Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Something was wrong. Jon didn’t know how but he knew this for certain.

His circumstances were odd. Kidnapped by evil mannequins, his skin absolutely slathered with lotions, and sitting there letting his would-be murderer tell him about all the ways it had been wronged by his predecessor. One would think any one of those things was where the wrong feeling was coming from but no.

It was hard to explain exactly why or how but there was something in his mind that felt out of place, almost like something volatile and strange was waking up inside of him. Or perhaps it was more correct to call it a someone. Like a true consciousness was worming its way to the surface of his mind.

Michael, the strange distorted being that it was, spoke for some time as this was going on. It told him of Gertrude Robinson and Michael Shelley and ultimately that it was going to have to kill him. But when it cut him free, it stared at him with a kind of curiosity that seemed almost out of place.

“Archivist,” Michael had begun, cocking its head like it couldn’t quite understand what it was looking at, “what have you done now? Surely being in my presence for such a short while didn’t put that there?”

Jon’s heart thumped in his chest, looking at it in confusion. It was made all the worse as its body began to twist and shift, getting far too close to him, so that it could get a better look at whatever it thought he had done to himself. It ran one of its long, knife-like fingers along his cheek and drew back away with just a bit of blood under its nail. With another curious look it tasted the sample it had taken before giving a hum.

“No, this is old.” Michael decided more to itself than to Jon. It then fixed its eyes on him, almost accusatory. “Have you been keeping secrets, Archivist? No, of course you have. Perhaps the better question is how you’ve kept this secret from me?”

Jon desperately wanted to argue that he had no idea what Michael was talking about but he felt the push of this… something the harder he tried to resist. 

“I… I don’t know.” He finally admitted. “I don’t know how it got in my head. I’m not even sure what it is.”

“Why, it’s a person of course.” Michael answered back, almost teasingly. “Jonathan Sims, he always tasted of falsehoods but I could never understand why. But now I see, even you didn’t know. You’re as much a lie as I am. Two peas in a pod, as they say.”

It throws its head back in an echoing, static filled laughter. It gives Jon a headache and almost seems to draw the thing in his mind out faster. Before he even knows what he’s doing, Jon has thrown himself forward, his fist balled up in Michael’s jumper. The fabric felt wrong against his skin, the texture feeling less like yard and more like clay. Almost wet and with far too much give.

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth!” Jon hissed in a tone and accent that was entirely wrong. 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jon’s eyes had gone wide and he had stumbled back and away. Even Michael looked surprised by this, which was perhaps the only reason the little act hadn’t earned Jon yet another scar to add to his ever growing collection.

“What was… that wasn’t me.” Jon insisted, looking to Michael, almost like he needed it to believe him. Almost like he thought it might help him?

But Michael looked back more than a little fascinated. “No, Archivist, it was not. It would seem your new… flatmate is a bit aggressive.” It laughed again, finding far too much amusement in its own joke. “Such a pity I have to kill you when you’ve finally gotten interesting.”

There’s more laughter in the room, though this time it’s coming from Jon. But it’s wrong, it doesn’t belong to Jon anymore that the words that follow do. “I’d like to see you try, you lanky motherfucker!”

Jon’s hands clasp over his mouth and he stumbles away. “Stop!” He demanded to the open room. “Whatever this is, please stop!”

We ain’t dying to this weird bitch. Jon heard from the back of his mind. And we sure as hell ain’t going into one of its fucked up doors.

Jon’s hands quickly found their way, grabbing fistfuls of his own hair. “Who are you? What is this? What are you doing in my head?”

Name’s Jonny d’Ville, captain of the starship Aurora! It answered back proudly. And I’m afraid you’ve got it twisted. This ain’t your body , it’s mine. You are a science experiment that I did not consent to. Don’t worry though, the next time I see Raphaella, I’m gonna fucking kill her.

“That’s ridiculous!” Jon snapped. “Never mind the ‘starship’ bit. How could this be your body? I have memories of my childhood, my grandmother and my family, my-”

A grandma that conveniently passed right before uni. The voice scoffed. Family you never see, have never seen since your gran’s funeral? Don’t even have anything of hers because you didn’t have the space in the dorm? You never thought it was strange that you have literally no family that cared enough to contact you when you got your scholarship or after you graduated uni? Or even check how you were doing after you buried the woman who raised you? Come on, Jon, we both know you’re smarter than that.

Jon was stunned into silence. He tried, really tired, to find the lie in this voice’s statement. He desperately tried to think of even once that he had spoken to any of his family since he started university but… was there one to be found? 

No. That was the simple answer. He hadn’t seen or heard from any of his family since his grandmother passed. They’d barely even spoken to him at the funeral. What did his family members even look like? He struggled to recall any of their faces. Any of their names even. Or his grandmother. What did she look like? What was her name? The woman had taken care of him since he was three years old, how could he not remember her face?

He let out a ragged breath and realized he was crying. Suddenly he couldn’t hold back the sobs that escaped him. Was this real? Was he actually fake? Had he always been this... What exactly? Some cruel joke made up by some literal aliens?

The voice in his mind scoffed again. Are you seriously crying right now? Pal, your life just got 1000 times more interesting. You’re an immortal space pirate! 

“ An immortal space pirate? ” Jon parroted back. “You sound ridiculous right now!”

An immortal space pirate, it continued, who’s also in a band! 

“You are not helping!” Jon was screaming now, the tears all flowing freely. “This is insanity, it can’t be real.”

At that revelation, his eyes fell onto Michael. It looked at him almost like it couldn’t believe all the things it was hearing either. 

“Are you doing this?” He’s almost begging with the way his voice trembled. He needed this to be a lie. He needed this to be one of its horrible tricks.

But Michael looked back, an expression that was in a way filled with forlorn. 

“Someone has done you a great cruelty, Archivist.” It answered back. Its voice sorrowful, just as it had been when it told Jon the story of Michael Shelley. “If it was I who had done this, I might feel a bit of pride in your mania and savor the taste of the sheer wrongness of your being. But to see it from the outside… I do apologize Archivist, but I had no hand in this and it is not something I can take away. The only solace I can offer you is a swift end.”

Michael gestured to its door and Jon was tempted to take the offer. Get this miserable, fake life over with. He managed a single step forward, towards the door, towards Michael.

But a sneer came to his face and that wrong voice, the voice that apparently belonged to Jonny d’Ville, came out of his mouth instead. “I ain’t going in your fucking door.” He spat back at Michael. “And I ain’t dying anytime soon. Or did you miss the immortal part of immortal space pirate. ”

Michael pauses and stares at him for a long moment before it simply nods. “You claim you can’t die? Perhaps you can’t. Then the Archivist has nothing to fear from the Circus. So long as he can escape, without losing his skin of course. Are you willing to risk the end of the world on that possibility?”

Jonny laughed before looking around the room. “Don’t you worry your pretty blond curls about that. You’re talking to the leader of the Mechanisms. Violence is what I do best. Getting out of here’s gonna be easy. And more importantly, it’s gonna be fun.”

And with that Jon’s body was moving but he’d lost anything that could be considered control, could only watch as his hands worked without his permission. There was plenty of junk in this room; mannequins, rope, scraps of wood and metal, all left unattended and within reach of the Archivist. Nikola simply hadn’t thought that he would be able to escape on his own and almost certainly hadn’t thought he would make his own makeshift weapons out of all this junk.

Eventually Jonny was finished with his project. He’d Pocketed several pieces of sharp metal to use as makeshift knives. A length of rope was spooled over his shoulder and a mannequin arm hung over his other shoulder. And finally he had a long piece of rebar that was broken in just such a way that it ended in something of a point at one end and could easily be an effective weapon. This all seemed to please Jonny just fine. Almost like this all was fun for him and Jon suspected it very much was.

Michael, for its part, only watched. It seemed like it wanted to interfere more than once, shifting both on its feet and in its form like it didn't know what to do next, but it never approached him. Eventually it seemed to make a decision, stepping away and going back through its door. Apparently deeming this version of the Archivist capable of handling himself.

Before going it looked back at him, giving a small hum to itself before speaking. “You’ve given me much to think about, Archivist and Space Pirate. I do hope you escape the circus. Seeing what happens from here seems like it will be great fun.” And then it was gone.

“Alright, Jon, ” Jonny spoke up with a grin, either not noticing or not caring about Michael choosing to make its leave, “you ready to see something special?”

I get a choice in the matter? Jon asked, suddenly realizing he could speak, even if only as a voice in his mind.

“No,” Jonny laughed back at him, “just thought I should make sure my ‘flatmate’ isn’t gonna freak out on me when this all starts.” 

I know you seemed eager to gloss over it when Michael bought it up but you realize if they kill us and get our skin, they’re going to end the world?

“Wouldn’t be the first world I’ve seen ended.” He shrugged, already moving towards the door. “Not that it matters because, like I said, we’re an immortal space pirate. Keep up, Jonathan. ”

Jon doesn’t know how but he sighs inside his own mind. This man may very well be the most aggravating person he’s ever likely to meet. Just don’t get us killed… and just call me Jon please?

He only laughed at this and Jon began to wish he could close his eyes until it was all over. But it would seem that now none of his motor functions belong to him anymore, so he might as well let Jonny do the worrying for a change.

It was almost a blur once Jonny got into it. A violent frenzy fueled the man the moment the first living mannequin was in sight. He somehow lobbed the thing clean half with the piece of rebar before smashing its head in. Naturally that alerted everything within earshot and they found themselves being rushed from all angles. Jon was certain this was how he died but instead a flurry of blows followed. Swinging, punching, kicking, even biting, all with a manic laughter that might have matched Michael in its enthusiasm.

At some point the rebar got stuck in a mannequin’s torso but Jonny didn’t falter. He grabbed the mannequin arm he had brought with him and began to swing that instead. Jon couldn’t help but marvel at his odd skill, as though killing things with a severed arm was old hat to this man.

Of course they were hit plenty themselves. Jon felt more than a few blades pierce his skin but Jonny didn’t flinch, barely even seemed to realize the cuts were there and by the time he’d stopped swinging those cuts had already healed themselves. It was terrifying, as far as Jon was concerned but at least it was over.

Can we please leave now? He all but begged.

“Are you kidding?” Jon demanded. “We haven’t even seen Nikola or those Cockney freaks who nabbed you.” 

Jonny, please! I appreciate if you care about what they did to me but I don’t need-

“This ain’t just about you!” Jonny snapped. “This is my body too. Was my body first. This is for me, regardless of how you feel about it.”

He sounded disgusted and continued to march through the building. Flashes came to mind, the month of being moisturized and force fed and restrained. Had Jonny been aware but unable to act this whole time? Or was he only aware now but able to see all of the things that Jon had experienced up until now? Jon didn’t know but he could feel Jonny’s fury boiling over.

And so they went, room by room, killing everything in sight. If it moved, it died. Eventually the mannequin arm broke as well but that was fine, Jonny simply tore a leg clean off a table and began to duel wield it with one of his makeshift knives. And they continued on like that, right up until they finally found what he was actually looking for. 

They found themselves in a large auditorium, on the stage was Nikola Orsinov and Sarah Baldwin, along with something horrible that Jon vaguely recognized was the calliope that had disappeared from Artifact Storage some time ago. But it was horribly wrong and now more made of the people they had collected than the actual instrument itself.

Both Nikola and Sarah barely noticed them at first, distracted by looking over a few new skins they had collected, pieces they intended to add to their choir. Though upon his not so subtle entry, they both turned to see Jonny.

Sarah looked shocked and unsure of what was about to happen but Nikola… they looked oddly delighted.

“Oh, Archivist? Is that you?” Nikola seemed to giggle a bit. “ Whatever happened to you?”

Jonny glared for a long moment before he almost growled back. “Toy Soldier,” he spoke the words like an accusation, “if that’s you, you better take that fucking face off, now! Otherwise, I hope you’re ready to be smashed to bits.”

“Oh!” Nikola says, this time sounding just as surprised as it sounded excited. Its tone then changed, sounding almost robotic and somehow even more unnatural than it already did before. “Jonny! You’re Back. So Good To See You Old Chap!”

Its hand came to its face and the skin it was wearing was immediately ripped away and thrown behind it with little regard. “The Aurora Must Have Finally Come Back For Us. I Can’t Wait To See All Our Friends Again. Shall We Be Going?”

Sarah looked truly lost, looking between who they knew to be Nikola and the Archivist. “I don’t understand. Is this some kind of trick?” She demanded. “Nikola, that’s the Archivist, you’re going to wear his skin for the Unknowing, remember? You’re going to dance the world new.”

“Oh Right, The Unknowing.” The strange wooden figure said and rubbed their chit curiously, almost like they had truly forgotten their life’s purpose. “Jonny, Would It Be Alright If I Used Your Skin For A Magic Ritual? We’re Going To Make An Apocalypse! Doesn’t That Sound Grand?”

“No!” Jonny shouted back at them, throwing his hands up to emphasize his frustration. “No rituals, period!”

“Oh Well.” Nikola shrugged with far too chipper a tone. “Sorry Sarah, Maybe Next Time.”

Jon isn’t surprised when Sarah attacks, not even really surprised that it’s Nikola she attacks rather than him. Grabbing the heaviest thing she could, a large piece of debris, and brought it down on Nikola’s head with a hateful amount of force and then repeated the act several more times.

They only watched for a bit before Jonny got bored and decided to cut in. It hadn’t occurred to Jon that he might actually have a plan for the rope he had gathered, which made it quite the surprise when he managed to lasso Sarah with ease and pull her off of Nikola. He threw her down and before she could get back up he was bringing his foot down on her head, repeatedly smashing it into the concrete floor until it was a mess of bits of plastic and loose skin.

When she finally stopped moving Jonny just grumbled. “Jon, we’ve gotta talk about these nerd shoes. Normally I don’t mind taking my time killing a bitch but I think we gotta invest in a pair a boots, at least.”

I… Jon began but struggled to find the words. Are you serious right now? You were friends with Nikola Orsinov apparently and you just watched her die! But your priorities are on my footwear?

“They ain’t my friend.” Jonny answered back in a dry tone. “And they ain’t dead.”

“No Worries, My Good Man.” Nikola called from its place on the ground, its pieces already seeming to be putting itself back together. “I Will Be Ready To Go In Just A Moment.”

Wha- how?

“Great, while you’re doing that, I’m gonna light this place up.” He warns them, pulling out the golden, spider web lighter that always seemed to be in Jon’s pocket.

“Oh Jolly Good, It’s Been Some Time Since We’ve Done Some Good Arson!”

There's a long pause before Jon dares to speak. Do we… have to wait for them to reform before we set this place a light?

“No but trust me, I’ve set them on fire plenty of times. It’s not gonna keep them down for long.”

For the second time Jon hears himself sigh in his own mind and then wonders what he did to deserve any of this.

Chapter Text

The wax work building took to burning surprisingly quickly. Jon wasn’t sure if Jonny was just particularly good at arson or if the building had always been such a fire hazard. Regardless, they stood there, watching the building burn, puffing through a pack of cigarettes that they had managed to find while they were tossing the building.

Jonny, how long are we going to stay here? Jon dared to ask eventually. Surely you don’t want to be here anymore than I do?

“What, you don’t like a bit of fire?” Jonny teased, though even he didn’t seem to get a laugh out of this. Perhaps he remembered the burn scar on their shared hand because after a long pause he finally spoke again. “We didn’t find the delivery men. You know, ah… whatever the fuck they were called.”

Breekon and Hope. Jon offered. We didn’t see their truck in the car park or the coffin in the building for that matter. Perhaps they’re out on a delivery? 

“Which means they’ll see the fire and probably not stop back here if they do come back any time soon.” He guessed with a sigh. “Fuck! I was looking forward to smashing the creepy Cockney bastards.”

Apologizes for your loss. 

“Oh please, don’t act like you don’t want them dead just as much as I do.” Jonny demanded. 

I don’t know if anyone could want to murder someone as badly as you do, Jonny.

Jonny huffed at this and flicked away what remained of his cigarette. “Whatever, let’s get out of here. We can take one of the cars and be back to the Archive before morning if we ignore the speed limit just a bit.”

Oh… yes, that would be nice, I suppose. Jon sounded a bit confused but at least he wasn’t arguing with him. But what about Nikola?

“Who?” Jonny answered back, sounding baffled for a moment before it clicked. “Oh, the Toy Soldier? What about it?”

Right, the Toy Soldier. That’s its actual name then? Jon sounded dubious of this but carried on. Regardless, you said the fire wouldn’t kill it. So shouldn’t we be waiting for it or-

“Fuck no!” Jonny snapped before he could say another word, now actively making his way to the nearest car. He tested the handle but when it didn’t open he just huffed again and moved on. “Trust me, Nikola is obnoxiously good at finding me, no matter how hard I try to hide. It’ll find us once it’s reformed completely.”

He fiddled with two more cars before he finally found one that wasn’t locked. With a triumphant little laugh he climbed into the front seat. “There’s always someone who’s way too trusting or way too stupid to lock their door. Bet they even left the keys in here somewhere.”

It took only a little digging for Jonny to be proven right. A set of keys sat in the glove box, only the second place he bothered to look and then they were on the road. 

They sat in relative silence for a while but Jon couldn’t help the burning question that kept playing over and over in his mind.

You said we’re going back to the Archive? 

“Yeah?”

Well… why? I assumed you’d be rushing back to your spaceship at this point.

“I… well it's not like I exactly know where it is!” Jonny snapped back, sounding more than a little defensive. “Besides, the Archive is full of stories. They’ll make for great songs.”

The second part sounded almost like he was grasping at straws and Jon couldn’t help but to pry.

Jonny, what’s going on? He insisted. I can tell you want this over with and if I’m being honest, I think that’s what I want too. So why aren’t you looking for the Aurora? 

Jonny gripped the steering wheel and Jon could feel a lump growing in their throat. But he didn’t answer. Almost seemed to be refusing to answer.

After a long few minutes Jon tried again Jonny-

“I don’t know, okay!” He shouted back at him. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me or why I give more of a shit about getting back to your damn assistants than I care about getting back to my ship but I do! I just… I want to know they’re okay.”

Why wouldn’t they be okay?

“Because our boss is an evil psychopath! ”

Our boss? 

Jonny brought his foot down, slamming on the breaks. Luckily there wasn’t another car in sight on the road but Jon still found himself resisting the urge to scold him.

“Would you stop talking?” He demanded. “No wonder so many people want to fuckin’ kill you when you ask all these damn questions!”

Jonny, you understand how this sounds, don’t you? He ignored the way he growled back at him and continued. It sounds like you can’t tell which part of our memories are mine and which are yours.

“Of course I can tell the difference!” He insisted. “They’re all just… blending together a little.”

That can’t be good, not for either of us.

“No, I agree, It’s not.” He sighed. “But unless I find Raphaella and have her get rid of you, we’re gonna have to make this work for now.”

