Work Text:
Jon sat down at the table at the end of the cafeteria, closest to the window. Since he had started at the Magnus Institute, he had quickly decided this was his favourite spot to eat, the farthest away from the kitchen and the bustling conversations that surrounded it. A quiet spot where he could read while he ate and look out over the Thames. Today, however, he had barely turned a single page when he heard footsteps approaching, stopping at the seat opposite him. “This seat taken?”
He looked up to see a warm, round face looking at him with a bemused expression. “Ah, hello, Tim,” he said, closing his book. “No, there’s no one here with me. But, er, don’t you usually eat with Sasha? You two are friends, right?”
Tim slid a chair out and made himself comfortable, resting his elbows on the table and propping his face up with his hands. “We do and we are, but didn’t you get Colin’s email? He’s assigned you and me to investigate the Willoughby haunting. We’re going to be stakeout buddies!”
“Er, yes, I got the assignment just before I went on break. I was hoping we could discuss our plans after lunch? I don’t exactly have the files on hand at the moment.” Jon was hunched over his bowl, his posture stooped and his thin arms held in front of him in a way that made his shoulders stick out.
Tim rolled his eyes. “No, come on, I'm not here to talk about the job. You’re not supposed to work over lunch! I'm here because I want to talk to you. You’ve worked here almost three weeks now and we’ve barely exchanged words with each other. How am I supposed to know what to put on our stakeout playlist if I know nothing about you?”
Jon fiddled with his fork. “Oh. I'm… sorry? You want to know my music taste?”
“I just want to make small talk? Like coworkers and possibly friends do? I want to know who Jonathan Sims really is. Or do you prefer Jonny, or Jon?”
“Ah, Jon is fine. Not Jonny, I've never liked that. Makes me feel like a child somehow.” He turned his head away to try to hide his growing blush.
“See, we're getting started already! Likewise, I'll slit your throat if you call me Timmy. So call me Tim. Great to make friends with you, Jon.”
Tim held out his right fist for a fistbump, and it was then that Jon noticed the band around his wrist. It was a simple plastic thing; pink on the side most visible to Jon, its gradient faded to purple and blue around the band before circling back to pink. He knew what it meant, or at least knew what he thought it meant, and made a mental note to ask Tim about it in private. He didn’t want to seem like he was intruding on personal matters. But apparently he had lingered a bit too long, because Tim said, “Hello? Earth to Jon? Oh my god, don’t tell me you don't know what a fistbump is.”
“No! No, I do, it's not that,” said Jon, hurriedly returning the gesture. “It was just, ah, I noticed the little band you’re wearing. It’s… cute. I like the colours.”
“Oh, this thing?” Tim spun the band around to reveal the words LONDON PRIDE 2011 stamped in white. “Got it at Pride this year. It’s cheap but I like to show it off. Wearing my heart on my sleeve, as they say.” He chuckled at his own joke.
Jon straightened up. “So it is the bi flag colours, then? I was going to ask… but like not in here where people can hear if you don’t want, just. I was going to say that I'm bi too.” He slumped back down, but not as much as he had been. “I mean I'm ace, but I'm also bi, if that makes sense. And I'm, I'm not really out to very many people, not that I have a lot of people in my life to be out to, but I didn’t know if this was the kind of workplace where you could be open about this sort of thing, so seeing that band was a big relief. God, sorry, I'm rambling. It was just a nice thing to see.”
Tim was grinning now. “No, it’s cool, it’s cool. I'm glad. That’s half the reason you wear pride stuff, right? Not just to express yourself, but also to signal to other people that they’re safe around you. And for the record, the institute is definitely a safe space overall. Colin definitely doesn’t judge, and I know several other out people in this department and others.”
