Hoody couldn't sleep. Laying in the guest bed with his soulmate wasn't helping either. She was soundly asleep on the other side of the bed, although he noticed her brow scrunch up at random times before she shifted.

He pushed himself into a sitting position from where he was on his back, no longer finding the position comfortable. Running a hand down his face, he exhaled through his nose in a heavy sigh. The room was nearly pitch black with the moonlight from the window barely letting anything in through the thick trees.

He carefully removed the blanket, feeling the cold begin to bite at the bare skin of his chest. He grabbed his black shirt that sat on the nightstand, which he made sure was washed after he helped patch up Skully.

At the thought of the entity, he paused, halfway through putting on his shirt. He'd never seen them fall over from any sort of pain in the years that they had been Skully. It worried him a bit. There were several puncture wounds and lacerations covering their skin that would heal abnormally quick. He could only guess that they got them from the Operator.

He used his tongue to mess with the gap between his teeth as he pulled the shirt on fully. It wasn't often that he wasn't able to sleep, but he knew it was another one of those nights. Hoody shifted himself as softly as he could in order to get off the bed and stand, grimacing at the cold floor on his feet. He'd honestly forgotten that Skully didn't have heat.

He froze at the sounds of shuffling from the bed and a small groan. "Hoody?" (Y/n) called and he turned to see her eyes barely open.

"Go back to sleep, Starlight. I'm just going to get water." She reached out to him, making a small grabbing motion. "What is it?"

She let out a small huff as she snuggled into the blankets even further. "Hand."

His gaze was soft as he placed his fingers around her palm, his grip light. She smiled and gently squeezed his hand, to which he did the same in response. "Happy now?" He whispered and she nodded, letting her hand fall from his.

Hoody let his hand drop to his side and turned his attention to the door. He walked out of the bedroom and down the short hallway, taking a left into the small kitchen.

A noise when he had reached the fridge caught his attention, making him realize he was too at ease for what time it was in the Operator's forest. He turned, letting his eyes sweep over the dark living room.

Not noticing anything out of the ordinary was odd, and his first thought was to get back to (Y/n) to protect her. He had taken a couple of steps before the back of his neck was hit. He felt himself start to fall forward until arms wrapped around him to keep him from landing on the hardwood floor as he passed out.

It was cold. Colder than Skully's house was. It was dark. Darker than the bedroom he wished so badly to be back in. It smelled of smoke. Smoke could only really mean one person to him.

Tim.

His wrists hurt and felt devoid of any blood as they were wrapped so tightly in ropes. His neck was in pain, and there was no doubt going to be a bruise. He was sitting on and leaning against something uncomfortably hard. His legs were cramped from the bent position they must have been in for a while.

Even after his eyes adjusted to the pitch black, Hoody still couldn't see anything. No light made its way into the room. At least, not until the door opened. He barely managed to hold back a flinch at the sudden light, squinting his eyes as they tried to adjust.

"Hey, Brian." Hoody could feel his upper lip curl up in disgust. "I see I've got you trapped." Tim lit the cigarette that dangled from his lips, and Hoody could already feel a cough itching his throat.

"Must you do that right now?" He groaned, eyes never leaving the man clad in tan. "What do you want with me?"

Tim took a long drag of his cigarette and blew out the smoke after a second of holding it in. The smell was almost vomit-inducing as Hoody felt his stomach lurch. "I feel like beating the fuck outta you or somethin'."

"Fuck you."

A sharp glare was directed toward him, but he threw away all caution the moment he stepped in the room. "The fuck you'd just say?"

"I. Said. Fuck. You." He returned the glare and held it as Masky came up to him. He attempted to dodge the hand that went to grab his head, but failed. His forehead connected with the ground from being thrown down and a short yell left his throat when the lit cigarette touched the skin of his arm.

It burned the flesh, leaving a small, sensitive circle behind. "Watch your mouth here. You aren't in control anymore, Brian."

A laugh left Hoody's throat as he lifted his disoriented head that bled the smallest amount. "You seem so sure of yourself, Tim, I'd think you were Alex." Knuckles met his left cheek, forcing his head right. It hurt so bad, but he refrained from making a sound other than a laugh.

He could feel himself losing control of his mind the longer they were in the room together. Masky stood up, landing a solid kick to his chest before turning around and walking out, leaving the cigarette next to Hoody.