Hey Descendants!

We're writing again! So have another chapter!

Lots of love!

-Dark


A few days later...

Go track T down, she said.

Don't come back until you know something, she said.

Figure it out, she said.

How the fuck was he supposed to track a shadow?

Jay scowls as he scrutinizes each dark ally-way or shape. His eyes scanning the empty rooftops, down to the barrels and crates lining the alley's he could see. As if finding T wasn't hard enough. The brat had become increasingly better at stealth since he'd first caught him falling off a roof. A smile tilts at his lips. That had been so long ago. So much has changed since he'd met Evie's weird stalker. He lets out a low huff. He never would have guessed then, how intricate the kid had become to his life. Or how much of a pain. He shakes his head.

So not the place for those thoughts.

He carefully makes his way to the next roof, knowing to keep near the frame. And he'd thought the buildings in his territory wore poorly kept. He narrows his eyes. Was it stupid to keep to the roofs looking for his weirdo when they were so dilapidated? Would T even take to the ground?

He doubted it. The kid was nimble and lean enough to make the jumps better though. Not to mention stupid as fuck when it came to something that he considered a challenge.

It was almost creepy how desolate this place was. He'd only seen like ten people since he'd started crawling around this morning. It was unsettling, to say the least. He got it though. If he hadn't been sent here, he'd never be caught dead in Yu territory.

Maleficent was the most evil for sure, but she wasn't brutal. Shan Yu and Atilla though? He sighs. What the fuck was T thinking.

Seriously? How Mal expected him to find a shadow in unfamiliar grounds was beyond him. The little brat seemed to love nothing more than sneaking up on one of them. Hell, he couldn't count the number of heart attacks the kid had nearly given him through the years. The only satisfaction he had was when he accidentally guessed who he felt watching him. He never missed the look of frustration he received every time he'd got it right. And like hell was he telling T that it was usually just an assumption.

He jumps to the next roof after making sure the coast was clear.

Not that he was wholly pissed about it. As much as it sucked in this situation, thanks to T's weird obsession with scaring the shit out of people, He rolls his eyes. He couldn't deny his perception of his surroundings had skyrocketed. Which gave him an edge he didn't have before. But-It also made finding T a proverbial nightmare.

He knew it wasn't just his fault. He'd been called T too many times by Carlos, Evie, Deez, and even Mal. Fuck only knew the Sea Three did the same. He shakes his head.

Ugh. Fuck Mal for sending him on this stupid goose chase.

He'd had hours to think about this order. And it had been an order.

Nothing was adding up.

It had been a long time since Mal had set him on T. Months since T had pissed Mal off. Weeks since he'd even seen T, much to his annoyance and concern. And days since Deez had mentioned seeing him last.

So what had happened to make T his sudden top priority? He sighs. His gut telling him that something bad had happened between the two of them.

Just fucking wonderful. What the hell had T done now?

When Deez had mentioned seeing T, she'd also mentioned the Rats being concerned about him too. And now that he thought about it, she had been acting off too. So seriously, what the fuck had the pain in the ass gotten himself into this time?

And why was Mal so convinced this was where T was hiding from them? Here of all places? Messing in the Yu's territories?

Because the first time T went toe to toe with Atilla hadn't been bad enough? He still remembered that cut. The burn that had replaced it soon after. He shudders.

Jay shudders. T's willingness to jumping on a human flame made a lot more sense, once he'd seen the kid's legs. He had most likely had taken a hot blade to that particular injury.

He takes a deep breath before he jumps down from the roof, not expecting the ground to be so soft. He nearly slips but manages to scrambles into the shadows of garbage bins to keep from being seen. He clicks his tongue.

This job sucked. When the fuck had he become T's handler? He scowls, wasn't that suppose to be Deez' job?

The hair on the back of his neck stands up, as a shadow passes over him just before he's alerted to a sound above him. He was never going to fucking live this down if it was T.

"Jay?" T asks perched on top of the ledge of a roof that made up part of the alley. "What the fuck are you doing on this side of the territories?" In a low, accusing hiss.

