Chapter Text
“Before I die, I wanna get a tattoo.”
Tim looked at Jay from across the motel room, his brows scrunched together. “Where’s this coming from?”
Jay shrugged from his own bed. He was restless, bored out of his mind. His brain was dull and foggy from the brain numbing editing, if he had to look at one more pixel tonight he might just cry. So he had just blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, of course it had to do with dying. What else was on his mind but the looming threat of it?
“I dunno.” He lied, shutting the laptop. He shoved it onto the bedside table, which was so old it looked like it’d crumple just from the weight of it.
Tim was quiet for a few seconds, “What would you get?”
Jay pondered, fiddling with his hands as he thought. “Well, there are a few things, I guess.” He let out an airy laugh, “I’d probably get like. A deer or something.”
The upper corners of Tim's mouth quivered upwards, and he rolled onto his side to face Jay, his elbow smushing a pillow into the rock hard mattress. “A deer?” He mused, “Why a deer?”
Jay just hummed as he thought, continuing to fiddle with his hands. Eventually he moved upwards, toying with the cusp of the sleeve of his jacket. The sleeve cusps were beginning to fray at the ends, threads pulling easily from the bunched fibers. “I just think it’d look cool.” He settled on, “Maybe like, one of those road sides with the deer on it.”
Tim snorted, “Don’t tell me you’d actually get that.” He said. His dark brows raised on his head, it reminded Jay faintly of the mask. Jay wondered if he still had it, or if it was gone to time. Maybe it was lost in the woods. Or maybe the Hooded Man had it, stashed away for safe keeping.
Jay shot him an offended look, furrowing his own brows. “Well, what’d you get then?” He challenged, his lip curling into a wry smile.
Tim shut his mouth, “Well. I don’t know-“
“You’d probably get a cigarette.” Jay interrupted him, snapping his fingers excitedly. “Or you’d probably get ‘I Love Cigarettes’ right on your forehead. In big red letters. All caps.”
Tim chucked a pillow at him. “No, I would not!” There was faint amusement in Tim’s voice. The pillow hit Jay in the shoulder, and he watched in amusement as it fell on the floor with a soft fwump. He reached down to pick it up, electricity jolting through his fingertips as his mind sheepishly whispered that Tim had used this pillow. He briefly wondered if his scent was on it, before scolding himself.
“Well what about. I don’t know, a banjo or something? You like music right?” Jay offered, throwing the pillow back to him. Tim caught it, and tilted his head in consideration.
“I wouldn’t be opposed, I guess. I don’t know though, not really something I considered.”
Jay drew himself closer to the edge of the bed, sitting cross legged and staring expectantly at Tim. “Well, what is something you want to do before you die?”
Tim followed suit, sitting fully upright. Jay appreciated that Tim was giving this conversation his full attention, even if it was kind of stupid and brought out only from Jay’s internal frustrations. Tim was, well at times, incredibly relaxing to talk to, Jay found. It helped ease him of his worries, if just for a moment. The paranoia would slough off like wet clothes, or pull him out of a panic like a bandaid ripping from a wound, revealing him to air. Of course, he’d never tell Tim that. He didn’t need to know how much Jay depended on him, not now, or ever.
Tim bobbed his head in thought. “I’d like to go to Yellowstone- or the East Coast maybe.” He leaned back on his palms, the mattress squeaking under his shifting weight. “It doesn’t matter honestly- I just need to go somewhere else. I need to get out of here.”
“Well, if you ever go,” Jay looked down at his lap, a smile crossing his face, “Make sure you send me a postcard.”