The car started to move again and they sat in relative silence for maybe an hour before Jon finally spoke again.

What did you mean? The question is small, barely audible.

Jonny had been in the middle of singing a rather bleak song about some sort of space tyrant taking a woman captive on her wedding day and he almost missed the question entirely. Perhaps Jon would have even let it go if he had pretended he didn’t hear him. 

But he did hear him and he answered back without really thinking about it. “Huh? Mean about what? The song?”

Jon hesitated for a moment before answering him. Getting rid of me. That’s what you said. You would have Raphaella get rid of me?

“Oh.” Was all he could say at first, his eyes glued to the road in front of him, like it might save him from this conversation. But he knew it wouldn’t keep Jon from asking again, so why waste both their time? “This, uh, this experiment wasn’t supposed to go this way. You, the new mind, was supposed to disappear when I finally woke up. Or at least that’s what Raph said, right before she drugged me and put you in my head.”

I see. He spoke somberly. So how long do I have before I start to fade?

“I don’t know if you will.” 

I don’t understand?

“I think you being connected to that freaky Eye thing fucked everything up.” Jonny admitted. “Like it’s forcefully keeping you alive. It might even be trying to force me out. Or force us to be one person? It’s hard to tell.”

The Eye. The strange, cryptic being that Elias worshiped and by extension the rest of the institute was forced to serve. Jon knew to some extent that the Eye gave him power but could it really do such a thing? Make real an artificial mind? 

What would that mean for either of them? Would they really blend into one being or would it be a fight for dominance? Truth be told, Jon didn’t know if his force of will could over power someone like Jonny. The man was brash and volatile and might hurt them both or perhaps someone else if it meant that he got to keep his body. Might even hurt people in the institute. 

No. That didn’t need to happen. Jon didn’t want to die but he wouldn't put others at risk for him.

Jonny, I don’t want this to end in anyone getting hurt. He confessed. I’d like to say I’m willing to fight you for my life but I was just about ready to die when Michael offered it. So… so if y-

“Would you shut up?” Jonny barked back at him. “I can feel you freaking out in my head and it’s not helping me with driving. Right now we’re gonna focus on getting back to the Archives and then… I don’t know, we’ll make bucket lists or something.”

Bucket lists? Jon asked, baffled.

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “that’s what people do when they think they might be dying, right? Make a list of all the things they want to do before they die. You know, they get all sentimental and shit?”

I suppose but... Jon hesitated for a moment and wondered if Jonny actually cared about any last wishes he might have. Well, if I’m being honest, I don’t really know what I’d put on a list like that.

“Seriously? Nothing at all?” Jonny laughed. “Say goodbye, apologize for your mistakes, punch your bitch boss in the face, make out with that crush of yours you’re always being an asshole to? Hell, maybe even lose your virginity? You have always been embarrassed about that, right?” 

Jon sputtered at that. I… I’m not some blushing teenager! I assure you I don’t have any kind of crush! And… and I’ll thank you for minding your own business when it comes to my sex life. Not like it matters anyway, because apparently I’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of sex for the both of us.

Jonny only laughs harder at this. “Buddy, you know I’ve been in your head this whole time, right? I mean, bless your heart for trying to keep secrets from me but that’s not gonna work. But you know what might work? Asking for a blowjob from M-”

I will be doing no such thing! He answered back in a shrill tone. Besides! B-besides… those types of things have never interested me before! And even if they did it wouldn’t even be me doing any of those things. Or did you forget that you took your body back?

Jonny went quiet to that, suddenly seeming to realize that he was right and that Jon had no control, so there wasn’t really a point to this bucket list idea.

But then something odd happened. Their eyes went blurry and the smell of copper filled Jon’s nose. It took him a moment but eventually he could feel the steering wheel against his palms. He almost swerved off the road in shock but held himself together just long enough to pull over to the curb. 

“Jonny!” He demanded but had to stop because he hadn’t expected the word to actually come out of his mouth. When he finally collected himself, he tried again. “Jonny, what was that?”

I gave you control. He answered back, like it was basically nother.

“Why?”

So you can’t bitch out of making yourself a list. He told him matter-o-factly. If you’re gonna waste what might be your last chance to at the very least makeout with Martin, fine, but don’t act like it’s me that’s holding you back.

“Makeout with Martin?” He snapped at him. “Don’t be ridiculous! Why would Martin ever want to makeout with me?”

He paused, realizing what he had said only a few minutes too late but just in time to hear Jonny laugh from inside his head. Oh, so you really think it’s Martin’s preference that’s kept you two from making this happen?

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” Jon demanded. 

He was laughing at him again and Jon was getting quite sick of the sound of it. I’m just saying, that little crush of yours would be a lot farther along if you weren’t being such a wretched cunt to him all the time. 

Jon sputtered at that, unable to find the words to argue back.

But, lucky for you, it’s pretty clear to anyone with any good sense, so everyone but you , that Martin is crazy about you. He informed him quite helpfully. So my professional suggestion; as a proud omnisexual, who has pleased and been pleased by many a being, is to march into that archive of yours and let Martin know you’ll be taking him to dinner tonight.

“I… I’m his boss! I can’t just-”

Who cares? One of us will probably be dying soon and it ain’t like your HR department can really fire you!

Jon was quiet for a long minute. Staring out into the distance, wondering if it would just be easier to never go back. Just abandon who he was and let the crew of the Aurora find him eventually. Raphaella will remove him without a fuss or a fight and they’ll go on with their lives. But… but there’s also a part of him that very much likes the idea of asking Martin on a proper date and perhaps apologizing for how terribly he had treated him. 

He could try, right? Just a few days or at least until the Mechanisms finally find him. And if it didn’t work out, it isn’t like he was really losing anything. He wasn’t even really a person at this point.

Eventually he put the car in drive and continued on down the road. Jonny made no sound in the back of their shared mind but Jon knew he was still there. Now that he had been made aware of the man, it was impossible to ignore. No way to pretend like it never happened and that his life wasn’t a complete lie, even if Jon really did somehow completely take over their body.

No, he would just have to accept that this was how it was now.

He sighed. “This is going to be a long drive.”

Chapter Text

Jon was exhausted by the time he pulled into the Institute's car park. It was early, though unlike Jonny he had chosen to drive at a reasonable pace rather than ignoring the traffic laws. The voice in the back of his head very helpfully informed him he was a massive pussy more than once during the drive but he opted to ignore it. 

The work day had already started in the Institute, but Jon almost hoped the rest of the Archive team weren’t in. Perhaps they were looking for him, Elias would almost certainly know by now that he had freed himself. He might have even known about Jonny at this point. Maybe knew the whole time?

He would have to face the music eventually, he supposed, so he made his way inside.

Eyes were on him almost immediately. Staff from various departments had been side eyeing him ever since he had returned to work some time ago. Legally he had been cleared of murder but he had still been accused of killing an old man and had gone into hiding afterwards. So it was really no wonder that most of the staff gave him a wide berth. 

But this was different. It wasn’t just suspicion on their faces but genuine fear. Whether it was fear of him or for him he couldn’t quite tell. Either way, no one approached and in fact most of them scurried away as quickly as they could manage.

The only person not to run from the sight of him was poor Rosie. Trapped behind her desk and able to only awkwardly gawk at him as he made his way. She didn’t speak to him, certainly didn’t try to stop him, but as he made his way down the stairs leading to the Archive, he did hear her make a call and very quietly say “Mr. Bouchard?” before he was out of earshot.

“That was odd.” He muttered to himself and heard a Jonny laugh in response.

What do you expect? You're a fuckin’ mess! He told him in a rather mocking kind of way.

Jon paused and looked at himself, finally properly taking his appearance in since leaving the wax works building. He was indeed a mess. Blood and ash and dirt and several other materials clung to him, the lotion he was covered in making it all the easier for it to all cake onto his skin. His long hair, which was always difficult, was a mess and would certainly take hours to wash and untangle. His shirt was ruined, absolutely riddled with holes that were clearly where he had been punctured by something, multiple somethings in fact, which made the blood absolutely covering his shirt look all the more concerning. And of course his shoes and trousers were covered in gore from the many skin stealing mannequins Jonny had stomped on the night before.

No wonder so many people fled at the sight of him.

“Shit.” Was all he could think to say. For a moment he considered fleeing the Institute himself. Perhaps he could run home and shower? Except that his home had been with Georgie and he had disappeared without a word a whole month ago. So who knew if she'd want to see him again? And if he did show up at her door, what would he tell her? 

He couldn't show up to her flat unannounced. He couldn't do that to her again. Especially not when he knew it wouldn't be for very long. After all, he wouldn't exist for much longer anyway.

No, he just needed to be in the Archive for now. It was where his team was. It was where he was perhaps safest in the world. And it was away from Georgie, where he couldn't cause her any more trouble.

Jon pushed through the heavy doors leading to the Archive and only got a few steps in before he heard gasps. To his surprise his whole team was in, even Tim who had taken to avoiding coming to work whenever possible. And they were all looking at him just the same as the rest of the Institute staff.

“Christ, Jon, what happened to you?” Melanie gaped at him. 

He paused for a long moment, trying to process the question before he said the only thing his frazzled mind would produce. “Clowns.”

He felt dumb the moment the word came out, the little laugh Jonny gave in his head not helping matters at all, but immediately a gentle hand was on his shoulders, guiding him to sit. He was vaguely aware it was Martin, who with his ever delicate nature was helping him into his own chair. Not minding that he would ruin it with the mess he was covered in. Jon had to fight with himself not to smile at his worried face and his rust colored locks that just a few hours ago he had thought he might never see again. 

It hadn’t occurred to him until that moment but he was fairly certain he had missed them all terribly while he was being held captive.

“Are you hurt?” Martin asked in a panicked kind of way before he shook his head immediately. “What am I talking about? Of course you are. God, is all that blood yours?”

Martin pushed a bit of his hair out of his face and lightly brushed his cheek, seemingly trying to get a better look at him. It was entirely innocent and certainly didn’t have any ulterior motives but he almost forgot to breathe as his fingers gently glanced his skin. 

In an instant his mind was flooded with images of mannequins digging lotion into his skin and holding his jaw so they could force feed him. Their horrible fingers made of plastic and wood and metal and stolen skin. He couldn’t help it, he recoiled and wretched and felt new tears begin to fall.

Martin pulled away immediately. “Oh, god, I'm sorry Jon.” He insisted at once.

He tried to shake his head, tried desperately to explain himself but no words would come out, only sobs. It was as if all the stress had come back all at once and he was powerless to stop it. Could only bury his face in his hands and fall apart in front of them.

Easy, kid. He heard whispered in the back of his mind. Of the things he expected from someone like Jonny, receiving soothing and comfort from him wasn't exactly on his list. Listen to me, okay? You're having a panic attack. Close your eyes, deep breaths, nice and easy. Good.

Jon was loosely aware that he was following his instructions. His methods seemed to be effective, making him wonder if Jonny ever had such problems himself. Or perhaps some member of his crew? He found that to be quite a strange thought; a murderous, immortal space pirate having a panic attack. Everyone had their issues, he supposed, though he had thought he had outgrown this one somewhere back in uni.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, struggling to control himself but eventually his breathing became regular and he was able to open his eyes again. 

Martin was still beside him but he’d clearly moved and he now held a mug in his hands, looking more than a little worried. Melanie was pouring over her phone, discussing the best methods for helping with a panic attack with Basira, who looked at a loss. Like she didn’t know what to do, like she barely knew him at all. And Tim… well, Tim hadn’t moved, he was still staring at him. There was none of the typical anger that Jon had gotten used to seeing from him and instead there was a look more like worry than anything else. Like he might have looked before Jon had become a complete bastard to him and ruined one of his only friendships.

Very delicately, Martin offered him the mug he was holding. “I got you some water. I think I read somewhere that can with… are you okay?”

“Thank you,” He nodded in a bit of a daze, accepting the water and holding it to his chest like it gave him comfort just to have it. It wasn’t Martin’s tea, something that really might have given him some comfort, but he had thought of him and worried for him and that was enough. “I should be fine now.”

“You should be fine now?” Basira balked back at him. She sounded off, looked a bit off as well. He couldn’t pin her down but it didn’t feel like the Basira he had known before he’d been taken by the Circus. “I don't think I've ever seen you like this before. What the hell happened?”

Wait, is that… it can't be. What're they doing here? No way they were a cop, not even as a joke!

Jon paused, not sure which of them to respond to at first but decided it was more sensible to not acknowledge Jonny in front of the rest of the Archive staff. 

“The Circus.” He started and then hesitated. How did he explain this? “I’ve spent the last month being… held captive by mannequins. They wanted to use my skin for the Unknowing. Wanted it to look nice, I suppose. So they… moisturized me… daily.”

He felt bile rise in his throat and he shuddered at the thought of it again. Immediately he down the water given to him, trying to wash down the vile taste and memories of the last month. He then wrapped his arms around himself as vivid memories of those hands came crashing back to him all over again. 

Was this just going to be the rest of his life? Randomly remembering how he was violated by those things and shutting down? Lord, he hoped not. What a terrible way to live his last few days.

“Shit.” It was Tim who said it. Softly but full of anger. “That’s fucked, they just…” 

He looked like he didn’t know what else to say, just sat there and fumed.

I suppose if anyone would have an opinion on non-consensual touching it would be the Archive's resident man whore. Jonny said, clearly trying to sound playful. 

His joke fell flat with only Jon able to hear it but it also stunned him so much that it managed to chase off the horrible sinking feeling that had been returning to him. It took him only a moment to realize that had been the point. Stun him to calm him down. Perhaps Jonny was more clever than he had originally thought.

That fuck’s that supposed to mean? He faked a bit of anger, which Jon opted not to dwell on, especially as he was addressed outside of his head instead.

“Wait, you’ve been with the Circus the whole time you’ve been gone?” Melanie demanded then.

Jon was a bit surprised by her sudden outburst but he nodded. “Yes, they… ah, they kidn-” he shuddered and paused to breathe. Why was this so hard for him? He was normally quite good at telling stories. It was practically what he did for a living. “Kidn-napped me. Little over a m-onth ago. T-t-t-”

“Jon?” Martin spoke gently, offering him tissue and looking like he wanted to hug him at that moment. He settled instead for lightly placing a hand on his shoulder but somehow such a small comfort felt like more than enough.

He took the tissue, wiping away tears and weeks worth of grime. He scowled at the thing. “Goodness, I must look d-disg-usted.” He gave a worn out kind of laugh.

“You look fine, Jon.” Martin insisted, forcing a smile in spite how sad he clearly was in that moment. “Nothing a bath and change of clothes couldn’t fix.”

Jonny seemed to hum a bit at that. Okay, I’ll admit it. I can see what you like about the guy. He’s… nice. I don’t normally get nice from people.

He had to stifle a laugh but couldn’t suppress the smile, feeling as warm tears were bubbling up all over again. “A bath would be so nice.” He felt foolish saying the words. He was a grown man crying over just the thought of a bath. And perhaps also the way his coworker was smiling at him. But really, truly, a bath would have been so very nice. And it was also quite the nice smile.

Tim brought his fist down on his desk, looking furious and startling everyone. “Elias made it sound like you were away traveling! He must have known they took you!”

Elias, of course he knew. Jonny snarled in his ear. He probably watched the whole time. Probably beat himself off to it. The voyeuristic creep!

Jon resisted the urge to gag yet again at the thought of such a thing. 

“Well, we don’t have to w-orry about the C-cir-cus anymore.” He said with only a bit of a struggle, trying desperately to think of anything other than Elias pleasuring himself to Jon’s suffering. It was only vaguely working, unfortunately. “I may have… I… quite a bit… happened, let's say.”

“I think I’d like to know more than that.” A voice spoke from the entrance to the Archive. Standing there was Elias, looking a blend of curious and confused as his eyes focused on Jon. 

“You have a lot of nerve showing your face down here! You knew he was taken by the Circus and you didn’t tell us!” Melanie snapped at him. “What would have happened if he’d died?”

“Well it’s quite lucky he didn’t.” Elias answered back rather nonchalantly. 

“You could’ve told us where he was. We could’ve found him and brought him home weeks ago.” Basira insisted. She was still looking at Jon in an uncertain kind of way but there was also something undeniably protective there. There was also an anger buried just under the surface, like she was trying to hide it. “Hell, I probably could’ve gotten in touch with some Sectioned officers and gotten their help in dealing with this.”

Elias only rolled his eyes at this. “Don't make assumptions now. While I did know he was taken, I had no more idea where Jon was than any of you did. And we both know you’ve lost your sway among the force, Detective. The best you could have done was get Daisy to look for him, which I wouldn’t have allowed.” To that last part Basira looked almost confused and he carried on. “I’d much rather keep that rabid dog of yours away from my Archivist, when possible. She did already try to k-”

At the same time Elias was speaking Jonny was busy whispering in Jon’s head, sounding just a bit too disgusted for it to be forced or faked. Jon, don’t take this the wrong way but I think our boss wants to fu-

“Please stop talking!” Jon snapped aloud. It was directed at Jonny but it did have the added benefit of shutting Elias up as well. The man looked surprised by his outburst and it gave the others a chance to jump in.

“I call bullshit! ” Tim accused. Not entertaining his claims for even a moment. “You didn’t know where he was, at all? You expect us to believe that?”

“You still should have told us.” Martin added, the hand on Jon’s shoulder squeezed a little more firm. It was oddly nice, grounding in fact. His mind, that might have spiraled out from under him if he kept thinking too hard on the Circus, it felt stabilized by Martin’s soft presents. “Even if you didn’t know where he was, you should have let us know something had happened to him!”

“And what would you all have done, hm?” Elias scoffed. “Scrambled to look for Jon rather than focusing on the Unknowing, that’s what. That would have been a waste of time, proven by the fact that our Archivist made it back safe and sound all on his own. Now that we have him back, perhaps some proper work can be done and you all can return to your own research. The Unknowing is-”

“As I said,” Jon cut him off, his hand came up to where Martin was touching him and he lightly squeezed it. He needed it there to keep grounded, to keep him steady as he slowly stood before his boss. “We no longer have to worry about the Circus. I’ve taken care of it.”

He glared daggers at the older man and the two stared at each other for a long moment. But finally Elias broke the silence between them. “Is that so? Then I expect a statement fully reporting the incident. For now though, I’d like to have a word with you in my office.”

Jon tasted copper and he realized he had been gnawing at the inside of his cheek, unintentionally resisting the urge to say a number of colorful responses. As Elias began to turn to leave, he felt himself shake and found the words, though they sounded far more like they belonged to Jonny than they did him.

“I warn you, Bouchard, you do not want to be alone in a room with me right now.” The words came out sounding very much as a threat, which was good because that’s exactly how Jon intended them.

Elias turned back to him, focusing his cold grey eyes on him. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” He almost taunted.

