Entry #12050104001305

ᴃᴚᴓᴋᴇᴎ ᴃᴌᴜᴇᴃᴉᴙᴆ

In case the title is difficult to read, this chapter is called "Broken Bluebird"

Chapter 27 ("Jay Has Left The Chat") was written for a reason, and now we know why.

Also, POV switch for this chapter because, well, you'll see.

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The harsh coughing from the other side of the bathroom door had stopped, but that had done nothing to ease Tim's surmounting panic.

"Jay?" he called for the umpteenth time, receiving as much of a response as he had every time before. "I'm coming in." With that warning, Tim reached down and turned the knob, pushing the door open before gripping his crutches again.

He wasn't sure what he had expected to see, but the sight of Jay sitting in the floor curled in on himself with his side pressed against the tub was still startling.

Hobbling forward, Tim hesitantly approached the crumpled man. "Jay?"

Said man's arm moved slowly, reaching down to feel the cold linoleum beneath him. His head lolled to the side, his eyelids fluttering but never fully opening as his hand felt around blindly.

"Jay, are you okay?" Tim tried again. Jay's hand curled into a tight fist before he flexed his fingers, his knuckles cracking. His head suddenly snapped up, his wide brown eyes filled with panic as he stared at Tim who was frozen just inside the doorway. Jay scrambled to get up, crouching in the corner by the wall and tub, his eyes filled with panic and fear. Tim wasn't sure why he was scared or what there was to be afraid of and he hated seeing him look so terrified.

"Jay," Tim said, moving a little closer. Jay's arm flung back, gripping the edge of the tub tightly in one hand; he looked caught between shrinking away in fear and pushing past Tim to flee.

"Jessica?" Tim called out into the living room, keeping his eyes on Jay.

"Yes?" she called back.

"Get Hoodie."

A few seconds later, Hoodie silently appeared behind Tim, making Tim nearly jump out of his skin when he realized there was someone standing behind him.

"Something's up with Jay," Tim stated, shuffling to the side so Hoodie could pass him in the small doorway. The hooded and masked man seamlessly slid by, slowly approaching Jay in the cramped bathroom and crouching down to match his stance. Jay's eyes flitted up to Tim's then focused back on the man crouched in front of him. Using his free hand - his right still had a death grip on the edge of the bathtub - Jay slowly reached forward, lightly tugging on the black fabric that concealed Hoodie's face.

As quick as lightning, the man's hands shot up, snatching Jay's wrists in his tight grip. The panic on Jay's face tripled and he fell back, desperately pulling his arms in an attempt to free himself. Hoodie was having none of it, holding him in place by the wrists and refusing to budge. Tim watched with a mix of fascination, fear, and horror as Jay silently panicked, thrashing desperately. Hoodie stood, pulling a panicking Jay to his feet, and he backed up enough to kick the door. With Tim in the way, the door swung partially closed before knocking against a metal crutch.

Though Tim really didn't want to leave the two alone together, he had to assume that Hoodie knew what he was doing. Apprehensively, Tim backed out of the room, closing the door as he went. As soon as the door clicked shut, he heard the sound of the lock turning on the other side. Other than the occasional shuffle or bump, the room was quiet, and Tim found that more concerning than if it had been loud.

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I know this chapter is short as hell, but I'm building up to something and I refuse to include timeskips in this story in any form other than chapter breaks.