"Looking for you man." He whispers forcefully, "Care to not call me out like that?"

"Call you out like what?"

"My name... The place." Jay rolls his eyes at T's obliviousness before he glances around. Once he's sure the coast is clear he vaults up the side of the building and pulls himself up to the roof

"Oh." T shrugs, "Yeah, I guess…" He takes a step back, already looking flighty.

"Sup?" Jay asks, one eyebrow arching at T's shiftiness.

"Not much." T looks away, "Just ya know, stalking per usual…" He shrugs.

"Over here?" Jay raises

"Looks like." T nods as he studies Jay warily. "Mal didn't happen to say why she sent you did she?"

"I was just told to drag you back kicking and screaming," Jay shrugs, "But I figured I'd get your side first since she's been in a mood for weeks now, and I wouldn't throw my worst enemy at her right now."

"I appreciate that," T says with a minuscule smile. "But there ain't much of my side."

Jay shrugs, "No big man. You ain't gotta tell me shit. But, if you know what's up with Mal I would gladly take that."

T nods as he crosses his arms, looking unsure before he shrugs. "I made a deal with her mother, that's why I'm over here."

"Yep," Jay groans quietly, "that would do it."

"Yeah…" T looks away.

"So you're, what, spying now? How's that going?" Jay smirks, "It's kind of like you've been training for this."

T's eyes brighten, "Fucking awesome. They have guns, Jay. It's like a rush every time I go in there."

"Sticking to the shadows and covering your tracks right?"

"Tch." T huffs, "Would I be here if I didn't?"

"Don't take my mentor role away now." Jay chuckles softly, "You're the one who gave it to me."

T's lips twitch into an actual smile. "Guess that's true…" He shakes his head before he frowns, "Sucks for you, though. I'm not a good listener."

"Nah, you got there," Jay grins, "Once we figured out you're left-handed anyway."

"Oh." T blinks, "Not what I thought you were talking about." He mumbles. "But yeah, glad you helped me figure shit out."

"Well, I guess there's all the free lessons I gave you about talking," Jay shrugs, "And not pissing Mal off, those didn't seem to stick as well though." He teases.

"But I appreciate it, appreciate you for taking the time to do it." T shifts uncomfortably.

"No big man." Jay claps T on the shoulder, "So, what's going on with old Shan Yu?"

T stiffens at the touch, looking up at Jay wearily. "He's building an army or something." He shrugs, "Looks like he's been doing it for a while. And obviously isn't abiding by Maleficient's laws."

"Okay…" Jay claws his hands through his hair, knocking his beanie off in the process, "But why though?"

"That's what I was working on trying to figure out. His patterns are pretty sporadic. It's hard to pinpoint what checkpoint he's coming or going from."

"So," Jay shifts to look around, "Let's get someplace less exposed and you can tell me more."

T's eyes narrowed suspiciously before he looks around and lets out a sigh. "Heard. It's one thing for a no one to be out here, another thing entirely for you." He nods.

"Can't be drawing that much attention, and I stand out." Jay chuckles before he shoos T with one hand, "Lead on, sounds like you know this place a lot better than I do."

T lets out a sigh of relief. "I gotcha man." He nods before he turns and starts running to leap from one building to the next.


T narrows his eyes as he takes out a mirror to see if there was anyone in sight around the corner. "Right over there, a crack in the wall behind the crates."

Jay peeks over T's shoulder, straining slightly to get the right angle on the mirror, "Got it."

The two push off the wall and run for the crates. T shimmies one back a few inches, giving them just enough room to squeeze into the nearly invisible hole in the dark.

"Not bad man." Jay brushes the dirt off his hands and stands once he's on the other side.

T shrugs before he walks over to the wall opposite of where he'd taken up sleeping while on this side of the isle. "It works."

"So, underground army huh?" Jay nods excitedly, gesturing to T as he slides down against a pillar.

