Statement Ends
Martin hung out in the dream archives after he’d kissed Jon goodnight. Seemed like Jon had been having a harder time sleeping since he took over the role of ‘heart’ from Elias. When asked about it, Jon made excuses. Martin’s favorite excuse was when Jon stated something about being lost in thought and not realizing that he hadn’t started sleeping yet. The runner-up was Jon’s flustered response of counting the freckles on Martin’s face.
He let out a pleased hum as he leaned on Jon’s desk in the dream, waiting for him to show up. It was still the weirdest thing to not be separated even in dreams, but it was worlds better than dealing with the Lonely. Though Martin was certain there was still a hint of it, it was just nowhere near as strong as it had been after his time as Peter’s assistant. Perks of inheriting a body from before things went to shit, he supposed. At least the disconnect from before ‘his memories returned to him slowly’ and ‘the him of the future that wouldn’t be’ was far less defined as it had been. He was just all Martin without the effects of his domain from the future.
Even any side effects from being an Archivist didn’t seem to be as pronounced. Maybe it just didn’t suit him as well as it suited Jon? Cause much as Martin disliked what Elias had forced on him, The Beholding really suited Jon much as Martin wished it wouldn’t. Least it wasn’t something more- or well any of the others.
Martin started to fiddle with something on his finger while he had been lost in thought, only to pause and look down at it. He didn’t remember owning a ring. Sure he had one in his bedside table, but that was for Jon. A simple ring with a little purple stone a few swirled designs etched into the band. The one he was looking at wasn’t that. Martin had never seen this ring. It was pretty, though. Bluestone, with some almost eye-looking motifs? It was on-
“Christ!” Movement next to Martin startled him. Jon had finally fallen asleep.
“Hello to you too?” Jon looked unphased, but that clearly was the greeting he’d expected.
“No. just, lost in thought, Jon have you seen-” Martin was about to ask Jon if the Beholding ever gave like a class ring or something, until he looked at Jon’s hand. There was the purple stone ring, the one Martin was going to present with a poem he hadn’t finished drafting.
Jon seemed to notice the ring on Martin’s finger as well.
“Oh. Goddammit.” Jon sounded tired as he started to fade from the dreamscape.
“Indeed.” Martin followed, waking in his bed next to Jon.
“So.” Martin couldn’t help but grin, even though his now ringless finger felt bare.
“It appears our patron decided to foil our engagement plans then?” Jon was sitting with his face buried in his hands, his voice dripping with annoyance.
“Seems so. We could still do it? Our plans I mean. It’s not like we hadn't talked about it before? If I recall, you’d been annoyed at the lack of jewelers in domains who had not cursed rings?” Martin took one of Jon’s hands, leaving the other for Jon to continue his attempts at hiding.
“I, Well, I suppose I didn’t quite have a plan. I was Planning it. Had a few ideas. But they all seem too intricate now.”
“More intricate than the shared non romantic dream archives? Maybe you had a part in it?”
“No. That was not me at all. I wanted to do something-” Jon stopped as Martin turned over and went digging in his drawer. “What are-”
“I’m not going to wait any longer I think.” Martin pulled a little box out and held it out to Jon. “So, Jonathan Sims, The Archivist, Archive of Fears, and love of my life, will you marry me?”
Jon took everything in, opening all his eyes as to not miss a moment. He took in the way that Martin’s heart raced, that little grin mixed with joy and nervousness, and every slightly out of place hair on Martin’s head from the short sleep.
Jon reached out his hand for Martin. “Yes. Of course.”
Placing the ring on Jon, Martin was practically glowing from the joy.
“Its not fair you beat me to it.”
“It’s completely fair. You were just slow, love.”
“Hmph.” Jon’s huff had no bite to it as he crawled out of bed and over to his bag. Pulling out a similar box to what was now empty in Martin’s hand.
“I would still Like to say it.” Jon crawled back into bed. “Will you do me the honor of growing old with me?”
The mixture of timidness and confidence was too much for Martin as he pulled Jon into a hug. “Shit Jon, Yes. A hundred times. ”
Jon returned the hug and they stayed like that for a while before Jon got the opportunity to present Martin his ring.
“Did you notice you picked a ring with an eye pattern on it?” Martin smiled while holding it up to his face as Jon looked dumbfounded.
“A what?”
Somewhere a tape recorder clicked off.