A/N: Welcome back! I've finished all my finals! Except for a ten-minute conference, which is nothing. From what I can tell, this actually touched a couple of people. Well, maybe just one. Here is chapter 2.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible. I would not mind Kim's modified Sloth.
Notes: Felt too lazy with the text messages, so I just did the entire conversation. Well, the jist of it. Texts are italicized as well as the flashback.
Chapter 2 Summary: Tim finally tells someone about his feelings. Tara's family comes over to dinner.
Tim had always considered himself a professor. He was an analytical expert that genuinely cares about both work and relationships. He was the Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series. Why was it so hard to socialize with his parents? Was it because he was so wrapped up in building that he doesn't know how to spend time socializing with his family? Possibly.
Over the past year, Tim didn't think anything of his emotions. However, he overheard Kim talking to Ron about the name of her kids fifteen months ago.
Tim happened to be wandering around, bored. He happened to cross Kim's room when he heard, "What would happen if you had a boy and a girl?" Ron asked Kim.
Pressing his ear to the door, he listened.
"Well, the girl would definitely be Ann. Maybe Kim. And I'd name the boy Jim," Kim answered.
"Jim? Why not Tim?"
"Well, Jim seems like the better of the Tweeb. I mean-"
Tim left after that.
Tim hadn't told anyone about this. As a role model, he often agreed with Kim. To hear that his brother was the better of the two made him unworthy, and since then, his thoughts had changed. Tim had not told his family about his emotions since then, instead bottling up his emotions. What good would it do had he told them three weeks ago? He knew once Jim got back from the hospital, all the focus would be on him.
Tim entered the house, slumped down on his bed, and let out a sigh. He was caught up in all his classes. The only thing he needed to do was give his brother the homework that he had missed. Fortunately, he didn't need to wait that long, for he was coming back today. Another thing he had to do was figure out who posted that demoralizing comment on the school website.
"Wow. This feels… different," he heard.
Tim couldn't help himself as tears flowed down his cheek. Quickly wiping them off, Tim ran out of his bedroom and made his way over to his brother in the living room. Kim was holding onto the handles of Jim's wheelchair, having been released the same day as her brother. Kim wasn't happy with having to stay longer, but a firm look from her mom quickly shut her up.
"How's my favorite brother?" Jim cried.
Tim smiled, and gave his brother a gentle hug, careful as to not injure him any further. When he pulled away, he simply smiled at Kim. If she acknowledged him, she didn't say anything. She didn't even nod.
"There's the hero of the hour," Dr. James Possible professed. "You saved Kimmie-cub's life. We are forever in your debt, and will do whatever you want us to."
"You were so brave! I'm just glad you're okay," Kim's mom said.
"People call me a hero, but what you did to save me makes you one," Kim stated. "I'm so proud of you!"
As others took their turn congratulating the brother that had saved Kim's life, Tim, feeling left out yet again, left the living room, and headed into the kitchen.
The Possible family looked at each other in confusion, wondering what had gone on in Tim's behavior. While everyone was debating who should go, Kim broke the silence, and said, "I'll go," and she headed into the kitchen.
The world saving cheerleader approached her brother, and watched as he roamed around the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" Kim asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
Turning his head, he saw her staring at him. He knew this look. It was the tell-me-what-you're-doing-look. He sighed, knowing that he'd have to talk with her. Averting his eyes to the kitchen tiles, he mumbled, "Nothing."
"Nothing? It doesn't sound like nothing wrong." Walking over to her brother, she placed a hand on his shoulder, bent down, and lifted his chin up so she could see his eyes. What she saw was not was she was expecting. Guilt, longing, pity, and perhaps pain crossed her eyes. She knew something was wrong, and she wanted to figure out what it was. Right now.
"Are you okay?" she questioned.
"I'm fine," he repeated. However, those emotions remained.
"No you're not. I feel guilt, longing, and pity in your eyes. Something is eating you up inside. Seriously, what's wrong?"
Tim knew he had lost, so he did the only thing he could do. He told the truth. "Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't have been born. No one appreciates me."
"That's not true!" Kim snapped.
"It is. Whenever things go haywire, I am blamed. People always turn to you. You're one of my idols, but you don't like me."
"That's not true!"
"Oh, but it is. I heard that conversation you had with Ron fifteen months ago. He asked what you would name your kids. You said if it were boy girl, the girl would be named Ann or Kim. And the boy would be named Jim."
Eyes widened, she gasped, "You heard?"
Tim nodded. "Since then, I feel unworthy. I mean, people think of you as cheerleader who saves the world from villains while maintaining a perfect grade point average. People think of Dad as arguably one of the smartest people in the world that works with Cybertronics. They think of Mom as a skilled neurosurgeon who saves countless of lives. You think of me and my brother as the Tweebs, with my brother being the smarter of the two, more attractive of the two, the funnier of the two… where is my love?"
"I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell us?"
"I'm not ready," he confessed.