"I know." T's eyes brighten. "It's fucking awesome, right? I've never been fucking happier than to find something so cool behind a dull-ass building. I thought for sure it was going to be boring as fuck. But they're like training with guns and making gunpowder and shit." He shares, excitement clear in his tone. "And like sixty soldiers that come and go. Like some serious fucking shit. I've never felt so fucking alive, every second in there is like it's own adrenaline rush. It's so much better than just avoiding everyone to think."

Jay furrows his brow before he scoots closer, "Can I see your map?"

"Huh." T frowns. Maybe Uma hadn't been completely fucking with him. Maybe his friendships weren't as one-sided as he thought they were. Deez, Evie, Carlos, Gil- He'd never questioned those relationships. The others though… Maybe he'd been a bit blind to miss how much his relationships had grown. Uma had looked like he'd hurt her when he'd said it, but when she laughed after it had confused him. But if Jay knew him enough to know he had a map… The familiar feeling of warmth he'd become addicted to curls in his stomach. He turns and reaches into his bag, and pulls out a folded piece of canvas and hands it to Jay, before digging out a flashlight and clicking it on.

"Cool." Jay unfolds the map, laying it out on the floor after he scoots closer to T, "Walk me through this shit."

T nods as he hesitantly sits next to Jay, leaning over as he points to certain areas of the map, and begins explaining what was what. Only too happy to point out things for him. "I've been stealing gunpowder for Uma's stockpile too. I'm excited to see if the cannons work. Was hoping Gil and Deez could whip up some balls for it…" He looks away. He was already starting to miss them, but before the self-imposed loneliness can sink in he pushes it down with everything else he was attempting to ignore. "But they'll figure it out on their own, I'm sure. They all know about the gunpowder at this point."

"I'm having a hard time picturing Uma with that much firepower." Jay chuckles, "You know Harry lives on the ship right?"

"Eh." T shrugs, "There was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity with whatever Shan Yu is planning. Unless he knows something we don't… What the fuck else is he going to do with an army?"

Jay sobers, "Yeah, it doesn't look good, does it? If he points all this at Maleficent things around the isle are going to get worse for everyone. And if he's not, yeah… what the hell is the point?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." T shrugs, "But worse comes to worst, it's not like you guys couldn't join Uma.

Jay snorts.

"I mean, Mal wouldn't have a choice if I drugged her and threw her on a sailing ship."

"I guess…" Jay purses his lips, "But dude, last resort and warning for me."

T holds up his hands. "Not like it's happening, just something I've been thinking about since I entered the compound." Anything not to think about his problems.

"I mean, backup plans for the backup plans are never a bad thing."

T shrugs, "I've found myself with a lot of free time lately," His eyes dropping to the map. "I need something productive to think about instead of what-ifs, and my life at the moment. This is a great distraction, added bonus, it helps some of you out."

Jay chuckles as he looks the map over again, "Well, you're good with maps, hands down. You packed so much information into it."

"Yeah, Senior and Ursula I can handle spending time with, the Mistress of self-absorbed cuntiness not so much."

"Senior?" Jay blinks before he turns to T, "Seriously?"

"Eh." T shrugs, "He's not that bad after he tries to kill you and you survive it, apparently."

Jay furrows his brow, "So Deez, and apparently you?" He shakes his head as he leans back against the wall, "When did that happen?"

T frowns. "At the chip shop." T shrugs, "Though honestly, Ursula is the only reason I'm still breathing, for now anyway. But yeah, he's pretty fucking funny."

"Right… The OVs think they're all hilarious." Jay rolls his eyes.

"Some of them are right." T's lips twitching into a faint smile. "I put a knife to some guys throat, who is in Uma's crew, which eh," He shrugs "but anyways it was in the Chip Shop and Ursula just ran with it."

"Mayhem and havoc, just another damn day on the isle huh?"

"Whatever, it's preferable to thinking and sleeping," T shrugs, "I'll opt for mayhem and havoc over those any day."

"Not to be a nag, but you look like you could use some sleep." Jay points to his own eyes, "Dude, your bags have bags."

"Sounds right." T shrugs, "So when I crash it will be hard. Fine by me."

Jay tilts his head to the side as he holds his hands up in the air, "You do you, just don't crash in the camp."

