extra stories to share. (tgwdlm//bf)

becky & tim; miss barnes.

// og post date: june 12th, 2020. sfw. 1,625 words. //

~

she remembers when she was first told of the accident, how thick the tension came after he called her in a desperate attempt to get the event off his mind. she couldn't attend the funeral but sent all her love to him, all her sympathy and hope he and his son can get through the sudden change in life. almost a year of no interaction, they bumped into each other as they were getting shopping done for the holidays; it was awkward, there's no sugarcoating it. they stayed in contact after that cold, black friday night, and another year passed, the two struggling adults reconnected their romantic relationship from the long hiatus. there were concerns, such as the child, but he reassured her that things will be okay! he may be young, he won't hold much of a grudge. that's what she hoped, she cared for kids (considering she works at a children's hospital) and did not want to upset an almost ten-year-old.

becky was able to make her first act as a soon-to-be-step-mother when tom had to go to the store for a few things, leaving her with tim for the few hours he'd be absent. it's a saturday, both tom and tim didn't need to go to school as a teacher and student, and becky worked later that night - the timing worked out perfectly. she found tim sitting in the living room, an old cartoon from the 90s playing on the television used for background noise, though he had his focus down on his 3ds. luckily, she recognized the show and saw the opportunity of getting him to talk about what he was interested in; it usually worked at the hospital when patients were too shy to talk, maybe the same applies here. she went over to the couch and greeted tim, sitting down next to the small boy. he paused his game to look at her, not sure what she wanted or if he was interested in what she'd need to tell him.

"solve it squad, huh? you know, i used to watch this with my dad as a kid. how did you find out about it?" asked becky sweetly, as she folded her hands into her lap and kept a cheerful smile. be nice and patient.
"a friend told me about it a couple months ago," replied tim. "i haven't watched anything else but this, and some youtubers, if you count that," he continued, looking down at his device again in order to save it and turn it off. ah, youtube, she's heard of that. maybe she isn't much of an expert on it, she knows some of the videos on there are educational or kid-friendly, or inappropriate to a large extent.
"well, which one is your favorite? mine was always... the ginger girl. i forgot her name."
"gwen? she's a little irritating but i don't have a problem with her. esther has to be my favorite, she's cool." the one that becky is sure the voice actress became a drug addict, of course it had to be her. never mind that, just keep talking.
"uhm, what were you just playing? i didn't know you or children in general still played nintendo," she gestured to the 3ds now set on the coffee table with a soft chuckle.
"animal crossing."
"oh yes, animal crossing... were you winning?"
"i guess, i hit an ugly villager so much he wants to move out. that's a win for me," said tim, as he slouched back against the couch. ruff, this is going to be tricky. hitting villagers? in a game with animals? it doesn't sound like it's supposed to be violent, not at all! no matter, it's getting close to lunch and he might want a taste of her cooking. sure, she absolutely is not a chef and has no serious culinary knowledge, but she can make a mean italian dinner learned from her family, if given the chance.

she brought up the topic of eating and convinced him to sit in the kitchen while she cooked, learning the boy was particularly picky with what he is given. his meal preferences were quite simple: grilled cheese, french toast, scrambled eggs, mac & cheese, french fries, chicken nuggets... that's about it, other than some fruit or vegetables here and there. becky didn't feel as though it was good to live with this habit, and suggested other things to him she could prepare - ham sandwich, rice with broccoli, bacon and biscuits, even a simple peanut butter and honey sandwich was offered. tim declined each of these things and how ever many more she listed, causing him to get a bit irritated as he was set on the foods he liked.
"peanut butter on celery can be your snack as i cook your macaroni, okay?" she said in some defeat, taking out the rest of the celery and peanut butter jar from the fridge. she heard a noise of approval and went ahead with making a small plate of the said snack, still holding onto that bit of hope the boy would try to appreciate her attempts of getting to know him better. that's pretty selfish, she acknowledges that, and she sort of does feel a bit bad that she feels this way - it's been only two years since jane died, he most likely isn't ready for his dad to get with another woman so soon.

in the time it took for the small dish to be boiled and cooked, they went back and forth about random topics that came to mind, all leading off no where and would break into a new conversation or silence. becky wasn't going to force him into keeping a chat consistent, she was beginning to understand he prefers to be quiet and kept to himself, like most kids. as in when approached with a new person in their life, she hoped he won't always act like this; she was sure tom said tim used to be a very fun and energetic boy however long ago. due to zoning out, she managed to overdo stirring the milk in and cursed under her breath in a panic. it's just milk, it won't effect the food too much, or at least she believed it wouldn't. whenever she scooped some in a bowl and set it down in front of tim, she watched him begin to eat a little too fast. had he not ate earlier? he seems to be acting like this was his first time consuming.
"hey, slow it down, you might get a tummy ache," said becky, as she gave a side smile and turned off the stove. there was still a bit left, she would wait to see if he wanted it before deciding to take it for herself. tim listened to her and ceased his quick pace, chewing slowly when he did so. mom or not, she was a grown-up, and he's too scared of adults or authority in general to disobey them. this was probably due to one of his teachers causing a scene one day in class that caused him to get sent home sobbing nonstop, until jane was able to help him relax and not think too much over it. but the idea of disappointing a teacher or parent from what he did or said? that made him feel sick and made sure to avoid any sort of conflict.

tim slid from his chair and went to the sink, rinsing out his bowl. might as well clean up his own stuff since becky cooked for him, right? she was trying, he knew this, by god it was obvious from the moment she sat down with him she is trying to make things work. he isn't old enough to understand his dad getting over his mom so fast, after what seemed like a long time for them to be together, but if tom was moving on... shouldn't he be, as well? he hated the family holidays that come around and teachers or students ask what they'll be doing due to jane not being there anymore, jealous that anyone still had their mom, and he doesn't think he wants to feel that way in the future. he knows some of his friends have bad moms, and it's quite a blessing tim is able to have another possible adult to fill into the empty space, even if she would be a step-parent. he is lost, stuck, this was all too overwhelming, he didn't know how to get out his frustrations or thoughts. he looked over at her, she was making a gross face at how the macaroni and cheese tasted, though gave him a smile when she noticed he was staring. huh, mom used to do that, tim thought.

"want to watch solve it squad with me? i think the next episode is the one where gwen and esther swap outfits for a mystery mission," he asked as he watched her scrape the leftovers in the trash with a wooden spoon.
"yes, of course! let me clean these dishes and i'll join you on the couch in a moment, sweetheart," she nodded in conformation before proceeding to wash the few things piling in the sink they've created. tim left to do just that, sit on the couch and watch the commercials go on with their forgettable jingles as he waited for her to finish what she was doing. tom would be very happy to know he was getting along with becky, and just to see him like that, tim would do what he can to make sure his dad is content. he may also be doing this for becky's sake, though he isn't going to tell himself that; not now, at least.