"Then I'll tell them."
"NO!" Tim pleaded. Upon seeing Kim's look, he said, "I mean I don't see what good it will do. They'll be sorry with me for some time, but then they'll move on and want to help my brother or you."
"So, you don't feel like you get enough attention?"
Tim nodded. Before he could register anything, he felt a pair of arms embrace him tightly. He hugged back on instinct, letting go of all the emotional drama that he had kept hidden for over a year. When he pulled away, Tim sniffed, and whispered, "I'll tell them. But not yet. Promise you won't tell them."
"I promise. Here, let me get some Kleenex's for you," Kim offered, relinquishing her hold on her brother, to which Tim accepted and wiped his eyes. Together, the two of them headed back into the living room.
"So, how was everything?" Ann Possible asked.
"All right," Kim answered. Giving her brother's hand a squeeze, she added, "He's just emotional about his brother coming back. That's all."
"Okay. Are the Strong's coming over tonight for dinner?"
"Yup. In an hour."
Tim smiled to himself, relieved to be alone for about an hour. He locked himself in his room, moping to himself about how people were going to pay attention to Tara's family. Before he knew it, he could hear noise, and he knew that he would have to go out, and greet the guests.
Rolling his eyes, he headed outside, and saw Katie. He knew she was beautiful. Her long, blonde hair rolled down to her shoulders in waves, and her blue eyes made Tim feel as if he was floating. It was then that Tim knew that he was going to be in for a very long dinner.
For most of dinner, Tim watched Katie eating while conversation reverberated around the table between Kim and Tara, and the parents. Tim continued to watch her, noticing the skin she was exposing. He thought she had a perfect body, and was trying to keep his hormones in check. His heart was beating so loud; he was surprised there wasn't an earthquake happening. Of course, as soon as he turned to leave, she just had to look up at him. He saw her sea foam eyes widen slightly, and she looked up into his eyes. He hadn't realized the amount of desire swirling in his eyes until he saw her blush, and turned back to his untouched meal. Fortunately, Mom noticed the sweat on his face.
"Sweetie, you all right? You looked flushed."
"I'm fine," Tim rushed, turning his gaze toward her. "I'll be right back," he stated, quickly dropping his fork and rushing to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, Mom realized that Tim still wasn't back.
"What's taking Tim so long?" she asked.
"Don't know. I'll go check," Kim stated, making her way to the bathroom. She was surprised to see a pale Tim staring at himself in the mirror.
"Keep yourself under control… keep yourself under control," he whispered to himself.
"Tim?"
Tim looked and saw Kim with her arms crossed, and an eyebrow raised. "Oh, hey," he greeted.
"Is everything all right? You're taking a long time in the bathroom."
"I don't feel well," he informed. And it was the truth. It felt like a freight train had run him over.
"I can see that. Tim, do you… never mind," Kim said, wanting to keep the fact that Tim might have a crush on Katie to herself. "Do you want to come back and eat dinner, or call it a night?"
Tim thought about her question for a moment. There was no need to go back to the dinner table if all he was going to do was stare at Katie all dinner long. He chose the latter.
"All right," Kim answered. Walking into the kitchen, she announced, "Tim's not feeling well. He's going to hit the hay."
"Well, we may as well get going too," Mr. Strong advised. "It was nice of you to have us," he said, getting up and shaking Dr. Possible's hand.
"No problem. You five have a safe trip home," Dr. Possible said.
After thanking the Possible family once more, the Strongs' arose from the table, and headed outside, but not before Tara sent Kim a "text me" gesture to which Kim nodded imperceptibly.
Dr. Possible wheeled Jim into the bedroom, placed Jim on the bed, and was pleased when he was out like a light in a matter of seconds.
After finishing her homework, Kim was just about to get in bed when she remembered Tara wanting to text her. Kim grabbed her phone, and sent a quick text to Tara. A minute later, the phone buzzed, and Kim read Tara's text.
Hey, Kim! What's up?
U'll never guess what, but I think Tim likes ur sister.
I thought I saw him staring her!
So, do we set them up?
Lets!
The next morning, Tim woke up and headed into the kitchen. Humming himself a tune, he poured himself some cereal. He had been eating for a couple of minutes when Kim entered the kitchen with a smile on her face. Tim gave a silent nod, indicating he was aware of her presence before continuing to eat.
After pouring herself and her brother something to drink, Kim sat down across from her brother. The only noise that could be heard the next few minutes was the chomping of cereal. Mrs. Dr. Possible entered the kitchen, and greeted her children before putting on coffee.
"Mom, has the car been fixed yet?" Kim asked, knowing that with cheer practice later that day that Tim might need a ride home.
"Unfortunately not. You're going to have to either call or get a ride home," Mrs. Dr. Possible stated.
"It's still not finished!" Kim cried in disbelief. "It's been a month! If I had been working on it—"
"Uh, Kim? No offense, but you can't fix a car to save your life," Tim said taking a quick drink of milk.