“Really? That’s… that’s good to know.” Jon was quiet, smiling softly now. He kept his personal life private most of the time anyway, but there was something about this institute that made him feel a sort of paranoid sense of secrecy. He had first felt it in the interview, when Mr. Bouchard’s eyes had drilled into him as he carefully crafted his responses to seem like the perfect employee. It was the paradoxical feeling that lying was both necessary and completely insufficient to cover his lack of self-confidence, and it followed him onto the job. So it was refreshing to know that, at least, this part of his life was not a secret he had to keep.
He realized Tim had continued talking and he hadn’t been listening. “…and we do pub nights pretty often, and sometimes some bigger events like museum tours and such. So just ask Sasha if you want an invite.”
“Hm? Invite?”
“To the group chat? Were you even listening to me?”
“Sorry, yes, sure, that would be nice. A nice way to get to know you all better.” Jon was still processing what he had just agreed to when Tim yelled Sasha’s name across the cafeteria. It wasn’t a large room and it was a yell so loud Jon was sure it could be heard through the walls. “Oh, I mean, we don’t have to bother her right now about it,” he started to say, but Sasha leaped up and was there in a flash.
She draped her arms over Tim’s shoulders and rested her chin on his head. “What’s new, cockatoo?”
“Not much, I was just making some friendly chat with our newest comrade. Shooting the breeze, breaking the ice, and what have you. Anyway, it turns out we may have another bi buddy on our hands! If Jon wants to be buddies, of course.”
Sasha’s face lit up and she sat down next to Tim. “Oh really? That’s dope! Glad to see you’re opening up more, Jon! Actually, I moderate a group chat for-”
“Yes, Tim just told me about it,” said Jon. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but- I take it you mean you’re also bi?”
“Hell yeah!” She giggled at Jon’s curious expression. “You know, you’re looking very adorable right now. Like a little kitten who’s so excited he’s not sure what to do with himself.”
“I am not adorable!” Jon stammered. “I'm just glad to get to know my coworkers better, that’s all. I'm sorry I didn't really talk to either of you before. I'm just kind of a private person, and the new job was making me feel stressed, so I felt like…” he trailed off.
Tim shook his head. “You do not have to apologize for anything, mate. You can trust us. I felt weird when I first started working here too.”
“I think we all did,” said Sasha. “Probably because Bouchard is a weirdo and this is a weird old building where we look at weird things. Now give me your phone number so I can send you the Discord link.”
Jon dutifully did so, and the three of them continued to chat as Jon hurriedly scarfed down the rest of his pad Thai. Lunch break would soon be over, but he promised to check the link as soon as he got off work.
server log - Let’s Ghost Bust Together Quickly
-> Jonathan Sims has joined the party!
Jonathan Sims
Hello everyone. Sasha James just sent me the invite for this server. I'm not sure what to do for introduction’s sake. My name is Jon Sims and I was hired at the institute at the beginning of the month. I work in the research department. I don’t usually use Discord a lot, but I would like to get to know some of my coworkers.
farha🌈⚢
Welcome! I work in Artefact Storage.
JustinTheFox
hi! i'm in hr unfortunately 😂
spooky scary sashatons
Eyyy there you are! You can go to the roles channel to assign yourself roles for your pronouns and orientation if you want. Have fun!!!! :D
Jonathan Sims
Thank you, Sasha, I will. Is everyone on this server really employed at the Magnus Institute? There are more than 60 members here. How many people work here in total?
Banshee Respecter
yep we all are
and theres about 200 total i think
Jonathan Sims
That seems like a disproportionate amount of queer employees compared to the general public.
Banshee Respecter
its bc gay people love ghosts and cryptids
u cant really invest urself into monster hunting if ur cishet
u can do it but it doesnt have the same vibe
farha🌈⚢
For real, I think it’s because this place tends to hire liberal arts majors who couldn’t find a job anywhere else.
Which doesn’t automatically correlate to queerness but like, there’s a Venn diagram.
Banshee Respecter
speak for urself im here to kiss a ghoul 👻
Jonathan Sims
I suppose that makes as much sense as anything. I majored in creative writing, and I was working in a Tesco before finding out about this job.