Jon didn’t even think about it, fury that would have never suited him until that moment boiled up to the surface. He had almost completely forgotten about the makeshift blades that Jonny had shoved into his pockets hours ago at that point, right up until he had mindlessly fished one out and had thrown it at Elias. It was embedded in the older man’s shoulder before anyone was even sure what was happening.

Multiple, surprised screams followed. Martin’s hand was gone in an instant but he didn’t need help grounding himself anymore. Blood was rushing in Jon's ears and drowned them all out like static and adrenaline was pumping through him. He gladly fed into it at that point, letting a manic kind of smile spread across his face.

“It means,” he spoke with venom in his voice, “that in the past few hours I have killed dozens of those things with everything from a table leg to a severed arm to stomping them into the pavement. And I’ve come to learn that I am in fact quite hard to kill. So unless you’d like to be added to the list of things I've killed today, I suggest you get the fuck out of my Archive!”

It took less than a second for Elias to fully process what was happening before he had rushed himself out the door and as far away from Jon as he could get. Everyone watched him go with a kind of muted horror, except for Jon, who couldn’t help the grin spreading ever wider across his face or the chaotic laughter that bubbled up in his chest.

Holy shit, that was awesome! Jonny praised him at first but stopped after a moment. Uh, shit, you good Jon? You seem kinda-

At the same time Martin gave a worried little sound. “Jon! What are you thinking? Do you want to get yourself arrested?”

“I think I’m losing my mind!” Jon answered back with a hysterical laugh, though he didn't know exactly which he was talking to anymore.

Fuck, I think maybe you need to be a little less like me right now. Jonny suggested, as if he could simply turn off the slowly growing mania that was over taking him.

“Hey, hey, easy.” Basira tried to calm him then, somehow clearing the room without him noticing. She was touching his face, looking into his eyes like she might find something unnatural there. Perhaps she even might. “Listen, I think you might be in shock. It’s natural when you’ve been through something stressful like this. Can you tell me your name? Where you were b-”

“I’m not in shock though!” He laughed again, suddenly gripping both of her shoulders far too hard and giving her a hard shake, shocking everyone in the process. “I-” he paused and struggled to fight off another bust of laughter. “I’m not real! And I think it’s all already blurring together!”

Jon, don’t freak out on me already! Jonny insisted. Trust me, just let them go and go to your office. Let’s talk about this.

Before he could even consider the suggestion, Basira responded first.

There was a look in her eyes he couldn't place and before he knew it he was being shoved, hard. He stumbled backwards, going over Martin's chair and falling to the ground. His head met the tiled floor with a loud crack. 

He could hear gasps and cursing and Basira swearing she didn’t mean to and then the world went dark.

Chapter Text

“We have to take him to the hospital!” Was the first thing they heard when they started to wake up. “Look at him!”

“And tell them what?” Another voice demanded back. “All his clothes are covered in blood but he doesn't have a scratch on him! They’ll call the police for sure and then what are we supposed to tell them?”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean-”

“Would you stop apologizing!” Second voice snapped at the third. “We all saw him, there’s clearly something wrong with him. He threw a knife at Elias for Christ sake. Honestly, you should’ve clocked him for good measure.”

“Really? Cuz I think we should give him a medal.” Yet another voice scoffed. “Actually, I think we should have finished the job instead of letting the old bastard run with his tail between his legs.”

Jonny groaned at their bickering and the pounding of his head. “You sure fucked this up fast, huh Sims?”

The silence that filled the room was somehow louder than the arguing that had come before. It took Jonny a second but it dawned on him that not only had he somehow found himself in the driver seat but that he had very much just said that out loud. The assistants all almost certainly assumed he was Jon at that moment, because who else would he be? Which meant that was who he’d have to be, at least for the time being.

That was alright. Jonny was a professional, he lived for the stage almost as much as he lives for bloodshed. He could pretend to be his nerdy little double. He already had plenty of practice when he played Lyf on stage. Playing Jon would be easy.

Slowly he sat himself up. He rubbed the back of his head and found his hair there was wet, covered in blood he suspects, which would make him even more of a mess than he already was. It was right where his skull had apparently cracked open. It had already healed and it certainly wasn’t the first time it had ever happened to him but it still wasn’t pleasant. Not to mention that Jon would be unfamiliar with such a feeling. He might have even briefly died from the damage, which was probably why they all looked so upset.

It was a bit surprising that a shove from one of their assistants could do so much damage though. She was a cop but she was still human, he assumed. 

Unless of course they weren't human at all, which he was quickly suspecting might be the case. That may be a conversation he needed to have with Jon at some point.

Speaking of Jon, he was there and awake, Jonny could feel him, but he was quiet. There were waves of fear, frustration, and embarrassment coming from the other man. He was ashamed to have lost control like that but also terrified to have yet another brush with death. That wasn’t surprising but if he was going to be Jonny d’Ville, he was gonna have to get over that fast.

… 

Not that he would become Jonny. No, Jonny more than planned to take his body back. There was no way he would lose his body or his consciousness to someone like Jon. He might’ve liked the kid and might’ve even felt bad for him but he wouldn’t lose himself for him.

“Jon?” A soft voice got his attention. He didn’t even have to look up to know it was Martin saying it. He was slowly approaching him, like Jonny was a frightened animal that might run at the slightest of movements. “Are you… your head, it healed really fast after you fell but… well, I still think we need to be sure you’re okay. So-”

“Martin!” Tim scolded the other man, grabbing his arm holding him firm before he got too close. “I told you to stay away from him. He’s going psycho, he said so himself.”

Martin wore a distressed look, he didn’t fight being held but he did glance between Tim and Jon almost like he was being forced to choose between the two. “He wouldn’t hurt us.” He insisted. “Elias is one thing but-”

“But what?” The other man demanded. “Did you miss the part where he was taken by the Circus and now that he’s back he’s clearly different?”

Both Martin and Jonny made disapproving sounds to this.

“I’m not-” Jonny started but froze up. Fuck! How did Jon sound again? Kinda like a posh prick, right?

Martin spoke up before he could really recall. “Tim, he’s been through a traumatic experience. It’s like Basira said, he’s probably going through shock now. Or did you forget that?”

“Did you forget we found more of those knives in his pockets?” He let Martin go then but made himself a barrier between the two of them, like he thought they might rush to each others’ sides. “Exactly how many people did you expect to stab today, boss?” 

Jonny visibly ruffled at the question. He knew how he would respond to that question. It was simple really. You could never have too many knives. A certain marquess had taught the Mechanisms that lesson quite some time ago. But Jon? How would he respond? 

Rather unhelpfully, the man was still quiet, not giving anything that might have been a good answer to the question. It was honestly kind of rude, as far as Jonny was concerned. He would have walked Jon through dealing with the Mechs… unless of course it was funnier not to do so, he supposed.

Hmm… perhaps they were both the problem here?

“Shit, I think he might actually be broken.” He heard Melanie say, which suddenly made him realize that he hadn’t responded to the question and had just sat there staring off into space for… he didn’t actually know how long, if he was being honest.

“Can we please take him to the hospital now?” Martin insisted. He looked worried and was ringing his hands nervously more and more the longer they stood there doing nothing.

“I don’t know if that’s a good Idea. What if he gets violent again while we try to get him there? You want a fight to break out in a moving car or in the tube?” Basira said, looking at him with her own kind of worried expression. It still wasn’t quite right, from the memories Jon seemed to have of her.

But that didn’t totally matter because Jonny was almost certain he knew that face. Had known it for a long time in fact. But he couldn’t say it, not here, not in front of the rest of the Archive staff. Later, when they were alone, they would have to have a conversation, which may or may not end in him cutting an old friend open.

“Look, just call Daisy and get her here.” Melanie suggested, looking to Basira expectantly. “She can help us get him to the hospital safely and if he freaks out again she’ll just fuck him up. Easy fix.”

“Maybe I don’t want someone to fuck him up!” Basira snapped, making them all recoil in surprise. She seemed to realize her mistake and pulled back immediately. “Look, I’m-” 

“Yeah, we know, you’re sorry.” Tim huffed. “You’ve been weird all day and it’s starting to piss me off!”

“Tim, that’s not fair.” Martin immediately stepped in trying to defend her. “It’s been a weird day for everyone and she said the other night she’s been having headaches and strange dreams-”

“Oh, here we go!” He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know, Martin, what do you think it means?” Tim demanded. “Couldn’t be that I’m just sick of hearing you defend our shit boss or the cop that threatened us. No!”

“That’s not-”

“Could you for once stop trying to protect the people who treat you like shit? What’s next? You gonna go make Elias a cup of tea? Have lunch with that thing from the tunnels?”

“Hey!” Jonny growled. He staggered to his feet and Basira was immediately by his side, helping him up. Her skin was hot against his own and he Knew in that moment that she wasn’t Basira. But he couldn’t focus on that in that moment. Right then, he had other things on his mind. 

“That’s enough.” He told Tim, his voice firm and his glare dead focused on him. “You can be pissed at me all you want but Martin didn’t do anything wrong here.”

“No, of course not.” Tim scoffed. “Not like he’s been defending you for the last five minutes after you brought a bunch of weapons into the Archive, stabbed our boss, and then fucking died! Your heart wasn’t beating at all, do you know what?”

“Oh, like you all don’t hate him just as much as I do!” He lost his temper almost immediately and with it what little of Jon’s posh accent he’d managed to find was going with it. 

Fuck, he really wished he had practiced his cadence before they’d gotten to Institiute. He could hardly do warmups now, they’d all think he’d lost it.

Luckily Tim seemed to miss the slip up, more focused on his overwhelming anger at the other man. “Did you forget the part that killing him would kill all of us? You think I wouldn’t have strangled the man by now if I really thought it wasn’t an option. But I’m not looking to kill all the people in the Institute, unlike you. Then again, you apparently bounce right back from death. So it’s not like it matters to you.”

“I mean we don’t actually know it’s not an option.” Melanie piped up before Jonny could defend himself. “You all might be keen to believe that he’s telling the truth but I’m pretty sure he’s full of shit! I say we each take one of Jon’s knives, go up to Elias’ office, and fucking Caesar his ass.”

Martin pinched the bridge of his nose and Tim crossed his arms and glared at her, making it clear that this wasn’t the first time she’d made this kind of suggestion. Possibly not even the first time since Jon had been knocked out. Which was saying something, given that he had only been out about five minutes.

In spite himself, Jonny couldn’t help the crooked smile from forming on his face. “You are an extraordinarily angry person, do you know that?”

Melanie gawked at him and practically growled in response. Jonny hadn’t heard many humans genuinely growl. Jonny growled sometimes, some of the other Mechs did too, but most humans didn’t, they just didn’t have that kind of anger in them. But Melanie King, this woman had a lot of anger in her, a lot more than he realized until she was letting it out.

“You wanna see anger?” She’d demanded and immediately she was swinging at him.

He hadn’t meant to rile her up but it occurred to him at that moment that there really wasn’t any way for that comment to be received other than upsetting her. To be honest, he wasn’t even really mad about it, though he was surprised how much it hurt.

For being such a tiny woman, she sure did hit hard. Her first blow hit him square in the jaw and he swore it loosened a tooth, the second broke his nose with a loud crack, the third went to his gut and knocked the wind out of him. That was around the time Jon decided he was done being quiet.

Jonny, this is fucking painful, he pestered him, either run or at least stop her!

As if he would ever run!

He caught her wrist the next time she swung at him and repeated the act when she swung her other fist. She tugged to free herself but with only a bit of difficulty he held her firm.

“That's enough.” He warned her. His voice had lost anything that might’ve sounded like the Jon they knew. He had thought it might startle her and get her to settle down but it only seemed to have the opposite effect. 

Melanie looked like she was going about as feral as Jonny normally might have when he went into battle. It was admirable and for the briefest of a moment he couldn't help but think what a good Mechanism she might have made, if he were so cruel as to gift immortality to yet another poor soul. And then she knees him in balls and suddenly he was decidedly more pissed off than anything else.

Relax, don't hurt her! Jon pleaded, like the bleeding heart he was. 

But Jonny wasn't quite as sentimental. He wouldn't kill her but, oh , was he ever going to hurt her.

He released hold of one of her arms but it was only to make it easier when he brought the other one down over his knee. The crack was audible and the scream that came with it was agonizing, it was followed by a chorus of others screaming at the sight of her elbow bending in the wrong direction. He let go of her then, before kicking her hard in the chest and sending her tumbling away from him and onto the ground. 

She clutched her arm, both screaming and struggling to breath all at once. “My arm! I’ll fucking kill you!”  

Alright, so she hadn’t learned her lesson then? He balled his fist and took a step towards her. And then two things happened at once.

Jon screamed in his head. Jonny, fucking stop! You’ve made your point, please just stop! 

Before he could consider this, the wind was knocked out of him yet again. A hard body slammed into him and he found himself on the ground all over again. Much to his surprise, Martin had shoulder checked him, slamming into him as hard as he could. 

Jonny wasn’t so surprised by the fact that he could do it, Martin was a much bigger man than him and he had gotten quite scrawny in the roughly ten years Jon had been in control. What did surprise him was that he would do it at all. As far he could tell he liked Jon quite a lot and didn’t like Melanie much at all. If anything, he assumed Martin would have stood by as a passive observer but this surprised him. It was impressive and even kinda hot.

… wait, what?

Why was this kinda hot? Oh… oh no… that was not good. He most certainly didn’t have time to unpack all of that at the moment. 

“Have you completely lost your mind?” Martin yelled at him but he was too far gone, stuck in his own head and absolutely kicking himself, though arguably for entirely the wrong reasons.

Not far from them, Tim was beside Melanie, looking between her arm and Jonny. He looked more scared than he did angry. It was hard to tell if that fear was for Melanie or of Jonny but he was clearly trying to ease her up off the floor and away from her assailant. 

Melanie was still screaming. She was clearly in pain but she was still making threats, still saying how she planned to kill him. It was honestly concerning. Even Jonny knew when to accept his limits, when they so rarely arose, but she seemed keen to attack until there was nothing left of her.

“Something is very wrong with you.” He said it not to be rude but because he Knew it to be true. He didn’t know what it was exactly but still he Knew, something hateful was buried in her and it was making her a danger to both herself and others.

“Fuck you!” She screamed, still fighting as Tim dragged her out of the Archive. “Something’s wrong with you! You’re an absolute lonenatic!”

“Martin!” Tim called out as he forced her away. “Let’s go. I’ll carry her out, you call emergency services.”

The bigger man looked between Tim and Jon. He looked a blend of worry and almost defeated the longer he looked at Jon. 

“I… go on ahead.” He sighed. “I’ll make the call but… just give me a minute.”

Tim gave him a hard stare and a scoff. “Fine,” before he turned to look at Basira instead. “ Do not leave them alone together. And if he attacks again, fucking do something about it this time.”

Basira didn’t respond, only watched as he continued out of the Archive.

They could still hear Melanie screaming and fighting for a while as she was dragged away. By then Jonny had stood back up, though as he did Martin had noticeably stepped away from him. 

Surely he didn’t think he’d actually hurt him. Then again, he hadn’t really done anything to make him assume otherwise, had he?

Please, please don’t. Jon was practically begging at this point. You’ve done enough. Just leave the Archive or hide in my office. Anything. Just please don’t hurt him.

Shit, Jon too? Did everyone assume he was just a monster? He wasn’t gonna hurt Martin. Martin was half the reason they were here!

“Martin, I… uh…” he began, trying to be delicate, to find the words to explain himself but none were coming.

“Save it.” He didn’t yell this time but he was firm. “I understand that something must have happened when the Circus took you, something you haven’t told us yet, but this isn’t okay. You can’t just attack people.”

“She attacked me first!” Jonny insisted but felt almost like a child as he said it. The glare Martin was giving him didn’t make the feeling any less.

“You stabbed Elias and broke Melanie’s arm! And I don’t know how but you’re suddenly rather good at fighting.”

“Well, for all you know, I was already rather good at fighting.”

Both Martin and Jon both scoffed at the very suggestion.

“And the way you looked when you broke her arm!” Martin shuddered then, looking disgusted. He’s seen that look before but never in his life had it felt so terrible to see it. “You enjoyed that. Don’t try to deny it, we all could see it. So forgive me if I don’t buy the excuse of she started it.”

He resisted the urge to point out that she had, in fact, started it. Instead he looked down and away from him. He’d never felt ashamed to have gotten into a fight before. He could only assume it was Jon’s doing. That had to be the reason because Jonny d’Ville most definitely would not feel shame for something as silly as upsetting some mortal.

Even if that mortal was handsome and had cute freckles and could absolutely take him to the ground just by slamming into him and… and… oh gods no, this could not be happening!

Are you… you can not be serious right now. I forbid this, absolutely not!

Jonny couldn’t respond. Just stood there wide eyed, like a deer in the headlights. Because fuck! What had this nerd done to him! He didn’t get crushes! He certainly didn’t get crushes on weak like mortals!

Martin sighed, seeming almost resolute. “Look, Tim and Melanie are probably gonna call the cops. If Elias hasn’t already, of course. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help you in the meantime. I can maybe get you some clean clothes? All I really know is you need to cool off. I don’t know what's happened to you but you need to get this out of your system. Now.”

He was already turning and walking towards the exit. It felt bad to see him go, like he was being abandoned.

“Where are you going?” He dared to ask. He wouldn’t blame him if he was running away but there was a part of him, that he really hoped was actually part of Jon, that desperately wanted him to stay.

“I have to catch up to Tim. Then I guess I’ll see about getting you some clean clothes.” He shrugged without turning around, like it was obvious. “I’ll be back in a little bit. Try to clean yourself up. There are old showers on the other side of the building. They're rarely used and the water pressure is pretty bad, at least they were before Prentiss attacked, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll bring you what I can find, but I don’t have much that could fit you.”

Jonny just nodded, to all of it really. A shower would be nice, as would some new clothes. Moreover, he just needed to be left alone for a little while. He and Jon needed to talk, he suspected.

So as Martin left, Jonny followed behind. He paused only for a moment to look back. Basira was still there, silent and watching it all unfold with far too much interest. He needed to talk to them too but they would have to deal with that later. For now, he marched up the stairs.

Chapter Text

Finding the showers was easy enough. Rosie knew exactly where they were and she was clearly keen to send them as far away from her as she could get them. Jonny ignored the looks they got, he walked with far more confidence than Jon ever could, especially when he was covered in blood.

Eventually they made their way to a dingy little locker room connected to a communal shower. The walls and floor were all tile, an ugly shade of yellow that was almost certainly the result of age and not design. There were four rows of lockers, all painted a dark gunmetal grey, though the paint looked as though it had seen better days and was barely holding on. A dozen shower heads lined the walls and there were cobwebs in basically every corner, though no there were no spiders in sight.

