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]

R-right.

[ God he hopes Jon doesn't just die. He looks desperately miserable for a moment. ]

I - I know, I just. I. Please - please survive, Jon.

[eyediot]

I will do my hardest not to.

[Just having it out and knowing someone will be there... helps. Jon rests his cheek on his hand, watching Algric.]

Is future-me still ...Stupid? [He thought about using a different descriptor, but no for this, it's the only one.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric looks away, face red. God, what a question. ]

W-well - yes. He is. But, ah. He knows how I feel, and. We worked that out.

[eyediot]

Oh, that-- Good. I'm glad. I figured that might be the case.

[A few days alone on arrival and they've been glued at the hip since. Yeah, it'd be hard for even Jon to miss that memo.]

I meant more in, um. In general.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Look. He's just clarifying, okay. ]

Oh, well. Um. Yes. In general, yes.

[eyediot]

Glad to know I don't change completely, then.

[curriculum_fictae]

Oh, no. You're more you than ever. A-and - and I fell in love with you long before this point so, you know.

[eyediot]

Is-- I mean. Am I allowed to ask? When that happened?

[curriculum_fictae]

W-when I fell in love with you?

[eyediot]

Yyyyes? Tim was vague.

[curriculum_fictae]

Oh - um. I mean, there was when I fell in love, and then there was. When I really knew it? I guess. But.

I really knew it when you offered to let me sleep in the panic room because of the. Worm. Issue.

[eyediot]

Really. It hadn't even been a whole year working together, I--

[HUH. That's... It shifts his world view a little bit.]

I see.

[curriculum_fictae]

I - I know. You probably thought I was. Just a stupid assistant who could barely do follow ups.

B-but that just added to it, you know? That you'd be so kind to someone that you ought to hate ...

[eyediot]

In my defense, my first impression of you was you letting a dog into the archives.

But. I was. A bit harsher than I really should have been.

[curriculum_fictae]

I-I mean, yes, that was. Not my most shining moment, heh.

[eyediot]

No.

[A beat.]

It was a cute dog, though.

[curriculum_fictae]

It - it was adorable. Bloody thing completely disarmed me.

[eyediot]

That is unfortunately what dogs do.

[curriculum_fictae]

...

Maybe we could get one?

[eyediot]

What?

No, if anything we get a ca-

[Oh. Right.]

...A dog. Might not be the worst idea.

[curriculum_fictae]

A cat would be lovely too.

[eyediot]

It would, but I don't think it would help in my case. A trained dog might be better.

[curriculum_fictae]

You don't like cats?

[eyediot]

I actually prefer cats.

[Wait.]

We are talking about after I take care of my eyes, right?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Oh. OH. Now he gets it. ]

-- yes, that's right. We could get you a seeing-eye dog.