[log] the only thing I can't fix is my shattered home life [closed]

[maskintape]

Characters: Jay Merrick and Tim Wright
Location: N4, building 85
Date: Day 009, night (shortly before lockdown)
Summary: NERD FIGHT
Warnings: Character death


[ It's been a long, hard couple of days. Yesterday had been bad enough. Not only had there been the whole sleepless-night-because-of-weird-tablet-shit thing, but Tim spent half his time running around in a fugue state scribbling creepily in childrens' books. And posting the scribblings to the network. And tackling Jay to the ground before running off like a stupid masked tool.

Not really unusual stuff for Tim, but he's still a little peeved about it. Gosh.

As a result, most of the current day has been spent coordinating a way to meet back up with Jay. It's not too difficult - Tim's previous searches of the area mean he has some reference for where he is. It's just been a matter of backtracking a little and veering northwards, since that's where his friend had headed.

The "YO GET INSIDE, BUTTLORD" warning (paraphrased, ok) is showing on his tablet when he reaches a particularly dilapidated building. Giving it the most dubious of dubious looks, he begins a video chat with Jay. ]

Hey - uh, you found somewhere to stay? I don't wanna push things much further today, so...

[ Shrug. They'll have to meet up tomorrow. Unless Jay is just on the other side of the building or something, but WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? ]

Comments

[genreblindness]

[Meanwhile, Jay has spent his day trekking directly north. Which has mostly meant retreading his tracks from yesterday, which is annoying as all hell because it means no new places to explore. He could be missing out on so many tapes SD cards!

But oh well, there will be time for that once he's found Tim. And tomorrow, according to the tablet's warning.

He holds the tablet up to show the building next to him when Tim calls. Who knows, maybe they'll both be in the same place by coincidence again. He wouldn't even be surprised anymore.]

Yeah. This place doesn't look like much, but it should still work for shelter, I think.

[maskintape]

[ Tim gives the tablet the blandest, most world-weary of looks. That shitty building looks awfully familiar. And, you know. He's pretty sure he can see his own arm at the edge of the feed there.

Jesus christ. ]

Yyyeah, wait a sec. Hold that thought.

[ He kneels down, scoops up a handful of snow and lobs it in Jay's direction. It misses, but smashes against the wall of the wrecked house with a loud PAFF.

That's the sound snowballs make, shut up. If Jay actually looks in Tim's direction, he will note that he is doing that half-shrugging gesture that is universally understood as meaning "idefk, man." ]

[genreblindness]

[I would like to say that Jay doesn't jump like a fucking dork at that paff, but I would be lying. Much in the way that Tim does because he is a liar.

Once he is done being a jumpy dumbass, he toddles up to Tim, giving an awkward little wave.]

I guess we worked out that coordination thing pretty well, huh.

[maskintape]

[ I would like to say OH YEAH WELL SHUT UP, JAY IS A DUMB. But I won't, because Jay is my beautiful son-slash-corgi. The point being that Tim is a precious and Louise's meta text declares that Aave is a giant fart.

While his player is being a five year old, Tim slides his tablet back into his pocket and nods at Jay in greeting. It is also a "hey sorry the other me ran off like a dick" nod, but whether that message gets across is unclear. ]

Yeah. About time something worked out. Have, uh - have you got my. My meds?

[genreblindness]

[The exact meaning of the nod might not be entirely clear, but that's okay. Jay understands. Kind of.]

Yeah. [He pulls the bottle out of his pocket and tosses it over.] Sorry for, uh. Taking them. But you kind of ran off before I could give them back, so.

[maskintape]

No, yeah, uh. I. I kinda figured.

[ He doesn't hesitate - as soon as he catches the pills, he flips the cap open and downs a couple. Just knowing that he's taken them and they'll start working soon makes him feel so much better. ]

Thanks. I found meds for anxiety, but, you know. I'm kind of a little beyond those, so...

[ SHRUG. That may or may not have been his way of saying "look, I have these pills which might also do you some good since you don't want to take the seizure meds, if you want them they're yours please take them." Maybe. WHO KNOWS. ]

C'mon, let's check this place out.

[genreblindness]

[Sorry, Tim, were you trying to imply something about pills? Jay was too busy being oblivious to even catch that. Not that he would agree to the medication in any case.]

I hope there's some light in there. I spent last night in another blacked-out house.

[Hooray time time to enter this incredibly broken-ass building! Wow this sure sucks.]

[maskintape]

[ Welp. Opening the front door and being treated to a marked lack of walls is pretty new. ]

This light enough for you?

[ He steps over one of the broken half-walls into the next room, which is in a similar state. There's even a little snowdrift in the corner. ]

This place looks pretty wrecked.

You think it could pass for a school?

[ IN-JOKES!! ]

[genreblindness]

Naw, I- I don't think it'd work.

[He holds up his tablet to get a good picture of the place.]

Not enough graffiti.

[Haha see he can do jokes too!! Even if they're said in a distracted and slightly worried tone because it's starting to get close to closing time and this place is not workable as a shelter.]

