Chapter Text
Martin felt nervous. It really was his luck to be starting his new job in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. He was very familiar with the institute, he had been working there for six years but still, becoming an archival assistant under Jonathan Sims was reason enough to be nervous on any given day. He had never officially been introduced to him, but had definitely noticed him, nonetheless. There was something about him that attracted Martin, and the thought of working with him had driven any thoughts about the current situation in his country out of his mind. Although he would have preferred to meet him under other circumstances and not through zoom.
Martin was awfully aware of his hair being just a bit too long but trying to cut it on his own would make things worse, he was sure of that. He had been standing in front of his mirror, trying to flatten out the wrinkles in his shirt and looking at himself with dissatisfaction for a while now but he finally surrendered. Maybe it was ridiculous to be nervous about an online meeting. He could pretend that his webcam was broken, his microphone not working, or that his laptop was too old and didn’t even have the needed technical properties. Or that he didn’t like the possibility of being watched by the government. People used that argument, right?
He sighed and looked at his phone screen. Fifteen more minutes.
He left his bedroom and went to his workspace that he’d prepared earlier. He didn’t want the others to think he was messy, so he had moved his table in front of his bookshelf and hoped it would look professional enough. Elias had given him all the information for the meeting, even though he wouldn’t be part of it himself. The other two archival assistants would join them as well, but Martin had talked to both of them before and wasn’t worrying too much about them. Sitting down, he felt excitement shoot through him as he opened his laptop and started the application.
It was easy enough, and before he could stop himself, he clicked the participate button. Tim and Sasha were already there, chatting along happily, and greeted Martin as soon as they realized he joined them. They made polite small talk and it was ten minutes after their scheduled meeting time that Jonathan Sims finally managed to join them. Martin tried not to look too thrilled about it, but he did let himself stare at the man on his screen shamelessly. Jonathan looked professional, his hair was well-kempt, the grey strands barely visible through Martin’s laptop screen. He was even wearing a tie, something both he and Tim had decided against. He couldn't make out a lot of Jonathan’s living space, as he seemed to be sitting with his back to a wall, but at least he contrasted nicely against it. He heard Jonathan clear his throat, silencing his thoughts and the others effectively.
“Thank you for joining me for this online meeting,” he said, voice deep and wonderful in Martin’s headphones. “I know this is not ideal, but I guess it is the best option we have. I’d like you to make the best out of this situation and I hope that I can count on you to do your research at home. Elias gave me a lot of statements to read through before… this all happened so you will have your work cut out for you for the next couple of weeks at least. I know he’s already been over this with you… I will try to send you the ones I am currently working on. I’m still trying to get my scanner to work.” Those last words were quiet, barely more than a mumble. “So, what I want you to do is to follow up on everything and I will try to work out a sorting system at home. I have looked at some of them already, and, well, I doubt there is much we will be able to find but we will see how it goes.”
As he was speaking, his eyes seemed to be focused on something on his desk, rather than his laptop. He stopped then and looked at them all properly for the first time. Martin tried his best to appear stern and alert. He hadn’t had a chance to introduce himself yet, and he was not sure if he was even supposed to. Jonathan knew the others better than him, so he had been mentally preparing to tell them a bit about himself, but he also felt like he had missed his chance by now.
“Right. So that’s all I personally have to say to you now, really,” Jonathan continued, seemingly ready to end the meeting as soon as possible as he grabbed a piece of paper.
“Boss, you haven’t even introduced yourself yet.” Tim’s smile was broad as he spoke, and Martin appreciated his words, as it felt like he said them for him. “Also, a how are you would be nice.”
“And I do not see a point in doing that. You all know who I am,” he said, ignoring the second part of Tim’s statement.
“Martin has never met you, how would he know who you are?” Sasha protested.
“Mister Blackwood is hopefully smart enough to figure that out by himself.”
Martin felt his face grow hot. His new department head acted like he wasn’t even part of their group conversation. He had an awful urge to prove himself but couldn’t figure out how. Instead he said, “Please, Martin is fine,” and laughed awkwardly.
“Right. So that’s it for now. I’ll send you the necessary files when I get to it. I don’t care when you do your work, as long as you do it. I will schedule another meeting in a few days, just to see if… this even works.” Jonathan sighed, but then sat up straighter, grabbing the paper in front of him. “I still have to read this to you so... The Magnus Institute would like to inform you that we are continuing our efforts to keep everyone safe, and to remind our employees that we are all in this together. Please be reassured that we are doing everything we can to minimise the disruption to the way we work. If you have questions or need further instructions, please contact your head of department,” Jonathan made a face as if that was not what he had in mind at all, “Wash your hands regularly, only go out for essential shopping or medicines and to exercise once a day. Stop all non-essential contact with others. Do not be part of public gatherings of more than two people.” He stopped reading and sighed once more. “I think that’s enough for today.”
