Chapter Text
Tim sat in stunned silence as the offer Elias just gave him sunk in. “Head Archivist?” He said with a bit of wonderment.
“Yes I believe you would be a good fit,” Elias said with a smile. His smiles never reached his eyes.
“But, I thought Sasha was supposed to be promoted,” Tim said feeling a bit confused. “Gertrude chose her didn’t she?”
Elias heaved a sigh. “Gertrude recommended Sasha, yes, but I think you would be better for the job.”
“Why?” He asked the man sitting across from incredulously.
“I think your background in publishing in tandem with your time in research will help you in this position,” Elias stated matter of factly. “Sasha simply has not worked in research as long, but I’m sure she would make a great assistant.”
Tim shook his head in disbelief. “I’m not sure…” he said hesitantly.
“Well Tim do think about it. I look forward to working with you as a department head, but if you don’t want the position we may not have space for you elsewhere,” Elias said, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers.
“Couldn’t I just… stay in research?” Tim asked, feeling his heart drop at Elias’ implication.
“We are getting several new hires in research in preparation for transferring 2 or 3 people to the archives,” the head of the institute said a bit remorsefully. Not enough for it to seem real though.
Sitting there Tim could feel his hands growing sweaty. Elias basically just told him it's either this position or none and he still had to find out what happened to Danny. Not to mention he had to make rent this month. “Can I have a day to think about it?”
Elias smiled again. “Yes of course Tim. You may have the day to think on it, but please let me know your decision by the end of the day tomorrow. I would like to get the new Archivist started ASAP.”
Tim nodded before getting up from his seat and shaking the hand Elias offered him. He saw himself out and made a beeline for the stairs taking them two at a time as he rushed back up to the research floor. Approaching his desk Sasha looked up and smiled at him. The sinking feeling Tim felt in his stomach must have been showing on his face because Sasha’s smile dropped and she looked at him concerned, head tilted to the side questioningly.
“Are you okay?” She asked him as he sat down at his desk across from her. “Did it go alright? He didn’t fire you did he?” Sasha asked the last question in a light tone in an attempt to lighten Tim’s grim expression.
“Umm, it went fine,” Tim said, stilted still in a daze. “Elias, he offered me a promotion, but I don’t know if I want to take it.”
Sasha looked at him quizzically. “Why wouldn’t you want a promotion?”
“Well he, he wants me to take the Head Archivist position,” he said hesitantly trying to gauge Sasha’s reaction.
“Oh,” Sasha said, looking a bit crestfallen. “Well what did you tell him?”
“I said I would think about it,” he said distractedly trying not to look at Sasha in an attempt to ignore the guilt pooling in his gut. “He said that if I don’t take it then there isn’t space for me elsewhere…”
His friend’s face quickly darkened with anger. “He really said that?” She seethed. “He’s really going to threaten job security over a position you didn’t even apply for?”
Tim just nodded sadly, his guilt continuing to grow. Was he really ready to sacrifice his friendship with Sasha for job security? “I’m sorry Sash, I know you really wanted that job,” he said quietly.
“It’s okay Tim it’s not your fault Elias is a dick,” she sighed. “Honestly I think you should take the job. On one condition though, you make me an assistant because I want to see the crash and burn.”
Tim looked up at her mouth agape and she gave him a sly grin. “You asshole! I would make a great Archivist thank you very much!”
Sasha just laughed before getting up and coming around her desk to offer a hug. Tim stood and accepted it gratefully squeezing her tightly. They pulled back when they heard a little ahem behind them. Ah yes Jon would probably want to get to his desk that they were standing in front of.
“Excuse me,” Jon said a bit awkwardly.
“Sorry mate,” Tim said with a grin as he and Sasha stepped out of the way.
Jon resumed his seat as his desk. “It’s fine, what are you guys getting all cuddly about though? Or is the office PDA going to be a new thing for you two?” He asked, his tone resentful, but Tim could hear the teasing undertone in it.
Tim chuckled as he and Sasha sat down. “Well Elias just offered me a promotion.”
“Wait really?” Jon asked him in surprise.
“Yeah he wants me to be the Head Archivist,” he replied with a grin. “What do you say? Do you want to be my assistant? I’ve already got Sasha on board and it would be a pity to break up the squad.”
Jon smiled shyly, feeling warmth spread in his chest at actually being wanted on someone’s team. “Yeah sure sounds like a nice change of pace.
“Excellent!” Tim exclaimed a bit too loudly. “The archives won’t know what hit them!”
-
Jonah smiled as he pulled his consciousness back from the conversation he had been observing. It was all going according to plan. Tim would make a great Archivist and Jonah wouldn’t need to orchestrate a web mark. Not to mention he had Jon as a back up if needed. How lucky it was that he was able to find not one, but two employees with such a mark.
