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"Did you hear what he said about me?!" Martin's high pitched indignance had a way of sounding both flustered and hurt. Tim breathed out.
"Don't take it to heart, Martin. Our dear boss just has a way with words. " Playfully brushing it off, "he loves us all the same."
"Don't," Martin's tone became insistent, "he does not talk about you or Sasha this way. He asked for the both of you. He made it very clear he didn't ask for me."
"To be fair, it's on you for listening to the tape." Tim's words were still teasing, but the tone took on the softness at attempting to comfort.
"Useless! As if I don't do a.. a third.. of all his poking around chasing.. horrors. And his own personal kettle."
Tim tapped his folder on his desk and grinned, "you took that one on yourself," his voice put on a higher lilting tune to terribly imitate Martin, "Jon, you have been working so late; Jon, you didn't even take a lunch; Jon, you should at least have a cup of tea. You know, I think you may be treating Jon a little differently than Sasha and I."
Martin's face turned pink and he stammered. Tim took a bit of pride in riling up his usually timid and servile coworker. "I just.. he's my boss.. that's what I'm supposed to do."
Tim very unseriously lectured, "you aren't his secretary, Martin." Kicking his feet up on the desk and lounging his chair back. "And I know what he's told you, but he's not going to leave his wife and kids for you."
Tim was far too satisfied with himself, but it had clearly pushed Martin over the edge. "You know, if you wanted a cup of tea, you could just ask me."
"I'm more for a coffee, myself." The file was opened and placed on his thighs, he let himself switch to a more comforting voice, "look, it's not your fault. You're still learning this job, you aren't bad at it but Elias plucked you up from another department without an interview, discussion with your supervisor, or training. Sasha and I already had a bit of a sense for this. You're right, he shouldn't be so hard on you. The measure of a good boss is how well he handles things like that and, well, I'm not saying he's terrible but I wouldn't say he's going to get any mugs with 'number one boss' on it."
Martin huffed. A sure sign, Tim had learned, that meant he was calming down. Speak of the devil, though, in walked the man and the legend himself.
"Martin! Did you not hear me calling for you." Jonathan's voice was it's usual stern clip as it was whenever he spoke to Martin. It made Tim think of someone trying to train an unruly puppy.
"Sorry Jon I was just.." Tim watched Martin slip into that anxiety again. Almost struggling not to stutter.
"I'm sure." Jon interrupted, Martin's cheeks turned a shame filled red before following Jon out, picking at the corner of his thumb. Tim sighed dramatically and mournfully. "And Tim. Come see me later. I have something I need you to look in to."
"Right you are, boss." It was clear the tone difference in Jon when addressing them both and he thought he saw Martin shrink further in on himself.
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The special assignment passed on to Tim was to search for the original statement of Jane Prentiss. Of which, he'd end up enlisting both Sasha and Martin to help with this task. Asking them to throw anything on his desk they might see that mentioned worms, holes, bugs, the like. But before he left Jon's office he would pause at the doorway, "oh, and Jon, you might want to take it a bit easier on Martin. He's not half as bad as you treat him." Turning to give one of his self proclaimed charming smiles. "Besides. I think you're starting to really hurt his feelings."
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Jane Prentiss didn't necessarily fall to the bottom of his list, but he'd been busy flirting and dating himself into some confidential information from a few sources at King's College. He really should be getting overtime for that, but Jon had nipped that bud quickly. It was only after a particularly well phrased argument on business meetings with high priority clients, and that it wasn't right for Tim to have to pay to work, that stopped the freeze on the institute card. He felt proud that he was able to schmooze his way into most things he wanted, but overtime wasn't on the list. Jon was already mumbling about, 'unconventional methods,' so Tim took it as permission to continue but accepted he was not permitted overtime.
It was only when Martin came back from his flu, or whatever it had been, that he put his focus primarily on that task. The other man had come in with a sealed jar of worms. Stormed past Sasha and him, and right into Jon's office. They were soon all debriefed. Jane Prentiss had cornered Martin, he would be living at the Archives for now, keep an eye out for worms. Jon didn't urge him to prioritize, but Martin's anxiety did. He looked like he was getting less and less sleep, was jumpy in a fearful way. Sure Jon was being a bit kinder to him, but Martin would occasionally start anxiously scratching and in panic show Tim or Sasha some unasked for part of his body demanding to know if he had any extra holes. In any other circumstance that would have earned a joke from Tim, but it truly began to unnerve him.
Moreover, Martin had changed in other ways. Martin had started to make not just tea, but pots of coffee. Once he had learned how Sasha and Tim took it, he'd prepare it accordingly. Every morning Martin made his rounds putting the cups on desks, sometimes pausing a little longer at Tim's until they made eye contact. He wasn't sure if the smile was in gratitude or just Martin being his overly extending self, but it was nice. Martin had become something of the mother hen of the archives, fussing over all of them while still managing to be a mess of fear and nerves.