Sasha, Tim and Martin had been mostly quiet. Martin had watched as Tim started spinning around in his chair as Jonathan was talking, and Sasha seemed to be talking to a dog. Martin felt envious of her as she did so, wishing for nothing more than to have an apartment that allowed pets in this time of social distancing. Jonathan Sims cleared his throat again, redirecting their attention to him.
“Thank you for your time. I will talk to you soon. Goodbye.”
And without really waiting for a response, he left the meeting, closing the window for the others as well. Martin felt dumbstruck. It had not been the experience that he had been expecting. He hadn’t even got to ask any of the questions that he had been preparing.
“What a dick,” he muttered under his breath, getting up to make himself some tea.
---
Martin really wished he hadn’t daydreamed about a goddamn stranger and projected all his feelings onto a man he only saw maybe twice a week if he was lucky. It was a bad habit, really. He had done it back in sixth form before he dropped out of school, as it had always been easier to imagine being with - or rather obsess over - someone who was just so out of reach that they couldn’t hurt you in any way.
But now Jonathan Sims was his boss. Now his bubble of that hot, kind-of-edgy, always tired-looking man that seemed like he might need a hug was about to burst. He tried to shrug it off. At some point Jonathan had to talk to him directly and recognize him as a human being, and maybe if they actually talked, he could let this little crush die down. Because he didn’t really see Jonathan showing any interest in him whatsoever. He sighed from his place on his couch where he was lying, a book on his chest, his hands covering his eyes. Just as he was trying to focus on his book again, wondering if he was overreacting, his phone vibrated, so he happily looked at that instead. It was a text from Tim: “Sorry Jon’s was such a twat earlier. He’s not good with new people… or people in general. But he’s not so bad most of the time. Give it some time, he’ll get better.”
Martin chuckled, wondering if he had been too obvious already.
“I’m looking forward to that.”, is what he typed, but then erased. Instead he wrote back: “Cheers! Not your fault. I’ll be fine :) “
He dropped his phone and lifted his book once more, determined to read at least one while he was actually supposed to stay home. His phone vibrated once more, but this time it was an email from none other than Jonathan Sims.
Scanner not working. I typed the statement down instead. File attached. Please try to contact Mr. Watts and conduct more research.
-JS
He sat up reluctantly and grabbed his laptop from where he had left it on his table, opening the group chat he had started with Tim and Sasha on his phone with his other hand. Sasha was already typing, and soon he got the message: Jon wants us to do some work. Zoom in 5?
Martin sent an affirmative thumbs-up-emoji and opened his laptop. At least Tim and Sasha weren’t so bad - they were quite kind to him actually. And he finally got to take his mind off things by doing some actual work. At least that’s what he hoped for.
---
It had been four days since their last online meeting with Jonathan Sims. They had another one scheduled for today at four pm and Martin was going over his notes once more, since it was only half an hour until then. He really hadn’t had any luck with this case but knew that Sasha had been more successful. On the one hand, he was dreading the thought of what Jonathan would say about his lack of research, but he was really looking forward to seeing him again. He clenched his fists, trying to find a way to get rid of these thoughts. He deemed himself unsuccessful half an hour later, still lost in thoughts about what shirt Jon would wear today, as he opened his laptop. Whilst he ran a hand through his hair and tugged on his shirtsleeves, he got ready for the meeting. This time, Jon’s face appeared in front of him immediately, and since the others were not there yet, it filled the whole screen. His shirt was red.
“Hi!” Martin said a little breathlessly, surprised to find himself alone with Jonathan in this virtual room.
“Oh. Hello, Martin,” Jonathan replied, voice level and uninterested. Still, Martin felt a strange sensation shoot up his spine as he heard his own name being spoken.
“Um, so… how are you feeling?” he tried tentatively, not sure if it was a good idea to aim for small talk. The other man sighed.
“I’m alright. Let’s wait for the others.”
“Right! Right,” Martin replied, sitting back and straightening his collar. Jonathan was drinking from a mug, looking - apparently deliberately - elsewhere, not at the screen. Not at Martin. Martin tried to copy his behaviour and looked at his living room instead, hoping that Tim and Sasha would tune in soon. He really ought to tidy up in the near future, mugs and clothes were starting to occupy most of his space. Martin stifled a yawn and stole a glance back at Jonathan, who looked tired and grouchy, but not any less professional than last time. Martin was glad he decided to wear another one of his dress shirts instead of something more comfortable.
Sasha’s face finally appeared on the screen, and she looked more casual than Martin had seen her last, wearing a nice big sweater and letting her hair fall down on her shoulders freely. She smiled and greeted them both, before Tim’s face appeared as well. Tim on the other hand was wearing what appeared to be a grey tank top and a pair of sunglasses, as he seemed to be sitting on his balcony. It was a warm day, after all, and it looked like Tim couldn’t be bothered about looking professional at all. It made Martin smile a little bit, imagining himself to have enough confidence to pull off that look. Tim was waving at them through the screen, and Martin allowed himself to wave back.
