disarrayed | saltburnt inbox;

[ the manor will never feel like home and will never feel like a place that he can fully settle. he wakes up every day with the itch of something under his skin, a nagging at the back of his mind, and a disquieting restlessness. this place has no answers, no real reason, and maybe that's why it bothers him so much.

he's tried for a swim in the lake today, the sun warm enough and the water warmer. it's not like the creek at home, but it does something to help settle his mind in the same way fly fishing had done for him. it's the middle of the afternoon when he steps into the bathroom, shirtless and in boxer briefs, intending to jump in the shower.

well. if there wasn't someone he didn't recognize there. so will just sort of blinks at first, glances toward harry's door. he knows better than to go knock, if this is one of harry's guests. ]

Do you think you'll be much longer?

[ he's considering whether or not he needs to start up the bath, instead. ]

[ After an indulgent afternoon of lovemaking in between episodes of Blue Planet, the time unfortunately comes where Tim has to freshen up. Happy and relaxed from his layabout with Harry, he doesn’t think anything of it when the door opens, and in fact has half a mind to invite him in. That is, of course, until he speaks, and it is very much not Harry, making him squeak with surprise and grab at the curtain, nearly yanking it from its rings. Rather than pull it open, he makes a neat little hole with it, to poke his head between the curtain and the wall, careful to keep everything else covered.

Yes, definitely not Harry. His face goes red from embarrassment and indignation – I mean, from the heat of the shower – and then he shuts the curtain again, rings clinking against the rod. ]

Just a few minutes. But you should knock when you hear the shower running.

Hi, Will.

I know this is coming pretty belated, but I want to apologize for flirting with you when we were our other selves. It wasn't appropriate.

Are you feeling better now?

You don't have to apologize. We weren't ourselves.

I'm myself now - dealing with the aftermath of everything else.

How are you feeling?

Ourselves or not, we all have the memory of doing things we're not proud of. I've been trying to look at it as a lesson, or a cautionary tale.

I'm alright, though. Things are finally settling down. At least for a while.

I want to ask you something. If that's alright.

For now.

[ he's new to this place and to think things like this are normal and frequent makes his stomach churn. ]

And yes, you can ask. I'll answer as best as I can.

For now.

[ Concerning, the things you can get used to. ]

You know I'm really close to Harry.

[ What with the coming and going at random hours of the day, the shower incident, how frequently they can be seen together around the grounds. Even if Harry hasn't told him outright, it's clear as day.]

It was hard not to notice the bite mark. He assured me that was just the other you, but I have to ask. That's not a habit, is it?

No.

I don't do that.

[ not with the memory of hannibal so close. sure, he knows he's eaten hannibal's victims before - or could only assume - but it wasn't something he chose. ]

That's not who I am.

Okay. I believe you.

I'm sorry to even ask. It's crazy. But you never know around here. Vampires and werewolves and killers and all kinds of things.

I had to ask myself the same question when I woke up.

Does this place do things like this often? Turn everything into a living nightmare?

I wish I could tell you no.

This is the first time it was like this, though. This place lowers our inhibitions, and makes us hallucinate. Nothing like a shared mass delusion that lasted over a month, though

Great.

[ definitely not great at all. ]

This place turned me into someone I know last month. Made me in their image.

I tried to kill that man before I got here.

[ He was really not expecting an attempted murder confession out of this, because he did believe Harry. But...this is what he gets for thinking he knows what to expect. ]

Oh.

Well...if he was the kind of person to take bites out of people like that, I guess I can understand why you did it.

I worked with the FBI. He fooled all of us.

[ and has still managed to fool many of them. but those are details he can't touch - it makes something angry and real burn in his gut. ]

He didn't stop at one bite. [ and it never started with a bite. ]

I won't hurt Harry again. I promise you that.

I guess he wouldn't, if the FBI were involved.

Good. I've never fought with a cop, but Teo did.

That was supposed to be a joke, not a threat. Sorry.

If you're a friend to him, you're a friend to me.

Thankfully I'm not a cop. If I was, I'd have to interrupt your next shower and question you. They don't really like threats.

[ he's joking, but who knows over text. ]

That's also a joke.

Harry's a good man. It's good he has you.

You're gonna force me to wait until I get home to wash up? We're not being that disruptive, are we?

He is. I feel really lucky.

No, you're not. But you'll have to consult the snails - see how they feel. They're closer.

[ another joke, because yes their bathroom has snails and yes, they seem to collect a few more here and there. he doesn't have a specific interest in them, but their presence is so familiar now, he doesn't think twice. ]

They have the final say.

They like me, thank you very much!

Then your showering privileges are safe for now.

Just keep the snails out of the shower and knock, and I'll do the same. :)

No promises on the snails. That’s Harry’s domain.

Thank you, Tim.

Thanks for suffering my questions. I'm sure I'll see you soon 😀

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