"Take that back!"
"He's right, Kim," Kim's mom agreed. "Quite frankly, you're terrible."
"I'm supposed to pass at everything! Surely, I can fix a car!"
"No you can't," Kim's brother mumbled.
Ignoring her brother's remark, Kim tried to convince her Mom that she could fix the car, but Mom was agreeing with Tim. Before Kim could admit defeat, the perspicacious rocket scientist rolled a dressed Jim into the kitchen.
"All right, kiddoes. We'll be leaving in t-minus ten minutes, or however long it takes to feed Jim," Dr. Possible said in way of greeting. Opening a refrigerator, he took out strawberries, cut them up, and began to feed Jim. Nobody said anything for a few moments; they just watched as Dr. Possible fed Jim. When Jim's breakfast was finished, Dr. Possible led his kids into the garage, and started the car up. They were soon on their way.
"I'm staying after for cheerleading. Can I call when I'm done?" Kim asked.
Dr. Possible frowned. "I don't think that will work. Your mother works tonight, and I need to stay home with Jim, make sure he gets the help he needs. I have a bunch of errands to do today, and then I have to go home and finish the car. So you're going to have to get a ride home from someone. Tim, you have to stay with your sister."
"So I have to stay until Kim finishes cheer?" Tim asked. Upon that remark being affirmed, Tim groaned, throwing his head against the backseat.
Fifteen minutes later, the Possibles' pulled up into the school parking lot. After grabbing their backpacks, Kim and Tim entered the school building, and headed to their respective classes.
Time seemed to stand still as the clocked ticked by, minute by slow minute. As soon as the final bell rang, Tim was out of his classroom in a heartbeat. From what his sister told him, he was not allowed to watch her practice. So he went to the only place that he could think of, the library.
He thought about doing his homework, but he didn't have that much compared to usual. Instead, he walked into a random isle, grabbed book, sat down in the middle of the floor, and began to read about Ivan the Terrible. It wasn't long before his eyelids drooped as the words flew across the page, and he fell asleep, his face falling right into the page he was presently on.
"Excuse me?" a female voice asked, waking him from his slumber.
Tim yawned, rubbed his eyes, and stared. He had been thinking about the girl last night. It was quite convenient she was here. "Hi," he managed, his heart constricting into a knot at the sheer beauty of her that he could only manage one-syllable words.
"Hello again. Can you move?" Katie asked.
Tim arose, and headed to the front of the library. Checking the clock, he was disappointed to see that it wasn't even six yet. Sitting down in the computer, Tim logged on and began surfing the internet for about twenty minutes. Kim came in at 6: 15 with a tall and slender cheerleader with blue eyes. She had ridiculously straight blonde hair! He wondered if this girl had ever heard of a curler. Probably not.
"This is Jessica," Kim introduced. "She agreed to take us home. Now get your stuff."
Without another word, Tim grabbed his backpack and headed outside to Jessica's car. He whistled when he saw the car.
"An Infiniti QX 30! Nice!"
"70 actually," Jessica informed, grabbing Kim's cheer bag, and putting it in the trunk with her own. Kim hopped up front while Tim hopped in the back. Tim knew there wasn't a chance in hell he would be sitting up front. Not after his brother's injury.
The trip home was slow going, but the Possible family eventually arrived back. After thanking Jessica, Kim grabbed her cheer bag and headed in with her brother. As soon as her friend was out of earshot, Kim asked, "So, how did it go with you and Katie?"
"It was okay. I mean, I—hey, wait a minute! How did you know I was going to be with Katie in the library?"
'You really walked yourself into that one,' Kim thought. "Lucky guess," she fibbed.
Tim shook his head. "No, you knew. And it was quite convenient that Katie stopped by. Hmm…" Tim rubbed his chin in thought as he tried to analyze what was going on. "You aren't trying to set me up with her, are you?"
"No, of course not," Kim found herself saying.
"Well, you had me fooled. So, how did you know?"
Kim was sweating on the outside. She didn't want Tim to figure out her plan, even if he did practically guess it already. Her face, however, was free of sweat. Kim's wheels began to race in her mind as she thought about how she could get out of this sticky situation.
"Tara's sister likes you, and wanted to get some alone time with you. I told Tara where you usually hang out, and… yeah," Kim white-lied.
"She likes me? Cool! Well, I guess I have no worries about making a fool out of myself."
"Wait, you like her?"
"Hicca bicca duh! Did you not see me staring at her all throughout dinner?"
"You're right. That was a dumb thing to say. Never mind. No, you don't need to worry about making of fool of yourself. You already do."
Kim headed up the stairs before Tim could retort.
A/N: Next chapter, we dive into Jim's emotions as he wakes up and starts to get acquainted with his disability. I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing:
Cajun Bear: You'll find out some later chapter.
AwesomeWriter2013: Glad you liked it. I hope you like this chapter and the following ones to come.
Until next time.
