Chapter Text
It was a quiet day in the archives. Jon had given his assistants new assignments that would keep them occupied for the next couple days so he was sure that no one would bother him while he tackled a few statements of his own. Taking a deep breath, Jon pulled up the audio recording software on his laptop (he was immediately able to tell this statement was fake based on the first paragraph alone meaning he didn't need his tape recorder) and began.
“Statement of Jeremy Yanowitz, regarding an encounter with a mysterious figure during his holiday in Greece. Original statement given the 10th of-”
“Knock knock.” Martin called out as he opened Jon’s door. “Oops, sorry I didn’t know you were recording. I should, um, I could come back later if you’d like-”
“No Martin, it’s alright. Come in.” Jon let out a sigh of relief as he stopped his recording. Normally he’d be upset with any sort of interruption but he really didn’t feel like indulging someone’s obvious delusions. And he and Martin had grown so much closer over the past few months since he moved into Sasha’s flat so Jon didn’t mind taking time out of his day for his friend. “So, what can I help you with?”
“Oh, um, well I- uh.” Jon watched as Martin shuffled on the spot, playing with the hem of his jumper and pointedly staring at the ground. “I just… i-it’s not really about work actually but… It’s just that-”
“Martin?” Jon’s voice took on a gentle tone that Martin had never heard before. His eyes slowly crept up from the floor until they locked onto Jon’s caring expression. “Do you need to regress?”
Martin’s eyes widened and he quickly shook his head, “N-no, I’m fine Jon, but thank you. It’s just that Sasha and Tim have sort of been on my case over… regressing all day so I was wondering if I could… stay here until they lay off? Or at least until they’ve calmed down a bit and it’s safe for me to go back out?”
Jon couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. It was obvious Martin was fairly close to headspace and that Tim and Sasha were able to pick it up immediately. It was like they had a sixth sense for this thing. But at the same time Jon was very familiar with how overbearing they could get even if they didn’t realize it themselves. He could just imagine them constantly checking in on Martin, asking if he wanted a snack or a nap or anything else that would lull him closer and closer into headspace before he finally gave in.
“Ah, of course. If they come by here in search for you I’ll simply tell them that I sent you out on an errand,” Jon said as he stood and closed the door behind Martin.
“Thanks, Jon. You’re a lifesaver.” Jon laughed as Martin trudged over to the ancient couch in the corner of his office which served as a napping spot for not only Jon and Martin while they were regressed, but also for Tim and Sasha when work was getting to be a bit too much. “I swear they were taking turns hovering over my shoulder like vultures. If I’m ever like that with you please just let me know and I’ll stop immediately.”
“That just means they care about us, Martin. Now I was about to record a few statements so if you could please-”
“Jon?” Sasha’s voice called out from behind the office door followed by a few sharp knocks, “Jon, can I come in please?”
Jon and Martin frantically looked around the room, searching for a place Martin could possibly hide before Jon pulled away the chair from his desk. “Here, come under here.” Jon whispered, gesturing to the space underneath his desk.
Martin’s face scrunched up at the tight fit but another set of knocking had him up and wedged under Jon’s desk in an instant. “Yes, yes. You can come in, Sasha.” Jon called out as he quickly sat in his chair and carefully slotted himself back against his desk. His legs were pushed to one side underneath his desk while Martin was squished on the other, his knees brought to his chest in a way that didn’t look very comfortable.
The door opened and Sasha poked her head in, looking around the room casually before landing on Jon. “Hey, sorry if I’m interrupting but have you seen Martin? I thought I saw him come by here.”
“Oh yes he did. He came in for some clarifications on a statement before I sent him out to do a follow up,” the lies casually rolled out of Jon’s mouth as he shuffled random papers around his desk.
