Work Text:
It isn't supposed to be like this. He isn't supposed to have a red string. And he certainly isn't supposed to have his new coworker at the end of it. The coworker who has let a dog into their office. When he looks down at the gentle hands holding the dog, every bit of reprimanding dies on his lips. He looks at the pointed finger he has raised in the air for scolding and jumps to put it down. A thick and beautiful red string connects them together. It's mere minutes after he's clocked in, but he already needs to lie down.
"Hi! I know, not the best thing to let a dog into the office, but I'm taking her out!" He moves toward the exit. "Anyways, nice to meet you! I would wave but uh, my hands are full. Here, I'll just," he picks up one paw and waves it. Jon feels a comically large heart-tipped arrow thunk into his chest. Anyone else, he would've thought "yeah, this might as well happen." Not this guy who's clearly a mess! He hates that his brain is now replaying the image of this cute—no, unprofessional man holding a dog like a baby. He should know better than trying to fight his own divine powers. That doesn't stop him from wanting to anyway.
Jon has always had the ability to see red strings of fate connecting people. He has memories of them going back to where his memories start. As a baby, he couldn't articulate what he was seeing, and as a child, he couldn't shut up about it. His grandma still pokes fun at him for all the things he did. Multiple times, he pointed out two strings converging on people who had no idea, and he pointed out not seeing them for lovers. Gaining a reputation as a heartbreaker at a young age like that must've been the universe playing an ironic trick on him. When he learned how to use his powers tastefully, he started using it to help people, as was tradition in his family. His grandma explained to him how this power had been in his family for generations. After all these years, he's still not exactly sure how to feel about the divinity bestowed upon him, but it's not like it makes a difference what he thinks.
While lost in his thoughts, he sits down at his desk without realizing. Can he just get a normal workday today? He looks up to see his soulmate walking over to him, so of course not.
"Hey! Sorry I didn't properly introduce myself earlier, as you saw, I was a bit distracted. I'm Martin, and the others tell me you're Jon. They say you're a little grumpy, but you must be a nice guy since you didn't yell at me for bringing a dog in!"
He laughs and pats Jon on the shoulder. The touch is brief, but he flinches away from it without thinking. Martin stares at him in confusion.
"I wasn't fully awake yet. Be sure to never do that again, or there will be dire consequences."
Martin mumbles an "aw" and pouts cutely—no, annoyingly. Can the universe please give him a break? It's not even nine yet, and his heart is beating out of his chest. This is his soulmate, this is the man he's going to spend the rest of his life with, how is he supposed to focus at work with this knowledge? He makes the mistake of looking into Martin's eyes, and he feels it. The feeling people have described to him countless times over. The unmistakable pull like two magnets being out of reach and fighting to get back together again. Like he'll hear a satisfying click when he finally slots his body against Martin's—
He springs to his feet. What is he thinking! Jon catches how Martin is looking at him with the exact same stupid expression he probably has on his own face. And he stutters out a quick excuse about getting a cup of coffee before bolting out of the room.
Tim and Sasha are talking in the breakroom, so when he runs in, it's not the smooth escape he planned. They go dead silent with their eyes boring into him. He lasts about ten seconds before he dashes out of the room again yelling something about needing a cigarette.
"Jon—!"
He ignores them and ignores how Rosie squints at him for sprinting out of the building only about thirty minutes after clocking in. His shaky hands fumble with his lighter, but he gives up and heaves a long sigh. There's no way he's getting through this day, let alone however long Martin has at this job before he gets fired for ruining the office's best worker. No, Jon promises himself, he won't let Martin get the best of him. If this is what the universe has in store for him, he can take it. He's braved worse things than an idiotic man. Jon hypes himself up and goes back inside. Martin sees him and directs a wobbly smile his way, and he realizes Martin is feeling what he is too. The incessant thudding in his chest picks up again.
"Where's your coffee?"
He already can't keep up with his own lies any more.
"I chugged it."
"Oh."
He can't take it.
So he spends the next week trying to build up what he thinks is normalcy, but he doesn't realize it's taking Tim and Sasha that week to work up to shattering his "normalcy."
"Seriously Jon, what's gotten into you? Martin is not a bad guy, and you know that! We have no idea what's going on, but you need to stop it. You're freaking him out and he already seems freaked out enough by you as it is."
If only she knew.
"So spill it."
He feels his heartbeat speed up, and not in the becoming familiar Martin is nearby kind of way, as Tim approaches him with Sasha close behind. They're the type of people not to leave him alone, even when he's being insufferable, so he thinks he owes them some kind of explanation for caring at all.
"I'm not trying to be a jerk, but he's—he's my—"
He doesn't even have to finish his sentence before it dawns on them. Their faces light up in excitement he's so happy to provide. Not.
"You should tell him!" Ah, what's even the point. If this is how Sasha is reacting, he's glad Tim is too stunned to speak. "Get it over with, you know you're gonna end up together like everyone else! Why are you resisting?"
"Did you miss the part where he's an absolute mess??"
"Yeah, so are you?" They say this in sync.
"Screw you both."
Their lips turn up in a smirk.
"You like him, don't you? That's why you don't wanna tell him?"
All he can get out is a weak "shut up" before Martin comes back into the room. They scamper off and leave him to fend for himself as Martin asks what they were talking about. He might've broken with Tim and Sasha in a matter of minutes, but he'll pride himself on not confessing to Martin until he can't deny it anymore.
It takes only a month of whatever is going on between them for Tim and Sasha to finally snap. They round Jon and Martin up and tell them they're taking this into their own hands, so they lock them in the breakroom.
"Jon, tell him!" Sasha shouts.
"Martin, figure it out!!" Tim screams.
They glance at each other, and Jon feels that traitorous pull tugging at him once more. Then, silence fills the room. It wouldn't be so bad being stuck with him if they didn't have to talk. Ever. But they do.
"This is kind of a weird thing to ask, but do you hate me?"
Huh?
"You're always stricter with me, and you avoid me too. I'm wondering if I did something wrong."
Laughter bubbles up in Jon's chest. He does his best to hold it back until Martin is done speaking, but it's so funny to him. Martin has it completely wrong.
"But there are also times where you're really nice too, so obviously I don't hate you, I'm just really confused."
He can't help it. He laughs. The mind game he's been playing with Martin this past month; it means nothing at all. There is nothing he could've done to stop fate tying him and Martin together. And it's making his stomach hurt with how stupidly hilarious that is.
"What's so funny??"
"You know I have this ability to see red strings of fate tied between two lovers, right?"
Martin nods. "I heard about it from Tim and Sasha. That's pretty cool, but what's that got to do with—"
"We're tied together."
The words die on his lips, and Martin's mouth forms a small 'o' shape.
"So no, I don't hate you. How could I? We're destined to love each other."
Jon gives Martin a moment to process what he's said. He swears he can hear the gears turning in Martin's brain. Eventually, Martin asks him a question.
"Can you point to where the string is?"
Not sure where Martin is going with this, he directs Martin to look at what is an empty space to him, but a whole destiny to Jon. Martin wraps his fingers around where the string is. Jon asks him what he's doing, but instead of answering, Martin does a fake rope pulling motion.
"Oh my god."
"C'mon, you gotta do it with me. Get closer."
He moves until he's close enough to kiss Martin.
"You're such a dork—"
Martin grabs him by the tie and kisses him. He hears the click inside his head. The string tying them tightens around him, not in restriction, but in protection of them and their love. They pull away from each other while still remaining close.
"I've been wanting to do that for a while. Heh."