Stoked!
sup jon nice to see you made it 😁
man is that why your posts look like you’re writing a dissertation
with your full name and everything
you can relax this isn’t slack
Jonathan Sims
Hi, Tim. Would you prefer me not to use standard grammar? I like keeping my posts easy to read. No offence. And I didn’t know what degree of professionalism was expected of me in this channel.
Stoked!
none at all
we’re all about being gay and doing crimes
and taking the piss out of our very bizarre jobs
Jonathan Sims
…what do you mean by crimes?
JustinTheFox
it’s just an internet saying. you haven’t heard it?
spooky scary sashatons
OMG! Types like a professor and doesn’t know about memes… How old did you say you were? >w<
farha🌈⚢
Nah, in my experience professors are the ones who respond to an email with “k.”
Jonathan Sims
I'm not old, I'm just not very social. Truth be told, I've never really been “in” the LGBTQ community, as it were. I've not had many friends in the community, except for my girlfriend in uni. We kind of both figured out our orientations together. But I was always too shy to go to pride events with her. I don’t like talking about myself very much. And then when I graduated I had to focus all my effort on paying the rent, so I had little time to socialize.
spooky scary sashatons
Aww, well, in that case, I'm very proud of you for joining us! owo You don’t have to post a lot if you don’t want to. Like half the member list only posts occasionally. Just be yourself!!!
Stoked!
and yet you practically jumped for joy when you saw my bi bracelet…
🤔
maybe you really wanted to be part of a community, deep down
ok i often come across as sarcastic so lemme just say this is genuine: thank you for opening up. i really hope you find yourself at home here and i hope we can be friends.
Banshee Respecter
yeah jon no worries we got your back
this is a stress free zone
JustinTheFox
oh i just saw your roles! your bi ace? i'm pan ace! ✋
hey why don’t you come to pub night tomorrow and meet some of us in person?
spooky scary sashatons
Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder Justin!
@everyone don’t forget tomorrow is pub night at the Crow & Castle starting at 6:30! Post in the events channel if you intend to go. We’re gonna do karaoke, it will be a blast!!! :D
Jonathan Sims
Everyone’s invited? That’s a lot of people.
Stoked!
ye but peeps have different schedules
we usually only get like 10 or 15 max
farha 🌈 ⚢
They do really good virgin cocktails there if you don’t drink, too.
Jonathan Sims
Perhaps I will then. I don’t have other plans for the evening.
Banshee Respecter
yea u better come bc im gonna blow everyones mind at karaoke
watch me hit those whitney houston hi notes
ill do the entire score from wicked u cant stop me
spooky scary sashatons
I can’t, but the bartender probably can. :P
In all, eight people turned up at the Crow & Castle that Friday, including Jon. He arrived deliberately late so as not to be the first person there, waiting for people he may not recognize to show up. When he entered the pub, he looked around sheepishly for a minute until he spotted Sasha waving him over from a large reserved booth at the back. She was impossible to miss, being a good head taller than everyone else at the table. Jon slid into the booth next to her and nodded at the others, not wanting to interrupt the conversation already taking place. Sasha took a sip of her margarita and then put a hand on Jon’s shoulder.
“There’s my little professor,” she said. “You get lost on the way here? You’re a bit late, but don’t worry, we haven’t even started the karaoke yet.”
“No, I was fine. I just… was a little late getting out of work,” he said to save face.
“No you weren’t, I saw you leave your desk before me.” She looked at him over the rim of her glasses.
“Okay fine, I just didn’t want to get here early and be the only one here.” Jon turned his eyes down to the menu. “Sorry.”
“Sorry for what? You look really nervous.”
“I am really nervous, and I'm sorry for lying about it. I don’t want to- to disappoint you all, or seem like I'm blowing you off-”
Sasha shushed him. “Jooon, you’re being very silly right now. How could you disappoint people at an informal social gathering? The only thing you need to do here is be yourself, whoever that may be!” Jon untensed his shoulders as she spoke. “I get it though. Based on what you said in the chat, I mean. I think we all get nervous being out in a public space for the first time. You’re doing great, sweetie. And can I just say, that jumper looks quite fetching on you.”