"I'll do my best." T grins in amusement before he sobers up quickly remembering what he and Uma had discussed. "But I wouldn't worry about it Jay. I'm a pretty big asshole. But not like a complete one. I wouldn't do that to you guys, I know I have to deliver on my end or it'll fall on you guys."

"Ya can be ah asshole," Jay chuckles before he fake-out punches T's shoulder, "But I ain't worried about that, I just want to make sure you're not too tired to remember your form. You tend to slack off if you're wiped." He shrugs, "Ain't nothing wrong with wanting to make sure you're okay up here right? Not like it's feels or anything." He rolls his shoulders before he leans back against the wall again.

"Huh. Heard." T frowns as he pulls his knee to his shoulder and rests his chin on it as he stares at the shadowed wall across from them. That made number three. It felt weird. How fucking dense was he? He narrows his eyes. And Harry was just a mess of confusion… But on some level probably cared too. Huh. When the fuck had it started? How the fuck had he missed it? He felt like a fucking idiot. "This is why I never argue when Mal calls me a retard."

"Dude, I was mostly messing with you." Jay shrugs, "You're doing great with the map and info gathering. It's just also kind of my job to make sure you're taking care of yourself too."

"But it's so not though." T nearly whispers before he lets out a heavy sigh. His forehead drops to his knee. Half the fucking isle knew they were fucking having problems. Just fucking beautiful.

Jay rolls his eyes, "It's my job as your friend. Even if all I do it point it out so you can ignore me. Someone's gotta tell you, just in case you forget."

"I'm sure if I was spending any time with anyone they probably would. But as it stands I've been on this side of things. And avoiding thinking about the other conversations from this month." He grumbles.

"Yeah, no doubt you've had a couple of those." Jay rubs the back of his neck,

T shrugs. "It's seriously not a big deal though," He pulls his head back up. "I just usually don't have bad days, and everyone freaked the fuck out."

Jay snorts, "You don't have bad days? Who are you kidding? We all have bad days."

"Any day I'm out, is a good day. It's rare that I don't spend most days enjoying time with you guys, and as for the other days," He shrugs, "their exhilarating I guess. It's nice to actually challenge myself, challenge other people. Actually have something to live for, ya know?"

"Huh, guess I never thought of it like that." Jay shrugs before grins, "But that's a wicked way to look at it."

T grins, "I never thought… As much as I hated talking with Uma. She made a couple of good points. I'm sorry that I'm an oblivious idiot."

Jay snorts before he taps the map, "Clearly not that oblivious."

"When it comes to people's…" He didn't want to say emotions, it didn't match up. It was close though. He was pretty sure. Maybe. Reactions? That didn't seem right either. Feelings? Maybe it was feelings, but weren't those the same as emotions? He brings his hand up to scratch at his scalp in frustration.

"Man, none of us are. Except for the rats, and they're just weird." Jay shakes his head, "Don't get me wrong, Deez is pretty deep on both reasoning and feels, but even she struggles with it. I suck at it, but I'm the best Carlos, E, and Deez can get for now," He shrugs, "I just do the best I can. That's all you can do. And just know it sucks before it gets better."

Was it seriously that simple? For someone who sucked at it… He was pretty fucking amazing at giving perspective, "Heard."

"Except tears," Jay shivers, "fucking run if you can."

"No fucking shit," T comments darkly. "Fucking crying is fucking stupid. And I feel for E and fucking Deez cause how the fuck do they function?"

"Carefully?" Jay shrugs.

"Fucking princesses." He grumbles. He couldn't imagine feeling that way multiple times a week. It had been fucking horrible once. He didn't understand at all how someone could handle that much pain that often. He'd thrown up from it several times. How the fuck did they do it so often? And hold their composure? That was fucking intense, and the first time he could even remember crying.

Jay chuckles, "They ain't always so bad."

"Huh." T looks up. "I wasn't saying- I meant it's kinda badass. I couldn't handle feeling like that all the fucking time. I'd kill myself."

Jay shrugs, "I can't imagine getting that into my feels, but if it works for them it…"

"Mmm. Yeah, I'm with you. Numb is totally the way to go."

