Oculus | J. Todd ✔

[29]

As Jason dropped Evelyn off at the Institute, instead of waiting for her or joining her in the class, he told her that he would be going back home since Tim was alone and he didn't trust the boy enough to leave him by himself. Of course that was not the case but he had to give a convincing excuse, one which she would believe and that option seemed to work well.

He had told her he would pick her up when the classes would end and then after she had gone to her studio, he drove back to East End, lane fifteen.

Jason wanted to talk to Tim, not necessarily about what had happened because he had seen Tim could get unstable at the mention of it but he wanted to talk to him nevertheless, probably to let him know that he was going to be there for him.

Like a friend, an elder brother, just like Tim had once mentioned to Eve that he wanted Jay to be a brother to him and not a foe. Right then Jason was going to do exactly that because even though the kid seemed to portray a near perfect image of not needing help or people around him, still he craved familial bonds a lot.

When Jason unlocked the door and stepped in, light sounds of the piano reached his ears and he went further in to find Tim sitting on the seat in front of piano, his fingers pressing down on the keys randomly, eyes set in a far off look.

Silently, Jay walked over to him and sat beside him. Tim snapped out of his reverie immediately sensing his presence, he had turned to look at him in shock at first but then his features eased.

"Do you want me to play something for you?" He asked softly and Jason was reminded of the day he had first resolved his differences with Tim, right there at that very spot.

"Do you want me to hear something?"

"I could play Moonlight Sonata but it's depressing, to me at least, I don't know about you," he mumbled, fingers gliding on the keys lightly, a few random notes pouring out, "or we could go with Fur Elise or the Cantabile... Personally, I am very fond of the Cantabile."

"I have zero idea what you're talking about," Jason admitted honestly noticing the boy's lips turn up in a small smile but he could also see the stitches at the corners of his mouth even though he did not want to focus on that.

"It had hurt," Tim replied all of a sudden as if he had noticed his gaze yet again, "and I couldn't eat or speak properly for a long time afterwards."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

He looked at him briefly, a grateful look evident in his blue eyes, "thank you."

"For what?"

"For understanding."

Tim's fingers gently pressed on the keys of the piano, a soft tune emanating from the instrument, covering up for the silence in between them. The silence in between them wasn't heavy but slightly comforting as if the two had come to an agreement that they really didn't need to say something to be understood.

But then Jason spoke up out of his own accord, "are you really interested in theater?"

He halted for a second but picked up the tune right where he had left, "I haven't actually performed in a play before."

"But you're good at it. A little too good, if you ask me."

His smile was replaced with a soft but solemn look, "yeah I guess so too. Maybe I'm so good at putting up an act that even I don't know what's real anymore."

The words struck deep but Jason was already thinking about the meaning underlying his statement and relating with his own self, "you know what, the first time we met I thought you and me were nowhere near alike. But I don't think that way anymore."