Chapter Text
“Tim! Wait up.”
Sasha really wasn’t sure what compelled her to reach out. She was tired, even moreso than usual, and about as on-edge as one might expect when you work for a creepy institute and your coworker just resurfaced from hiding from some sort of worm-monster-woman. Alright, what Sasha James really needed was a drink, but had decided in short that…well, Tim might do.
“Yeah Sash?”
“Can I…could I maybe come stay with you?”
Even in the low light of the archive in the evening, his small smile nearly glowed.
“Rather forward today Sasha! Going to take me to dinner and a movie first or are we skipping bases this time?”
She laughed anxiously at his joke, for multiple reasons. “If Prentiss went after Martin, she could come after us.”
Tim’s face fell at that, and he stepped forward to take her other hand. “Sorry, yeah I understand. You can stay as long as you like. Move in completely! I mean, uh – “
Sasha had plenty of possible responses, but considering how much they could jabber on and on, opted for the nonverbal route. Tim gives great hugs, and as she plummeted fully into his arms, she breathed a small “thank you.” He just held her tighter in response, and she couldn’t help but think this was the safest she’d felt all day.
Two hours later, bags in hand, she made her way back to Tim’s on the tube. She tried not to focus on how he hadn’t given her directions and she hadn’t needed to ask. Or on the last time she had come to his place, for dinner that he’d nearly burnt. Or any of the times before that. Ill-fated. With pursed lips, she hissed to herself, “You romantic idiot, of course you remember which stop is his.”
Trying to dispel thoughts of her favorite coworker didn’t make her ride any more comfortable, she realized grimly. With every shudder of her cab, she worried she’d see – well, something. Prentiss? Worms? Sasha wasn’t sure which was more likely, or which would be worse. Martin had given a full statement but hadn’t particularly felt like sharing with her or Tim. Jon had been shaken, in a way that Sasha had never seen before and hoped to never see again, when he gave them the two minute version. When he’d finished with a flourish (“Oh and I maybe made the executive decision that Martin could stay here, don’t tell Elias - I’ll deal with it.”) Sasha gave him a knowing look and he retreated again to his office. Unfortunately for her, not knowing all the details had been a curse. She had always been intuitive, creative even, and trying to connect the dots between Martin’s sunken eyes and Jon’s hasty exit had proved to be quite the brain-teaser for the rest of the day. The blank spaces only filled with more shadows.
As she and Tim packed up to head out for the night, Jon had emerged to help Martin set up camp and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. What if I’m next? Or Tim?
Sasha was still stuck on that thought as she made it up the stairs to Tim’s flat. She knocked twice and he appeared at the door, grin returned full-force. “Hello darling, welcome home.”
Why did his smile have to be so infectious? “Don’t get too excited, Stoker.”
“Oh too late. I love sleepovers you know, you can paint my nails if you let me braid your hair,” he chuckled, ushering her inside and closing the door behind her. Sasha quite liked Tim’s apartment, though it certainly wasn’t as cozy as hers. Worn furniture that she knew he had money to replace but no heart to part with, a stack of architecture books on the coffee table – paired with the single framed picture of Tim and Danny, there really was no denying whose space this was. “Hope you don’t mind, I ordered takeaway already. Figured General Tso’s couldn’t be too disagreeable.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I didn’t even think about dinner I guess. Let me pay you?”
“You can get tomorrow,” he said, and she pretended her heart didn’t leap at his peevish smile. His allusion to their new arrangement wasn’t lost on her, so she wove that particular thread to maneuver safely away from that topic.
“I packed enough for the rest of the week, figured we could reassess as we go?” Sasha really was digging herself deeper here.
