They go out most nights even when no one else is up for it, because that is just what Cook does, and so by default JJ does too. Sometimes these nights he really thinks he's blurring fragmenting...

But he always reassembles in the black light neon night again, in the shape of the negative space between Cook's body and the next. They drink from the same bottle, breath sticky and thick with the sugar and the ethanol, they inhale and exhale at exactly the same second one machine. What's happening he doesn't even short-circuit now, that part of his head is Cook, his mind is whole again his heart beats in over time. He wants to fight it but he can't even think about it, it's too big and his mind slides around but every time Cook touches him he drowns in it warm and sultry, his limbs give up and relax at the lack of oxygen. This is what he is now this is what he does these are the parts of his body that are Cook; he thinks he can swivel his hips and do that smile dance like an animal.

And sometimes he believes this.

Back in normal life, when JJ stumbles and chokes on his words because his mouth is thick and full of metal, he can't believe that he was ever a part of Cook's body last night. Cook doesn't know either, and when he kisses JJ's cheek it's cool and JJ shudders at the lack of contact, what's happening? When did he start to need to be inside of Cook for his head to make sense and stay quiet? It's loud there louder than any music and he can't figure it can't decide why, there are so many things he can figure out disassemble himself, take everything apart until there are only numbers left.

Cook is not numbers. JJ, come back, he says. Where are you? Here, says JJ. Good. Goin' out tonight. Come with, yeah?

Yeah, says JJ. He's ready to disappear again.