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

[kayakking]

... so that offer to ask you anything still good?

[eyediot]

...Yes. Any time.

[kayakking]

It's... different for Jon. And you, isn't it? Is just being free of the Institute going to be enough?

[eyediot]

[Jonah focuses eyes on Tim, then at the wall, with Jon on the other side, talking with the Martins. Worried about what's happening to him, is he going to look like that? All scarred and bruised and -

Can they really be free of it all? Jonah knows he can't. It's far too late for that. But for Jon... There's only one real, strong harness on him after the Eye.]

For him, probably not. Not entirely. One of the reasons Elias chose m-... Him. [Hm.] Us is because when we came to the Institute, we were already marked, had been for years. By the Web. And it will.. probably never let us go.

[kayakking]

So what? What does THAT one want in all this?

[eyediot]

...I don't know.

Elias didn't know either.

[kayakking]

Great. Well, no point getting tangled up in chewing on that, then.

[eyediot]

Agreed.

[Jonah does feel a little more at ease without that righteous anger directed at what happened to him.]

Those will be the easiest to avoid, I think, and without all of the marks his plan won't work.

[kayakking]

... You said, the rituals collapse. But we're still going for the Unknowing.

Why?

[eyediot]

... Would you believe me or think it was stupid if I said I wanted to keep a promise I made to the you in my time?

[kayakking]

[There's no curl of Tim's lip or withering stare before the pitched sarcasm. No, whatever happened with Jon, it's enough that Tim just ... looks at Jonah. Wrapping his head around the ... sheer idea of a promise he hasn't asked for yet helping him.]

... What was it?

[eyediot]

[Jonah watched him another breath, then looks down, thumbing one of the worm scars in his hand.]

In my time, I... ruined us, you know? By the time it was over we couldn't even be in the same room without going for each other's throat. And... you had every right, looking back.

But when you found out about the Unknowing, that it was the circus. Elias didn't want you going. I promised you that I wouldn't go without you, I wouldn't cut you out of the loop.

I made sure you were with us, and. Things .. ended the way they did. I want to still give you the chance to. To end that on your own terms. And maybe... I want to see you survive it.

[kayakking]

You know, I'd gotten the feeling things got bad from Algric.

[His own fingers press together as he sort of... works through it. It's not that he can't picture what Jonah was saying. He could picture it all too well. There'd been moments before Algric had stumbled into this timeline, when just the sound of Jon's voice would pitch a spike of such irritation he'd just- just off and have a break or find Martin or Sash.. find Martin to go bother him.

But, bloody hell, that last confession, in particularly causes something to band in his chest and squeeze.]

I'm.. not trying to get myself killed.

[eyediot]

[He sighs through his nose, still not looking back up at him.]

Algric tried... desperately for months to get us to at least talk. He wanted us to. [He hesitates; Tim knows how Martin is.]

And I-i know you're not. But. I'm not entirely sure about the you in my time. He might've gone in with the intention of not coming out. I-i don't know.

But the circus took your brother. And. I think it's only fair you have the chance. If you don't want to be there, then I understand.

[kayakking]

[His jaw sets, but he doesn't look Jonah as he speaks. Not until that last. His fingers on the back of the chair suddenly whiten from the pressure, and there is an intensity he snaps back into.]

No. I-

[A breath, and a very, very conscious relaxation.]

No, if there's an option. I'm going.

[eyediot]

[Ah. There it is. That's what he's familiar with. But then it's gone, like a slow exhale.

Jonah nods.]

Right. Then we both have something personal in this. [He rubs at his face, not unlike he would if he had his glasses on.]

The gorilla skin is already destroyed, so they're going to still look for something else to use. Which... may still mean they come after Jon here. It'll take them months to realize it's destroyed, though, so there's some time to prepare for that.

[kayakking]

His skin.

[It's not a question. He knows, after all.]

And we can't go after them before? Like now?

[eyediot]

We could, but it'd be pointless. Anything we destroy before the ritual, they can easily replace. Once it starts is the only time they're vulnerable.

[kayakking]

[He lets out a sharp, frustrated burst of air.

Then... He doesn't want to know. And HAS to know.]

Why skin? What are they even doing with it?

[eyediot]

[A long moment while he... considers that. Really telling him.

There's no point keeping information from him.]

Nikola is going to be wearing it.

[kayakking]

[He ASKED, after all.]

Great.

[eyediot]

He wanted to turn me into a, a frock.

[He hasn't exactly kept up the skin regimen since Helen got him out of that but still. It's the indignity of the thing.]

[kayakking]

[There's just, a glorious absurdity in him bitching about that in particular, in the midst of a mindnumbingly HORRIFYING prospect.]

Right? No accounting for taste.

1/2

[eyediot]

[LISTEN!!! Sometimes you're just desensitized and absurdity is all that's left.]

There really isn't.

[eyediot]

[But then he comes down a bit and realizes Tim hasn't... yelled at him this whole time. He logically, consciously knew he wasn't as the conversation went on, but it's just settling in now. This is the longest conversation he's had with Tim since just after Prentiss and it's.. nice.]

...I really had missed you, Tim.