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"You will lead me.." His fingers sat under Jay's chin, forcing his head to be tilted upwards and stare into his eyes. "To your heart~" He cooed, a dumb smile spreading across his face as he gave a playful wink.
"To my heart?" Jay replied, a small laugh coming from his throat as a blush spread across his face. He didn't know it at the time, but those were the last words he heard Brian say before he went missing.
~
It had been a while since Jay had any contact with anyone from Alex's film. He thought that everything from it was gone too soon; the memories, the friendships, the jokes.. but Alex's attitude and tone had progressively gotten worse throughout it. Then there was Brian's sudden disappearance — Seth's as well, and even Tim quitting the film since Brian wasn't there to support him, which ended up causing Alex to call the whole thing off after. Leading up to now, where Jay sat in a hotel room, staring into the camera that was recording himself. There were a few dim lights that were hardly lighting up the room, allowing the camera to see him better. He didn't know what to do. His friends were gone, he was looking for any of them, he's had no luck so far, he had to leave his own house because it got broken into.
A knock at the hotel room's door had startled him back into reality, the light on the camera appearing to have been off. Needs a new tape probably, he thought to himself. He got up from the bed, moving over to the camera and carefully picking it up. The time on the tape had definitely run out. Jay let out a small sigh, taking the previous tape out and replacing it with a new one before hitting record and going over to the door. Who was knocking at a time like this? He placed the camera behind him on a nearby shelf, pointed at the door as he opened it. The air in the room had suddenly become tense, a step back being taken.
He only saw a glimpse of a brown-yellow looking hoodie before the person pushed their way into the room, kicking the door shut behind them as they shoved Jay up against the wall. Jay was tense, a fear in his eyes as he got a proper visual on the stranger. His heart raced, skipping every other beat. The thing in front of him was wearing a brownish-yellowish hoodie with the hood up and a mask - black - with a red sad face that seemed to be painted onto it. This could only mean there was another masked person in this strange back and forth game of tapes, stalking and trying to find Alex. He didn't know what to do, didn't know if this new person was dangerous — He was scared.
"Who-" Jay began, but was quickly hushed by the stranger, a gloved hand being placed over his mouth. There were footsteps heard from outside, then Jay was promptly pushed into the opened closet, the hooded man shutting it after. The cameraman was about to protest, but stayed quiet as he heard the knob turn to the hotel room's door. Someone had the key to his room. Maybe it was a worker, maybe they noticed the stranger coming in, wearing a strange outfit that definitely wasn't normal. He peeked through the small openings of the closet door, seeing the masked person that broke into his home. He took a step back, pushing himself up against the wall of the closet. If both of them were here and seeming friendly with one another, then he might be in danger. That doesn't explain why he was hidden though.
Jay slid down the wall till he was sitting on the floor, listening as the two went through his room and messed with things. What were they even doing? He was anxious, sure, but he wasn't going to just leave the closet - not with the possibility of being harmed that was looming over his head. Though, the footsteps were getting closer again, his shoulders tensing up as he watched the closet door intently. The footsteps went past the closet, however, and the room door was opened, accompanied by some silence. A few minutes seemed to pass till the door was shut once again. Jay had stood back up, expecting both of them to be gone, but to his surprise the closet was opened and the hooded person was standing there, beckoning him out. Some steps out of the closet, some steps to move out of his way, some steps back; it was a dance of movement before both the cameraman and the hooded person were face to face once more.
"May I ask who you are now?- And why did you hide me from the other guy?-- And- and who are you!?- No- Why did you two go through my hotel room?" He said, a slight huff in his tone. He was a little angered, but he let a sigh escape him as he relaxed a bit more. He knew being rude wouldn't get him anywhere - Alex definitely proved that point. The other gave a shrug in response, making a few motions that Jay didn't understand whatsoever, their hands falling to their sides after. A few moments of standing and staring had passed, till Jay spoke again. "I don't.. understand?"
Right. Jay Merrick wouldn't know sign language. The hooded one lifted up his mask a bit, resting it on the bridge of their nose. They had a scruffy beard, seeming as though they hadn't shaved in a while. Jay had quickly latched onto that, asking if they were okay with he/him pronouns-(he never wanted to assume)-to which he got a nod in response. That was one thing that was kind of out of the way, though he wasn't sure if he was going to get anything else answered. Not like this.
"Hold on," Jay spoke, moving past the hooded man and going further into the room. He knew he had a notepad and pen in his bag somewhere. That could help with communication. He stopped as he reached his bag, staring down at it for a moment. Things were starting to catch up to him. The possible danger behind the other, how he had just broken into his hotel room and proceeded to go around searching. Though, despite all of it, he could have answers, and he was willing to stay. That was a good thing that would come out of this. All he had to do was keep telling himself that, and hopefully things would be fine.
The cameraman opened up his bag, taking out multiple things before finally finding the notepad and pen. "I got it!" He called out as he turned, then fell back onto the bed with a sudden scream. The hooded man was standing behind him, silently watching. They tilted their head to the side before taking the notepad and pen and sitting beside him on the bed, writing on a new page and asking if he was okay. Jay let out a nervous laugh, pushing himself up to sit up and gave the other a small nod.
There was more quick scribbling and writing on the paper, before it was shown to Jay. 'we were looking for any sign of Alex Kralie. make sure he isn't tracking or following you.' it read, to which the cameraman gave a nervous smile.
