Chapter Text
Slender was very clear in his orders that this needed to be seamless. The authorities are already onto them, and they’re only getting smarter about it. If this was going to work, they needed to pull this stunt flawlessly.
Tim was confident in his own ability, and Brian’s as well- they had been on similar missions with many successes.
Toby on the other hand…
Tim glances back at him through the rearview mirror- he’s bobbing his head to the music he’s playing through his earbuds, entirely jamming out and not listening to a word Tim has said the last 30 minutes.
With a huff, Tim pulls the car over. There's nobody on the road, and it's remote enough they should be fine.
Brian, mask off and everything, signs to him, [Why are you stopping?]
He’s selectively mute ever since falling from that window so long ago- the two don’t like to talk about it, but have since made up.
Tim waves him off, before turning around in his seat and yanking the mp3 player from Toby’s hands.
“Hey! I was listening to that!” He howls, reaching over the center console to try and grab it back.
Tim holds it out of reach, “You didn’t hear a word I’ve said, did you?”
Toby’s face flushes, and he sits back with a huff. His silence speaks for him.
“Well-” Tim sighs, “Let me repeat myself because I love to do that,” Sarcasm, “We’re basically kidnapping someone that’s already been kidnapped,” Tim starts up the car again, continuing to lay out the plan, “The US government has the Rake, reportedly. We’re meeting with Proxy Squad 2 to intercept the vehicle taking him to a government compound, and then taking him back with us to Slender’s manor.”
“Okay, so why am I coming along? This sounds like a two- maybe a one- man job? Like, if Jeff, Ben and Jackie-boy are gonna be there…?” Toby crosses his legs up on the center console between Tim and Brian. He pokes his tongue out of the gash on his cheek idly. Gross.
“Because it’s not a one or two person job,” Tim rolls his eyes, “He needs the whole of Squad 1 on board. Unfortunately, Slender just happened to pick you of all his proxies to be the third one… You’re just going to play backup in case we need it, got it?”
Toby sighs, slinking back against the weathered pleather cushions of the 2000 Toyota Corolla. She’s definitely seen better days, but she’s Tim’s pride and joy.
“But why should I be backup? I wanna be in there with ya’ll,” He grumbles, but Tim isn’t paying any attention. They had a few more hours of driving and he isn’t keen on playing the ‘why’ game.
—
Brian propped his feet up on the dashboard, his head leaned back against the headrest of the car with his eyes closed. There’s something peaceful about how he looks, even if it’s outwardly just… neutral. The sun is starting to come up through the mountains of Tennessee, with the trees doing their best to shield the mountain pass from the rays of the celestial giant; all in vain, of course.
Tim yawns, blinking with heavy eyes as he scans the road tiredly. They weren’t supposed to make stops, but then again… they were only supposed to be there by Friday. It’s Wednesday now, so surely they could afford a break…?
As if on cue, Toby groans loudly, “Are we stopping anywhere, or…? Is this whole trip going to be road, road and more road?”
“You say that like this is some joy-ride,” Tim grumbles, rubbing his temples, “But you pretty much read my mind – I’m tired of driving and frankly we need sleep. Slender can suck it, I’m finding us a hotel and we’ll hit the road again at night.”
Toby cheers from the backseat, and Brian peaks open his eyes momentarily to give a thumbs up before drifting back off.
By the time they actually find a hotel it’s already noon. The sun is bright in the November sky, not sparing a hint of warmth for the city below. A couple of hours of sleep could do Tim good, at this rate. Maybe he could even get to Kentucky, their destination, by Thursday?
Tim grumbles to the lady at the front desk of the hotel, purchasing a room for the three to share (Toby could have the couch, fuck him). Now that he thinks about it, Kentucky is the perfect place for some kind of government base. Definitely unsuspecting.
The woman, with her thick southern drawl, thanks them for their patronage and hands over the room key, which Tim gratefully pockets before motioning to the other two men behind him to get a move on.
The room is surprisingly spacious, if a little musty smelling. There’s one large bed situated in the middle of the room, with two nightstands and a couch angled in the far corner by a large, open window. Tim grimaces, images of his past coming to mind. Brian comes up behind him, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Even without words, Tim feels his intent and lets out a curt sigh. With a pat on the back, Brian moves to unload their luggage from the trolly. It’s not a lot, admittedly – it’s not like they need much for a mission like this – But it definitely is a little incriminating if someone was to see the contents. Brian moves a large duffle bag into the closet, and Tim comes up behind him to provide zip ties.
They hadn’t thought about it at first while on the road, but since they’re making a stop they can’t be too careful.
All that’s left is their shared suitcase with clothes and a smaller duffle bag with hygiene items and their masks, and Tim helpfully plops them down in an unoccupied corner of the room.
“So,” Toby flops down on the bed, ripping the surgeon’s mask off his face, “Who’s sleeping where?”
Tim points to the couch, “You’re sleeping there, I’m pretty sure it’s a futon. Me and Brian are sleeping on the bed.”