"Totally." Jay holds his fist up.

T chuckles as he bumps his fist against Jay. "This is why you're one of my favorites."

"I'd say you're one of my favorites too," Jay shrugs, "but that might get us too close to feels."

"Uck." T smiles. "Thanks for the warning."

Jay chuckles, the sound soft before it fades out, leaving them in a comfortable silence. After a few moments, Jay startles at a sudden weight on his shoulder.

T had finally fallen asleep.

Jay rolls his eyes. He knew the kid needed sleep. All his interest had been genuine, but he'd been stalling until the inevitable could happen.

He shifts slowly, doing his best to keep T's head secured on his shoulder as he inches down a little to get more comfortable. He'd hang out here for a couple of hours before he left to scavenge for food. If T wasn't sleeping, he doubted he was taking the time to eat.

Everyone else had him figured so wrong. You wanted to do something for this one, you just had to wait him out.


Jay slides his bag of pilfered bread and meat behind the crates before he looks around and ducks in as well.

His eyes narrow as he waits for them to adjust and collects the bag. He slowly inches back towards the wall he'd left T at, grinning when he finds him still curled up under the tarp with his head resting on his shirt and vest.

He puts the bag at T's feet. Should he take off so T wasn't embarrassed? So he wasn't embarrassed? That would mean leaving his clothes behind though. Which might embarrass T anyways.

One eyebrow rises at the first whimper. He grimaces before he slowly turns to look at T. Well, the kid was afraid of night terrors. So why not have one? At least he'd gotten a good six hours before it happened.

Unwilling to leave T in the grip of fear while in this territory he starts working his way back under T's head, whispering as he pats T's shoulder.

His eyes widen to the size of saucers when the whimper turns in a blood-curdling scream. He automatically clamps a hand over T's mouth and pulls him up, ready to wrestle T into a submissive lock to keep him quiet.

"Shhh! It's okay. It's Jay." He whispers urgently into T's ear as he presses T's back against his chest and stomach, "It's just a night terror. Wake up, man."

T's whole body tenses as his eyes shoot open before they dart around in terror and confusion. He searches the darkness blindly for hidden threats, his body trembling and cold with his sweat.

"You're good. Just me. Couldn't have ya making noise though. I'm gonna take my hand away now though." He nods encouragingly before he lifts his hand.

T nods slowly, "T-t-thank you." He gets out over chattering teeth as he still looked around in alarm.

Jay frowns before he reaches over and grabs the tarp to wrap around T. It was getting too cold for them to not have blankets anymore. He was going to have to pick some up from the hideout before his next trip up here. "No problem man. You needed a crash and like hell I was just gonna leave ya up here alone." He rubs his hands up and down the tarp over T's arms, "Want to take a few minutes?"

T slowly nods, "P-p-pl-please?" He asks meekly as he ducks his head, taking in slow breathes in an attempt to calm himself.

Jay frowns at how pale T was. He could have sworn at one point they'd been closer to the same skin color, but now T was barely three shades past white. His hair was still concerning, even plastered to his head with cold sweat. Why dye his hair black, if his natural color was red. Evie and Mal dying their hair, sure, he got it. Deez adding color to her hair was fine too. But why such drastic changes for someone like T. He stares at T's neck, watching the skin over his pulse throb far too fast, but at least he was starting to relax into his hold. "You sure man? I hate night terrors." He shrugs, but when T doesn't pull away he continues, "And fuck it's cold tonight."

"I-is it?" T asks softly in confusion."T-thank you." He whispers again, sounding so small and feminine it made Jay grimace.

"Still, ya gotta get some sleep in when ya can," Jay chuckles, doing his best to hide his reaction. It was strange, T comfortable with being this close. Had he not realized his chest was bare? Or maybe he was still to rattled to pull away. That didn't make sense. Deez and Carlos always fought him when they were in the grip of a night terror. Evie too. He'd learned to dodge her claws. So, why wasn't T struggling to get?