He could only guess why the Institute would even have a communal shower and digging in his head, Jon didn't seem to know either. That was fine, he supposed. It wasn’t like knowing would help anyways.

Instead he dug through the lockers. People tended to forget things at times and they were just fortunate enough that a few someones had forgotten their various shower supplies. They came away with a bounty of old shampoos and body washes, and a few dried out bars of soap. Some were old enough that they simply weren’t usable but a few were newer. Evidence that someone must still use the showers at times. 

Digging through one last locker he almost gasped. There they found a bottle of lotion, newer than most of the other things had found so far, and their gut tightened at the sight. It was almost like a muscle spasm, their arm threw the offending object away without either of them meaning to do it. It practically exploded against the far wall of the locker room and made quite a mess. Jonny paused once the act was done. He didn't know if that had been him or Jon. It was something that perhaps he would have done but he really hadn't even thought about it before the lotion had gone flying.

He decided not to think about it too hard and Jon mercifully didn’t comment about the action either. Perhaps he was wondering the same thing, who had been responsible for that outburst but was too awkward to ask.

Instead they went back to what they had collected. It wasn't much and it wasn't the best but at least it would help wash away the blood.

“Let's get this over with.” Jonny began to undress, though had to pause halfway through. “Are you seriously getting embarrassed right now?”

Well excuse me! Jon huffed. Not a lot of people tend to see me naked.

“It’s my body!” He reminded him.

No, it’s our body. 

“Would you please make up your mind?” Jonny demanded as he finished getting undressed. “A few hours ago you were fine with me finding Raph and having her cut you out of me and now it’s our body? I’m starting to think you don’t know what you want.”

After your display back in the Archive? Jon scoffed. I have to question if you even value your own life, let alone anyone else's. So no, I think maybe I might be tempted to fight for my life. Because, quite frankly, I don’t know if you should be given full control!

“Hey, fuck you!” He growled back at him. “I’m being pretty fucking gracious to you, considering that you’re the parasite here, not me!”

He turned the shower on as they argued and indeed the water pressure was fairly abysmal. It was also cold and was taking its sweet time to warm itself up.

“Fuck, this sucks.” He griped “Even our shit dorm showers in uni were better than this.”

My shit dorm showers. Jon corrected, his tone sounding a blend of bitter and hurt. I highly doubt you have any kind of formal education whatsoever. 

Jonny scowled at that before pausing and taking a deep breath. He thought back to Brian, back when he had tried to teach Jonny ways to control and express his anger productively. At the time he hadn't been any kind of grateful for the guidance and had outright shot the brass bastard several times over for his trouble. But now he was reevaluating things. 

That wasn't a great sign for his own mental state but perhaps he could at least use the moment of weakness to make nice with Jon. They were stuck together, they should at least try to get along.

“Look, you’re upset, I get and appreciate that. I shouldn’t’ve called you a parasite.” He started as gently as he could. “But I’ll have you know that I am in fact highly educated on far more than my fair share of topics. Definitely more than you.”

Okay, so maybe he was still being a little petty. Sue him. But to be fair, Jon was the ass first this time around!

Jon hmphed at that. Oh really? Surprisingly, he sounded almost interested. 

Good, it was a start and bridges had been built with less. Not necessarily by Jonny, but still.

“I’ve been alive for hundreds of years.” He explained as he stepped under the water that was finally warming up. “It may surprise you to learn but I do sometimes become interested in learning about new worlds and the stories they hold.”

Did any of those stories ever teach you that it’s wrong to beat the hell out of a coworker?

Jonny hummed with a fake thoughtfulness at the question before shrugging. “Nope.”

Jon gave a frustrated grunt but said no more.

There was a long enough quiet between them that Jonny decided they must be done talking. Instead he focused on actually showering. He went to work aggressively scrubbing and clawing at their skin, trying to scrape away a month’s worth of lotion and general filth, on top of the blood that didn’t seem to want to come off. They made progress but it was long and slow going.

But eventually Jon piped up again. Something is wrong with Basira.

“Yeah, you noticed that too?” Jonny nodded along while trying his very best to get a knot out of their hair. Their hair had always been long and thick and Jon had always needed special products to treat it. The whole shower was going to be an uphill battle and Jonny was not looking forward to it. He yanked at the knot a little hard and refocused on Jon. “That’s cuz they’re not Basira at all.”

Yes, exactly! Jon seemed to almost beam at the realization that Jonny saw it his way as well. She’s clearly someone else! I suspect she may have been replaced by a servant of the Stranger, just like Sasha. 

“What? Don’t be stupid.” Jonny scoffed. “They aren’t the Not Them, their Ashes.”

No, think ab- Ashes? Who exactly is Ashes?

“Ashes O’Reilly, quartermaster for the Starship Aurora.” Jonny answered back rather proudly. “I suspect they’ve been watching us this whole time, probably just for the fun of it. By now they can definitely tell that somethings wrong with us and that I'm back.”

But then, what does that actually mean for Basira? Was she never a real person or just a stolen identity? Jon sounded more upset than Jonny thought he’d by the revelation that the woman might have been a fake all along. He honestly hadn’t thought Jon would care so much if she was just a forged identity but his hurt sounded surprisingly genuine. And then what about Daisy? Is she part of your crew too or just someone who they used to make a more convincing cover story? 

Jonny could only sigh. “Honest? I don’t know anything about Basira before you met her. Though, if we do take on an alter ego, it’s typically created rather than stolen. Unless it's more convenient or fun to steal it. As for Daisy, she isn’t anyone from the crew.”

But those two… they seemed so close. I always figured… well, you know.

“No doubt. Probably part of Ashes’ game.” He agreed and reluctantly felt bad how unsurprising something like that would be for Ashes. “Ashes can sometimes be a… messy bitch, let’s say.” 

Jon gave a scoff, which seemed to be the only thing keeping him from laughing at the comment. Is that right? Do tell? Jonny couldn't help but be compelled to continue. 

“You know how it is. Come to a new system, break a few hearts, manipulate a few factions, topple a government here or there, burn down a planet if it feels right. The only people they can really keep a proper relationship with are the other Mechanisms… Well, sometimes. We can all be kinda on and off, ya know?”

No? Jon sounded baffled by the very suggestion. And likely also confused by the statement about burning down entire planets. Best not to get into that, for the time being.

“Look, there are very long gaps of time in space travel, sometimes even years. That can get lonely, even for hardened space criminals. So sometimes we shack up and sometimes we just hang out and sometimes, for the truly depraved, we even date.” He gave a somewhat disgusted sound but Jon could tell it was forced. 

Revolting, truly. Jon laughed then. A genuine laugh, not forced or fake. Is that why our heart was racing while you were fawning over Martin?

“Okay, one, I don’t even have a heart, so jot that down!” He snapped back at him, perhaps a bit too aggressive. “Two, it’s not my fault your dumb little feelings are mixing up with mine! It's overflow coming from you and nothing more.”

Oh please, Jon forced a scoff but there was still a kind of fondness in his tone. If I had control of my eyes right now, they’d be rolling so hard it would knock us out in the process. 

“Y- fuck off, Sims.” Jonny snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration. “It's not my fault your emotions have ruined me. I can't be having some fuckin’ office romance!”

He attempted to go back to just showering but Jon was persistent. 

You know you’re allowed to like him, right? I know what I said before but we do share a body after all. It’s not like I own him or anything and, well, he is quite easy to like. Jon chuckled both at his own fondness for Martin and at how upset Jonny seemed to be getting. Besides, if you really, actually want me to ask him out like you said, we’ll have to tell him about this anyways. Tell all of them, really.

Jonny gave an almost offended sound. “I know that! I wouldn’t let you get into some kind of relationship with anyone while I was in your head. Not if they didn’t know about me. That’s just fucked up.”

Well, yes, I suppose it would be. He agreed. Though I wouldn’t have expected you to have such strong feelings on the matter.

Jonny growled back at him, throwing the soap he was using away to better focus on him. “Look, I know you don’t think much of me but I have rules, personal rules. Every crime is fair game: murder, theft, tax evasion, driving without a license, hell I’ll even bet on an octokitten fight here and there.”

Octokitten?

He ignored him and carried one. “Any crime, unless it’s sexual. That just ain’t right. You get me?” That seemed to stun Jon into silence. “So if I get involved with someone, whether it’s taking them to bed or even if it’s just some sloppy makeout in some dive-bar somewhere, it’s not gonna be under false pretense. So if I didn’t insist on Martin knowing, I would just be a creep. And if you’re gonna be part of me, you follow those same rules.”

I… I didn’t mean to make it sound like I thought you were some kind of… predator or anything like that. Jon insisted. I just, well, I wouldn’t have expected a murderous pirate to have such a respectable code. Jon sounded like he really, sincerely respected him for it. And, I mean of course, I wouldn’t dream of doing anything of the sort. Not to Martin or anyone else. 

“Good.” Was all he said back to him. 

An uncomfortable silence sat between them. Jonny did often have those kinds of talks with people but the few times he had to, they were always awkward and were typically with someone he could just shoot and walk away from. But he couldn’t exactly shoot Jon, certainly couldn’t walk away from him. He just had to hope that the awkward silence between them would last until the shower was done and over with.

But, as ever, Jon was never quiet for long.

What did you mean about your heart?

He gave a long groan in response. “Do you ever shut up Sims?”

You said you didn’t have a heart? You can’t seriously expect me to not ask questions about something like that. So was that a metaphor or-

“No?” He sighed and then gentured to his chest. “I litera…my heart.” Jonny said it quietly, almost absently. And that was almost more worrying than if he had shouted it.

When he didn’t elaborate further, Jon spoke up again. What? What’s wrong? I don’t feel anything.

“Yeah, no, we’re not hurt or anything,” he explained but he sounded confused in his own right. “But it’s missing.”

Missing? He was confused now too. I don’t understand. You said before you didn’t have a heart but now you say it’s missing? And how can you even tell? There’s not even a scar there to indicate it’s been removed.

Jonny ignored him, instead putting his hand over where his heart should be. How had he forgotten about his heart? His Mechanism? The thing that literally made him immortal? It wasn't like the thing could just be removed. It had to be there, right? How else was he healing so fast that his nose was already healed? 

It had to be a trick.

He pushed and probed and… there it was. Hidden somehow but certainly there. He groped over the thing a bit more, looking for something that didn’t belong, before he eventually found what he was looking for. It looked vaguely like a mole, which was almost certainly the intention. He pulled and it put up a surprising amount of resistance, but with enough force it came off with only a bit of pain.

It was small and round, made of a brown, flexible rubber on top that appeared to be a type of synthetic skin. On the bottom was eight little, metal prongs that were meant to firmly root the thing in place. Jonny had never seen the design before but he could tell what it was with relative ease. A cloaking device.

And with it gone, embedded into the left side of his chest, there was his heart right where it belonged. Brass and mechanical and familiar. 

That… that’s it? Your heart?

“Our heart.” He corrected. Ever the contrarian, it seemed. “But yeah.”

And what exactly is that? He didn’t need to elaborate for Jonny to know what he meant.

“It’s quite clever actually.” He inspected the thing, rolling and pinching it between his fingers until it was crushed beyond repair and then he flicked it away. “Using such a tiny cloaking device, small enough it wouldn’t be noticed for years but just big enough to hide our heart. Gotta hand it to Raphaella, when she does evil science, she does it right.”

Right. Jon hesitated but his curiosity got the better of him much too quickly and he couldn’t help but to pry further. So why do we have a metal heart?

“Eh, it’s kind of a long story.” He started but then a smile grew on their face. It had been a while since he’d put on a proper show. “One told best in song.”

Oh lord. Jon groaned. Do I have a choice?

“Sure, I can tell you the story or I can not, those are your choices.” He laughed a bit. He could tell Jon was joking to some extent and he couldn’t help but joke back. If he really didn't want him to sing, he could tell him about Dr. Carmilla and the Mechanisms easily enough. But where was the fun in that?

But Jon sighed in an almost playful kind of way. Alright Jonny, sing me a song.

Jonny smiled a little wider and began. “I suppose the best and most interesting place to begin would be my own story. You see, I come from a small world of New Texas. Where the red giant beats down, dying everything a deep crimson-”

Chapter Text

The story of One Eyed Jack’s was an interesting one. Admittedly, Jon didn’t know what to do with the knowledge that Jonny had killed his own father but as he sang he swore he could feel what Jonny did. How somber the song made him, like he was still that young man, still holding the gun and watching their father bleed out. He could hear their father forgive them and felt the tears that stung their eyes as they said goodbye.

It was strange and concerning in many ways but it also made him understand why he would sing such a song. Because it was more than just putting on a show or telling a story. It was therapeutic, as odd as it sounded. Because even after hundreds of years, Jon Knew that Jonny still thought back on his old world, to a father he still loved, even if he tried to hide it. More than that, he Knew Jonny's regret, even if he would never admit it out loud.

So he was quiet and he let him sing until the song was done. And when it was over Jonny waited for the questions he fully expected to come. Because Jon always seemed to have questions. But not this time, this time he didn’t ask any of the number of questions that came to mind. Instead they stood quietly under the spray of the shower, their eyes burned and their breath warbled but neither were willing to acknowledge it.

Jonny didn’t get sad over the songs the Mechanisms sang, hadn’t genuinely cried in a few hundred years and yet he could feel Jon feeling his own emotions and then he felt those feelings right back. To be frank, Jon was a much more emotional person than he had ever been; those emotions almost seemed to magnify his own. Like an echo it bounced off of the two, back and forth. It was overwhelming in a way but it also almost felt nice, Jonny thought, to for once just let himself feel something he’d long since buried.

But then came the distorted, mad giggling and any pleasant thoughts were dashed away all at once. 

Jon yelped and jumped in surprise at the first crackle of static. With absolutely no grace at all he managed to slip and fall on his ass. The pair of unnatural voices seemed to cackle even harder, giving him a headache and making his teeth hurt in a way that certainly wasn't natural. 

“Well now, that was a fun story, wasn't it?” An odd, static filled voice spoke. “They do know how to put on a show, don’t they?”

“Indeed.” Another, equally unnatural voice giggled. “I told you, didn't I? Much more interesting now.”

With a groan Jon realized that somehow him being startled had forcefully taken control back from Jonny. He didn't love that. Especially given that they apparently had guests.

Slowly he turned to see two figures standing in a doorway at the far side of the showers. A doorway that certainly hadn't been there before. 

It took him a moment to fully process what he was looking at. He knew the Distortion, was barely surprised by it anymore but then why was there a second? The first of the figures he knew better than he cared to but the second figure took him a moment to identify. More than that, once he did recognize her, he found him baffled by why she looked like that.

The two were so similar. Impossibly tall and unnaturally thin, their fingers like knives, their hair big and curly though not quite in the same ways, their physical forms almost blurred at the edges, and they both sported toothy cheshire grins that were much too wide. 

But they also seemed to contrast each other almost too perfectly for it to not be intentional. One pale, with wheat blond hair, while the other had darker skin and was a dark brunette. The first wore casual clothes; a pale yellow jumper, faded jeans, old boots, and an oversized scarf that was a terribly ugly shade of lime green. The other was dressed rather sharp, if the pun could be forgiven. A white dress shirt under a deep, almost over-saturated purple suit jacket with a pencil skirt to match, and a pair of black heels that audibly kicked as she made her way fully out of the doorway.

He never would have guessed the Spiral might have a sense of design, or irony for that matter. But the two seemed almost like they were made to be each other's foils. At least in appearance, because in practice they were linking their arms and leaning into each other in a surprisingly friendly way.

Jon was slack jawed for a moment and began to stand as he stared at the pair, never taking his eyes away if he could help it. He may need to run from these two. Jonny might have been capable but he wasn’t sure he could fight off the Distortion, let alone whatever this new entity was.

“Michael.” He began once he was fully off the ground. 

The blond looked almost coy as it twiddled its fingers in his direction. “Hello Archivist.”

Then he looked at the second figure. He knew this woman, recognized her perhaps better than he should have. They had only met once but her face was burned into his memory. “Helen?”

“Hello Jon.” She answered back much too casually for his liking and then cocked her head as her eyes seemed to drift down. “Are you aware you’re naked?

“Fuck!” His face was scarlet in an instant and he immediately forgot about watching them to turn away from the pair. He covered his shame as best as he could and felt horribly pitiful in the process. “Wh-what are either of you even doing here?”

“We thought we’d come say hello, reintroduce myself and all that.” Helen explained like it was nothing at all. Her heels clicked loud on the tile floor as she began to move around the room, eyeing him further. 

“And properly thank you, of course.” Michael added, staying put as its companion circled him, though Jon somehow Knew it was eyeing him as well. 

He didn’t like any of this, not one bit.

“Thank me?” He awkwardly tried to look between the two of them without fully turning around to face them. Fuck, what he would give for a towel in that moment.

You know, I think I’ve seen a few pornos that start kinda like this. Jonny piped up, being as unhelpful as possible. He was perhaps trying to lighten the mood but it absolutely was not working. If one of them pulls out a pizza, you should probably run… I mean, unless your-

“Shut the fuck up, Jonny!” Jon hissed. He would not be entertaining any such train of thought. No, thank you!

The pair thankfully didn’t know the full extent of their conversation and instead only snickered at the parts they could hear.

“My, my, you two certainly are a lively pair.” Helen complemented in a teasing kind of way. “It really has inspired us, you know?”

“Inspired you?” He looked at her for perhaps too long because it began to hurt his eyes the longer he stared at either of them. It was like their outlines were becoming even more fuzzy, almost like smudge watercolor in a way. It was confusing and he had to turn away again or risk a migraine from setting in. “I don't understand. What does that mean exactly?” 

“I told you, didn’t I? I said before that you had given me much to think about.” Michael explained further. It clapped its hands together as though it were giddy. “Seeing you with your double, it was fascinating and we found ourselves reevaluating things. Not just for myself but the Twisting Deceit even seemed to understand something new from seeing you two! It got us thinking-”

“If the Archivist can be two in one,” Helen cut in. She circled back around until she was beside Michael once more. They entwined themselves with each other, Helen looping her long arm around Michael’s torso twice over while Michael wrapped its arm around her shoulder and held her other, long, boney hand with its own. They pressed their faces together cheek to cheek, and their terrible, frustrating grins continued to grow wider still. 

They posed almost like they were old friends and not two hollowed out captives of the Spiral. Something about the sight filled Jon with dread.

Michael finished Helen’s thought. “Then what stops the Distortion from being one in two?” It looked far too pleased by the idea of there being two of them now and Jon felt like a stone had settled in the pit of his stomach. 

Two Distortions? Two entities using those awful doors to take and consume people? He couldn’t think of anything worse in that instance! And when the two of them had been human neither had wanted to be this, whatever this truly was, but now they looked so happy. Jon shuddered at the thought that these two, who were once people and were once opposed to the Spiral in their own ways, were now its gleeful servants.