Toby immediately pouts, jumping up, “What? You guys get the bed all to yourself? I’m like, 99% sure we could all fit on there!”
“Well, that’s too bad,” Tim grunts, kicking off his shoes next to Brian’s. “You’re young and spry; we have seniority," Brian snorts at that, "I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Toby grumbles something under his breath about ‘old men’ before taking his own shoes off and migrating over to the couch and folding it out into a futon.
Toby is the first asleep, ironically, since he did neither the navigation or the actual driving. Tim lays on his back, watching the light reflected off the cars in the street flit across the pristine ceiling of their hotel room.
Brian lays beside him, humming something idly to himself.
“Brian?”
“Hm?” He stops humming, and Tim feels something rise up in his throat.
He swallows it down hastily, “I uh. I’m sorry we haven’t had much time to talk lately… With Slender, and everything, I just haven’t felt… ready? I know that’s stupid, but… y’know…” Tim sighs into his hands, glancing over at Brian as he sits up to sign.
[Eh, It’s okay,] He starts, an unsure look crossing his features, [I know you worry a lot about Slender. I was kinda worried I had scared you off, actually…] In the bright noon sunshine, Brian’s eyes are like pools of honey. Tim swallows thickly once more, for good measure.
“No, no, it’s nothing about that…” In his mind, images of them that night play in his mind. They were alone in the forest, and one thing led to another…
Tim rubs his face in a vain attempt to rid himself of the heat steadily rising, “Honestly? I just… wasn’t expecting it.”
Brian purses his lips, [But it wasn’t bad, right?] He punctuates his sentence with a sly grin, and Tim raises his shoulders defensively.
“...Well…” He draws out, embarrassed, but Brian knows the answer and lets a soft smile play on his lips.
[If that’s how you feel… am I crazy when I say, I think you’ve been avoiding me?] Those words hurt, decidedly. Tim hadn’t entirely meant to avoid him at first. It was just convenient to stay busy and ignore those feelings.
“I didn’t mean to,” Tim sighs. Admitting when he’s done wrong is… hard. The words don’t come out as fluidly as he would’ve wished them to, “I guess I was… am… just confused. I mean, just five years ago we weren’t even talking and you were stealing my meds,” He laughs, rubbing the back of his neck, “And now you’re kissing me under the moonlight and telling me how pretty I am…?”
Brian makes a face that Tim can’t quite place. His lips quirk to the side and his eyebrows knit together, as if in thought. He continues to sign slowly, [Is that a bad thing?]
Tim pauses, mouth slightly agape in an unknowing half-smile. Slowly he closes his mouth, forming a thin, uncertain line. He looks away from Brian, towards the window, then up at the ceiling before he finds the words he’s looking for, “No, I don’t guess it is.”
Brian pats him on the shoulder with a smile, [Alright. I’m gonna hit the sack before we leave again. You should too.] He turns over, covering himself entirely with the blanket before settling deeper into the cushioned mattress.
Tim sighs to himself, folding his hands over his chest and shutting his eyes. Maybe he could catch a few seconds…
—
The sun had set not too long ago, but it was already colder outside than when the sun was out. The wind cuts through Tim like a knife as he packs their duffel bags into the trunk of the car, and he scrambles to make his way to the driver’s seat, slamming the door behind him as he enters.
He had cranked the car up 20 minutes prior so it would be warmed up, but he still found himself shivering and rubbing his arms. He glances up through the defrosting windshield, waiting for Brian and Toby to catch up.
“Christ!” Toby curses, throwing himself into the back seat, “It got cold fast, huh?”
Tim busies himself with adjusting the rear view mirror, “Well, it was already cold… But yeah, it’s fuckin’ freezing now.”
A loud rumble cuts in between them, and it takes Tim a moment to realize that it was Toby’s stomach.
“...Sorry,” He chuckles, his ears turning red.
Tim blinks at him owlishly for a moment before sighing, leaning back in the driver’s seat, “Well, I guess we’ll have to stop for food.”
Brian enters the passenger side, rubbing his hands together and breathing onto his palms.
“We’re gonna get food, what were you thinkin’?” Tim turns to Brian, waiting patiently to give him a second to warm his hands before he signs.
[Whatever’s fine,] He quickly signs before turning back to his hands.
Tim scoffs, opening the middle console and digging in it for a moment to pull out a hand warmer and tossing it to Brian. He thankfully nods, and Tim looks at Toby in the rearview mirror as he starts out of the parking lot, “Okay, well what do you want? I’ve only got a little cash on me, so…”
“Uhh…” Toby itches the gash on his face, “I guess… McDonalds?”
Tim glances over to Brian, who unhelpfully shrugs. “McDonalds it is, then.” Tim didn’t have any strong feelings about fast food. Besides, he could probably get a coffee and something from the cafe.
…The more he thinks about it, the more appealing that idea sounds. Dammit.