Why didn't he ever pull away? Jay's eyes narrow. Had T ever pulled away once he got ahold of him? He couldn't remember. Had Harry ever noticed it? Sounded like they needed another meeting. The idea that T never pulled away was terrifying, especially with T slipping into places he didn't belong. What if he was captured? Would he be able to escape?

"Y-you're r-right." T apologizes timidly, "I-I'm s-sorry..."

Jay lifts an eyebrow in surprise, "I mean, yeah, duh I'm right. No need to apologize though. I get being scared of night terrors."

T tilts his head and glances at Jay with large eyes, before snapping his head back and curling further into himself. "Y-you do?"

"Well yeah," Jay frowns as he stretches his leg out to hook the bag, "There's no way to fight. And most of the time they don't make sense. It's-" He sighs, "I hate being stuck, and helpless." Hated seeing the others like that too, but it was hard enough to admit his own feelings right now, even though he was curious about T's change in attitude.

There's a moment of silence, "T-t-thank y-you. T-that helps." His cheeks redden.

"No big man." Jay kick pulls the bag closer until he can hook it with a finger.

"But it-" T ducks his head. "Sorry."

Now it was getting weird. T rarely apologized, unless he'd fucked up, "You doin' okay?" He asks as he pulls a water bottle out of the bag and passes it to T.

T nods slowly, as his shaking hand comes out to gently take it from him. "T-thank you."

"I got food too." Jay grins as he slips out from under T to better rummage in the bag, "Found an area that seems to be for storing food."

"At the intersection?"

"Yep, just a few blocks away." Jay nods, "Figured they wouldn't miss a little with everything they're gathering."

"That's… A really good point." T agrees, his eyes lighting up.

Jay ducks his head, pretending to search in the bag, to hide the relief on his face. T seemed to be back to his old self again at least, "Here." He pulls out a broken, moldy loaf of dry bread.

"Thanks, man," T takes the bread. "But ya know you it was stupid for you to do that, right?"

"No more stupid than what you're doing," Jay snorts and rolls his eyes, "alone."

"Eh." T shrugs, "Agree to disagree." He pulls a piece of bread off before he pops it in his mouth. "No one knows who the fuck I am. I doubt Atilla remembers me, we haven't met that often."

"You think a guy like Atilla is going to forget the kid that dared to stand between him and the girl he wanted?" Jay asks. He was pretty sure Atilla dreamed of slitting T's throat. The guy didn't like the word no, and everything was his way or no way.

T pops another piece of bread in his mouth. "Doubt it. But even if he does so what? What's he gonna do? Kill me?" He scoffs, "He might be bigger, but I'm better. Thanks to you and Hook of course, but still…" He shrugs, "Atilla is the least of my problems."

"As long as you acknowledge he's a problem." Jay snorts. He knew it was the best he was going to get.

"I'm dense not dumb." T shrugs, "Just saying least."

Jay furrows his brow, his argument dying on his tongue. He supposed that was true. Atilla would be the least of his problems too if he was… Dumb, enough to go toe to toe with the OVs. "I guess I can see your point since you started fucking with the damn adults." He sighs. Not like he could do anything to stop it at this point. T'd already made himself known, and made a deal with one of them, at least. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised T had more. He shakes his head with a sigh. He couldn't fix that now, but he could fix something.

Even in all his layers, T was going to freeze tonight due to the cold sweat that was probably drenching them. Jay removes his beanie and squashes it over T's head, "There, something about the head and heat or something." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly at T's expression. What had he done now?


T blinks up at Jay in confusion. He knew Jay loved his beanie like Hook adored his hook. It was the first gift Evie had given him. Like, his first gift ever. It was one of Faustina's favorite memories. He'd been following a young Evie as she bounced down the street, curious at what her excitement was, right after they'd formed their gang. He remembered the look of surprise on Jay's face before it quickly shifted to something he still struggled to name. But it had made Faustina thrilled and his chest warm.