“Good afternoon. Thank you for joining me again,” sounded Jonathan’s voice through his headphones. “I have sent you a few more statements I was able to record to my laptop, as typing them down is tedious work, but there is a pile that just won’t record on anything else than a tape recorder. I’ve tried everything now -”
“Hmm... Spooky stuff,” Tim interrupted and nodded in understanding. Jonathan looked as if he had personally insulted him but didn’t respond to his words.
“-so, I will continue sending you those by typing them down. Now, tell me about the supplementary investigations you’ve conducted in the last days.”
Martin gave the others precedence and sipped on his fresh tea while they talked. Maybe Jonathan would ignore him again and not even ask about his research. Maybe it was fine that he didn’t get anywhere by calling people that might have been connected to that statement. Considering how he had treated him last time, he probably wouldn’t even ask.
“Martin. What were you able to figure out?”
Fuck.
“Um, well, I tried to find a way to contact Mr. Watts directly, or someone related to him. I also tried to get in touch with the University of Edinburgh, but I think they’re a bit understaffed right now? You know, in light of current events… Anyway, I couldn’t get through to them and they have not responded to my email. Also, I did look through a few websites listing phone numbers of someone called Nathan Watts, but most of them have been disconnected, and I’m not sure if it’s a name that’s very uncommon,” he gave a nervous little laugh, “So… nothing I’ve tried lead to anything, really...”
Jonathan did not respond immediately. Martin was probably imagining it, but it seemed like the other had expected a similar outcome from Martin’s research. He did not look particularly surprised at least.
“Right,” Martin heard him sigh through his headphones, it seemed like he was considering what to say next. “Try to be more thorough next time, Martin.”
“Oh, oh- I-, I will!” and he meant it. He wouldn’t let this job, or his boss, kick his ass like that. “Thank you, Jonathan,” he added, even though he really didn’t know why. There was no reason to thank him, but he still felt like he had to. Jonathan was his boss, after all.
“Right,” Jonathan said again, and seemed to weigh his words once more. “Well, that is all I have to say to you at this point.”
“Hold on, boss,” Tim intervened. “I won’t let you do that again. Now, first of all, I want you to tell me how you are feeling,” and he leaned back in his chair, raising his eyebrows expectedly. “All of you. That includes you, Jon!”
Sasha obliged happily, telling them about the daily schedule she had come up with, and how she thought that her dog is the biggest help in keeping her sane. Tim told them about his workout routine, and that he had started trying to bake his own bread, but so far had failed miserably. Martin really preferred to listen, but after being encouraged by Tim and Sasha, told them that he felt pretty good most of the time. He talked about his current favourite novel, and that he was helping this old lady who lived in the apartment next to him with her groceries, even though she had seemed to hate him before. Then it was Jonathan’s turn to talk, and the video chat grew quiet. He looked at his screen, seemingly exasperated, but then gave in as Tim was still grinning and edging closer to his webcam, being weirdly intimidating.
“Alright, well… I don’t really have a lot to tell you. I’m going through the statements, I am still trying to find a system and I have trouble recording some of them, as I told you before.”
“No, boss. No work talk. Personal talk!” Tim demanded.
Jonathan threw his hands up in defeat, and Martin couldn’t help but find the gesture endearing.
“Fine! I… I watched a documentary the other night. There!” he crossed his arms, apparently satisfied with the amount of personal information he had just shared.
“Ohhh, what was it about?” Sasha asked eagerly. “True crime? Animals? War?”
“Doping in Russia.”
“Oh,” Sasha seemed less interested immediately.
“Wait, there’s something else I need to know...,” Tim’s voice sounded again, seemingly excited, “Jon, can you cook? Or are you living on instant noodles and frozen pizza?”
“Of course I can cook! I am a grown man, Tim,” he responded resentfully, as Martin felt guilty of, well, doing exactly that; he was living on ready meals, frozen pizza and instant noodles mostly. “I have made myself some curry earlier, actually.”
“Damn,” Tim mumbled, and judging from Sasha’s smug grin, he had lost some money right then.
Jonathan cleared his throat, looking back at them seriously. “Well, I really think that’s enough for now. If you want to continue this conversation… I guess I won’t stop you. But I still have some work to do.”
“Thanks boss! Good talk,” Tim responded cheerfully. Sasha replicated Tim’s words, and Martin felt obliged to do the same: “Thank you for your time, Jonathan.”
It had seemed that Jonathan was already about to exit the conversation, but then he paused for a moment. He was definitely considering something, and Tim and Sasha had already left the meeting, so Martin got to look at his face full-on once more.
“Please, Martin. I prefer Jon.”