Chapter Text
Martin grabs the thermos from the shelf, standing on his toes briefly to reach it, smiling as it radiates warmth into the palms of his hands. He pulls the small bag of sugar cubes off of the same shelf, shoving it into his pocket.
If he had the time he would have made it fresh, but since he can’t he figures that any tea is better than no tea, even if he made it before he walked to work.
He slips out of the closet, his steps hurried as he makes his way through the hall, dodging out of the way of the occasional student, trying to be quick so he can get back before his break ends.
Martin hesitates for a moment as he reaches the imposing mahogany doors. He takes a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He’s just doing a favor for an acquaintance, trying to be nice. That’s all.
He pushes the doors to the library open, the smell of old books and dust in places that no one has been able to reach for decades hits him.
Jon looks up from the desk, his eyebrows raising as he sees him.
“Martin?” The librarian says as he pushes his glasses back up his nose.
“Hi, yes, hello.” He replies, hurrying over to the desk. “I, um, well, I brought you some tea.”
He places the thermos on the desk in between them, before fishing the bag of sugar out of his pocket and setting it next to it, all while Jon stares at him, not responding.
“You, uh, well you seemed really stressed when I passed you in the hall, so I thought, I had some chamomile, and it’s supposed to help with stress, so I might as well bring you some.” Martin continues, clasping and unclasping his hands. “I hope you like it. I’m sorry it’s not a book.”
“Thank you.” Jon says softly, looking down at the thermos for a moment, before his gaze returns to Martin once more, a smile on his face. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Martin replies, beaming at him, his cheeks warming as his dazzling hazel eyes look him over. “I wasn’t sure how you like your tea, so I brought some sugar, just in case.”
“This is very thoughtful of you,” Jon responds, pushing a stray strand of dark hair away from his face. “But I don’t have anything to give you in return.”
“Oh you don’t need to do anything at all!” Martin quickly protests, waving his hands as if to wave away the idea. “It’s just a… A favor between coworkers.”
The librarian pauses for a moment, before nodding.
“Well then, I’ll make sure to return this to you.” Jon says, placing a hand on top of the thermos.
Martin smiles at him, before glancing towards the clock. He has a little bit of time until his break is over, he can afford to stay a little bit longer.
“Have you found anything interesting with that book I found?” He asks, tilting his head to the side.
Jon freezes for a moment, the air suddenly becoming thick with tension, before he clears his throat, pulling his now shaking hands behind the desk and out of sight.
“No. No, it’s just an old book. Hardly legible.” Jon answers, his words tight.
“Right.” Martin responds, nodding slowly, doubt building in his mind. “It seemed like a completely normal book when I first found it.”
“Exactly, it’s very ordinary.” The librarian says, nodding along with him, before glancing back down at the thermos of tea. “I should probably drink that before it gets cold.”
“Yes, of course.” He replies, taking a step back away from the desk. “I’ll leave you to it.”