Bemused, Tim responded over his shoulder as he took her duffel bag back to his room, “You go through this many clothes in a week ?” Once he confirmed she had laughed at that, if only to please him, he added, “I meant what I said Sash, you are welcome here as long as you need. I…have to say I’m happy you’re here. Martin’s cool and all, y’know, but after you mentioned it – I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
He sat on the bed, and after a moment raised his gaze to meet hers, still poised at the door unsure how to respond. This was going to be a long sleepover, and Sasha James had begun to doubt her sanity. There was no way – absolutely none – that Tim still had feelings for her after the way she’d left it when they’d hooked up. She could remember seeing him at work the following Monday, knowing immediately from the look he gave her with those all-too expressive eyes that she had truly and thoroughly fucked up a good thing. And yet here he was now, offering up his flat to her at a moments notice and insinuating that he would protect her until she felt safe on her own.
She joined him, sitting down close enough to feel his warmth. Gently placing a hand on his knee, she spoke, “I understand the feeling. And I do feel safer sticking together. I just wish we had more answers.” The silence returned after Tim hummed in agreement. Under normal circumstances (and she was beginning to doubt they would ever be “normal” again), Sasha would have been content to share the quiet with Tim, but now it had turned unnerving, as if she was waiting to hear the worms here, in his flat.
Filling that space again, she added, “Besides, if something happened to you, I would allow Jon to do unspeakable things. Find some old spellbook in artifact storage and read it in his new Head Archivist voice. Wreak havoc on the worm lady in your honor.” Neither of them can keep a straight face, but Sasha manages to hold her composure long enough that Tim breaks first, laughing. Sasha follows suit and next thing she knows the doorbell is ringing and he’s pulling her to her feet again.
“Silverware in the –“
“Bottom drawer on the left, yes I’m on it.”
Worms mostly forgotten, they manage to have a nice evening eating their Chinese and passing comments about the news back and forth. It’s calming really, to have someone to talk to about mundane things who also happens to know about the paranormal horror job you work at. By the time they’re ready for bed, Sasha almost forgets why she is there at all, let alone the inherent awkwardness of what is about to ensue.
“You cannot argue with me, you are taking the bed and that is final.” Tim is smiling again, but it’s got a hard line to it that she recognizes as sincerity.
Without even thinking, Sasha quipped back “I can and I will argue with you. I am not disrupting your sleep like that. Besides isn’t your couch a pullout? I will manage just fine there.”
“But that mattress is so bad Sash, like back cramps for days, capital-B Bad, I can’t let you do that.”
“It is not a big deal Tim. Martin is sleeping at the archive.”
It occurred to her as she put sheets on the couch mattress that one of them probably should have offered to take Martin in. She isn’t naming names, but if someone had a pullout, perhaps it would have made sense to put him on it, instead of a cot in the archive. Jon’s problem, she snickered to herself, knowing full well Jon was not equipped to aid Martin in any way, especially knowing Martin’s habit for turning beet red whenever he talked to him. Oh well. Maybe he’ll get his act together.
Lights out, and Sasha was already regretting her adamance about the couch. It was uncomfortable, in a way where she didn’t quite know what was bothering her. Maybe it was the dingy mattress? Maybe it was the impending doom she felt closing her eyes? Even a little bit may have been due to the nagging feeling that the picture on the wall was…looking at her, actually, but she knew that was silly. Whatever the reason, Sasha James could not sleep to save her life. As if a switch had flipped, she became acutely aware that she might need to save her own life in the near future. At any moment, some new unspeakable horror could walk through Tim’s door – if not the current threat, Jane Prentiss, and even then just the worms would be enough…
Sasha did not feel safe at all .
Quickly glancing at her phone, she made out that it was 2 in the morning. Surely Tim would be asleep, and she hated to wake him again at this hour, but her chances of sleeping were diminishing rapidly to zero so she hoisted herself up anyway. Padding over to his door, which he had left cracked (she couldn’t remember if he had done this in the past or if it could be something he was doing for her specifically, so she filed it away for later), she gently pushed it inward and whispered his name.
Wincing when he didn’t respond, she tried again louder.
A groggy response came back, “Mmm-Sasha? What’s…need something?”