“I- wha-” he stammered, “why are you telling me this? Last time I saw you, you wanted me dead. Is this you gloating? Taunting me before you finish what you started in the wax works building?”

Helen gave a thoughtful hum, the long arm wrapped around Michael was brought up and her fingers drummed against her cheek like she was really considering the question. “Now why would we try to kill you Jon? Did you forget you’re immortal now?”

“It could be quite fun to try, though.” Michael suggested, giving a small laugh that made it sound almost like it was again teasing him. “Though that would go against the very reason we came here.”

“So there is an actual reason you're here?” The twisted pair nodded but didn’t elaborate, causing him to give an exasperated sound. “Well? Why are you here then, if you don’t plan to kill me?”

“We already told you. You aren't a terribly good listener, are you Jon?” Helen chided. “We came to thank you.” 

“For what? I hardly did anything!” Jon was getting frustrated, which might have served him just fine against Elias but he wasn’t sure it would end well with these two.

Relax Sims, don’t get worked up. That’s clearly what they want.

Michael then laughed again, almost seeming to prove Jonny right. “But you did! With your help, I now have my twin, just as you do your own.” It spoke rather fondly, looking only at Helen then. “Someone to share in this twisted, distorted, maddening existence. For as long as it may last. Whether that be forever or some time significantly less.”

“Oh, well that’s… you almost make it sound like you were lonely before?” He pondered out loud.

It really was a fascinating thought that such a being might experience loneliness just as a human being might. Then again, Michael Shelley had been human once before. The Distortion, and by extension presumably the Spiral as well, seemed to think there was nothing left of who Michael was but Jon had his doubts. 

Both Michael and Helen clearly didn’t share his sentiment, because both of them frowned then, their arms sagging until they looked like stretches out taffy. They unwound themselves from each other before both crossed their arms, looking almost petulant. And, oddly, their blurred outlines actually seemed to come more into focus as a result of their frustration with him.

“Loneliness is not within our nature, Archivist.” Michael spoke the words like a warning. Its eyes had snapped back onto him, laser focused now. “Such things are for other entities. Our brand of fear is much more… abstract.”

“I’d tread carefully with what you say, Jon. Someone much less friendly might take you saying that as an insult.” Helen narrowed her eyes at him before she continued. “We are after all here to express our gratitude. And extending our friendship, as thanks for what you’ve done for us.”

“If friendship is something you so desire.” Michael added.”Surely you and your own twin could use all the friends you can get. Given the number of enemies you’ve deemed fit to make on this day.”

Jon swallowed hard and found himself considering their words carefully. Friendship? With the Distortion? The thing that mocked him and threatened him and even cut him? This thing that had tormented him on more than a few occasions? And it thought Jon wanted to be its friend? 

But with their tone, how would they respond if Jon refused? Would they be violent or just stay petulant about it? Perhaps this was just an excuse to attack. If he refused, they would take it as an insult and try to kill him. But if he said yes, then what? Were they actually friends then or was there some secondary trap for if they accepted the offer?

Besides that, it wouldn't matter soon enough. He wouldn’t have this body long enough to make use of such a friendship anyway. And he doubted Jonny would have any interest in maintaining a friendship with the two either.

It was hard to say if Jonny was proving his point or doing the exact opposite when he spoke again, almost like he was whispering this time. Hmm, I’ve lived a long time but I’ve never actually gotten to… know twins before. He started and Jon could already feel where the conversation was going. I know we only have three bodies between us but you think this would count as an or-

“Jonny, I am literally begging you to stop making sex jokes right now.” Could this man take anything seriously? Was everyone just trying to fuck with him today? 

The so-called twin Distortions cocked their heads in unison at the comment. They seemed confused by it and almost seemed to draw back when they heard them. By some miracle they didn't press for details, didn’t even laugh this time. Perhaps they, like Jon, were uncomfortable with such a thought.

Huh, they didn't like that at all. Jonny said, sounding almost surprised.

“Well why on earth would they?” Jon demanded.

He laughed back. I thought at least they would get a laugh out of it. And, I mean, they're the ones coming on a little strong. You don't typically confront someone in the shower unless you're either hoping to fuck or going for a surprise attack. They announced themselves, so you'd figure… but, he paused then and sounded like he was considering something. If I had to guess, they probably don’t even have the biology for something like that anymore. I doubt the Spiral, whatever it really is, would have any use for it either.

“Good lord, one can only hope. ”

He sighed then, wondering if being friends with the Distortion would really be any worse than sharing a body with Jonny. Sure, he wasn't all bad and he was honestly growing fond of his other half, but goodness could the man be obnoxious when he wanted to be. And it seemed he wanted to be obnoxious more often than not.

For now, they probably wouldn’t try to kill him if they considered him their friend, right? It was worth a shot?

“Alright, friends.” He decided to tread carefully. “Perhaps we can further discuss what this friendship entails laters? When I’m dry and have clothes on?”

Their expressions changed in an instant. Their grins returned and they giggled in unison, like his suggestion was delightfully silly.

“Oh Archivist, we hardly mind. Clothing makes no difference to us.” Michael insisted. 

They're not doing a very good job of convincing me they don't wanna fu-

“Jonny, what did I just say?” He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. These people would be the death of his sanity, if nothing else.

Eventually he looked to the Distortions. “It makes a difference to me.” He huffed. “So unless your friendship comes with a towel and change of clothes, I would appreciate it if you would come back later.”

The pair hummed to themselves and then shrugged, far too perfectly in sync with each other for Jon's liking. 

“Oh, very well.” Helen said as she turned away from him and started towards their door. “We’ll come back another time, when you’re feeling less modest.”

“Farewell for now, Archivist and Space Pirate.” Michael waved to him again as it began to follow its new twin. But then it paused and gave a curious look towards the exit out to the locker room. “And what perfect timing, it would seem you have another visitor. Farewell to you as well, Assistant.”

With that they had stepped through their door and in the blink of an eye it was as if the door was never there at all.

Assistant? Jonny parroted back the word. Is Martin already here?

Jon’s eyes went wide and he immediately looked towards the entrance to the showers. Was Martin already here? He had expected him to show up eventually, but he had hoped the other man would announce himself. He could barely stand the idea of Jonny seeing him naked, how was he supposed to handle the man he was infatuated with seeing him like this? No, absolutely not.

“Martin?” His voice was a bit shaky as he squinted at the doorway.

He expected Martin. It might have even been easier if it was Martin. Would have made any kind of reasonable sense. But Martin wasn’t standing there.

Peaking passed the door frame, there they were. Basira, or rather Ashes, eyed the space the Distortions disappeared through with confusion and suspicion. But eventually their eyes turned to Jon and they stepped more into the shower room.

After a long few seconds of the two saying nothing, Ashes finally spoke. “Jonny?” 

Jon froze. What exactly was he meant to do here? He didn’t know much about Ashes, other than what little Jonny had told them. And from the look on their face, it was clear that Jonny was who they were there for, who they actually hoped was in control. Did he fake it or just let Jonny take control? 

Then again, the last time Jonny took the lead, someone got hurt. Of course someone got hurt when Jon was in control as well. So perhaps neither were really fit to be in control? 

Fuck it, Jon decided. He’d take a gamble for now and he’d let Jonny take over if he didn’t know how to respond or handle them. 

“Ashes.” He answered back, doing his best to sound like Jonny did and hoped it wasn’t too obvious that he was putting on a front. 

It was surprisingly easy to make Jonny’s tone and pitch. He had minored in theater in uni and had found that he was quite good with voices. He’d never expected it to be so useful in his career but it seemed like it had served him more in the Institute than it even did during his time in school.

For just a beat their face was still hard, scanning them for some kind of deception, before finally a smile spread across their face. “So you’re back too? Thank fuck, I wanna be done with this shit planet and get back to the Aurora.”

Before he knew what was happening they had closed the distance between them. Going through the spay of the shower to get to him, he was slammed into the tile wall and they brought him in for a firm, aggressive kiss. It was more teeth and hands than anything else and spoke to the history that Ashes and Jonny must have shared.

And Jon panicked immediately.

Chapter Text

There were alarm bells going off in Jon's head immediately. 

No, no, no, no, no!

Jon didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship Jonny and Ashes had but absolutely not! He didn’t think about Basira this way at all and he didn’t even know this Ashes person. So he certainly didn’t want to be kissing either of them. This couldn’t happen! What if Daisy found out? What if Martin walked in and saw them like this? 

No! He wasn’t allowing this!

He gripped their shoulders and shoved them away as hard as he could. Ashes stumbled a bit but kept their footing. He could only gawk back, wide eyed because this was not how he expected any of this to go at all.

But Ashes seemed much less fazed. They glared at him with those hard eyes, searching his face for something and looking furious that they apparently weren't finding it there. He almost missed it but suddenly they had pulled a switchblade from their pocket. Not one of Jonny’s makeshift knives, but a proper blade, meant and designed to kill someone. 

“So you’re not Jonny, then?” They growled at him and he was suddenly fairly sure they were about to kill him.

“I… uh… not at the moment?”

That was apparently the wrong answer. They lunged forward and slashed at him. He tried to block and received a long cut along his arm for his troubles. With the next motion they tried to stab downward and he attempted to catch their wrist. But Jon was not Jonny, he had no such coordination. Instead the blade pierced straight through his hand.

He let out a horrified, pained scream and acted on instincts that certainly weren’t his own. He brought them together in a headbutt that dazed them both for a moment before he grabbed them by the throat and slammed them into the wall. Once, twice, thrice. He might have done a fourth but Ashes kicked at his knee and his feet went out from under him. 

Jon went to the ground but he managed to grab a fist full of Ashes hair and pulled them down with him. From there the two became a flurry of punching and kicking and biting and screaming. 

During it all, he was fairly certain that Jonny was trying to talk to him, trying to get him to calm down, to relay some kind of massage to Ashes but he didn’t care. “Shut the fuck up, Jonny!” He hissed back at some point, more hatred in his voice than he’d ever thought he was capable of. 

And then he just kept going. Kept punching and clawing and dear god, he just wanted to hurt them. No, not hurt, he wanted to kill them. 

The knife found its way out of the stab wound in Jon’s hand at some point and through the scuffle it was traded back and forth. Slashes and stabs were exchanged and healed too quickly to do any permanent damage. Jon had cut their throat open twice before he realized that breathing wasn’t exactly a priority of theirs. Ashes was happy to return the favor, stabbing him repeatedly in the gut before he wrestled the blade away from them. He lost a finger but they lost an eye. His heel was slashed through but their knee was shattered. It was all too painful for Jon to even describe but he couldn’t stop the fury that drove him to keep fighting.

It was hard to say exactly how long it had all gone on for. By the time the two had finally stopped, there was blood everywhere, all over the floor, walls, themselves, and even a bit on the ceiling. If they didn’t know any better, one would have thought a dozen people had bled out in that room. 

They both were sitting on opposite sides of showers, breathing heavy and staring at each other. It was hard to say which had done more damage. At that moment Ashes had a long gash along their face, going from their mouth to almost their ear. The scar mimicked an uneven kind of smile, maybe even the kind the Distortions might have worn. Meanwhile Jon was fairly certain his leg was broken in two places. Yet it all seemed so superficial, they both healed so quickly that each blow barely seemed to matter in the end. Their skin was already knitting itself back together and his bones were already popping back into place like it was nothing at all.

In truth, did anything they had just done really matter in the end? They were both immortal, so continuing to fight like this would only serve to make more of a mess. 

Moreover, all the anger and hate had bled away, leaving behind only exhaustion for the both of them.

After a long moment Jonny spoke up. You finally done?

“Yes,” Jon sighed softly. “I'm sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

From the other side of the room, that was a small chuckle. Ashes was grinning at them, their slowly healing wound severing to make for quite an uncomfortable scene. But there was almost fondness in their eyes. Like they actually, genuinely liked him.

“You're apologizing? Well now I know you're not Jonny.” They laughed with only a little struggle. “But you sure do fight like Jonny.” They spoke the words both like an accusation and praise all rolled into one.

“Well he's been rubbing off on me, I suppose.” He meant it to sound bold and maybe even cryptic, but instead the response he got was snorting laughter from two fronts as both Jonny and Ashes apparently couldn't help themselves.

“Yeah? Didn’t realize I was interrupting.” They cracked. “I can come back later if you wanna finish up.” 

“Good Lord, are you both children?” He grumbled. Was this how all the Mechanisms behaved? Surely at least one had to be a proper adult, right?

Ashes only laughed harder at that. They barely seemed like they were in pain at all and in fact their bruised and cut skin had almost entirely patched itself back together. 

Jon’s leg was basically healed as well. He pulled his knees to chest and gave a tired sigh. This wasn’t how he had expected this day to go. Not at all.

“Both?” They pried then, eyeing him curiously. “So Jonny is actually awake in there? Good, was worried he was still sleeping and I'd have to keep fighting off the bitch in my head until he got his shit together.”

What the fuck are they talking about? Jonny demanded. They're making it sound like-

“Are you talking about Basira?” Jon went wide eyed, sitting up straight to get a better look at them. He hadn’t meant to sound so excited but until that moment he had accepted that Basira was never real at all. Now though? “She wasn't just some persona you made up or identity you stole? Like the Soldier did with Nikola?”

“Nah, I'm in the same shit boat you're in.” Ashes shrugged.

“Is she okay?” He asked, sounding perhaps a bit too hopeful. “How long have you known? Does sh-”

“Look,” they started, holding up their hand to stop him. “I’m not lookin’ to get your hopes up. You two aren’t gonna be around much longer. So there really isn’t any reason to worry about her.”

Jon went still, a crestfallen feeling swept over him. He looked down and away and struggled not to let his emotions get the better of him. They were right, he wouldn’t be alive much longer, he had known that of course but he hadn’t thought anyone else would be going with him. Basira didn’t deserve this, it wasn't right.

Suddenly a growl came from the back of his throat and it certainly wasn't Jon’s doing. Jonny had apparently managed to force his way to the surface without meaning to. He let himself be surprised for just a moment before he was back to glaring daggers at Ashes. “You got a lotta nerve! You and the rest of the crew helped Raph get me to her lab. It mighta been fuzzy but I can remember that much. So I know you don’t think I’m dumb enough to believe that you just let her do the same thing to you as well.”

To their credit, Ashes did have the manners to look at least a little sheepish at the accusation. “I mean, yeah, we helped at first. Thought it would be kinda funny, seeing you get turned into a nervous little nerd instead of the trigger happy killer we all knew. At first it even was kinda funny. We all had a good laugh about it.” They shrugged a bit. “Well, except for Brian. He was really insistent we not do it. Said something about Raph not acting right. We just assumed he was in boring mode.”

He gave them a curious look. “So he tried to stop you?” For the briefest of a moment the gears of his heart turned a little faster at the idea that one of his crew had tried to come to his defense.

“So we tied him up and buried him,” they laughed back and suddenly the gears weren’t moving quite as quick. “Decided to leave him there until the experiment was over. Held a funeral for him and everything. You were there actually, though that was right after the new personality was put in, so it was still kinda getting used to being a person. Barely talked at all, just kinda moped around like it was a real funeral… which I guess makes sense actually.”

Wha- ar- are they talking about my grandmother’s funeral? Jon sounded absolutely devastated at that. That- tha- what the hell is wrong with your crew?

Jon kept making horrified little sounds in the back of their head, which contrasted Jonny’s hearty laugh.

Are you serious right now? Jon hissed. Your friend tried to defend you and you're laughing about him being buried alive? Buried in the place of my grandmother , I must remind you!

Jonny was still snickering, not even trying to fight it back. “Would you relax Sims? We’ve done way worse than burying each other alive. And, might I remind you , your grandma wasn’t even real?”

No doubt. Jon scoffed, sounding hurt. This whole affair is proof enough of exactly what kind of people you all are.

“Jon, don’t be like that. It’s not a big d-”

It is to me! He snapped. It’s a big deal to me, she’s real to me! She might have been some joke your friends made up but she’s my grandmother, I have memories of her and she is real. To. Me. So don’t you dare tell me how to feel about this!

“Shi- okay, okay, I get it. I shouldn’t’ve said that.” Jonny spoke gently. “Look, when we’re done here, we can go dig Brian up. Would that help?”

Jon hesitated for a moment before he gave a ragged sigh. I don’t know. Maybe? I’d rather he not be buried in her place, or really in general, but I’d like it if we left her grave. She might not be real but… well, as I said.

“You’re seriously talking to it?” Their conversation was interrupted by Ashes then. Their eyes focused on them curiously. “Thought you’d hate the guy. I know I can’t stand this thing in my head.”

Jonny shrugged. “I dunno. What can I say, he’s grown on me.” But then he had to pause. Was he growing fond of Jon? Yes, he supposed he was. It was kinda like having a little brother or like they really were twins, like the Distortions had said. It was strange to think about it that way, considering those entities clearly had quite the skewed outlook on the word but perhaps in their own way they were right.

He decided he didn’t want to think about that too hard. No, instead he wanted answers. “More importantly, how did you end up as Basira? I can’t imagine you’d agree to be a lab rat, if given the option.”

“Nah, that’s the thing, I think Brian might’ve been right.” They admitted, though it looked as though they were embarrassed to do so. “After we set you up as Sims, it was only supposed to go until you graduated uni, so we were just gonna do our own thing for a little while. Nothing crazy, you know? Ivy said something about finding some old lost library somewhere in Egypt. Nastya was hiding in the vents last I’d seen her. She was kinda weird about the experiment too. Said to just keep her out of it. Wouldn't come out even to help bury Brain. We almost went in to look for her but the Aurora did not like that, which she made known pretty quick. So we left her be.”

“So the only members of my crew that cared at all were Nastya and Brian? You see this Jon? A buncha no good mutineers, that's what I've got to work with!” Jonny practically shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Does no one have any respect for their captain?!”

“First mate.” Ashes corrected at once and Jonny could only glare and flip them off.

Wait, I thought you said you were captain of the Aurora.

“I am!” Jonny snapped at once.

“Are you talking to Sims again? Don’t lie to the man.” Ashes laughed and began to speak directly to Jon himself. “Whatever he’s told you, he’s full of shit. We don’t have a captain and even if we did, it wouldn’t be Jonny.”

Oh, I see, so we’re lying to each other now?

“Okay, one fuck you, Ashes! Two, Jon, I don’t want to hear anything about lies. I was in your head this whole time but you still spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to convince both me and yourself that you didn’t have a crush on-” 

Not in front of them! Jon insisted. They don’t need to know that!

“As if everyone doesn't already know! ” He hmphed but looked back to Ashes. “Would you just tell me what happened to the rest of the crew?”

They gave him an odd look and crooked grin, clearly amused by what they could hear of their conversation. But eventually they continued.

