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It's Valentine's Day, and Martin is not in the Archives.
This would not be so concerning if it weren't for two reasons.
1. Martin is an absolute sap who loves Valentine's Day. He makes it his mission to give as many people as he knows in the Institute some kind of gift. Most people get standard gifts like chocolates and a short letter. But, the Archival staff (plus Rosie) are sure to receive a genuine and well thought out gift from him. Somehow, Martin has a very keen eye for discerning what trinkets and chocolates people like. Tim has caught Jon, someone who won't shut up about disliking chocolate, actually eating a bar of 80% cacao dark chocolate with orange zest. And enjoying the other gifts despite belittling the holiday for celebrating capitalism and the commercialization of romance. He's only seen it once, but Jon had the softest smile on his face. Tim also finds it incredibly cute that Martin prides himself on his gift giving abilities (definitely his love language). This all adds up to him looking forward to February more than when he had actual partners in the past.
2. Jane Prentiss.
So when Tim gets to work later than usual and Jon brushes over his tardiness in favor of asking if he knows where Martin is, he knows something is up. When he says no, they both share a look. Biting down panic, Tim offers to drive them to Martin's apartment. Jon rushes out before him in a kind of panic he's only seen one other time. He tells Sasha not to wait up for them before running after Jon.
The drive there is tense, to say the least. Tim tries to calm Jon down by saying he overslept (doubtful, he's not a very deep sleeper anyway) or maybe he wanted to take a mental health day (even more doubtful). Jon justifies these improbable possibilities with grunts. But, they do finally make it there.
From what they can see, she's not outside of his door. That does not placate Jon's anxieties. This only serves to make him more agitated. Tim places a hand on Jon's shoulder, but with how Jon is reacting, his composure is waning.
With each step they take to his apartment, Tim's nerves are set further and further alight. He knocks on the door and shouts, "Martin?" There's no response. Jon takes this as his cue to try the doorknob. And when it twists in his hand, how could he not open it? They run inside.
Not thinking about if there could've been a burglary and Martin left to get the cops, they check every room for any sign of her. And when there is nothing, they settle on checking the last place he could be, or else he's dead in a ditch somewhere. Bracing for whatever could be waiting for them, they behold Martin's room.
And there he is. In bed. Awake, fine, and worrying them for nothing. They both feels themselves deflate in relief.
Well, on a closer inspection, he is actually very much not fine. He didn't notice them bursting into his room, and now that Tim's not checking for worms, he can see Martin is ill in every sense of the word. Eventually, Martin notices that they're there.
"Oh, hey guys." He sniffs. "I guess I'm hallucinating now. This is fun." They share a quick glance with each other wondering what the hell is going on.
"We just wanted to check and make sure you were okay." Tim surprises himself with his ability to speak. Martin also seems surprised.
"You can talk?" They must be in some sort of special hell to question if Tim can speak. At least it's funny to Martin, judging from how he laughs until he's overcome with a sneezing fit. "Of course my mind would conjure up something as pitiful as this." His mood shifts in an instant.
"This is stupid, like really stupid, but I'm so sad." His eyes brim with tears. "I wanted to ask you both out, and to be my Valentine's, but now I can't because I'm sick and you won't believe me. What does it matter," he wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, "you're not even here. But if you were, you'd just chalk it up to Martin's stupid sick ramblings. He wouldn't actually like us, the nerve. What a loser." Tears are streaming down his face now. What is he saying? He turns to Jon, hoping he has an answer for this, but Jon looks equally confused. Tim knows he should be trying to comfort Martin, but he's stuck in place. Both of them. He said both of them, right?
It takes him longer than it should, but he forces his body to move over to Martin. The look he gives Tim reminds him of a sad puppy, and he needs to hug him, but he can't. That can wait until after he gets better, and they talk about what he's said. "Martin, we're gonna run and get some stuff for you, so we'll be back in a bit. You can wait up for us, yeah?"
