that one time travel psl

[eyediot]

sad bad end s5 jon and tim on a monster road trip



[Algric had given the trio a fair warning of what was happening. Not the specific details of what he was coming from, but he was from a little further along Algric's timeline, and came through Hilltop Road. Never pleasant, but he's here now. IT took a few days of settling, readjusting, and putting some firm self-imposed boundaries on himself before Jon felt comfortable enough to see the others.

After a few minutes of surprise and staring, Jon ends up sitting alone with Tim for a few minutes; the others having some things to take care of themselves. He sits there, fiddling a bit with his fingers, trying not to be self conscious. He can't do anything about the myriad of different, newer scars, nor about his black sclera or so many other things about himself now.

But god... Tim. Alive and not shouting at him right this second. How novel.]

Tim... I.. [Where does he even start.]

Comments

[curriculum_fictae]

Oh. Um.

[ Algric goes even redder, totally uncertain of what to do now. ]

N-nothing you're not comfortable with? But - um - I mean, I'll probably think of you the next time I, ah. You know...?

[eyediot]

[Two seconds.]

OH. Oh, um. Of course.

[Hm. That is still a thought. For now, he just carefully guides Algric's hand to settle around his waist and hold him there. It's all bare skin still.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ He cccarefully does that, his fingers feeling along the sides of Jonah's ... ribs ...?

Wait. He pauses. Feels, gently. ]

Is - is that a scar?

[eyediot]

[A scar? There?



....





OH.]

It's, eh. S-sort of?

[A beat.]

The ribs had to come out from somewhere.

[curriculum_fictae]

Y-you're missing ribs?

[eyediot]

Did... did that not make it to you?

[Muttered:] Oh lord...

When I went into the coffin, I. Knew I needed an anchor? And what better anchor, at the time I thought, than part of myself? I couldn't cut a finger off, it didn't work, so I... Melanie took me toooo Jared Hopworth, and he. Took a couple of my ribs? One for my anchor and. One for him?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Look. He listened to many of the tapes, but not all of them.

Also he sputters at that. ]

You - that wouldn't have worked! It didn't work, Jon!

[eyediot]

It did a little.

[At least the mood's effectively killed. Glad he showered first.]

I had to try. A-and honestly? Still my most well thought out plan to date, and it worked in theory.

[curriculum_fictae]

No. It didn't, Jon.

[ He runs a hand down his face. ]

Because I anchored you, Jon. Who - who do you think piled all those tapes on the coffin?

[eyediot]

I-i thought maybe you might have, but I wasn't sure.

But I... Martin, I know I felt something else.

[He touches his hand to his own abdomen, remembering that feeling. His rib somewhere tugging at him...]

...That's what that's from. Anyway.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric just sighs softly at that. Not going to argue here. ]

Right. Right. Sure, gave Jared a rib for later, why not.

[eyediot]

[Jonah would normally shrug but... One of the few plans he thought he'd worked out well is starting to feel like a hollow victory now.]

It's over and done with, all the same.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ !? ]

You paid him for a statement?

[eyediot]

... It helped going in well fed.

[He isn't proud or happy about it.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric just. Puts his head in his hands, bending forward a little. This brings some of his upper back scars into view, particularly that shoulder stab wound. ]

I - I'm sure it did, but -

[eyediot]

[He could look.

He won't.

Instead, he turns his gaze downward, at his hands against his bare legs. Why does he keep thinking he can do this?

He's pouting.]

It's over anyway. And this Jon won't have to.

[curriculum_fictae]

Right. R-right. He's - going to blind himself soon.

[eyediot]

[Sigh.]

Yeah. And no one got thrown in, so.

[curriculum_fictae]

So no one to have to rescue either.

[ He realises that he's bent over after a moment and straightens, stiffly. Tensing up. He's conflicted, though; he trusts Jonah enough to have taken his shirt off, but... ]

[eyediot]

[Jonah is still turned away, giving him that privacy. You're fine, Algric.]

Exactly. If I knew where it was I'd just seal it away somewhere.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ He is, isn't he? Algric realises that after a moment, cheeks pinking. Jonah is trying so hard to allow him this space ... ]

R-right. I mean, maybe we could. Find it?

[eyediot]

Maybe.

Or maybe just leave it alone, I don't know. Timeline is quite a ways off now.

[curriculum_fictae]

Yeah. I'm not sure which is safer.

[ Algric hesitates again. Then, slowly, he reaches out for Jon's face with one hand. ]

[eyediot]

It's hard to... [Hm?] say.

[At the touch, he looks at Algric, not sure what to expect here.]

[curriculum_fictae]

Right. We'll figure it out.

[ He's tilting Jonah's face to look at him, expression unexpectedly soft. ]

I know what you're doing.