“Well, you’ll be happy to know the Toy Soldier kept acting all worried about you,” he scoffed, clearly not happy at all about that information. “It really thought we should’a been keeping an eye on you. No clue what it was so afraid of but definitely did seem afraid of something. I just figured it was mother henning over you. Eventually Gunpower got sick of it and told it fuck off. So it fucked off.” Jonny nodded along as though that made perfect sense. 

I’m guessing that would be around that time they joined the Circus? Jon wondered. Though I have been thinking on that. We know Nikola existed before I would have been planted in your mind, so do you suppose Toy Soldier replaced them somehow?

“That could make sense,” Jonny agreed. “Maybe it decided to join the Circus to keep a better eye on me?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Ashes nodded along. While they spoke they dug into their pockets and pulled out a blood soak pack of cigarettes. They gave it a crooked frown and inspected the cigarettes inside. Eventually they must have decided they were fine because they just shrugged as though accepting the state they were in.

Jonny’s eyes lit up and they extended a hand expectantly. “Oh thank fuck, gimme one of those, I need something after that fight.”

“Get your own.” They scoffed but it was clearly playful. “You weren’t even the one fighting. Have Sims come back out and he can have one.”

“You really wanna make this into another fight O’Reilly? Cuz I’m fine with being here all day if I have to be.” It was mostly a hollow threat. Jonny didn’t actually want to fight at that moment. What he wanted was a damn cigarette and maybe to lay down. 

When was the last time they had actually, properly slept? In a real bed and not just a cot or Georgie's coach? It must have been months at that point.

Ashes rolled their eyes but smiled, not knowing anything of where his mind was wandering. Then they stood and made their way across the room. They sat beside them and lit their own cigarette. 

“Well, I suppose I don’t mind sharing.” They were leaning into them, giving him a look that spoke a thousand words. 

They let one of their hands move up, carding it through his hair, before settling on his face. Their thumb lightly stroked his cheek and smudged a bit of blood there. It was soft and intimate, which was highly uncommon for most of the crew of the Aurora, at least most of the time. But just because it was rare didn't mean it never happened.

It had been a long time since the two of them had been together, especially like this. Even if they hadn’t been aware of their own absence, they could still feel it in a way. They wouldn’t say it, both too stubborn to do so, but they had missed each other, had missed the warmth of each other’s bodies and their fiery personality.

For a moment Jonny was tempted to kiss them again and see where that took them. Maybe it would just be a kiss or maybe they would fuck in these bloody showers and then burn this damn building to the ground afterwards. But then he remembered Jon and he cursed more to himself than anything else. With more reluctance than he would have liked, Jonny drew back. Ashes visibly frowned at that and Jonny was furious with his rotten luck.

“Ashes,” his tone was more gentle than either were used to. “Not while Jon’s in here, yeah? He doesn't do that sorta thing and if he’s not okay with it, then you know I can’t. Besides, we’d probably traumatize him with the things we’d get up to.”

Ashes looked surprised and a bit of something else, not embarrassed but perhaps regretful. “I didn’t… shit, I wouldn't’ve jumped you in the showers if I’d known that. It’s just… after the show you were putting on in the Archive and the way you kept looking at me, I honestly thought you were flirting.”

Jonny chucked but shook his head. “I kept looking at you because I thought you were there to watch and laugh at me being Sims.”

“Yeah right,” they scoffed. “As if I’d ever pretend to be a cop! Not a chance.”

Still he smiled and sighed fondly. “Maybe later. When we find Raph and get her to fix this.”

They wore a disappointed kind of smile but they nodded before lighting a second cigarette. They passed one off to Jonny and the pair took long drags before either bothered to speak again.

“What were we talking about?” Jonny asked absently.

Your crew. Jon answered before Ashes could. He sounded rather bashful and he got the feeling that he had never been in such an intimate situation. Scratch that, Jonny Knew he had never been in such an intimate situation before. 

Even with Georgie, the pair had never been so physically involved as Jonny and Ashes were. His kisses had always been chaste and a bit reluctant, though that was before he knew he was asexual and had been wrecked with shame that he didn't feel what he thought he was supposed to feel about his girlfriend. 

Of course he knew better now, knew his lack of interest in sex was nothing to be ashamed of, but that didn't stop him from feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed to be present for their intimate moment. And it was hard for Jonny not to feel bad about it.

“Right, what happened with the rest of the crew.” Jonny nodded and hoped he could distance himself from that soft moment they had just shared. “Ashes?”

“Yeah, the crew,” they began after another puff of their cigarette. “Well, Marius and Lyf left basically as soon as we finished burying Brian. You know how Lyf gets, still finds this kinda stuff distasteful, so Marius talked them into playing house for a while. You know, being domestic or some shit like that.” Ashes and Jonny both blanched with disgust at the thought.

Really? I thought you were a proud omnisexual. And you and Ashes have been looking at each other like… like you want to… Jon paused, seemingly struggling to find the words he was looking for. It didn't surprise him that he was still bashful about it but it was hard to fight the laugh that wanted to escape him. Well! I mean, didn’t you say before that you all dated? This just seems a bit juvenile, especially when you’ve been insisting that I need to ask Martin out!

Jonny gave a disgusted sound and took a long drag of his cigarette before he responded. “Jon, I cannot stress enough how different Martin is compared to Marius. We all have our own brand of romance when we can be bothered to try dating. Some of us run hot and heavy, some of us are more subtle with our approach. And Marius is-”

“And Marius is the worst.” Ashes cut in. 

“Or at least he can be.” Jonny added. “He's prone to trying to do big, sweeping, grand gestures of affection. And sometimes that's fine, when he gets it right, but sometimes those gestures are… how did Ivy describe it Ashes?”

“Romance for the sake of romance.” They said with a grimace. “Like taking us to fancy restaurants and carriage rides. Stuff like that. Which I'm sure some of us probably would enjoy but could you imagine Jonny wanting to have poetry read to him or would want to sit around talking about his feelings? Or Toy Soldier, you think it’s interesting in a four course meal? It doesn’t even have a stomach, I honestly don’t know what he was thinking."

Jon laughed at the questions. Talking about your feedings? Absolutely not. And I suppose making a meal for something that doesn’t need to eat is quite silly but why not all the other things? I would think you'd appreciate poetry.

“I'm more about music than poetry. Though I can appreciate it sometimes.” He admitted with a shrug. “Don't get me wrong, he's one of us and he can be great fun. Sometimes when he arranges something he gets it spot on, like when he found a mostly unexplored moon and took Raphaella and Ivy there so they could do some experiments and document everything. They loved that shit. But sometimes it feels like he's trying too hard.”

Perhaps trying too hard is just how he shows his love?

“... what?”

Isn't that a thing? Acts of service as a form of love language? He suggested. Perhaps he just feels drawn to big displays like that? Hell, maybe he's even hoping someone will return the favor 

Jonny scoffed and then stopped. He hadn't really thought about it that way before. Marius could be rather affectionate but it never occurred to him that he might want someone to sweep him off his feet like he often tried to do for them. Something like that wasn't in his nature most of the time but he had made accommodations for his partners in the past, just as they frequently accommodated his needs.

It occurred to him then that he might have neglected his partners a bit and that simply wouldn't do.

“Ah fuck,” he groaned, earning a curious look from Ashes. “Sims makes a good point, I think I'm gonna have to try to be at least a little more romantic the next time we date. At least with Marius.”

Ashes laughed and shook their head. “If you say so, but I’m pretty sure he sometimes does the whole overly romantic act because it annoys us all so much. Even Lyf doesn't like it sometimes.”

“Yeah, but the things that annoy Lyf could fill the whole Archive at this point.” Jonny sighed, slinging his arm over their shoulder. “Hate to sound like Brian here, but this might be a communication issue, which we may need to fix.”

Ashes gave a long, dramatic groan. “Fuuuuck. We need to get this guy out of your head. I can't have you being the responsible one.”

You’re both ridiculous, you know that? 

“Yeah? Well I'm blaming you for this, Jon.” He half joked. “If you weren't stuck on your own little office crush, I wouldn't be getting the residual effects from them.”

If Jon could roll his eyes in that moment he would have done so immediately. Oh please. Why can't you just admit that you also find him attractive? He's kind and soft and handsome and he's always trying to take care of us. Regardless of what you say, I know you like all of that about him.

Jonny could feel himself going a little red in the face at that. He wanted to argue with Jon that he was wrong and say some more about those emotions just being overflow from his own feelings for Martin. But whenever he thought about their sweet, caring assistant, the gears of his traitorous, mechanical heart began to spin much too fast. This wasn’t how he typically was when it came to romance, even with other Mechanisms, his stomach didn’t flutter and he didn’t feel overwhelmed by just the thought of talking to them. He certainly liked them, he might even say loved them if they got him drunk enough. But he didn't get like this for just anyone. 

It had to be Jon's fault.

“Since we’re on the subject,” Ashes cut in with a grin. “I couldn't help but notice the way you were making eyes at the big guy in the Archive. Almost made me a little jealous. What exactly is going on there?”

“Nothing!” Jonny insisted at once, perhaps too quickly. “I… I just mean… look, that’s a question for Jon and he doesn’t want me talking about it. So I’m not talking about it.”

Oh really? Jon laughed, sounding rather doubtful. By all means, I'd love to hear how you plan to explain it to them.

“ Anyways!” He insisted through gritted teeth. “Just finish explaining! What about the rest of you?”

“That just left Tim and me.” They carried on but they were still smiling as they did so, like they could see right through their terrible attempt at deflecting their question. “We hadn’t left the Aurora yet. Were drinking and talking about plans for how we were gonna establish ourselves on this new planet. Thought about rehashing our old Hades and Persephone act, mob boss and their arm candy wife.”

Mob boss? Jon almost sighed at hearing the words. He sounded more frustrated than curious.

But Jonny only nodded along yet again, smiling fondly at a memory. “Tim really did make that dress work back in the City.”

“Exactly!” Ashes agreed, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. “But before we got too far into planning, it all got fuzzy. Guess Raphaella spiked our drinks with something pretty strong. Next thing I knew… well, I was wakin’ up in some cop’s head. Took me a second to realize what must’ve happened but it sure as fuck freaked her out. Kept accusing me of being some new trick made up by Elias but I had no fucking clue who that even was at the time.”

They didn’t know who Elias was? Jon cut in. Ashes couldn't hear but Jonny gestured for them to stop so he could listen to him. Weren’t you aware of pretty much everything about me when you woke up?

“Yeah, basically.” Jonny confirmed, ignoring the look he got from Ashes. “Maybe it’s the Eye again? Like I can somehow see more in your head than Ashes can see in Basira’s.”

Because I’m the Archivist. Jon finished his train of thought. Or perhaps both of us are the Archivist at this point? That’s what Michael and Helen said, isn’t it? Or at least they seem to think that’s how it works.

He groaned at the very suggestion. “I cannot stress enough how much I do not want to be the Archivist.”

The feeling is mutual at this point but I highly doubt either of us have a choice in the matter.

“Wait, you can see into his head? Like you can see his memories or whatever?” Ashes asked, sounding annoyed at the realization that Jonny clearly had a stronger connection with his double than they did their own. “All because of your job?”

“The running theory is that the power of the Eye is keeping Jon, and I guess also Basira, from being erased like they were supposed to be.” He tried to explain. “Basira served the Eye, however unwillingly, but Jon is clearly more important to it for whatever reason. So I guess that makes the connection stronger. But it also means we’re kinda… blending together.”

“”What?!” Ashes demanded. They shrugged off Jonny’s arm from around their shoulder and flicked away what was left of their cigarette. “”What exactly does that mean?”

“I just… I kinda feel what he feels and vice versa. It’s why he snapped like that when you fought earlier. Why he's been doin’ a lot of things I suspect.” He looked embarrassed by how worried they were getting for him. It hadn’t been his intent to cause them to panic but he had clearly done just that. “But I figure once we find the Aurora we can make Raph fix this.”

Ashes nodded along, though they still looked worried. “You mentioned TS, or I guess the other you did anyways. It know where the ship is?”

“Uh… I didn’t think to ask.” He admitted. “I kinda left it in the building when I lit it up.”

Suddenly Ashes looked almost offended. “Did you commit arson without me! Wow Jonny, I see how it is.”

Are they being serious right now?

Jonny just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Now really isn’t the time for this. Ashes, I promise, you and me, we'll burn the whole of London down if you really want, but only after we’ve dealt with this.”

Excuse me?! Jon demanded. I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking but don’t promise them that!

“Fine.” Ashes agreed but still didn’t look pleased. “So what’s the plan?” 

“At the moment?” Jonny asked, flicking away the last of his own cigarette and giving an annoyed sigh. “I guess wash off, considering you covered us in blood all over again?

I don't appreciate that you're ignoring me!

Jonny didn't respond, just stood and made his way back to the shower they had left running. It had long since gone cold but it was best to get it done before the blood dried again.

You know I live in London, right?

Ashes gave a thoughtful sound, not getting up yet. Instead just watching him from where they sat. “You’d figure Martin would be back by now. He left ages ago.” There was then a long pause between them before they spoke again. “Hey, can you explain something to me?”

“Maybe? Depends what it is.” He answered back, absently scrubbing away the new blood that was covering them.

Jon gave an annoyed sigh, clearly not appreciating that he was being ignored and Jonny couldn't help but laugh a bit at his frustration.

“Who the hell is Daisy?” They sounded genuinely annoyed by the question.

What? The question seemed to evaporate all of Jon's frustrations, replacing it with confusion instead. How do they not know who Daisy is?

“That is a great question.” Jonny agreed before looking to Ashes. “How the fuck do you not know who Daisy is?”

“Because she won’t tell me!” They snapped back at them. Jonny must’ve given them an odd look because they gave an annoyed grunt back. “The damn cop! She’s in here with me but she stopped answering my questions last night once I managed to take over. It was a struggle just to find out where the bitch worked this morning! And after everyone left the Archive earlier I tried to get details but she wouldn't say a damn thing to me, except when I asked about Daisy.”

“Except?” Jonny cocked his brow at them. “What did they say?”

“To fuck off.” They huffed. “And that they would never tell me anything about Daisy, so I might as well leave it alone.” 

Oh… yes, that would make sense. Jon suggested. He sounded worried then. Perhaps we should respect her privacy for the time being? 

“Fuck that.” Jonny scoffed. “Daisy’s like their werewolf girlfriend or whatever.”

Jonny!

“What?” He demanded. “She was gonna show up eventually anyways. Would you rather Ashes not knowing how to interact with her at all?”

While they bickered Ashes went wide-eyed. Suddenly a number of things were all happening at once. Their breathing had become heavy and blood was trickling from their nose. A blood vessel seemed to burst in one of their eyes and they shoved themselves away from the wall hard, scrambling to their feet and as far away from them as they could get.

“Ashes.” Jonny spoke gently but that didn’t calm them in the slightest.

“You stay the fuck away from me!” They screamed, their eyes immediately flicking to the switchblade that was several feet away from them both. They looked like they were considering diving for it.

Jonny… I don’t think that’s Ashes.

“Shit.” He muttered softly to himself. “Okay, easy Ashes-”

Basira! Jon scolded him.

“Right, fuck, Basira,” He corrected himself. “Look, this is all just a little confusing. Let’s just-”

“Get out!” She demanded. The look in their eyes was like a cornered animal. Terrified but willing to fight and kill if it meant escape.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go.” He insisted and started to move towards the exit but she surged forward and shoved him hard into the wall. He kept his footing but was already debating if this was about to be yet another fight.

“No! Get out of his head!” She snapped them. “I wanna talk to Jon, not whatever the fuck you are!”

He sighed then, resisting the urge to fight back. This was one of their assistants after all. “Alright, fine. I don’t talk to cops anyway.”

It was easier this time. The transition was seamless, not even the smell of copper or a struggle. It bothered Jon just a bit at the realization that the two of them were actually getting good at this. Pretty soon the pair might actually be able to switch without the need to think about it or even the need to be shocked to the surface. Or they might even blend so completely that there truly won't be a difference between them.

It was a frightening thought and he gave a ragged breath as he dwelled on it.

“Okay,” he spoke in a shaking voice, “okay, it’s me.”

“We need to talk about all of this.” Basira’s tone and stare were undeniably a threat. “I want some goddamn answers!”

“Yeah? You and me both!” 

Both of them gasped and pushed away from each other at the realization they weren’t as alone as they thought they were. Standing there in the doorway was Tim, with Martin not far behind him, though he seemed unwilling to look in their direction at all. The look they both wore could best be described as overwhelmed. They both shook but Tim still stood firm in the doorway, like he thought he could hold them both back.

He looked between them both like he was struggling to hold onto reality, eventually his eyes settled on Jon. They drifted down to his chest to where the metal heart that hadn’t been there before was now on full display. 

His encounter with the Distortions followed by his fight with Ashes, it all had made him forget about his new brass body part basically immediately but its appearance was not lost on Tim. It didn’t take Elias’ power to read minds to know exactly what he was thinking. This thing appearing on him immediately after he had managed to escape the Circus. He could see in Tim’s eyes exactly what he must have been thinking.

And then he looked away, like he couldn’t stand to look at Jon a second longer.

A black bag was tossed into the center of the room then. “Get dressed.” He ordered in a harsh tone. “And you better fucking thank Martin, because I would have been glad to let you wander around looking like the monster you are.”

With that he turned and stormed his way around the corner. 

Oh fuck. Jonny muttered. How much of all that do you think they saw?

It was only at that moment that Jon even considered the question and the only answer he could form was to parrot back an exhausted “oh fuck.”

Chapter Text

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell over the showers. 

Tim had all but dragged Martin away, keeping him beside himself and standing by the entrance to the locker room. Almost like he thought Jon would try to make a run for it if the door wasn’t being blocked. And in truth Jon couldn’t say he wasn’t considering it. There was a part of him that really wanted to run away, perhaps take Basira and see if they could just find the Aurora and get this over with.

Not that Basira would want that. She immediately made her way into the locker room, trying her best not to look at Jon. And then she was fishing her phone out of her pocket. She gave audible goan at the sight of her now broken phone screen but made her call all the same. He could just barely hear her say “Daisy,” which was all the incentive he needed to get dressed as quickly as possible.

He made quick work of what was left of the blood on him before he made his way to the bag Tim had thrown his way. He wiped away as much water as he could before he inspected the bag and sighed with relief. A big, fluffy towel was the first thing on top. Immediately he began to dry his body off, humming at the softness. His last month had been absolute hell and it was just nice to finally feel clean again. So nice it was almost enough to forget that there was a pirate in his head and that all his coworkers likely thought he was absolutely crazy.

With a grunt he wrung out his hair. It was still a tangled mess. His hair was thick and long and had always needed special products and care to properly clean. And all the things they had found weren't exactly the best quality. But it was fine for the time, later he could worry about fighting with a brush to fix his messy hair.