At the mention of them leaving, more tears fall. "No no no you guys don't have to do that, I'm not doing that bad, I just couldn't force myself out of bed," he coughs out a wet, miserable laugh, "you know how it goes. You know what," he straightens up, and Tim gets the premonition that something bad is about to happen. "I'll make you both some tea! If you just want to get back to work though, that's fine, maybe now that you're here I can force myself out of bed—"
Tim is right. Martin, in very Martin-like fashion, attempts to get out of bed, and almost falls flat on his face. Jon, though halfway across the room, manages to help Tim catch Martin before he can knock himself out. They get a real good look at him this time, in all of his sick glory, and they watch as his entire face flushes a deep red.
"Wow, this is really embarrassing, I can't believe I'm imagining you both so close to me, I've never had a daydream be this vivid while sick," and he keeps blabbering and protesting until they shove him back into bed. Jon gets a wet cloth to put on his head, and Tim makes him drink some water (for hydration and to shut him up). After a bit, Jon remembers how to speak again, and then they're both reassuring him that it's fine, no trouble, and no, he's not making them get behind on work (which is a lie, but a bit of overtime is nothing compared to leaving Martin to fend for himself like this).
He tries to get out of bed again, so Tim physically holds Martin in place while Jon scrounges up some extra pillows to lean him up on, so they can put on a movie to distract him. Tim plays a random Studio Ghibli movie and hopes this is enough to chill him out a bit. When he is fully distracted by cute animation, they make their grand escape out the front door. The silence between them, and hearing the sounds of the world around them once again, is deafening.
It's actually Jon who speaks up to say, "what was that." Tim can only shrug in response.
They don't say anything while Tim drives them to the nearest convenience store, and then they arrive. Without discussing it, they start adding necessities and other things to the same shopping basket like medicine, milk, bread, snacks, and Tim slips in a few sweet bags. While he's staring at a wall of tea wondering if it meets any of Martin's standards, Jon comes up behind him and asks if he should get tomato or chicken noodle soup. The absurdity of the situation hits him all at once. This is the first time they've spoke in thirty minutes. Without saying a single word to each other, they've been quietly going about this like they both aren't simultaneously losing their minds. That's what he assumes Jon is doing, or else this is gonna be really awkward.
He decides to take the chance of them finally talking to side step Jon's original question and ask what he really wants to know. "For this information, there comes a price." Jon's demeanor shifts very quickly into one of exasperation. "What, pray tell." "What did you think of ol' Marto's sickly confession back there?" Jon's eyes widen and then his face scrunches up like he's reliving the moment all over again. He turns and begins to speed walk away.
"Right, I think I'll just go with tomato, since it's my favorite." He mutters this to himself not knowing Tim has very easily caught up to him. "But Boss, what if he's allergic?" He doesn't miss the way Jon startles and nearly breaks out into a run down the aisle. "He could just as well be allergic to chicken." He wasn't expecting to be chasing Jon around just to get a crumb of his feelings, but if that doesn't sum up his life, he's not sure what does. "That's insider information. You, spill. Or poor, pathetic Martin gets it."
"You wouldn't let me buy something he's allergic to if you knew about it."
"Try me." What Jon doesn't know is that Tim has managed to back him into a corner. Literally. He smirks as he faces Jon head on and feels a bit too happy about their obvious height difference. Jon appears less than amused with his predicament, but he comes to the conclusion that Tim isn't moving until he says something, so he sighs and his already not great posture crumples. "Tim I..." he's clearly fighting to get the words out, but Tim doesn't care. He needs to know.
"I mean to say this in the most professional way that I possibly can. I," he pauses again and chews his lip in a very distracting way which does not help Tim maintain eye contact with him when it's already so embarrassing to look at this man who is supposed to be his high and mighty boss act like a child from primary school about to confess to their crush. Tim's own face is heating up, and he prides himself on not getting embarrassed even in the most devastating situations man could be in. "I would not be adverse to, erm, be dating," his voice cracks on the Word, "both of you. At the same time. Um." He clears his throat and busies himself reading the ingredients of the tomato soup like he isn't shaking so hard he probably can't read any of the words.