He did wonder how Tim acquired that mark though. Perhaps something to do with that dead brother of his? No mind it mattered not how he got the mark just that he had it and Jonah looked forward to setting his plan into motion. Hopefully having Sasha in the archives would help keep Tim on track, but Jon was a bit of a wild card at times. His emotions were a bit unpredictable so Elias may need to find a third assistant suitable for keeping him in check.
Ah yes Martin he would work wonderfully to balance Jon’s rather… manic energy. He was very level headed, but also his past trauma would make him easy to manipulate so it should work out well. Yes, Martin will make a great addition to the dynamic. It was all coming together very nicely.
Jonah sighed deeply, rolling his eyes when he heard a whimper at the back of his mind. “You would think after all this time you would stop trying to bother me, but you are more persistent than I gave you credit for,” he said aloud know that the man in his mind would hear him better that way
Elias Bouchard was a helpful vessel, but wow was he annoying. So whiny too he would have preferred a more submissive target, but he didn’t have many options at the time so he would continue to ignore the insistent crying at the back of his mind.
-
Martin knew he must be sweating through his jumper right now. He was more than a little nervous for his first day in the archives. After working in the library so long it felt weird to have a desk to himself. Honestly he was just worried someone would figure out that he lied on his CV now that would end badly. Surely archive work couldn’t be that different from the work he had been doing in the library though right? He should be fine no one would figure it out…hopefully.
Having been so lost in thought Martin barely noticed it when the dog slipped past him as he opened the door to the stairwell. “Shit!” He hissed through his teeth as he ran down the stairs with his box of things balanced precariously in his arms.
After nearly tripping on several stairs he slid to a stop in the assistant's bullpen breathing heavily and searching desperately for any sign of the dog. He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear someone shuffling around in the office across the hall. Maybe they had seen the dog. Martin placed his box on the nearest desk and headed for the office. The door was open so he knocked awkwardly on the door frame to get the person shuffling behind the desk to look up.
A man with long cropped dark brown hair and olive skin popped his head up from behind the desk. He was very handsome with soft brown eyes and a sharp jawline, but not really Martin’s type especially seeing as he was way out of his league.
“Sorry you haven’t seen a dog have you?” Martin asked as politely as possible when faced with a very attractive man.
“A dog?” The man asked, looking a bit excited a grin spreading across his face.
Martin rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh yeah a spaniel I think?”
“Why is there a dog in the archives though?” The man who’s name was still a mystery asked, sounding genuinely puzzled as he got to his feet.
“Oh, um,” Martin stuttered, his face going red with embarrassment. “I kind of accidentally let it in. Sorry.”
The man just laughed. “What a great start to my first day as Head Archivist!”
“Oh, oh, you’re Timothy Stoker,” he said, feeling a sinking in his stomach. “I’m so sorry sir I really didn’t mean to let it in!”
“Don’t worry about it seriously, I'm sure we’ll find the little guy soon,” he said, waving off Martin’s concern. “And please call me Tim. Now let's see if we can find that dog.”
Tim led him back across the hall to the assistant’s bullpen. “Where did you last see him?” He asked Martin as he surveyed the room.
“Um, I lost track of him in the stairwell,” Martin said, looking around desperately for the little creature.
“Hey Tim, guess what we found!” Came a loud feminine voice from down the hall.
Soon a woman came into view. She had dark skin and dark coily hair done in a fro hawk. She was quite tall and had to be at least 6’ and with sharp dark eyes, she was holding a spaniel in her arms. The dog looked very pleased with himself. A man followed behind her as she entered the bullpen. He was a very slight man and he had warm brown skin. His hair fell to his shoulder blades in soft waves and was streaked with silvery grey.
Upon seeing the dog Tim immediately burst into a fit of coos and giggles as he rushed over to scratch the dog’s ears. The woman just smiled as she too scratched the little animal’s head. The smaller man behind her just looked disgruntled.
“Why is there a dog in the archives?” The long haired man asked dryly.
Tim looked over at him with a big grin. “What not a fan of dogs Jon?”
“I prefer cats if I’m being honest,” the other man -Jon- replied with a derisive look at the dog.
“Why does it not surprise me that you are a cat person,” the woman chuckled as she handed the dog off to Tim.
Jon gawked in what could be mock offence, but could also be real offence. “I resent that comment!” He turned to look at Tim. “Did you let the dog in? If so you have to pay for the shelf he managed to topple.”
Tim just rolled his eyes. “Martin here accidentally let him in, but honestly I think we’ll blame the shelf falling on account of it being ancient. We’ll just fill out a replacement form,” he said looking at the collar around the dog's neck. “Let’s call your owner huh… Brutor.” Tim read the name from the collar around the dog's neck.
Jon turned a glare on Martin before swiftly striding over to what Martin assumed was his desk. Not the best first impression he could have made.
“I’m Sasha by the way, Martin was it?” The woman introduced herself. “And the wet blanket is Jon.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Martin told her with a wide smile.