When he finally felt dry enough he looked at the clothes bought for him. It wasn’t surprising that none of it was really his style, or that most of it was significantly oversized for him. He’d be swimming in all of these but he refused to be ungrateful. Immediately he slipped on the oversized t-shirt and jumper he found in the bag. He couldn’t help the content sigh he let out when he looked at it draping off of him, pale blue and soft and one Martin had worn many times before. It was impossible to not think about how it smelled of tea and ink and all things that were so very Martin. 

He could have lived in that moment forever if he were allowed to. The briefest of moments where he felt safe and could almost believe that Martin might still care about him, in spite everything that he’d said or done to him.

But then he noticed something strange. The jumper and undershirt in the bag were clearly Martin’s but he had to pause when he saw the trousers they had gotten him. They were a pair of faded jeans with holes in the knees, much too small to be Martin’s. Moreover, he was fairly sure he’d seen them before on Tim. 

Had Tim brought these for him? He could only assume that Martin had asked him to, Tim was much closer in size to him than he was to Martin. But he couldn’t fathom why he would. 

In an instant he felt overwhelmed just from thinking about it. A ragged breath escaped him and he realized his eyes were stinging as they welled up with tears. He felt foolish, pitiful even, getting so worked up over the thought that someone would lend him some clothes. Martin was one thing, it was apparently no secret that the man had been rather fond of Jon for some time now but Tim, he couldn’t even begin to imagine why he would have done this for him. He’d been so angry with him for so long and Jon had been cruel to all of them, he’d been such a terrible burden to them all. He hadn’t earned their kindness or loyalty.

And yet here they were, giving him a clean set of clothes like it was nothing at all and Jon couldn’t understand why.

Come on, kid, Jonny was surprisingly delicate, no need to beat yourself up over this again. Let’s just finish getting dressed.

“But I ruined everything.” He tried to be quiet but there was a part of him that Knew that his team had heard him, had heard him crying too. 

There was a bit of shuffling, followed by Tim harshly whispering. “Leave it.”

He could only assume that Martin had tried to check on him and Tim had stopped him. He wouldn’t blame either of them for keeping their distance, though it still hurt in a way.

With a difficult exhale, he pulled the faded jeans on. Somehow, even though they were closer in size to each other, they were still a bit too big for him. He gave a little groan as he saw the way they barely stayed up. 

You really are skin and bones. Jonny pointed out. Have you just not been eating since you took over?

“I had a very inconsistent diet in uni.” He admitted with a bit of a sniffle, trying to wipe away tears that were stubbornly still falling. He paused looking to the doorway and then continued on much quieter. “I didn’t have much money after my gr- well, I suppose it’s more accurate to say that your friends didn’t exactly leave me much money, meaning I scraped by with less. So I just got used to eating less ever since.”

Yeah, we’re gonna have to fix that. He sounded annoyed, though Jon couldn’t tell if it was directed at him or at his crew. But don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of belts back on the Aurora. He laughed then, like he’d said something truly funny. Though he had no clue what it might have been.

“Right, a belt would be nice, but we’ll make due.” Jon agreed, ignoring the way Jonny laughed again. Instead he focused on making himself presentable and finally made his way out of the showers.

All eyes were on him the moment he emerged. Basira had ended her phone call and Tim and Martin stood at the entrance like a pair of awkward sentinels. 

With a bit of awkwardness, he slid on his “nerd shoes” as Jonny had once called them and put the rest of his bloodied clothes into the bag they had brought.

“We should… return to the Archive.” Jon suggested.

Tim eyed him suspiciously but Basira grunted in agreement. 

“Yeah, Daisy’ll be there soon.” She said. “We should get down there before she arrives.”

There was a long silence, nobody spoke or moved to leave. It was like an awkward standoff, like no one wanted to seem too eager to flee the room first or turn their backs to each other.

Finally Martin broke the silence first. “Right, let’s go then?” 

He turned and walked out and at last they all began to go. Basira first, then Jon, and then Tim was directly beside him. His hand firmly planted itself on one of his shoulders, as though to guild him or keep him from running. He felt his face redden just a bit from that. Was it so obvious how much he didn't want to have the conversation they were about to have?

During the long walk back to the Archive, Jon dared to look over at Tim only once. Their eyes met just in time to catch him glaring at him with a type of anger that he could honestly say he had never experienced up until very recently.

Damn, I’d ask what you did to piss him off but I guess I already know. Jonny spoke warily. Do you think he’s gonna attack us once we get back to the Archive? I can take back over if you need me to.

Jon looked away from Tim and whispered as softly as he could. “No, I don’t want anyone else hurt.” Tim could definitely tell he was saying something, evidenced by how his grip on his shoulder tightened, but he hoped at the very least he wouldn’t catch exactly what he had said. “And I think I’d much rather take whatever beating he has planned for us than do any more harm.”

Hot, I guess. Jon could only give a low groan in response. Don't worry, I can stand to be a punching bag if you can.

They said no more to each other, not until they had all made their way past Rosie, down the stairs, and through the heavy doors leading to the Archive. And then they all just stood there for a few minutes. The atmosphere was suffocating, no one spoke, Tim still dug his fingers into his shoulder, now so firm they were turning white.

It hurt but Jon just bit his lip and tried to ignore it.

At last Martin looked around the room, at his awkward coworkers, and cleared his throat. “I'm gonna go make some tea. How about everyone sit down and wait for Daisy to arrive?” 

Again, as he moved, so did everyone else. Basira didn’t sit, just leaned against her desk and waited. Tim however seemed almost eager to sit, dragging Jon by the scruff of his collar and forcing him down into a chair directly next to his desk before he got into his own chair. Then he just watched him. 

Tim’s eyes were hard and refused to look anywhere but at Jon. He dug his nails into his own palm, leaving behind bloody little divots, and bounced his knee nervously. 

Jon was no better. He was fidgeting, chewing on his lip, one hand was picking at the fraying seams of his worn jeans, while the other was buried in his hair, pulling at the knots that were still there. Occasionally he let his eyes drift to Tim and each time he regretted it immediately, as his stare was never less angry or intense.

After a long while of waiting for Martin to return, which may very well have only been a few minutes, Jon apparently couldn’t help himself. 

“Um, Tim,” he broke the silence between them, yet for a moment the room seemed to become dead quiet in the process. “I just wanted to thank you… for the jeans.”

“Martin asked me to.” Tim told him. His voice was biting and cold, which didn’t surprise him at all. “I told you already, if you want to thank someone it should be him.”

“Yes, you did say that,” he nodded in agreement. “A- and I will, of course I will. It’s just… you didn’t have to and I really ap-”

“Do you think we’re friends all of the sudden?” He snapped at him and, try as he might, Jon couldn’t help but deflate a bit at the question.

“No, I suppose not.” He admitted. He looked away and sunk a little lower in his chair then.

“Let me make myself crystal clear, Boss, ” he spoke the words low and quiet, leaning in like he only wanted Jon to hear him. “I did it for Martin. Because he's my friend. Even if, for reasons I can’t even begin to imagine and after everything you’ve done, he still fancies you.” 

Jon immediately snapped to attention at that, staring at him slack jawed. He knew that Jonny had known but none of the other Archive staff had ever mentioned it before. Never even implied or suggested it. Was it really so obvious that only Jon had failed to notice.

Tim suddenly scoffed at him then. “Oh please, don’t look at me like that! You must’ve known! He’s only been in love with you since he gave you his statement, well over a year ago. You expect me to believe you didn’t know.”

I fuckin’ told you! Jonny laughed. Wait… wasn’t that around the same time you started being into him? Jon went tense at the question. Because you were so charmed and impressed by how he was able to survive… Have you two seriously been-

“Now’s hardly the time for this!” Jon hissed back at him. 

Jonny just laughed but Tim did not.

“You have got to be kidding!” He snapped at him. “After all the shit the we saw in the shower? What we heard you talk about? The way you and Basira were acting? I was worried you two were gonna start-!”

“That was not me!” The words were shouted across the room and both men jumped in response. Their eyes darted to Basira. She still stood next to her desk, glaring at them and gripping the side of the desk like she desperately needed the support.

“What?” Tim asked, sounding more baffled than angry then.

Almost as if on cue, Martin rounded the corner with a tray of mugs and a worried expression. “What’s all the yelling for?”

“I don’t know what the hell that was but it wasn’t me!” She repeated. Her body was trembling and she refused to look at any of them. It was a look of fear and shame rolled into one.

Martin gently sat the tray down. “Okay, let’s all just sit down. Here, have some tea and we'll talk about this.” He was delicate as he helped her into her chair, nothing like Tim when he had forced Jon to sit. A mug was put into her shaking hands and she held it close, like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. 

Jon and Tim were passed their own mugs. As Jon’s fingers lightly brushed Martin’s he felt his mechanical heart whir a little faster. He could barely eke out a little “thank you” from how embarrassed he felt. Could the rest of them hear the gears and springs of his brass heart or was he worried for nothing? It seemed to grind so loud in his own ears but no one else was reacting to it at all.

“It has to be a trick.” The words were small but everyone stopped when they heard it. Basira was glancing up from her tea to the rest of them. “It has to be. Something new that Elias made up to fuck with me- fuck with us!” 

She sat up straight then, slamming her mug down much too hard and sending the contents sloshing all over the place. She didn’t react to it at all, just looked at Jon with a kind of intensity that had him wilting in place.

“You hear it too, right? Like a voice in the back of your head!” She demanded. “You even knew its name, were barely even surprised by it! So? How long have you known? When did he do this to us?”

“I…” he paused and looked between his assistants. How was he meant to explain this to all of them? “I don’t… Elias didn’t-”

“He had to’ve!” Basira snapped. “Who else could’ve? Or do you really think I buy their narrative about space pirates? I’m sure you don’t!”

Oh boy, she’s in denial hard, huh?

“Basira,” he tried to be gentle in spite the glare she was sending his way. “Listen, I know this all sounds crazy but… well, I do believe them. These voices aren’t just voices. Th-”

“Hold on, what?” It was Martin who cut in then. He looked confused and concerned and maybe even a little hurt. “Can we start over? Because I’m a little lost.”

“I second that.” Tim agreed. “Though I would like to know what the hell you mean by space pirates. ”

“Alright fine,” Jon gave a heavy sigh. “I suppose I might as well.”

In for a penny and all that. Am I right?

“Yes, I suppose so.” He replied openly to him this time. His assistants might as well get used to hearing him talk to Jonny so openly. 

Somewhere in the room a tape recorder turned on. The sound of it sent a shiver up his spine but still he began to spin them a tale. First he told them of the Circus taking him captive, they already knew about that so it was easy enough to gloss over without his mind focusing too much on what they had done to him. Still his hand shook as he rushed to get through it. Then he explained Michael, or he tried to. Tim was quick to jump in at that.

“Wait, yeah, we met that damn thing!” He huffed. 

“What, when was this?” Jon looked at him with a bit of shock. He knew Sasha had met Michael but he had no clue that it had bothered any of his other assistants. 

“Back when that Not-Sasha thing showed up.” Martin explained. “We got chased into the tunnels and we ran into it.”

“Right before it threatened to kill us and then locked us in its fucked up corridors.” Tim cut in. “We were stuck in there for three weeks! Oh, and it told us that you were apparently spending time with it, by the way!”

“I wasn’t spending time with it! ” Jon felt rather indignant at that, not liking the implications of his comment one bit. “It showed up a few times to kidnap Helen Richardson, cut me, and tell me about its tragic former life! It’s not like we were having lunch dates or going to the pub together.”

You might've if you bothered to ask. Jonny suggested, teasing as he ever was. I think it’s a little obsessed with you. It might not be interesting in fucking but maybe we should-

“Shut up Jonny.” He groaned and rubbed one of his temples. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when this got him odd looks. To the contrary, he actually hoped they would ask questions. Perhaps that way would be easier.

Martin looked like he wanted to ask but Tim cut in too quickly. “Fine, you aren't friends with the gangly freak. What happened next?”

You weren’t friends. Don't forget them stopping by earlier. Jonny corrected, though Jon decided it was best to keep that bit to himself.

So he carried on. He shared Michael’s story as best he could and there were looks of shock and devastation on his team’s faces as they learned the story of Michael Shelley. The unfortunate man who had once been the loyal assistant to Gertrude Robinson, fed to the Spiral by a person he trusted and now a monster stalking those winding hallways. It was upsetting and concerning to think about for very long.

At last Jon got to the hard bit, the realization that something was waking up in his mind. The voice making itself known. The mania that came with it, the wanton violence that followed. As he began to speak of the fight in the wax works building he found himself unable to stop. Each blow, the feeling of the blood on his hands, the way the gore got in his hair and his mouth, how they stalked the hallways of the building, checked every room, killed anything that dared to move in their presence, stomping on Sarah Baldwin's head until it was nothing but mush. Of course he started by telling them that was all Jonny’s doing but he wondered if they even remembered that.

“So they really are all dead?” Tim asked in a small voice, more to himself than to Jon.

Martin was up and by his side before Jon could even answer. “Hey, are you okay? I know-”

“I should be happy!” His voice shook and it was clear he was trying and failing to fight back tears. “I should be fucking happy they’re all dead! But… I’ve look so goddamn long for them, I thought I was getting close to my revenge on those fucker! I thought I'd get to be part of it!”

Very carefully Martin placed a hand on his shoulder and in an instant Tim bolted up and pulled him into a hug. He didn’t fight the tears any longer, just sobbed. Martin rubbed his back and for a while no one said anything, just let him get out all the feelings he needed to.

For only a few moments Jon wondered what they were talking about, why Tim had such a vendetta against the Circus. And then he Knew. His breath hitched at the realization and he bit his tongue at once. He didn't know how he Knew about Tim's brother, didn't know why he had such a vivid image of Danny's skin being ripped from his body, but what he did know was that Tim would not want him to know any of this. 

Jon, I know you like to ask questions-

“I wasn't going to ask.” Jon whispered back harshly. “I have some decorum.” 

The tears fell only a while longer before the doors to the Archive opened and the atmosphere changed in an instant. Tim pulled away from Martin and all eyes were now on the new arrival.

“Daisy.” Basira sighed in relief and stood as she saw her gruff partner standing there.

Daisy wore a scowl and carried a duffle bag. At first her eyes were focused on the display of the two assistants hugging and then to Jon awkwardly sitting there. “You expecting someone? Some freak is-”

Suddenly she was distracted when her eyes landed on Basira.

“What happened?” She demanded, rushing forward to inspect her. “Are you hurt? Whose blood-”

“I'm fine Daisy, really.” Basira insisted and took her hands on her own. 

“I know you said you needed new clothes but you didn't say you killed someone.” 

“She didn't. The bastard’s still alive.” Tim piped up as he pulled away from Martin. His eyes were puffy now and he was still rubbing away the tears. 

Suddenly Jonny growled in the back of his head. I'm trying real hard not to get sick of your assistant here Sims, but-

“Our assistant.” He corrected absently. “And he has the right to be upset.” He didn't even think about it before realizing he had drawn the eyes of everyone in the room.

“Which assistant?” Daisy huffed before looking around the room. “Melanie? Was that her name? What she do to earn that? Or do I want to know?”

“No, you misunderstand.” Jon tried to correct her but was cut off immediately.

“Jon's just going psycho and thinks there's a person in his head. So he's actively talking to it.” Tim clarified for him.

Jon went rigid at that. He couldn't quite say why but him denying Jonny’s existence was more upsetting than any insult he could have thrown his way. “I'm not psycho. Jonny is real and if all you intend to do is deny what I've told you so far, then I see no use in continuing this interrogation of yours.”

He half expected Tim to start laying into him then but before either could say anything more Basira jumped in. “Jon isn't just going crazy. I have a voice too, or did you forget that part Tim? And they're not just voices either, they're whole personalities and they can take control of us! They had a conversation and knew each other, knew things about each other, without either mine or Jon's input.” 

Tim clammed up at that while Daisy looked baffled.

“You have a voice in your head?”

“Ashes O’Reilly, quartermaster of the Aurora.” It was Jon who answered the question. He barely thought about it before the words were out of his mouth and barely cared when Daisy was suddenly eyeing him. The words gave him a sense of pride, much like it did Jonny. They were part of their crew, after all.

… Wait, no, not their crew. He was hardly a Mechanism.

He was lost in thought for a moment when Basira gestured to him. “See, this is what I'm saying! That's what the voice told me last night but I never told anyone that. And yet he just knows everything about the voice! My assumption is Elias-” 

“I already said it wasn't Elias.” Jon snapped at her. His assistants recoiled a bit at that, but not Daisy.

Daisy growled low in her throat before putting herself between him and her partner.

“Alright Jon,” her voice was low and predatory, “if it's not Elias’ doing, why don't you explain it? What exactly is happening to you two?”

He sighed at that. How did he explain any of this? 

Just be blunt. Jonny suggested. It's how we normally tell our stories. Either they believe you or they don't but at least you can say you tried.

He shrugged then. “Right, blunt it is.” It was the only suggestion he had. So he supposed he should give it a try.

“These voices are two of the Mechanisms.” He started. He felt as though all eyes were on him now, even a pair or two that weren't presently in the room with them. But he carried on. With another heavy sigh he said the next part. “They are… a band of immortal space pirates.”

He immediately pinched the bridge of his nose as he said the words. This was ridiculous! Of course they would think he was crazy, he sounded crazy!

The room was filled with laughter then. Daisy was chuckling at him like he had told a truly funny joke. “Forget the immortal bit, you expect me to believe you're a pirate? You? The scrawny, little, glorified librarian.”

Jon huffed at that. “You want to test it?” He half growled back at her. And, oh, if that didn't get her attention. “I'm sure you have a knife on your person. By all means, let's have it-”

“Jon!” Martin was suddenly directly beside him. He had a hand on his arm and was shaking him lightly. “What is wrong with you? How many fights are you going to pick today?”

“I don't know, Martin!” He threw his hands up and pulled back. “How many people are going to call me crazy or attack me or fucking torture me for a month straight? None of you have to believe me but I will not be mocked! I know what's in my damn head!”

Hey! Jonny snarled then. Back off, none of this is Martin's fault! He's being the most reasonable one here. 

Jon couldn't help but scoff. “No one is being reasonable here! This is utter insanity! I've got a pirate in my head, our consciousnesses are rapidly melding together, my whole life is one big joke made up by your fucking crew , and in spite how stupid that all sounds, it's the truth! So forgive me if I can't find it in myself to be a bit more lovely at the moment.”

His breath was ragged and he felt his eyes and chest burn with shame. He didn't want to be angry at Jonny or any of their assistants for that matter. He certainly hadn't wanted them to know all that about him, but he had snapped and he just felt ashamed.

When at last one of them spoke again, it was Daisy. She looked worried and kept looking towards Basira. “Alright, let's say I believe you. What does any of this mean? How's it work?” 