Tim didn't understand how Jon hadn't absolutely turned into a puddle at this. Well, yeah, he'd been kinder but definitely not enough to earn a doting Martin. Sometimes, when Tim looked over he caught Martin's looking back. It always earned the smile and occasionally he thought the blush might be for him. Nobody had ever called Tim modest, he knew he looked good and was a charmer to boot. It did no favors to pretend he wasn't, better to use it for his advantage.
The search went on for weeks when finally the statement was uncovered from Gertrude's mess. Tim read it through and felt a little ill. The worms had been popping up. Sure, just one here and there. They were properly squished beneath a boot when found. But if this hive that Prentiss spoke of had chosen her and now it had chosen Martin, Tim felt sure it was dire. He made the choice to make sure Martin didn't see the statement and encouraged him to stop looking for any bug related reading material. The poor man was jumpy enough.
Now they had an idea of what they were facing, he put in the extra effort to tease Martin a little less. He could give up a few of his after work research dates to spend with Martin. Leaving only to bring back a takeaway dinner and sitting for a meal with him. Besides, it had been fun to earn laughs from Martin. For having such a gentle, kind, sort of demeanor about him, Martin wasn't as easy to laugh. They did start to come more often, but Tim would have called it more of a giggle.
Tim was even more surprised when he received a lecture for his methods in getting information. Martin did not approve of the dates, trying to explain to Tim how hurtful that could be. What if one of them really liked Tim, had given their hopes up. Tim laughed a little at this, "I never go in telling them that I'm for anything serious. Nobody has any expectations of me, I can't help that I'm so lovable, though. I'm just not the settling kind, too many fish in the sea you know."
This earned a small, "oh," from Martin. The dinner was finished in relative silence. Tim tried a bit to encourage conversion again but when he asked questions about Martin's life or for stories of his university days, the other seemed very reluctant to offer any information. It also seemed as if he'd said something very wrong in their conversation. Something that he had to puzzle out.
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It didn't take him long to figure what was going on. Thankfully Tim wasn't completely oblivious, he just had to think of things from Martin's point of view. Your coworker starts giving you glances across the room, starts bringing you dinner, and Tim couldn't help that his entire personality survived on flirting through his own doom and gloom. It was with this that he started thinking back on the weeks with a different lens. Martin didn't put his hand on anyone else's arm when getting their attention. He didn't blush at Sasha, and he'd guess that when it was for Jon it was half humiliation that had him going pink.
Later in the break room, Tim followed Sasha and peeked around to make sure nobody was hearing distance, "hey Sash," whispering just in case.
Sasha took the end of her fork from between her lips and stopped staring at the microwave in the daze of an afternoon slump, "hmm?"
"Can I ask you something a little personal?"
"Sure you can, but I bet the answer is, 'no,' if you think it has to be whispered," she teased, "okay, shoot."
"Do you think Martin thinks I like him?"
Sasha laughed too loudly and Tim put a finger to his lips. She still looked amused but answered more quietly for his sake, "of course, Tim. The courier thinks you like him. And he isn't even that way inclined."
Tim frowned and he sighed, "I was afraid so." It earned crossed arms and a look from Sasha.
"You've been practically dating him, Tim."
"I have not!" Agast!
"You forget how long I've known you? And also that I know very much what it looks like to date you." At this Tim did look properly chided. "Look, I didn't want to say anything. I know you don't like how Jon treats him. But there are worse things. You might want to reign it in." Tim hummed before she continued in a teasing but oh so serious way, "you don't want to know what I'll do to you if you hurt mother." The playful name the two of them used to refer to Martin when discussing his penchant for bustling about taking care of everyone.
"I'll avoid it."
"Not avoid, Tim. Just don't do it. Figure it out. I can tell you like him. He's a little soft. I think he'd take it hard." Tim could tell Sasha didn't mean 'soft' in a mean way, he understood it. Martin was the sort of man to get attached easily, he figured. Tim, after further thinking, had come to understand that was what Martin meant when he'd been scolded for his dating habits.
"I do not!"
Sasha turned to the microwave as it beeped, telling her lunch was done. "Again, you forget I know you."
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Martin declined further offers for dinner. Tim meant nothing by it, but had hoped they'd be able to talk it out. He wanted very badly to sort things.
Then there were waves of worms and secret passages with wiggling doom. Tim was not going to leave friends behind, and with the lack of proper oxygen fueling his actions he broke down a way to at least Jon and Martin. As the way burst through, even with a gas addled brain, he saw the way Martin curled himself in to protect Jon. Looking at the hole like he was ready to throw fists at whatever might come for the undeserving prick. They did manage to survive. He couldn't remember it well, he knew he had those extra holes Martin had been so worried about. But he did remember Martin's protectiveness over their boss.
It was better in the long run. After all, Tim said it himself. He wasn't the settling kind.