Tim’s room wasn’t much darker than the living space, but once her eyes adjusted a bit, she could make out that he was now sitting up in bed. She almost laughed at herself for the sheer stupidity of it all.
“I, uh, can’t sleep. You were right, that mattress is the worst. Would you mind sharing?”
“Lights,” Tim warned as he flicked on his bedside lamp, “Of course, the boogeyman will not get you on my watch, Sash.”
She continued into his room, closing the door behind her. Tim didn’t protest, only shifting to make space for her on the far side of the bed. How he knew that Prentiss was on her mind, she didn’t know, and perhaps it was just an educated guess.
“If you want to put a pillow between us or something-“
“No Tim, just another door between me and the outside is fine.”
“I’m here too you know!” He was more awake now as she climbed into bed.
“Doubt I would forget that part.”
Having decided she was safely tucked in or something, Tim turned the light out again and laid down for good. While he was definitely out before Sasha, she had to admit she did feel much safer lying there than she had outside. Even as she finally fell asleep, she couldn’t bring herself to admit how much of that had to do with Tim being within arms reach.
It was a relief to wake up in the morning and not have to question being tangled up with Tim. The last time that happened…she wasn’t proud of the outcome and wasn’t keen on trying anything now that she had nowhere else to go. Today he had already gotten up and she was the one left to sleep in, not that she really minded. She rose and dressed from her suitcase quickly in case he came back, and once her hair was up and she felt awake enough, she exited his room again.
Once the smell hit her, her brain froze. No no no way he is cooking me breakfast right now, this is so unfair that he is so perfect. Tim was in fact hard at work in the kitchen – already showered, the show-off – and seemed to be making an omelet.
“Good morning! Do you want mushrooms?”
-
A loud alarm rang out from his cell on the nightstand, and was silenced just as quickly as it had come. Brain foggy still with sleep, Tim noted how unusually warm he was. Sasha had not been shaken by his alarm going off, despite wandering considerably onto his half of the bed. She was pressed up against his side, curled up tightly but looking peaceful and, above all, safe. It couldn’t quite be considered cuddling, Tim decided, but his heart skipped a little regardless.
Like the schoolgirl, you are.
Blushing to the empty room, he slowly removed himself from bed, making sure she was still comfortable. With a pang, he realized she must have done this the last time she’d been in his bed, a thought that put a sour taste in his mouth immediately.
Pushing forward anyway, he headed to the shower moreso to think than to wash up.
Sharing a bed with Sasha James again really should have been the least of Tim’s worries this week – his other co-archival assistant did almost die, after all, and everything that fell out of that mess was very bad news. Even when Jon had told him what really happened with Martin, Tim had managed to keep a cool exterior! All the freaking out was internal and Tim could go about his day in peace to sit and think about his feelings when he got home. But then Sasha – brave, beautiful Sasha – had come to him when she got scared. And if Sasha was scared, then he really couldn’t deny the situation any longer.
Scrubbing at his hair, another image popped into his head of a nightmare he wished to forget. It really did not help that he couldn’t stop thinking of Danny. The fact that Martin had escaped certainly threw a wrench into Tim’s rationalization of it all…if Martin Blackwood could escape Prentiss, then why couldn’t Danny escape? What really happened? And the spiral continued until the water ran cold.
By the time he made it back out to the kitchen, he could hear Sasha was up and decided to push away thoughts of his brother again. Right now, Tim wanted to – no. He needed to – focus on the person he could protect and love and try his hardest not to lose. So he did what any rational gentleman would do. Make an omelette.
He had already started when she emerged from his bedroom, dressed for the day, and hair returned to the safety of a bun.
“Good morning! Do you want mushrooms?”
“Ah yes, good morning Tim. Mushrooms sound lovely.” She gave him a warm smile that only encouraged him further, but added sheepishly, “Anything is fine, I’m not picky. I would like to request extra cheese though.”
