Chapter Text
This had to be one of the most unethical things Jon had ever done in his life. Some bosses slept with their employees but he had to go and move in with his. He loathed to think of the kinds of forms HR would have to make up for him.
It hadn’t been something he had really given much thought to. His flat was perfectly serviceable for him. But Tim came in one day complaining about his water pressure and Sasha had talked about how annoying the commute was on the bus and Martin had been staying in the Archives which could hardly be considered ideal. They had been complaining about all those things when Jon said what had to be the most natural idea.
“Why don’t you just move in together?” He said, looking over his cup of tea and waiting for it to cool.
That made all three of them perk up. More than telling them to get to work ever got their attention, anyway. That thought almost made him snort, but from the looks on their faces, they were seriously considering it.
So maybe it would be cheaper. So maybe they could save some money and help the environment by carpooling together. So apparently Martin made a really good banana bread that he’d be missing out on if he didn’t also join in on their plans.
Really, it was one of the most sensible and adult decisions he’d ever heard them come up with. Momentarily, Jon thought back to his own flat. It was fine, perfectly serviceable, but he couldn’t say he would miss it all that much. And since his break-up with Georgie, he would admit that he missed living with other people. As complicated as his relationships with his assistants were, they could probably keep him in check better than he could do for himself. And he could keep a better watch on them in case they ran into any more worms or monsters named Michael.
Before he knew it, they were looking at places together. It was hard enough to find one with enough rooms for all of them, though Tim had said multiple times that he wouldn’t mind bunk beds, but eventually they found one with enough room for all of them. The only downside was that the former owner thought it was most definitely haunted, but that didn’t bother any of them all that much. How much worse could it be than their day job?
And now he was sitting on a stack of boxes, watching as Tim and Martin and Sasha went back and forth carrying their own furniture and knick-knacks in. This had to have been their fourteenth or fifteenth trip back and forth between their own old places and Tim had volunteered his van, recently cleaned of all its camping equipment and kayaking gear, to help.
They were laughing, pulling him from his thoughts. Jon peeked out from his spot to see them in the middle of carrying a faded yellow couch up the stairs. It didn’t look like they’d needed help, so he didn’t feel too bad about simply watching as they joked with each other and had to maneuver just so it didn’t get stuck on the curves of the staircase.
He liked watching them. They always seemed to have so much fun talking to each other and he’d watched as Tim and Sasha welcomed Martin into their friend group just like they had done to him when he’d first joined Research all those years ago. Martin was… lucky to have them. Since becoming the Archivist, Jon found himself missing that kind of friendship. Instead he watched from his office instead as they had fun.
Maybe that was why he felt so awkward there. They didn’t really need him there and he almost felt like he was intruding on them by watching them. He was their boss, after all, even if they never really saw him much like that. It wasn’t like they were moving in with Elias of all people. Still, he found himself shifting in his seat, tugging at the sleeves of his T-shirt as they brought in the couch.
“Out of the way, Jon, we don’t want to crush you.” Tim managed, at least a little strained under the weight of the couch.
He stepped out of the way as asked, moving to the kitchen just to be safe. The couch was set down as gently as they could manage with a quick thud followed by a much longer thump as the three of them collapsed on top. They didn’t say anything, likely catching their breaths. Jon peeked over the counter at them, wearing a curious look. There was room on the couch for him, if he really wanted to take it.
Instead, he turned away and went to what was now his new bedroom. There was unpacking to do and he found the stacks of boxes reminded him too much of sleeping in the archives.
They ordered take-out that night, claiming they were too tired to cook and that they couldn’t find any of their pots and pans anyway. Jon didn’t remember telling them what he wanted, but they’d gotten what he wanted anyway. Maybe Tim still had his order memorized back from when they’d all stay late in Research. It was probably best not to think about it and he was too busy listening to them talk about old moving stories or about where some of the more eclectic objects they had brought in had come from. It was warm and it made him feel fuzzy inside, in a way he just couldn’t understand why.
He got up in the middle of Tim’s story about a broken in half skateboard and went to his room. His cheeks felt too warm, but maybe that was the lack of air conditioning. That made enough sense, he told himself.
Jon lay on his mattress on the ground for some time, staring up at the ceiling. He’d never gone to bed so early in his life, at least not since his university days. They were still talking outside his door, he could hear that much. If he really wanted to, he could go and join them.
Instead, he pulled his pillow over his head and squeezed his eyes shut until he could sleep.
I’ve made a huge mistake.