Sasha frowned at this as she entered further into Jon’s office and he was glad his desk had wood paneling in the front so that she wasn’t able to see Martin. “Jon I don’t really think that was a good idea. Martin was, well, I think he was close to headspace and what if he-“
“The follow up is within London so I’m sure he’ll be back soon, Sasha. Don’t worry, I spoke with him about it and he said he felt fine enough to go out for a bit,” Jon reassured. “But I told him to text me updates while he’s out so I’ll let you and Tim know if anything comes up.”
The room was quiet, Jon trying to keep his expression cool and unreadable and Sasha having to physically fight off her motherly instincts. Martin tried his hardest not to move, not to make a sound and alert his friend to his secret hiding place. Even from her tone alone Martin was able to tell how worried she was. Eventually Sasha sighed and raised her hands in defeat. “Alright. But you better keep me updated on Martin, you understand? I don’t want another… Prentiss incident.”
The memories of Martin looking absolutely terrified out of his mind flashed back into both of their minds and for a second Jon was close to telling Sasha the truth. But Martin had come to him for help and he wasn’t about to go back on his word, “Oh course, Sasha. And I’ll make a note to have you go out in pairs for all follow ups from now on as a precaution.”
“Okay, good. Thank you, Jon. Let me know when Martin gets back.” Sasha nodded and turned to the door. She lingered with her hand on the doorframe before looking back to Jon, “And remember to drink some water, young man. There’s also some granola bars and gummy snacks in your desk drawer if you get peckish.”
Jon laughed and waved Sasha off. The second the door closed, Jon checked his bottom desk drawer and sure enough there were a few packs of snacks tucked neatly inside along with a few juice boxes as well. “Huh, looks like if we get hungry we won’t have to go out to get something.”
“Okay,” Martin’s voice was quiet and when Jon looked under his desk, Martin’s thumb was tracing his bottom lip in the same way he’d do when he was close to regressing.
“Hey Martin, how are you feeling?” Martin looked up sluggishly and blankly stared at Jon for a few seconds before simply shrugging his shoulders. His eyes were half lidded and slightly hazy indicating that Martin was indeed very close to regressing.
“I’ll take that to mean that you’re probably tired. Do you want to nap on the couch while I work?” Jon reached down and carefully ran his hands through Martin’s hair. Martin relaxed his shoulders and leaned into the touch but shook his head at the question.
“Martin you should probably take the couch, it’s much more comfortable than being squished down there.” Jon was right, Martin’s legs were starting to get achy and it was dusty underneath the desk. But at the same time he didn’t want to be alone on the couch, even if Jon was less than a metre away.
Martin desperately shook his head and leaned his body onto Jon’s legs. His thumb moved from just outside his lips to in his mouth in an instant as his other hand clung onto Jon’s trouser leg.
Jon sighed and continued petting Martin’s hair, “Sweetheart, come on now. You’re gonna get a cramp if you stay there.” The sound of quiet whining tugged at Jon’s heartstrings and he really did not want to be the cause of Martin’s distress right now. Looking from Martin to the couch, Jon leaned down to look Martin in the eyes, “How about I go with you and we can cuddle on the couch for a bit. How about that?”
Martin’s whines stopped and he looked up at Jon, a big smile plastered right behind the thumb still in his mouth. “Cuddle?”
“Yes, we can cuddle all you want.”
“Cuddle!” Martin beamed as he shimmied out from underneath the desk and wound his arms around Jon’s neck. “Cuddle wit Tata!”
Jon’s face instantly warmed as Martin smushed his face against his chest. “T-Tata?” He mumbled as he led Martin over to the couch. “Do- Martin, am I-” the words that he struggled to grasped instantly died once they were both sat down and Martin practically plastered himself to Jon’s side. Tata… he’ll have to look that up later but he’s pretty sure he has an idea what that means. And just the thought of being right sent a rush of love through his entire body as he situated the two of them so that he was lying down with Martin practically on top of him.
“Get some sleep, love. Tata’s got you.” Martin nodded against Jon’s chest and drifted off to the soft sounds of a somewhat familiar humming melody.