Maybe we should try to find another building.

[maskintape]

Did you see anything the direction you came in? I didn't.

[ He sounds pretty calm, but he's starting to feel pretty uneasy too. A quick peek around another torn-down wall reveals that the next room has two walls completely missing.

Well, crap. ]

Nothing there, uh - we can check the other side of the hallway?

[ There has to be something. If Not-Tim hadn't run away, they wouldn't have been separated. They wouldn't have had to meet here. If they end up being locked out, it's all going to be Tim's fault again. ]

[genreblindness]

Well, I mean- there was a house back to the south...

[But there's no way they're going to reach that in time.

Starting to get really worried now, Jay hurries back into the hallway. He opens one door - nope, no walls. Another - the walls are mostly intact, but it's still not going to work. The third attempt yields...]

Uh. There's a closet or something here. But I don't think we're gonna fit in there.

[maskintape]

Let me see.

[ He hurries to join Jay, his heart sinking as he peers into the closet. It's pretty tiny. It'd be uncomfortable even if he was only staying inside it alone - squishing both himself and Jay inside would be impossible.

He wonders if Jay's thinking the same thing he is. ]

No. We're not.

[ But one of them could. ]

[genreblindness]

Well, there- there might be another one that's intact enough. We just need to keep looking.

[The thought did cross his mind, very briefly, but he's ignoring it. There's only one acceptable option, and that's finding shelter for both of them.]

[maskintape]

How far away was the other place you saw?

[ He pokes his head around the other doors - the ones Jay already checked. Shit. Shitshitshit. ]

We've - I. We've not got long. Can we make it?

[genreblindness]

[He glances back outside through one of the many holes in the wall. It's impossible to see anything but snow through the darkness.]

...No. We head out there now, we'll end up stuck outside.

[Which might be the case anyway at this rate. This is not good.]

[maskintape]

Okay...

[ He guesses they've got ten, maybe fifteen minutes left? Maybe? He's not sure. It can't be more than that. ]

Well, it's. Worth a shot. Why don't - why don't you, uh, get in there and we'll see if we can both fit.

[ Tim is a liar. ]

[genreblindness]

[Tim is a liar, and Jay knows he is.

Jay also knows there is no way in hell they're both going to fit.]

Maybe you should get in there first.

[maskintape]

[ Goddammit, Jay. The one time Tim really needs you to be dumb.

He stares levelly at Jay, weighing up his options. He could try to talk Jay round. Put forth some arguments for why he should be the one to stay in the closet. This place is Jay's second chance, after all, and really - it's not like Tim has much to lose. He's a wreck. A liability.

Maybe Alex was onto something. Maybe everything will be okay if Tim isn't around. ]

Jay...

[ He gives the best friend he's ever had a haunted, apologetic look and lunges forward to make a grab for him. He's got to do what he's got to do. ]

[genreblindness]

Tim-

[It's the second time Tim's tackled him in as many days, and Jay's just as prepared for it as he was before. Which is to say not very prepared at all. Still, he does his best to resist being grabbed by squirming and struggling like the scrappy little fucker he is.]

[maskintape]

[ Tim might be stronger than Jay, but Jay is a smidge taller and also SQUIRMY AS HELL. It's a huge struggle for Tim to even try and keep hold of him, let alone steer him into the closet. ]

Will you just--

[ He pushes forward, trying to knock him off balance. ]

We're running out of time!

[genreblindness]

I know, but-

[He sidesteps enough to avoid getting the worst of Tim's weight, but it still makes him stumble a little.]

But I'm not letting you die out here!

[If it has to be someone, surely it makes more sense for it to be the one who's already dead. Tim's gone through way too much awful shit to just end it here like this.]

[maskintape]

It has to be me!

[ He really, really doesn't want to hit Jay. Unfortunately, he's running out of options and his desperation is showing.

Jay can't die again. The first time was bad enough.

Tim lets go of him completely, but swings a fist towards his gut as he does so. If he can just knock the breath out of him, dragging him into the tiny closet should be a much easier process. ]

[genreblindness]

[He's getting really angry about this. He promised to himself he wouldn't let Tim get himself hurt, and now the guy's trying to do just that. He can't just throw his life away like this. Jay can't let it happen.]

Like hell it does! You can't just-

[And he's too distracted by yelling to avoid getting the breath knocked out of him completely. He doubles over, coughing and trying to catch his breath.]

[maskintape]

I'm sorry --

[ He really is. Kind of. He's not sorry that he's doing it, but he's sorry about the way he's doing it. That counts, right?

He siezes his chance and half-shoves, half-drags Jay into the closet. It's an awkward process, what with Jay's noodly limbs, and actually closing the door is proving tricky. ]

Just-- move your foot!

[genreblindness]

[coughcoughCOUGH] No!

[He's already lost and he knows it, but he's refusing to give up without a fight. Which means that foot is staying WEDGED IN THE DOORWAY OMFG.

After a few more coughs, he manages to recover enough to look up and give Tim a pleading stare.]

Tim, don't- I don't want you to die.