A giddiness settles into Tim. It wasn't him being totally stupid. Jon likes him back. And Martin too. Wow. While Tim finds his nervous habits endearing, he doesn't actually want to torture Jon. He puts his hands over Jon's, and he peers up at Tim looking ready to drop everything and run. Tim realizes he doesn't remember setting down the basket, so he hopes it's somewhere near them. "Me neither, Jon." He winks and delights in the way Jon flushes up to the tips of his ears. "And Martin likes chicken noodle soup better."
Tim trails behind Jon as he walks a normal speed to put the other soup back. The basket is still there where he apparently set it down to run after Jon. He picks it up and Tim almost thinks that's the extent of their talk, but Jon surprises him. "I know this isn't exactly something you'd expect, and we will have to see if Martin meant to divulge his possible feelings for us or not, but though you may be infuriating on many occasions, I am romantically attracted to you and looking for a serious relationship. Is that alright?" It feels a bit silly saying this in the middle of a shopping aisle, but he's always been one to advocate for killing the part that cringes. "Yeah, of course it is. I like you too. I just hope Martin's on board with me too since he's been pining after you for months."
Jon gawks at this. "Me? It's you two who flirt in front of Sasha and I constantly. I'd been feeling rather foolish for liking the both of you at the same time while you did your song and dance in front of me." They stare at each other for a strained second before Tim says, "Oh." Jon shakes his head. "'Oh' is right. I realize Sasha has probably been getting a kick out of this free entertainment put on by her oblivious coworkers."
"Cheeky shit." Jon cracks a smile at that.
Fully done with being emotionally vulnerable in this place, they make a beeline to the self checkout. Jon insists on paying since Tim drove here (which shouldn't be so cute). He leans down to rest his chin on Jon's shoulder while he checks out. Jon doesn't say anything or push him off, and Tim takes that as a win. As they're walking out, Tim can't resist saying, "Hey, at least if Martin decides to reject us, we've got each other." That comment earns Tim a snort from Jon, and a wide grin spreads across his face.
The drive back is mostly filled with lighthearted banter, but Jon ends up asking him a question.
"Tim, why do you like me?"
Getting straight to the point, huh. "Well, that's quite the loaded question."
He can see Jon shaking his head out of the corner of his eye. "No, that is to say," he ruminates on what he's trying to ask for a moment. "I'm not very kind to you. You could definitely do better. Why me?"
Tim is a bit put off by Jon's self deprecation, but he answers anyway. "First off, why do you like me? Is it for any deep logical reason?" He can hear the gears turning in Jon's brain at this. "No, of course not. You don't choose who you like. And even if I could, I would still choose you. There are so many reasons why I like you. And I know there are plenty of reasons why you like Martin. So," he realizes he's been spilling something he's kept inside for longer than he wants to admit, and it feels good and bad all at the same time. "Just accept that I like you too. It's as simple as that."
He expects the silence that follows this to be uncomfortable, but it feels natural. He assumes it's because he understands Jon well enough to know that he always needs some time to process things.
"Mmm. I guess you're right. And um, I like you too." The rest of the ride back is filled with Tim rattling off more things he likes about Jon, and Jon chiming in when Tim starts talking about why he likes Martin.
They get back to Martin's apartment and start unpacking. Without missing a beat, Martin gets up to help. Tim vaguely hears Martin say, "how can they do my groceries, they're not even here." But Tim drags him back to bed, murmuring soothing words all the way, and puts on the almost finished Ghibli movie. Moments later, Jon hands him a Gatorade and the various sweets Tim picked out. He also explains that he's making him a cup of tea, and he'll heat up soup for him too.
They both catch Martin saying, "I didn't think you'd both come back, this hallucination feels so real..."
Is he serious. They share another exasperated look with each other as if to say "we're literally giving him food, drinks, and touching him, and making him watch a movie. What is he talking about." They decide to let it drop since it'll become very apparent it's not a hallucination once he gets better, so they focus on helping him instead.