So, why the fuck was he letting him borrow it? His thoughts drift back to his conversation with the Sea three-might as well be-Four, before settling on one conclusion. Jay hardcore trusted him. An unfamiliar warmth flooded his entire being at the realization. He blinks, his vision suddenly blurry before he looks away. A genuine smile twists on his lips, for what had to be the first time in weeks. "Hella dense." He breathes with a shake of his head. "But-" He goes to take it off before his hand is swatted away.

"Leave it." Jay states sternly, with a matching glare. He rests a hand on T's head as if to secure it. His glare dared T to keep arguing.

"But-"

"I said, leave it. So fucking leave it, man." Jay pats him on the head, "Get it back to me later if you're that worried about it."

T frowns before another small smile tilts at his lips. "Fine." He sighs. He could agree to that. His eyes drop to Jay's bare chest. He blinks in confusion before looking back up at Jay in concern. "Where did your shirts go? It's fucking cold as Mal's glares in this bitch."

Jay chuckles awkwardly as he rubs the back of his neck before he reaches between them, "I uh-"

"Oh." T's eyes widen in realization, "Dude you didn't-." He shrinks further into the tarp. Rude. He was being rude. "Thank you."

Jay shrugs before he pulls his shirt on and slides his vest back over his arms, "Here." He grabs the bag and pulls out another roll. "Seriously eat. And drink the water. I don't trust that you do either when I'm not around."

T opens his mouth to argue before he realizes he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten was. So instead he opens the water bottle and takes a sip.

"Seriously?" Jay huffs. "It's been that long."

T shifts in discomfort. "I don't know." He shrugs, putting down the water bottle before he starts eating the roll. "Just can't remember. Man, it's been an odd couple of weeks."

"I guess it has. You seem like you have a lot going on." Jay holds his hand up before T can react, "And I ain't digging at you, just acknowledging it."

"Heard." T nods. "And I do, kinda. But it's better than the alternative." He picks up the water to take another sip, not sure what else to do with his hands.

"I can get that. I don't like leaving shit undone either." Jay shrugs, "I'd much rather fight it, ya know, head on and get it over with. At least that's how it is most of the time."

"Yeah no fucking kidding." T huffs bitterly.

"So, I ain't gonna bother you," Jay roughly tugs the beany down further, "I ain't gonna argue with you." He chuckles, "Just, you do you and get your shit done, and I'm here if you need me."

"Same, and appreciated." T grins before he sobers slightly. "Thanks for always getting me." His eyes dropping to his lap.

"Someone has to right?" Jay lightly shoulder checks him and winks before he stands, "Dude, I'll always have your back, no questions asked. It's about time you see that."

"I don't know how I missed it in the first place…" T admits with a sigh. How fucking oblivious was he? And for how fucking long had it been mutual? "And, I know you would. And no actually no one has too," T chews his lip before looking up at Jay with a genuine smile, "But I'm glad you do. It a good feeling to know I have someone like you covering my six."

"Finally." Jay grins before he snaps his fingers and walks away backward, "Now that you're up, I'm going to go get some more blankets for you. If you're doing this, you're doing it right. Which means you need to not freeze to death. And a tarp is hardly warm."

"But-"

"What did just talk about?" Jay crosses his arms over his chest, "Don't pull a Deez on me and make me go places neither of us will be comfortable with."

"Heard." T nods, "And me not being an asshole."

"Of course that's your take away." Jay rolls his eyes, "Eat the bread, drink the water. There's more in the bag. Do what you got to do and I'll be here tomorrow night. Got it?"

"Bu- Right. Okay. Fair. But-for-my piece of mind, please wear something else."

"I'm dense, not dumb." Jay winks before he salutes and crawls out of the room.


And another one down, another one down, another one bites the dust,

So, what did you think of Jay's big brother moment with T? Did it make you squee?

And what about Jay knowing the best way to do something for T was to wait him out? And knowing not to push T to volunteer information?

What did you guys think about T coming to the realization that all of his all the people he'd stalked into becoming his friends was mutual?

Put your hand up if you know what happened when T first woke up from his night terror?

And Jay's realization that he couldn't recall a time T had pulled away from him? Could you recall a time T has pulled away? Or do you think he's on to something?

Much love and appreciation,

-Twisted