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Jon was crying. That in itself wasn’t anything new or even surprising at this point. From the endless amount of stress coming from work to the occasional sensory overload, Jon almost always seemed to be on edge. Regressing helped, it helped a lot but there were just times that his feelings carried over from his big side and resulted in him crying while in headspace. It was never really too bad, just a few minutes of crying all his worries away and soon he was all better and ready to play.
But as Martin continued to bounce for minute five of Jon sobbing his little heart out, he could not think of a reason why he’d make such a fuss in the first place.
Nothing significant happened at work recently. It’s been the same workload throughout the whole week, Jon hadn’t had to record a stubborn statement on tape in a while, and Elias even came in and complimented them on how much progress they’ve been making.
Sensory overload maybe? No, he’d be reacting differently if it were that. He normally would resist any touch if that were the case, choosing to curl in on himself and whimper quietly while his caretakers spoke softly to him while still giving him space. Right now he was just clinging onto Martin with all his might and wailing loud enough that Martin’s throat ached in sympathy.
Martin sighed as he rounded the couch and started another lap around the living room. “Come on, Jon. Work with me here,” he joked, running a hand up and down Jon’s back in another attempt at calming him down, “You gotta let me know what’s wrong, love. That way I can help you out.”
But the only response he got was another heartbreaking cry from Jon. God, Martin felt absolutely awful for not being able to help his baby in any way. Maybe he should call Tim and Sasha, they might know what to do. But he really didn’t want to interrupt their date even if they did say to call if he needed. Oh well, it looked like he was going to have to figure something out.
“Hey, kitten. Are you hungry? I can make you a bottle, or I could even sneak you a biscuit if you want.” Jon’s cries died down but he stubbornly shook his head in response.
“Okay, that’s fine.” Martin wracked his brain for more possibilities but came up short. “How about some telly? Or I could play some music if you’re up for it?”
But Martin was just met with another small head shake and he nearly cried himself when Jon choked back a small sob. Sighing once more, Martin decided to change course and plop down on the couch. “Jon, sweetheart, I’m running out of options here. And I really don’t want to bother your Mama and Papa because they deserve some time for themselves. I wish I just knew how to help you, I hate seeing you so upset, love.”
Martin’s ramblings were suddenly interrupted by the sound of… silence paired with a soft pat on his cheek. Looking down, Martin was now face to face with a sleepy yet concerned look on Jon’s face. Jon shifted around in Martin’s arms until he had his cheek, still a bit damp with tears, smushed up right against Martin’s. “Hey there.” Martin whispered, not daring to move in case Jon unexpectedly started a new round of crying. “All better now?”
Jon lazily nodded and leaned further into Martin, his breathing growing softer and more even as the seconds ticked by and it seemed as if Jon really was done now.
“Okay, that’s good, pumpkin. Think you can tell me what got you in such a mood?” A small snuffle was the only response Martin got and he sighed, resigning himself to being Jon’s pillow for now. He’ll have to remember to ask again later in case it’s something that could be easily avoided in the future.
“Oh now this is the perfect end to a perfect date night. Look how cute they are!”
“I could think of an even better way to end the night if you know what I mean.”
“Oh hush, Tim. Now come on, help me take pictures before they wake up.”
A shuttering click roused Martin enough to open his eyes to see Sasha and Tim, still dressed to the nines from their well deserved date night, pointing their phones at him and Jon who was still laid on top of him. “Hmm?” Martin groaned as he carefully sat himself up, careful to not jostle Jon too much. “When did you two get home?”
“We just got in. Had to cut it short because it started raining but we still had fun.” Sasha replied as she took one more picture. “Sorry to interrupt your nap, you two just looked so cute and peaceful.”
“Should we put Jon to bed now or did you two not eat yet?” Tim asked, still in the process of taking pictures. With all the photos they all took on a daily basis they probably had enough to fill up at least ten photo albums.
“We already ate.” Martin struggled to sit up while keeping a tight grip on Jon and was infinitely thankful when Sasha and Tim helped him. “Thanks. And honestly, after today I think Jon will be sleeping through the whole night.”
“Did he use up a lot of energy playing?” Tim asked.
“No. Poor thing tired himself out from crying too much earlier.” Martin sighed as the three of them moved over into Jon’s room. “And I don’t even know why he started crying in the first place! It didn’t seem like there was a reason to be so upset but he wouldn’t stop for nearly ten minutes.”
Sasha and Tim looked at each other and both winced, ushering Martin out of the room once Jon was all tucked in. Once they left their baby to sleep, the two led Martin into the kitchen and proceeded to start on tea for all of them.
“Martin, don’t worry. I’m sure you did your best,” Sasha said, pulling out three mugs while Tim turned on the kettle. “But sometimes Jon just… cries.”
“Yeah. He’ll just start without anything prompting him to and he’ll just go on for a while until he’s done. And based on what you said and how tired Jon was, I’m pretty sure that’s what happened today.”
Martin watched in confusion as Tim and Sasha moved around the kitchen, preparing their tea to their own likings and Martin’s taste before sitting down at the table next to him. “Wait, so he just cries? For no reason whatsoever?”
“Yup. I mean it happens to all of us sometimes right?” Tim blew on his tea and sipped it, nudging a mug toward Martin and gesturing for him to do the same.
“Sometimes you just need a good cry is all. Don’t need a reason to and it always feels significantly better afterward.”
Well, they weren’t wrong.
Martin sighed in relief and sunk further into his chair, prompting a few chuckles from Tim and Sasha.
“Like I said, don’t worry.” Martin smiled as Sasha put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Tim and I were in the same spot the first couple times it happened.”
“Oh god, yeah. We felt like the worst caretakers in the whole world, it was awful.”
“Just know that next time it happens, Jon likes to be held the whole time and wants cuddles afterward. Then he’ll sleep like the dead once it’s all over.”
Well that was good to hear. That at least meant that Martin had done all he could for Jon today. And even though he believed Sasha and Tim’s reasoning for Jon crying, it still wasn’t a fun fact to learn. Oh well, as long as he could help Jon feel better in any way Martin was okay.