Jon looks like he wants to touch Martin but holds back, and Tim has never been good at holding back so he kisses Martin on the forehead.
"Oh!" He makes the most adorable wobbly smile at that before Tim forces him to drink at least half of the Gatorade. Tim also makes sure to ask if Martin wants a colder washcloth to put on his head, and he says yes.
In the kitchen, Jon and him don’t say much, but Tim makes sure to tell Jon what kind of tea Martin likes and how he likes it.
They eventually make it back to his room with Tim carrying crackers, a fresh wet cloth, and medicine, along Jon carrying a bowl of soup and a mug of steaming tea. He tells Martin to put the cloth around his neck, and after shoving some things aside, they place everything else they've brought on his messy bedside table. Jon spoon feeds Martin a little bit of soup after blowing on it. He asks if it's a good temperature, and Martin nods. A small smile graces his face. Jon keeps surprising him today. Tim gives Martin the medicine, and then Jon feeds Martin the rest of the soup. Martin hangs on every bite since this is the closest interaction he's had with Jon in, well, ever. He finishes his tea while snacking on candies and saltines.
The movie ends, so Tim puts on another one before crawling over Martin to cuddle up against his side. Jon stays put, but Tim notices how he holds and strokes Martin’s hand instead. They finish the movie in silence, and then Jon heats up more soup for Martin while Tim picks a third movie. Another soup and movie is consumed. After that, Tim decides to put on autoplay since everyone is half paying attention and tired. Something about snuggling up with people he loves and binging movies that are blending together makes him feel like drifting off. Jon also seems to be struggling to stay awake. Martin has been out of consciousness for most of the day anyway, but he might actually be asleep now. He glances over at Jon, and they know they'll have to talk about what this means in the morning. But for tonight, they can enjoy each other's company without working out all the details.
He wakes up at one point during the night to see Jon is still there, and somehow asleep against Martin's bed. He's kept holding his hand too.
When Tim wakes up the next time, Jon is gone. He peels his head off of Martin's shoulder and ignores the cute noise he makes. It was too much to ask for Martin not to wake up as he's right over him, but really, it would be more surprising if he didn't. His expression morphs from sleepy squinting to full blown shock in a split second.
"Morning, Marto." His hand darts out to snatch his glasses from his bedside table.
"But you were—wh—huh?" It dawns on Tim that while he is incoherent as usual, Martin does appear to be aware of the situation he's in now. He places his hand over Martin's forehead and another over his own. "Oh, your fever's broken!”
Hoping Jon didn’t up and ditch the both of them for the sake of professionalism, he calls Jon's name. Within a few seconds, Jon pops his head in now dressed for work. Of course. "What is—oh he's awake. Is he feeling better?"
"Well, at least his fever's down. How are you feeling, Martin?" He opens and closes his mouth a few times before words come out.
"W-Was I not hallucinating? You guys were actually here?" Tim wants to make a joke about Martin imagining them in his free time, but this doesn't seem like the best opportunity.
"Yep. Gave us a right fright not coming into work. We thought, well," he looks over at Jon who shakes his head. "That's not important now. We're just glad you're not sick and dying anymore."
Jon steps into the room. "Yes. In the future, letting us know when you're sick will save us from any more strife like this. While on this topic," without missing a beat he shifts back into Boss Mode again, "will you be coming in to work today?" Tim kind of wants to strangle him for asking right after Martin wakes up, but he realizes this might be Jon's way of dodging what they really should be talking about.
"Jon, let him wake up before he decides to go in at least. And no, you don't get to ask that and then leave. Nobody leaves this room until we talk about what you said yesterday Martin." His whole body stiffens at this. Tim sighs. "Martin, we're not about to give you a death sentence. We only want a proper conversation about your feelings for us while you do not believe you're actively hallucinating us. You know we're here now, right?" The yes he gives is very stilted. "Listen, if this is something you genuinely don't want to act on, we'll leave it be. But if it's just because you're scared of rejection, that's not a good enough excuse. And Jon, stop hovering over us like you're gonna bolt at any moment."