“Coming right up!” He added the already chopped ingredients to the eggs in the pan and continued, “Did you manage to get some sleep? I hope it was okay that I let you sleep in, just wanted to make sure you caught all the Z’s you could.”
From over his shoulder, Sasha chuckled. “Yes it was ok, thank you. I mean, thank you for all of this, Tim. I felt much better being here than at my flat by myself.”
Tim had too many potential almost-relationship ruining response options run through his head, elected to ignore them, and simply made an affirmative noise as he flipped her omelette onto a plate. He handed it to her with a flourish and a grin, and the one she gave him back tightened his chest a little more than it should have.
When they walked into work together later that morning, Rosie gave them an odd look, but if Martin noticed, he didn’t say anything.
“It’s because Rosie’s the head of the Magnus Rumor Mill Tim, I knew what we’d be getting into here.”
“Yes but shouldn’t – if anyone, shouldn’t Martin be in a long-term plot to get us together? Like we are for him and bossman?”
Sasha stood up straighter and pushed her glasses close to her nose, imitating Jon as she said, “Martin, office romance plots are for the cinema! Bring me another cup of tea!”
Tim tried to make himself taller, and lifting his cup of tea (a genuine Martin Blackwood original, to set the scene) he shot back, “But Jonnnnn! Tim and Sasha have to be the alpha couple so that we can end up paired off for rom-com simplicity’s sake!”
They were still laughing when Jon walked in, or out rather, from his office. He was clearly wearing the same sweater from yesterday, and though it didn’t stop Tim, Sasha sobered slightly.
“Did either of you ever hear back from Tasha Rasheed? Or Melvin…what was his name? Dodger? From the statement about the bees?”
All business as usual, as if there wasn’t a wild worm woman on the loose.
Though Tim realized that was what they were doing, too. Denial is not a good coping mechanism, he recalls from a therapy session after Danny disappeared. But from personal experience - it will get you to your next paycheck.
Work continued almost as if everything was normal, Martin making far more tea than any of them actually wanted, though with deeper circles under his eyes. Sasha made a couple trips upstairs to artefact storage and to speak briefly to Elias about the new guests in the archive. Tim came back from the loo to find a pile of them in front of the archive door and, had he had a weaker stomach, he would have headed right back to the toilet. His finders’ prize was that Sasha would bring it up to management, which worked well enough for him.
The worms (and work, maybe, not that Tim did much desk work these days) were a good distraction from Sasha, though, and failed to remind him that she would be coming back with him to his flat. Indefinitely. Since she had been in and out, Tim could easily pretend that the look Rosie had given them this morning hadn’t been extremely satisfying, that he hadn’t clearly walked into the breakroom while Martin was hearing about Sasha’s night after lunch, and how red Blackwood’s cheeks had been from hearing the details. Tim knew that nothing had happened. Nothing at all unusual. Just friends being friends and sharing an apartment. But he reveled just a bit in being the daily office gossip and wished it didn’t have to be just gossip at all.
Martin was understandably less-than-thrilled at 5 when Tim started packing his things. Though he wasn’t sure if it was to knock Rosie off their trail or not, Sasha had gone on another last minute field trip and promised to meet up with him outside.
“Oh is it…is it really 5? I thought it was still half 3. You must be so busy Tim! You sure you don’t have anything that needs finished up now?”
“Martin please. I always leave at 5 on the dot. I – “ Tim took a moment to rephrase his wording, not wanting to make his coworker feel too bad, “—Sasha’s ready to go, too, Martin. You’ll be alright. Jon will literally be here with you all night I’d reckon.”
“She’s staying with you then? For real?”
Surprised at the determination in Martin’s tone, Tim nodded. “Yeah, she figured there wasn’t room for a second cot here.”
Martin laughed darkly, and with a peevish look on his face, said, “Tim, it has nothing to do with room and everything to do with you. ”
Bag slung over his shoulder, Tim ducked out to the stairwell hiding a growing blush of his own.