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One of Martin’s favorite parts of this new existence must be the evening routine they fall into.
Usually, Jon’s bad leg will be hurting after the day (Amusingly, it will hurt whether he did anything or not.), and Martin will dig around in the freezer for an ice pack. This evening in particular, he also gets one for himself. His stomach hurts more than usual, he must have eaten too fast or too much or too little, or maybe the food had too much gluten or MSG? It could have been anything, really. Martin wishes the doctor could give him a bracelet containing a little alarm that went off informing him when he needed to stop eating to avoid another stomachache. (He knows this fantasy is stupid and unproductive, but he still thinks about it at least once a day.)
It is not uncommon for Martin to deal with stomachaches after dinner, and Jon is used to this fact. So, Jon will then show him a meme he probably found on Google Images that says something about “having a tummy ache and being so brave about it.” And then Martin will laugh, moreso at the gesture rather than at the meme itself--Ah, there’s a little X in the corner of the image, Jon definitely screenshotted this from Google--and Jon will lean over and kiss him, chaste and sweet.
They will watch nature documentaries for a short time while Jon returns to “massaging his leg” that mainly consists of digging his knuckles into the muscle that hurts most, and wincing. He will tell Martin, “It helps! I promise,” And Martin will smile faintly and ask if Jon would like a cup of (decaf) tea before bed, Jon will offer to make it himself, and Martin’s smile will only grow.
“You like my tea better.”
“I do. I don’t know what you put in it,” Jon will sigh just dramatically enough that Martin will notice his frustration.
“It’s about timing,” Martin will say. “I’ve tried to show you,”
“I know you have!” Jon will smile. “I know. Oh, Pig, you’re here! Cm’here, baby,” And a cat will leap onto the couch. And even though Jon knows that this cat loves him with all her soul, he will be disproportionately excited whenever she crawls into his lap and lies down. “Guess you have to make the tea now, you know the rule about moving when a cat sits on your legs.” He will kiss her forehead softly, and scritch behind her ears. And Martin will be able to hear her purr.
“Alright. Chamomile?” Martin will set his ice pack to the side, standing, only grunting slightly from the pain in his hamstrings, and will turn to the cat and say, “Baby, don’t bite the ice pack. I know your brother likes to do that, and you better not start too.”
Neither of them will know where Earl is hiding out again.
Pig will look dumbly at Martin, face blank, cow-like in lack of expression. Jon will laugh at her and continue petting. He will ask, “Do we still have lavender?”
“I think so, I’ll check.” Martin will make the short walk to the kitchen and think about how he definitely pushed himself too hard at work today, and will silently curse himself for it when his shoulders ache as he reaches for the mugs in the cabinet.
And Martin will hear a soft, plaintive meow whenever he switches on the kettle, and he will say, “Oh, there you are!” Then, louder, “Mój drogi, Earl wants some boiling water again,”
Jon will call back, “Silly boy. Cm’here, Earl, come sit with Dad and Pig, we’re having cuddles on the couch.”
Earl will turn towards Jon’s voice as if thinking, then will mew at Martin again, then pad closer.
Martin will smile at him and ask, “Want some honey? I can give you a teensy little bit,”
He will only stare at Martin, who will think about that idea that all cats have only elevator music playing behind their eyes. Martin will fill the electric kettle and switch it on, then dig through the drawer for the teabags. Chamomile tea has become a common drink for Martin--it seems to help with the stomachaches, plus he does really enjoy the taste of it. He’s not usually that big a fan of teas that can get bitter easily like this one, but there’s something about the earthy, grounding taste that he loves. He will pour too much milk into his own mug, then a little into Jon’s, then will reach for the bottle of honey.
Earl doesn’t remember much, but he will remember that sometimes food magically comes out of this cabinet. Intrigued, he will leap up onto the counter. Martin will squeeze a little into Jon’s mug. (And after all these years, he will know exactly how much Jon likes. He will know that Jon thinks it is important that the tea is stirred when the water is poured in so that the milk and honey are melted and diffused evenly through the drink.) Martin will dip a finger into the honey and hold out his hand for Earl, who will lick it up, eyes wide with excitement.
And Martin will scratch the cat’s forehead and mumble a declaration of undying love.
<>
Back on the couch, now with both cats, (Earl will be hoping for more snacks.) Martin will ask Jon, “So, what books do you have for me to read?”
A grin will slowly grow on Jon’s face. Something will tug in Martin’s stomach seeing his love this happy.
Jon will ask, “In order of priority--this stack is due in two weeks, I already rechecked them--or in order of what I think you’d like?” He will gesture to the stack on the coffee table. Jon will have read all but three of them, halfway through one, claiming one was dull and had not redeemed itself by page 30, and the other being next on his list.
“Surprise me,” Martin will reach to pet Pig, who will be completely asleep in Jon’s lap.
“Alright, perhaps the library one then? Since it’s due soon, and you read slower.” Jon will hum, reaching for it.
Evening routines aside, it is very important for Martin to indulge Jon in his love for reading, even whenever it bores him. Surface level, it’s a piece of their past life, one that only the two of them know about. Deeper, though, Martin knows that Jon always feels a bit of despair when regarding books; being in a parallel universe means that books are different than Jon remembers whenever he first read them in uni. It drives him a bit mad. It also means that a lot of books Jon remembers literally do not exist. Or have a main character by a different name. Or are by a different author, or have a different climax or different first sentence. Or something equally as confusing and horrible.
Martin thinks it is important that Jon is able to share his frustrations with him.
Plus, Martin does quite love the look of excitement Jon gets whenever he finds a book he’s been wanting at the library and holds it out, saying, “Habibi, can you carry this?” unable to on his own from the crutches. (He could put it in his bag so he wouldn’t have to trouble Martin, but that makes it look like he is stealing.)
Martin will only smile at Jon’s comment. “I don’t read slower, I just don’t read for hours on end,”
Jon will shrug. “Still slower. Pig, could you move over? Dad’s trying to get a book,”
“I’ll get it, Jon, which one is it?” Martin will put his hands on the couch beside his thighs before standing. This will move some of the stress off his legs and onto his arms. He will still wince when he stands--something in his back again--and figures he’ll need to move the ice pack from his stomach to where the aching, burning feeling was.
Jon will tell him which, Martin will retrieve the book and read the summary on the inside flap. He will leaf through the book, then smile.
This one is in verse poetry, formatted to be in creative shapes. And according to the ABOUT THE AUTHOR on the back flap, the author is a poet, and this is her first novel. Which means the book will inevitably contain far more beautiful prose and detailed descriptions than any regular book will.
Jon saw this book and thought, Oh, Martin will love this. And this will make Martin feel more loved than any words Jon says aloud ever will.
And it will occur to Martin that this is what love must be: someone you love, tea to help both of you sleep, cats, books picked out intentionally and specifically for you, and ice packs to dull the hurt.