Reluctantly, Jon treads over to stand by Martin's bed and looks over at Tim as if to say, "happy?" Tim smiles and then sits down. "Did you really want to ask us out? Like, the both of us? A polycule? Throuple?" Jon shushes him before he can give any more names to it. He didn't know this until now, but when Martin blushes, like really blushes, it goes down to his neck and up to his ears. He gulps. "I, well, that is, um, you see, hah, the thing is," he rests his head in between his hands in defeat before mumbling, "yes, yes I did. Still do."
Tim can't help the way his face is burning, and it feels like he's radiating sunshine now. Jon's whole face is a deep crimson with shock etched into every line. "Pick your head up, Martin. Or do you want me to do it for you?" He hesitates before peeking up at them through his fingers. Close enough. "I know I want to date you both. Jon?" He jumps like he forgot he was a part of this. "O-Oh. Yes. That is, well, quite." He coughs. "I would like to be in a romantic relationship with the two of you as well."
Martin blinks and rubs his eyes. Tim could’ve swore he heard Martin whisper 'not a dream' under his breath. "Right. Okay then. Good?"
"Is that a statement or a question?"
"A bit of both now that I'm thinking about it. I didn't plan on getting this far."
"Well you did. And now you've got two cute boyfriends to show for it." Somehow, Martin's face gets redder. Jon elects to cut off his teasing. "That's more than enough out of you, Tim. I was being serious though. Are you taking the day off?"
"No, no, I'm fine to come in. A bit tired, but it’s nothing I can't shake off."
"Aww, you don't wanna spend another day in bed with Jon spoon feeding you?" He loves how they shout his name at him in sync.
"Anyway, while I love you both, get out of my room so I can get dressed." They're both shoved out before they can react to Martin saying I love you this soon. Maybe it's not that big of a deal.
"Coffee on the table if you want it. Iced, because I assume that's your taste." He takes a swig from a piping hot to-go cup. "There's sugar and creamer you can add too. I also got you a glazed donut." Tim puts in a copious amount of both not missing how Jon grimaces. "Thanks, Jon."
Martin comes in a few seconds later wearing one of his signature sweaters. The kettle goes off. "Make yourself some tea if you want before we go. Be sure to take a donut too." He smiles and goes to do that before pausing. "You know, I remembered something."
A thought strikes Tim too. "Damn, I'm wearing the same clothes from yesterday. I'm gonna need to go back to my apartment."
They both give him a Look. Martin continues his train of thought. "I haven't given you the gifts I got you for Valentine's Day! They're not exactly romantic, but I think they're pretty nice."
He digs in a cupboard for a second before producing two small gift baskets. One basket has a green and black color scheme with a few red hearts scattered around. It's full of tasteful things such as pens, boxes of tea, bags of coffee, and a mug, along with a few chocolate bars dark enough to appease Jon. The other basket has a more standard red, pink, and white scheme, and some dashes of gold. From what he can see, a couple pairs of colorful socks, a gift card for his favorite local outdoor sports shop, a clear heart full of jelly beans, and a rainbow teddy bear, along with Tim's favorite fruity and floral flavored chocolates. They both graciously accept and thank him.
After having breakfast and chatting for a bit, Jon informs them they should be heading to work now. Tim makes sure to drive a little under the speed limit just for Jon. They arrive at Tim's apartment where he gets dressed and drops off both of their baskets. But eventually, they do make it to the Archives. Not up to Jon's exact standards, but they're not late by any means.
Sasha immediately takes note of how they all came in to work together. "Aww, welcome back, Martin! We missed you yesterday for Valentine's. Sucks you had to be sick for one of your favorite holidays."
“It's fine, now that I've got two boyfriends, I can have an even better Valentine's Day next year."
They all go beet red, including Martin, who said that.
"Wow." She pretends to be shocked for a grand total of two seconds. "Yeah, saw that one coming."