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]

[ SORRY JON this is your boyfriend, apparently. ]

R - really?

[eyediot]

Yes, really.

[And Martin, this is your boyfriend staring intently at you.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ He can't help but melt a little at that. ]

I - I didn't know.

[eyediot]

Now you do. And you know you won't be replaced by Tim. Or the Martin here. Trust me.

[Jonah strokes his thumb along his chin before letting go with a sigh, leaning against him. There's something piquing at the edge of his thoughts, something Algric talked about but wants to make sure Jonah doesn't know.]

What all did you tell him?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric gladly just cuddles for a moment. ]

I'll do my best, Jon.

[ A deep breath. ]

What, about him having feelings for you?

[eyediot]

Yes?

[What else could they have possibly talked about.]

[curriculum_fictae]

I. I mean, we also sort of discussed. Ah. Being monsters, I guess.

[eyediot]

...Ah.

[Right, Tim and the Desolation and... Rough morning conversation.]

So you decided, then?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Yeeeep. Honestly, discussing Jonah had been the bright point. ]

Yes. We're ... going to embrace this. A-and if either of us get out of hand, we're going to. Take care of each other.

[eyediot]

[The silence that takes the room is deafening. 'Take care of each other'. God. What a bleak projection possibility. And where would that leave him? To pick up the pieces and look after his past self and Martin. Jonah wonders as a passing thought if a compulsion may be enough to keep them from tipping that far? Probably not. But it's a nice thought that he'd be able to do that.

Jonah shifts so he can properly face Algric, cupping his cheek so he can't look away.]

I won't let it get to that.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Sorry, Jonah. He really didn't want to talk about this with you; he knows damn well what kind of horrific position it puts Jonah in. Tim and Algric both dead by suicide pact, with only his past self and Martin as anchors ... Algric is certain that ends poorly for all of them.

But it's the only way he lets himself do this. And ... falling into this feels right. He and Tim will protect the group, and the three of them can be monsters together.

He stares back at Jonah steadily. ]

Then - then that's good. I'd rather it not, just. It made us feel better knowing we had a ... plan.

[eyediot]

[It's especially horrific if the other part of their plan Algric hasn't mentioned comes to pass...

For Jonah, however, he keeps Algric's gaze before moving to hold him closer, fingers sinking into his hair.] I can't lose you. Not... after everything.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric gladly leans into that, breathing out hard. ]

I - I know, Jon. I don't want that.

[eyediot]

[When Algric leans in, Jonah squeezes him tighter.]

Then don't let it happen.

[Not after what he went through to save Tim, just for him to go out in a suicide pact. Not for all his wandering and searching for Algric to go. If it happened, he'd toss himself right back into the rift and go back.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Oh, Jon. He can hear that in his voice. He nods faintly at that, squeezing him. ]

Is that compulsion? I'd be all right with it.

[eyediot]

[His breath exhaling is fractured glass.]

No. It's... me, begging? I-i don't. Want to do that to you.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Oh, god. Algric just holds Jon close at that. ]

All right. All right, I - I'll make sure it never comes to that.

[eyediot]

[It's just. A slow, measured release of breath he was holding. Settling in against him.]

I'll do what I can on my end to make sure it doesn't come to that either.

[curriculum_fictae]

Of course. We'll - we'll all look after each other.

[eyediot]

We will. And they will come out the other side better than we did.

[He does feel genuinely better about this. He loosens his grip on Algric so it's a bit less of a deathgrip.]

In the meantime... Wwwwhat do you. Want me to do about Tim?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Thanks, Jonah. He leans in comfortably. And ... ah. Makes a face, but. ]

I think ... if you like him, you should draw him into this. To us.

[ A pause. ]

How do you feel about him?

[eyediot]

[Oh boy.]

It's... Complicated?

[curriculum_fictae]

Talk it through with me?

[eyediot]

[There's a bit of silence that seems like Jonah might not actually respond to him. But, he shifts them so they can lean back a bit, almost laying down and pulls Algric as close as his arms can.]

Back in, um. In Research, I worked pretty closely with Tim and Sasha. And... you know Tim, he's. Tim, he doesn't hesitate when it comes to. Being social. Talking. And I'd just graduated uni, and was trying to focus on my new job and not Georgie, and.

[He sighs. Rests his head against the top of Algric's.]

Tim asked me out, uh, a couple of times. I. Said no both times, obviously. And then he and Sasha got closer and... [And Algric probably could see how that storyline went.]

...I never forgot it though. That... he was even remotely interested, even as casual as it was.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ He just about leans down next to Jon, then, arms gentle and ... well. Not warm? But less chilly.

He ... goes rather still at the mention of Sasha. Poor Tim. Yes, he knows how that went. ]

So - so what does that mean now?