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Quite frankly, Jon was more than content in not giving Martin ‘Blackwood’ so much as the time of day. They couldn’t quite work out what it was about him that irked them so much. Perhaps it was the ungodly way his hair was straightened back or how sweet he tried to be whenever he insisted on making Jon tea or perhaps it was the fact he continued to deny being the son of their boss . It didn’t help that Martin wasn’t exactly the best at hiding it. God, Martin wasn’t the best at lying in general. It was almost embarrassing that it had taken them so long to realise that Martin was Elias’s son.
It wasn’t as if the two looked much alike - Sasha had looked into it and apparently Elias and his husband had adopted Martin at a young age. They weren’t entirely sure how Elias Bouchard and Peter Lukas were married back then but they supposed money really did get you everything. Still...At first glance, Jon had just assumed Martin to be no one of particular interest - just someone Elias decided would ‘thrive’ in the Archives rather than working in the library. Instead, it was just Elias giving his son a promotion. How...dull. (Though, Jon was only partially flustered when Martin explained that he’d asked to be moved to the archives in an attempt to get to know them). Jon had put Martin’s insistence on wearing a three piece suit down to some questionable attempt at appearing ‘impressive’ for some reason or another. However, all it took was one single comment where Martin’s voice just held a little bit too much of a condescending tone for a moment for the pieces to fall into place.
That wasn’t necessarily to say Martin was a terrible person. In fact that was the most infuriating part! Martin was a good person! He came from this rich, grand background yet he still took the time to be kind and sincere alongside the certainty that came with growing up going to Eton of all places. Yet despite that expensive education, he still made his attempts at normality and acting like ‘one of the guys’. According to Tim, Martin had even gone out drinking with him once. But there was a degree of unease that Jon still felt around Martin. Perhaps it was a general dislike of the wealthy or perhaps it was because they hated the tight feeling that formed in their stomach whenever Martin smiled or made them yet another cup of tea.
So Jon sulked in their office, drank their tea, and tried to act as if their dislike of Martin was justified (it definitely wasn’t). They tried to make a list of all the cons of being close to Martin but not a single point held any particular strength to it. There was no reason to hate him outside of Jon’s stubborn insistence that they didn’t want to like him. Maybe it was their aversion to wealth or maybe it was the fact they were by no means the best at dealing with their emotions. At least, those sorts of emotions. Tim had tried to joke once about Jon having a crush on Martin but they had been quick to shut it down! That...that was absurd! Ridiculous, even! How could he ever possibly have a crush on Martin of all people? Honestly! Jon had some taste.
Then Martin came into work with wet hair and they realised they had absolutely no taste whatsoever. For the most part, they were used to Martin keeping his hair straight and slicked back with not a single strand out of place. It never quite looked right on him; like a perfectionist adding too much detail to a painting when no more was needed. Besides, just thinking about the sensation of hair gel in their hair had Jon wrinkling their nose. It most certainly wasn’t for them. But if Martin wanted to dress like he had some well-paid office job instead of like he worked in a dingy archive...Well, that was his choice.
As with all Great British weather, Jon had long since given up on expecting it to have any degree of stability. They’d once heard a saying ‘If you don’t like the weather in England, wait five minutes and it’ll change’ and honestly? They were inclined to agree. That was how they found themself entirely unprepared for the oncoming downpour that greeted them once they stepped out of the tube station and began their walk towards the institute. It didn’t take long for the rain to seep its way into their hair and through their clothes. By the time they reached the institute, Jon very much resembled a drowned rat - something Tim was more than happy to playfully comment on as they made their way down into the archives. Rather than dignify him with a response, they had just rolled their eyes.
Unlike other parts of the institute, the archives weren’t known for being warm due to both their location underground and their status as an archive . As such, Jon found themself huddled against one of the electric heaters that they had down there in an attempt to dry off as much as they could before slinking into their office. It wouldn’t do them much good to ruin the statements they were supposed to be reading by dripping water onto them.
“Sorry I’m a little late! I wasn’t expecting the downpour and got a little caught up in the rain!” Jon glanced up, ready to make a snarky comment about how Martin should be more punctual but all words died in their throat. Because Martin’s hair was wet. The hair seemed to have washed out some of the hair gel and Jon couldn’t stop themself from staring at the messy curls that began to make themselves known. Oh. Oh no. Martin...Martin was cute with his hair like that and Jon really, really didn’t like that. Because it was Martin! Martin the son of his boss! Martin who always overdressed! Martin who had no right making Jon’s heart skip a beat because his hair was messy from the rain.
So caught up in their...distressing thoughts, Jon didn’t realise Martin had started making his way over until he was standing in front of them. “Jon? Are you alright?” They tried to ignore the way their face heated up as Martin’s expression twisted into one of genuine concern. “You look even colder than I am.” He frowned, moving to cover one of their hands with both of his in an attempt to warm it up. Jon was fairly certain if they blushed even more then they wouldn’t need the heater to keep warm. “How about I make a cup of tea to try and help you warm up?”
“That’s really not necessary. I’ll be fine.” Jon very quickly tried to brush him off.
Martin just shook his head. “I insist. I can even bring it to your office if you’re worried about missing any work to drink it.” He nudged them playfully.
“I-...Thank you, Martin.” Jon cleared their throat before very quickly moving to make their way into their office, lingering for just a moment to glance back at Martin’s hair. “Your hair looks better without all the gel. It suits you.” They quickly closed their office door before he could respond. Oh, they really were hopeless...