He was wearing a jumper with a pattern of autumn leaves in orange and brown. It had taken him a long time to decide what to wear. Staying in his work suit would be uncomfortable and make him look stuffy, but he didn’t have a lot of clothes that fell between the spectrum of “professional” and “for sleeping in”. The jumper was old and he had had to brush the lint off it, but it was cozy. He picked at a loose thread and said, “Thanks.”
As the night went on and Jon got a few beers in him, he started to loosen up and chat with the whole group, forgetting his worries as they treated him like he’d always been part of the group. He even got the courage to belt out “Total Eclipse of the Heart” when it was his turn at the karaoke machine, which he did not remember all the lyrics to but gave it his whole heart anyway. The group started to splinter in the late hours, a few of them having to leave early and a few of them taking turns at the billiards table. So it was that Jon eventually found himself alone with Tim next to the karaoke machine, where there was a small cleared area for dancing. Tim was doing a dance that was little more than swaying back and forth, and tried to pull Jon into it with him, but Jon stumbled as he took Tim's hand.
“Tim, I think I'm too drunk for this,” he warned.
Tim was clearly tipsy himself, but not so much that he lost his balance. “Psssh, what? How much did you even drink? You’re a lightweight, aren’t you.”
“Yeah, so what?” He ended up just leaning against Tim as they both swayed gently to a slow song that no one was singing along to. After a minute that seemed much longer, he lifted his head and said, “Hey, Tim?”
“Mhmm?”
“Why’s everyone being so nice to me?”
“Nice to you?”
“Yeah like, you, and Sasha, and everyone here really. You all hardly know me but you’re treating me like, like, a really good friend. Like you already accepted me.”
“Cause we like you, Jon,” said Tim. “We gotta stick up for each other, right? When you find people who understand your experiences, it’s like…” He wiggled his fingers in the air. “Magic. It’s always gonna be different than being friends with straight people.”
“Ah… can I tell you a secret, Tim?”
“As long as it’s not like, murder.”
Jon screwed up his face and shook his head. “I. Well, sometimes I just feel like I'm not bi enough, or like I'm not really bi, because I've never dated a man. Only women. It’s part of the reason why I keep quiet about it. Even though I know that’s not how it works. I get afraid that I'm faking it somehow. Do you… do you understand?”
Tim stopped swaying and looked Jon in the eye. “Oh Jon. Yeah. Of course I understand. I've been there and it super sucks, and there’s nothing you can really do about it except try to ignore your brain. But that’s why it’s good to be around other bi people. We know you're bi enough.” He hugged Jon tighter against himself and they stood in silence for a second. Then he said, “Would you like to?”
“What?”
“Would you like to date a man?”
“Well sure, if there was a man that I fancied and if he was also interested-”
“Jon, I'm asking if you’d like to go out with me.” Tim laughed as Jon’s face went through a rapid series of expressions.
“Oh. Really? Would you like that? I mean, I like you but if, if we’re going to be working together I don’t want to make things more complicated than they need to be.”
Tim intertwined his fingers with Jon’s. “I would like that very much. You’re cute, and I love what I've seen of you so far. It doesn't have to be complicated, or serious. It can just be something to try. There’s a first time for everything, right?”
“Okay,” said Jon. “Something to try.” Then they both went for the kiss at the same time. A quick pressing of lips, over and done in an instant, a tentative yes. The next day, Jon would remember it as an unusually bold step for him, undoubtedly fuelled by the drinks. But in that moment, it felt like the only natural response to give. “Thank you, Tim. For all of this,” he said. “Also. I like Muse.”
“Huh?”
“If you’re actually going to make a stakeout playlist for us. I like Muse. And Katy Perry.”
“Okay, that’s pretty normie for my tastes, but I'll see what I can do,” said Tim. They hugged again, and stayed with each other the rest of the night.