The rest of the day dragged on rather uneventfully once the dog was returned to his owner. He still felt like an idiot for having let the animal inside in the first place and he could tell he made a horrible impression on Jon. Tim and Sasha seemed to just think it was a funny moment to look back on later, but he could feel Jon’s irritation from the desk across from his. Even worse Martin kept finding himself looking back up at Jon and admiring the way his hair fell in his face so elegantly. First day on the job and his new office crush already thinks he’s an idiot.
They didn’t have a lot of direction from Tim honestly. It didn’t really seem like he knew what he was doing, but it was only the first day so Martin didn’t want to judge too harshly. He kept coming out of his office to ask Sasha questions and she seemed to be purposely unhelpful. Martin could have sworn she was playing computer games for most of the day.
Once the end of the day came around and everyone got ready to leave Jon made no move to do so. Tim came out and upon seeing Jon still sitting at his desk typing away furiously he went over to the smaller man and began pulling his chair away from the desk.
“Come on Jon, time to go,” Tim said with a large smile as Jon leaned forward more and more to keep typing.
“But I’m not done!” Jon protested as Tim pulled him all the way away from the desk.
Tim shook his head, continuing to push Jon’s chair toward the stairs. “None of this overworking shit like you pulled in research. I’m the boss now and I say we all go home on time.”
Jon crossed his arms and made a face like a toddler might when told they can’t have chocolate for dinner. “This is bullshit.”
“This is a healthy work-life balance my friend,” Tim said light heartedly. “We’re going out for drinks and you're coming. You too Marto!” He called back over his shoulder.
“Oh okay!” Martin said, excited that he was being included. The people in the library never invited him out. “Sounds fun!”
“Yes it does!” Sasha said with enthusiasm. “Never a dull moment when Jon gets drunk!”
“Shut up,” Jon muttered as he followed Tim and Sasha out the door with Martin in tow.
The four headed for the nearest pub and Sasha took the lead directing the group to a quiet booth in the back. It was a nice little corner tucked away so as to allow them some privacy from prying eyes.
“Thanks Sasha,” Jon said quietly as he slipped into the booth across from Tim and Sasha. That meant Martin was going to sit next to Jon. Oh boy.
“No problem Jon, I know you aren’t a big fan of crowds,” she replied with a bright smile. “Drinks anyone?”
“I’ll have a beer,” Tim said with a smile. “What about you Martin want anything?”
Martin wasn’t sure what to get as he didn’t drink often. “Oh um a vodka soda I guess?”
Sasha nodded. “Jon, do you want anything?”
“I’ll have whatever you get,” he replied with a ghost of a smile. Jon had a very cute lopsided smile Martin observed.
It was long before they all found themselves 3 or so drinks deep. Tim, Sasha, and Martin were relatively coherent, but Jon was… well he was piss drunk. It seemed that he had decided if he couldn’t work he would drink until he could no longer think straight. He had already consumed 3 beers and 3 shots of straight vodka.
“I’m going to hit the loo,” Sasha announced as she got up and headed for the restroom.
“I’ll get us another round,” Tim said, sliding out of the booth after her. Then looking over at Jon he said with a grin, “Maybe water instead.”
Then Martin found himself left alone with a very drunk Jon beside him. He let his eyes wander as he waited for Sasha and Tim to get back. Suddenly he heard mumbling from beside him. Was Jon saying something?
It was hard to tell, but it would be rude not to reply if he was saying something. “What was that Jon?” Martin asked the person slumped over on the table with his head in his arms.
Jon lifted his head and looked at him. “Sorry I was irritated earlier,” he said quietly. “I’ve been in a right awful mood today. The dog thing isn’t nearly as big a deal as I made it seem.”
“Oh,” Martin said, surprised by the apology. “It’s fine, it was kind of a stupid thing to do… Seems like something only I could achieve,” he said with a self deprecating laugh.
“No it could have happened to anyone,” Jon slurred. “I just um…” a pause. “I saw a bunch of spiders earlier in the stacks and it just kind of set me off kilter for the rest of the day. I-I really don’t like spiders.”
Martin was surprised by that confession. “Oh that’s understandable. A lot of people are scared of spiders. I personally find them cute.” Jon gave him a dubious look at that. Martin swallowed trying to gather some courage. “You know they are all fuzzy and they’re little faces are cute like yours.”
Jon gave him an eye roll at that, but it had no real heat behind it. “I am not cute,” he declared with a drunken slur.
“Now that’s not true,” Sasha said as she slid back into the booth, a teasing note in her voice.
Jon just rolled his eyes and dropped his head back onto the table. At that moment Tim slid back in with waters in hand. “Here Jon drink, then we should get you home.”
Jon took the water begrudgingly and drank quickly then with surprisingly little resistance allowed himself to be led out of the pub and to the tube before dropping him off at his flat. Hopefully he didn’t have too much of a headache in the morning.