Tim was woken up by a loud whistling sound and he sat up with a soft shout, looking around in confusion before he then slowly remembered where he was.
He looked over at the kitchen and found Gareth taking a small tea kettle from the stove.
"Tea?"
Tim blinked in slight confusion before he then nodded and struggled to his feet.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"An hour and a half before work." Gareth said as he added some crushed tea leaves to two small ceramic tea cups. They were hand painted with the designs of birds in trees on them; a different bird and tree for each cup.
"Nice cups." Tim noted as Gareth poured the hot water. The kettle itself was painted with one large tree, filled with various different birds in it.
"Me mum and I once went on holiday together." Gareth explained as he added a spoonful of honey to his own cup. "We painted these together."
"You painted these?" Tim asked in surprise, taking a moment to look over his cup and at the amazing detail it had on the cardinal resting in the branches of an oak tree.
Gareth nodded with a small smile as he took a sip from his cup before he then looked over at Tim with a stern glare.
"That doesn't make me a bender!" he added. "It just means I like to paint all right?"
"Gareth…why are you so worried about people thinking you're a homosexual?" Tim asked. Gareth only shook his head and he went back to drinking his tea; adding some more hot water and honey.
"I can drop you off at Chasers to get your car so that you can go home and change for work." He said.
"Are you coming in?" Tim asked. Gareth nodded and Tim frowned a bit at this.
"Why? Gareth, you can take a day off you know."
"I know." Gareth agreed. "The wake is going to be held tomorrow so I'm just going in today so that I can at least get as much money as I can."
"Gareth, why is your home so…" Tim hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should say it or not.
"Bare?" Gareth finished with a cocked eyebrow.
"Yes…"
"I used to send most of me money to me mum to try and pay for her hospital bills." Gareth explained. "I don't really need that much to live on." He added with a shrug.
So that was why he was so damned skinny all the time.
Gareth stared into his empty cup for a moment and with one long finger he poked around at the tea leaves, narrowing his eyes slightly as he read them to himself.
"Tim?" he ventured.
"Yes, Gareth?"
"Would you…" He stopped then, biting his lower lip.
"What is it, Gareth?" Tim asked. "You can ask me anything." He promised.
Closing his eyes, Gareth took a deep breath before he then looked at Tim.
"Tomorrow…will you come with me to the wake?" he asked.
Tim frowned slightly in confusion, slightly caught off guard by the sudden request.
"Never mind." Gareth mumbled, looking back down at his tea leaves.
"No, it's not that!" Tim said quickly. "It's just…why me?"
Gareth shrugged his bony shoulders before he then looked over at him and gave a weak smile.
"Me mum…she always told me that she wanted to meet some of me mates." He explained softly. "And…I can't show her the Oggmonster or Jimmy the perv so…I thought that…Maybe…"
"Sure." Gareth smiled and for the first time Tim realized that this smile was genuine for once.
"I'll go and get dressed before taking you to your car." He said. "Are you done?" he asked. Tim nodded and handed over his cup and Gareth took them and put them into the sink, placing each cup in a different corner.
Tim noted this with an arched eyebrow but he said nothing as Gareth left him once again to go and get dressed.
A feeling of guilt hit him then and he sighed sadly as he sat down on the couch and put his shoes back on.
All of the things he had put Gareth through…seemed like they had all just happened recently and Tim's cheeks burned with guilt. He vaguely thought to himself that if he could, he would go back and stop himself from doing them and maybe if he hadn't been such an asshole towards him; he and Gareth wouldn't have been at odds for as long as they had been.
Soon enough Gareth came back, wearing his usual gray suit and trousers with his polished shoes.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready."
They drove on in silence for a while, until they stopped at Chasers' parking lot.
"Tim?"
"Yes, Gareth?"
"How many people from work…" he hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip.
"Saw you crying?" Tim finished.
"Yes."
"Just the usual group, Gareth." Tim said with a shrug.
"Oh." Gareth looked at his steering wheel then, his shoulders slumping as he thought about how work would be today.
Tim frowned slightly as he tried to think what was wrong, but when he finally understood he nodded a bit as he placed a hand on Gareth's shoulder.
"Hey, if anyone tries to make fun of you…I'll break their nose for you, mate." He promised him. Gareth blushed and he nodded, giving Tim another one of his genuine smiles as he got out and headed for his own car.
"See you at work." Tim said with a wave.
"See you!" Gareth nodded before he then drove off to work.