princess hat.”
Tim glared.
“I am not just sitting on my ass! With Dad deployed Mom is all by herself in there, trying to corral all those kids.”
With a sharp bark of laughter Tom wrapped an arm around Tim’s shoulders, steering the younger boy away from the house.
“Your Mom will be fine. Now come on, we’ve got another date with my uncle’s sailboat!”
Tim scowled, violently shrugging out of the embrace. He backed away from his friend shaking his head.
“I’m sorry Tom, but I promised her. Besides, we’re having a smaller party just for the three of us after Sarah’s friends leave.” He opened the door, slipping back inside before his friend had a chance to respond. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The door closed. Tim waiting for a moment, hand resting on the knob. After a few moments he looked though the peephole. Tom was still standing on the porch, his back to the door. He stood there for several moments before jumping off down the steps and jogging down the street.
Tim sighed, relaxing against the door. Behind him he could hear Sarah’s excited cry’s as she began ripping into presents. He turned and grabbed his party hat from where it had fallen. The elastic band snapped his skin as he put it back in place. He took a few steps towards the dining room then, changing his mind, turned back towards the door and locked it behind him.