"I don't.. I don't understand? I'm looking for him- I want to make sure he's okay, he just.. disappeared, you know." He responded, but the man shook his head and wrote some more. 'you are a fool to look for him. but you are leading us to him. do not let me stop you.' That caused Jay to frown. He wasn't a fool, and he sure wasn't going to respond to any implications those sentences had. "Um- How about, who are you?" He asked, his gaze set on the lips. Those lips, that gave a cracked sigh and a more noticeable frown. The pen tapped the paper, a word already written. 'no.'
With that one 'no', the hooded man pulled his mask back down and stood up, tossing the pen and notepad onto the bed and headed towards the door. Jay quickly sat up fully in surprise and stood, taking a step closer to the other.
"Wait-!" He called out and the other stopped. "I.." He paused, he didn't know what he was doing. Why did he care if this stranger was staying or not? He let out a small sigh and shook his head. "Never mind.. I'm sorry for-" He was cut off, a gloved finger poking at his chest. He looked at the man who was now in front of him, confusion flooding his face as he looked down to the other's finger. The one in question had trailed his finger up to Jay's chin, pushing it upwards to look at his mask once more, making the motion of pointing at Jay.
"Me..?" He asked, still quite confused about all that was happening. The man nodded, then moved his other hand in Jay's view, making a motion of the pointer and middle finger walking with both hands. This was sign language for a dummy — and in this sense, Jay was the dummy. "Follow?" A head shake. "Um.. guide?" A slight shrug, he was close. "L- Lead??" Then a nod. "I lead?" Another nod. Jay let out a sigh, this was already too much.
The hooded man lowered one of his hands, then pointed to himself. "You. I lead you-- I *will* lead you," Jay answered, and got yet another nod. "I'll lead you.. and the next is probably to- So- Where would I lead you?" He was smiling under his mask, at least Jay caught on fast. He moved a hand, now pointing, to Jay's chest, directly where his heart is. "To my.. chest? I will lead you to.." He paused, thinking about it. Suddenly, his face was shaded with a light red as a blush settled in. That was the hooded man's cue to leave. Quickly turning heel and dashing out of view, out of the room.
"𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.." Jay whispered as he stumbled back, falling down onto his bed. His heart was pounding. The last time he heard those words was when... No..
~
The next few weeks were spent questioning many things, skipping around through multiple hotels, hoping to see the hooded man at any point. He never showed up. The next few months were the same. The only time he ever came close to anyone was when he found Alex, though that was quite short-lived. Jay watched him break the masked man's leg - who they quickly found out was Tim. He was getting antsy, the months were flying by as he kept uploading videos, Alex disappeared again, totheark was still replying, and poor Jay was getting more and more stressed.
He was laying in his car for tonight, not bothering with a hotel room. His eyes were shut, though he couldn't sleep. The threat of the faceless creature was still about, he's lost sleep because of it. There was a sound of footsteps going around the car, boots against the concrete. He was still, not daring to open his eyes in case it was him. The hooded man. Deep down, that was what he was hoping for. The footsteps stopped after a moment and there was a light tapping at the window. He knew it had to be him. What are the chances of it not?
Jay opened his eyes, sitting up and turning to the passenger side's door. His eyes were greeted with the red and black of the other's mask, a smile sneaking onto his face. He adjusted himself better and reached over, opening the door for him before returning to his seat. He glanced at his camera, taking it off the dashboard and turning it off — he remembered from last time that they took his tape in the hotel, they must not like being recorded. The hooded man got into the car and took a seat, turning to face Jay fully. There was an awkward silence for a few beats, till Jay broke the silence.
"Brian..? Is it really you? Your phrase, the 'You will lead me to your heart' thing." Jay asked, practically holding his breath. The other was quiet, per usual, but there was more silence to his already silent nature. It was strange. Though, this time he took out his own pen and notepad, writing on it quickly and showing Jay after. 'just a husk of who I once was.' A pang of sadness flowed through Jay and moved a hand to rest on the man's shoulder. They could both feel the warmth that surged through them, it was pleasant. The hooded man hated the way that Jay made him feel, Jay hated the way that his old crush was coming back. But hate cancels out, and Jay has moved in closer to the other.
"I don't care if you say that. I.." He hesitated, his gaze going off to the side. "I still like you. I've had a crush on you and-" He was cut off by a kiss. His eyes widened, gaze cast back to the other who had pulled up the mask halfway, like he did in the hotel room. Jay felt his heart pounding and his head spinning, lips moving away from his. "No- No wait-" Jay mumbled, before leaning in and taking the other in another kiss as his eyes fell shut. He felt a gloved hand meet his shoulder and he melted at the small contact. He was content, happy, almost buzzing with excitement. They stayed in the kiss for a moment, till one side pulled away and both of them caught their breath.
"I.. I liked that- I like you- I love you." Jay said through small and quick breaths, his face absolutely dusted with a red blush. The other gave a nod, his other hand giving a small touch to his lips before pulling his mask down. He made a heart with his fingers, making sure Jay understood the feelings were mutual. He turned to leave though, he had to. Jay needed rest- but there was a hand holding onto his wrist, making him turn to look back at the cameraman.
"Please.. don't be a stranger. Visit me more?" Jay asked with a soft voice as he let go of the other's wrist, grabbing his camera instead. The hooded man gave a nod and linked both of his pinkies together, as if telling him that he promised. Jay smiled and nodded right back at him. "Thank you.." He said before hitting record on the camera again and placing it back up on his dashboard once the hooded man exited the car and shut the door behind him. He knew what to do. He would give Jay content for his channel, walking behind his car in the night, making sure that he was seen for a few frames before disappearing into the night. He would be back for Jay another night, but for now he had business to take care of. He knew where Kralie was, and he wasn't going to miss this quick opportunity.