“You aren't seriously entertaining this delusion?” Tim demanded. “You seriously believe he's a space pirate?”

“I don't know what he is.” She admitted. “But I know Jon wouldn't act this way without a reason. And if this is something that's putting Basira in danger, I'm willing to hear him out.” 

Tim shook his head but still looked at Jon expectantly. They all did in fact. It made him feel very small for a moment.

After a few deep breaths he began again. “According to Jonny and Ashes, this is the result of an experiment. One of the Mechanisms, a woman by the name Raphaella la Cognizi, she drugged at least a few of the crew members. By some means she suppressed the minds of her test subjects and implanted new consciousnesses in them.”

“Wha- that's horrible!” Martin gasped. 

“And crazy!” Tim shouted in agreement. “Why would she do that?”

Science. Jonny spoke rather non-nonchalantly. Of course the idea of it would barely faze him.

“Science.” Jon parrots back with a bit of annoyance in his tone. To his surprise Basira said it too, almost as quickly as he did, though she sounded much more confused by it.

“Just… science for science sake?” She spoke but she wasn’t talking to any of them. In fact, if Jon had to guess, she was very likely talking to Ashes. “That's it?”

“That's just how she is.” Jon spoke the words but he had to stop himself. He didn't know how to explain it but it was as if he and Jonny had been one in the same for just that one instance. Perfectly in unison.

Oh, that's not a great sign…

Great, just one more thing to worry about.

“But then what was her plan to get her crew members back?” Martin interjected, continuing on completely unaware of the new crisis Jon was finding himself in. “Can you be extracted? Was she trying to, like, cultivate a fully realized brain for something? Like to put in a computer or some other sci-fi stuff?”

“I… don’t know?” Jon admitted. He didn’t like any of this, he felt like he was spiraling. They needed to find Raphaella, needed to force her to fix this before they became so melded that there was nothing left of who Jon and Jonny originally were. 

You know, that would make way more sense than the actual reason. Jonny said, rather thoughtfully. Maybe that could fix this? You’re basically an AI anyways. After that, we can work on finding you a proper body. And then we shoot that bitch and burning her lab to the fuckin' ground.

A smile formed across Jon’s lips. That almost didn’t sound too terrible. “I'm amenable to that, so long as you leave London alone.”

Wow, you were almost fun there for a second, Sims.

“What? All your arson plans have to be on your terms, is that it?”

“What?!” Martin demanded, looking at Tim, like the other man might have answers he didn't. “Jon, what are you talking about?”

“Sorry, not you.” He tried to explain with a straight face but that damn smile didn’t seem to want to go away, especially when Martin looked so worried for him. “Jonny is planning more arson and I'm trying to… you know what? Let's not talk about this actually. What was your question?”

Why she made you and how she plans to remove you?

“Right,” Jon nodded before Martin could even answer. “Well the honest answer is that my consciousness was supposed to fade at some point and Jonny was supposed to take back over. Basira and Ashes are much the same. She didn't plan to save us or use us for anything.”

“But then why-” 

“They just thought it was funny.” Basira finished his thought, though she didn’t look anywhere near as amused as Jon did. Her expression was almost hopeless, like the realization that her very existence had been some kind of prank truly broke her. “We're just a joke to them. Almost ten years of us being alive, being real people, and we were supposed to just be wiped away. Just like that. They gave us memories and goals and fears and… and fucking dreams and we were a joke to them!” 

Jon's throat felt terribly dry, his smile was gone now and he couldn't find the words to respond. So instead he only nodded.

She was shaking and breathing heavy again. In an instant Daisy was holding her, whispering something in her ear and petting her hair slowly. The two didn't get like this often, never in front of any of them. It made it feel all the more wrong to watch them.

Instead Jon turned away, looking at Tim and Martin. They also couldn't bear to look at the two partners console each other. So they looked at him and that didn't feel much better either.

Both wore a number of emotions on their faces. Tim still looked like he wanted to be angry but he couldn't seem to force his face to scowl at him any longer. In its place he just looked lost and hurt. And Martin? What could he say about Martin's expression? A look of heartbreak was all over his face, his big doe eyes stared back at him like he had already lost Jon and was now mourning him. 

There was the briefest of a moment where Jonny’s boldness coursed through him. He took a step closer to Martin and considered a number of things he wished he could do. Hold his hand, hug him, comfort him the same way Daisy did for Basira, kiss him even. His damn brass heart sped up, faster still and he wanted so badly to do any one of them. 

But as quickly as that boldness appeared, it withdrew and he drew back. He couldn’t. Perhaps it just wasn’t the right time or perhaps he was too much of a coward. It was hard to say, really. But he looked away and tried not to feel too ashamed of himself.

At the same time, Tim’s own dread was becoming visible. His eyes burrowing into Jon, his lip trembling as he grappled with the reality of this situation. He looked at him long and hard before he finally spoke to him. “Does this…” a hiccup stopped him and it was clear he was struggling to stay composed. “Are you- were you… real? If you're just gonna disappear then... was this all just fake? Is another person in my life just… Fuck! Why does this keep happening?!”

Tim looked on the verge of a breakdown and Jon rushed forward before even Martin could. He took one of his hands and squeezed it lightly. He went rigid at that but Jon didn’t let go. 

“Listen, relax, I'm not fading yet!! We might not fade at all!” He turned back to Basira then. “You heard what we said before, right? The Eye, it's keeping us alive and real and whatever protocols Raphaella put into place, it isn't able to erase us.” 

She nodded along, though she still didn't look very hopeful. “So what do we do?” She asked before tapping at her temple. “Ashes seem to think that the rest of their crew will come for us. And then they'll remove us, even if we don't fade on our own.”

He paused and very gently let Tim’s hand go. That was an excellent question and they would need to confront the very real possibility that this all might not pan out in their favor. So they needed to even their odds somehow.

Jonny seemed keen to help him, might even try to protect him against the rest of the crew if they came after him. If they could similarly get Ashes to see reason, perhaps they could strongarm Raphaella into saving their minds, rather than overwriting or erasing them outright. Or maybe she could simply be reasoned with? Maybe she got whatever it was she wanted from her little experiment and now she would help them if they just asked.

“Well-”

“We set up some kind of defense. Capture anyone who comes for you.” Daisy answered before he could. “Maybe these bastards really are immortal and maybe they can survive anything we throw at them. But I bet some strong enough rope will hold them. At least until we figure out what to do with them.”

“Excuse me?” Jon sputtered. His sentiment was mirrored by Martin as well, who looked at her as though she'd lost her mind. 

Jonny on the other hand was cackling. Oh, this is gonna be good. She really thinks she can hold us? That's rich! 

“Jonny, this is serious.” He scolded him but received a blasé little laugh in response. Realizing he would be getting nowhere with him, he looked back to Daisy instead. “Daisy, fighting them isn't going to be an option forever. Ashes is literally in Basira’s head and they could take back over at any time.”

“Of course you don't want to fight them.” Basira scoffed. “You're all buddy, buddy with your new little twin. That’s how those things that came out of the door put it, right? Meanwhile mine is threatening to set Daisy on fire, literally as we speak.”

“That's-”

Par for the course, really. Jonny chucked. Remind me when we have the time to sing you the Lucky Sevens next.

“Yes, I gather they enjoy arson quite a bit and I’m sure you have a very thrilling song about that but now’s not the time.” He gave a tired sigh and shook his head before he looked back at them. “Ashes? I'm sure you can hear me in there-”

“Don't fucking talk to that think like Basira isn't here.” Daisy growled at him and was beginning to move towards him.

“I- Daisy, listen! Ashes could find their way out at literally any moment and they wouldn't hesitate to kill you. They'd delight in it in fact. Especially if you try to hurt Jonny’s body.” That seemed to make them stop, if only for the moment. “Let me at least try to reason with them.”

There was a little hum in the back of his mind and he couldn't help the groan that escaped him. “What now?”

Look, of the Mechs, Ashes is one of the more reasonable of us but there also one of the most protective.

Jon scoffed at that. “They literally helped bury one of your crew alive!”

That's different.

“How on earth is that different?”

It just is! Jonny insisted. It's different when it's one of the crew doing it. But if this bitch does it, tries to capture us or whatever… Ashes isn't gonna lay back and just let her do this.

“Yes, you're almost certainly right.” He nodded along but certainly wasn't happy about it.

“Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class.” Daisy snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Mostly that Ashes isn't going to allow you to do this. They're protective of their crew and they've stolen control from Basira once already.” He hoped he was making himself clear. Daisy needed to understand what a losing battle she would be in if they tried to fight the Mechanisms.

Daisy looked contemplative for a moment, looking at him for a long few seconds before she seemed to get it and turned back to Basira. “I'll handle this. You trust me?”

She didn't even have to think about it before answering. “Of course.” 

The scene was soft and trusting, things the men weren't used to seeing from the pair. 

That made the swiftness of what happened next jarring. Daisy immediately spun Basira around, pinning to her desk, and cuffing her hands before anyone was even sure what was happening. Basira struggled for only the briefest of a moment, enough for her panic to wash over her and then drift away as she grew to understand just as quickly what was happening. Carefully, Daisy sat her down in a chair, making sure she was comfortable.

And then her eye landed on Jon. “That's one.”

“Wha- hold on a minute! This won't help anything!” Jon tried to reason with her and attempted to slowly back away. 

He bumped into something big and soft and suddenly he remembered Martin was there. He looked… conflicted, to say the very least. Looking between Jon and Daisy, he seemed to be really weighing his next options. And then his arms were around him, pinning his arms to his side, and lifted him so his feet couldn’t touch the ground.

“Wha- Martin!” He sputtered and squirmed. 

Tim mirrored the sentiment as well, yelling, “Martin, what the hell are you doing?” 

Across the room, Daisy smiled, looking rather pleased with him. Maybe she preferred taking him the easy way or maybe she found it funny that these two fools, who were so desperately into each other, had gotten themselves in this situation.

And then there was Jonny, who was entirely unhelpful. Oh… he really could just manhandle us if he wanted, huh?

Jon’s face was beet red in an instant. “Jonny, now is not the time!”

I disagree! He sang in his mind. This is the perfect time. Tell him how you feel and makeout with this man already!

“Absolutely not!”

“I just- Jon, listen to yourself!” Martin tried to speak gently but he clearly sounded panicked. “This might be the only way to save you from them and whatever this thing is in your head. Sure we could try to reason with them and maybe they'll even remove you without killing you. But then what? You'll just be a mind without a body. You can't want that.”

Jonny made a surprised little sound and it was hard to tell if it was in response to the idea Jon might be permanently left without a body or the fact that Martin thought of him as a thing. Jon almost comforted him but he spoke before he could try.

I won't let that happen. Jonny promised, though his voice warbled a bit. I'll make Raph remove you safely and I'll fucking make her build you a new body. 

Was something like that even possible? A whole new body? Would it be like his heart? Brass and clockwork? Or would it be wooden like the Toy Soldier’s body? Would he even want something like that?

Either way, he trusted Jonny, he believed that he wouldn't let him die. 

“Martin, I… Basira can survive this way but I can't.” He tried to explain, still struggling to break free but also not willing to hurt him. 

“What does that mean?” Daisy demanded. “What's different about you?”

“He's the Archivist.” A chuckle came from Basira’s mouth but it wasn't Basira. “He won't be overwritten, he's merging with Jonny instead. If he waits too long, neither of them will be themselves ever again.”

“Basira?” Daisy looked back at them. She could tell just by their tone that something was wrong. That wasn’t her partner. That much was clear.

They lounged back in the chair they sat in, almost looking comfortable if not for being handcuffed. The grin they wore on their face was spread wide, their teeth stained with blood and a trickle seeped slowly from the corner of their mouth. They chuckled low and watched Daisy with eyes that weren’t her lover’s and they revealed how it seemed to drive her mad.

“So, you’re the werewolf?” Their eyes drifted up and down her body. “Yeah, alright. I can work with this. Hope you’re good at sharing though.”

Daisy was slack jawed, clearly not sure how to respond to this. This was not her Basira and she didn’t like it one bit.

“Ashes.” Jon corrected her in her silence. “Daisy, don’t engage with them. They just want to upset you.”

Then they flashed him that grin instead. “Hey Sims, don't suppose you could let Jonny out for a bit? Or, hell, you can just do a repeat performance of what we did in the showers earlier. We had a great time, right? Bet Ms. Werewolf here wouldn’t mind joining in this time.”

“What?!” Daisy snarled. She was snapped out of her stupor and didn't bother to wait for an answer. She was turning and lunging for him in an instant.

God dammit, Ashes! Now's not the time for that!

“Oh, so now you understand when sex jokes are inappropriate?” He huffed.

For a moment he was ready to close his eyes and let this happen. He’d be fine, after all. Even if it was a lethal blow, he would just regenerate. 

But before Daisy could sink her claws into him, two things happened at once. Martin didn’t just let him go but practically threw him as far away from Daisy as he could. He landed on the ground with a rather ungraceful thud and barely knew what was happening before he watched her reorient herself towards where he had landed. That didn’t last long either though, because she was quickly being attacked from behind. 

In no time at all, Ashes had broken free of their handcuffs and was attempting to keep Daisy in a chokehold. “A little help, Jonny?”

In the back of his mind, Jonny was in hysterics and the feeling was contagious. It bubbled in his chest and up his throat and suddenly he was having a laughing fit from watching the two wrestle. He couldn't bring himself to help or speak or even stand. 

“God dammit Jon!” He heard someone curse and suddenly there were hands on him, hoisting him up. But his feet didn’t seem to want to support him and he found himself lightheaded. 

He didn’t expect the sting of a slap across his cheek but it was apparently exactly what he needed. When he came back to himself, Tim was pulling him up and Martin was in front of him, very softly rubbing his face where he had just made contact. There was barely a moment to process anything that was happening before Tim grabbed his hand and he was being dragged out of the Archives with Martin close on his heels. 

Wait, where are we going? Jonny asked. 

“Uh… I don’t… What's the plan exactly?” Jon asked the pair as they dragged him out of the heavy doors and up the stairs. 

“Daisy wants to kill you and that Ashes person is apparently keen to set people on fire. ” Tim reminded him. “So we’re getting the fuck out of here!”

Jon nodded along. That certainly made more sense than him having a breakdown or trying to fight them off. And reasoning with them was certainly off the table at that point. “Run and avoid getting killed. I can agree to that.”

And so they ran.

Chapter Text

As they fled out of the Archive and up the stairs, angry screaming seemed to follow them until the door finally closed behind them. Ashes and Daisy would be busy at work trying to kill each other for who knew how long. Perhaps once Daisy was finally unable to get back up or perhaps until Basira was able to take control back. Or maybe they would stop eventually and talk through it like Jon and Ashes had once done, but he highly doubted that one.

Not that it was a concern of theirs any longer. No, they just needed to get away from this place and finally start looking for the Aurora. Romance and bucket lists and all that, it could wait until after their minds were separated and his friends were safe.

As they crested the top of the stairs Jon was half ready to fight for his hand back from Tim. Martin and Tim should go home, as far away from the institute and him as they could manage. But when they saw the reception area, they all froze. 

Two guards were laid out on the ground, beaten bloody by two large men that Jon was unfortunately familiar with. They wore delivery men uniforms and crooked smiles as they both busied themselves with the men they were beating, only stopping when they finally noticed them coming up from the Archive.

A little gasp came then. “There You Are Jonny!” A delighted voice spoke up.

All eyes snapped to the desk where Rosie normally sat and where the wooden figure of the Toy Soldier currently stood. The sight of it was distracting enough that they almost missed poor Rosie, whose face was being pinned against her desk while a carving knife was pressed lightly into her cheek.

A small trickle of blood made its way down her cheek from where the blade pushed in and Rosie could only give a little whimper of a beg. “Pl- please stop.” 

But the Toy Soldier ignored her, much too distracted by Jon's arrival.

“We've Been Looking For You Everywhere,” it continued to explain, “Once I Reformed I Wasn't Sure Where You Were! We Checked All The Places Nearby That You Would Have Gone: Dive Bars, Liquor Stores, Karaoke Bars, Fighting Rings, Pubs, Drug Dens, Pet Shops, Weapon Dealers, A Few Abandoned Buildings-”

Jon was slack jawed as it just kept prattling on, never taking its hands off of Rosie and never seeming to realize how uncomfortable they were as it carried on.

“I- we weren't even gone that long.” Jon said absently, feeling a bit silly after saying it.

“Are you seriously making small talk with this thing?” Tim demanded. 

Yeah, I gotta side with Tim on this one. Jonny agreed. Maybe get it off of Rosie first, then we can talk this out?

“Right, right.” He nodded and looked at the Toy Soldier. “Uh, Soldier, could you let Rosie go, please?”

Jesus Christ, Sims. Are you serious? Have you not been paying attention? He gave a sigh, clearly annoyed.

“Wha-”

“I Would Jonny But She's Been Very Rude!” It insisted. “I Asked Very Nicely For You And She Said She'd Call You. But Then, You Won't Believe It, She Called Security On Us! So Rude! That Elias Fellow Should Really Hire Some Better Staff.” 

To punctuate the matter, it dug its blade into her cheek a little deeper. Her whimpers became full on screaming and sobbing.

“Fucking stop!” Tim snapped, looking like he was ready to fight it himself. “Get the fuck away from her!” 

And the Toy Soldier did just that. It froze, pulling its blade from her cheek, and stepped a good few paces away from her. 

“Right’O Then. I Suppose We Do Have An Appointment To Keep.” It spoke much too cheerfully. 

“Right,” one of the large delivery men agreed as they both stood up. “Now Archivist, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. But you'll be comin’ with us.”

I suppose we did need to find TS and get back to the Aurora anyways.

For just a moment Jon was about to step forward willingly. He knew he wasn't in any real danger but everyone else in that room was and he didn't want to be the cause of them getting hurt. But before he could allow himself to be taken quietly, Martin put himself between them.

“Like hell he will!” He spoke rather indignantly. “You aren't taking him anywhere without a fight.” 

One of the delivery men chuckled while the other cracked their knuckles as though in anticipation. “Yeah? Alright. I don't mind killing one of the Archivist's little assistants.”

“Payback for all o’ our people your rabid dog’s been killing.” The second agreed and had already stepped forward towards Martin. 

“Wait, no! Martin, you don't have to do this!” Jon tried to insist but with the next step towards them he was cut off by a guttural snarl. Not in his mind but forcefully escaping his own throat.

Fuck this! Jonny spoke in an animalistic kind of way. Sorry, Jon but I'm tagging in.

“Wha-” was all he managed to get out before he was shunted to the back of his mind and suddenly he was only watching.

Jon was stunned for a moment. Caught off guard by how fluid and easy it was for control to be taken away from him. Jonny? What are you- fuck it, just keep them safe!

Meanwhile Jonny barely batted eyes, entirely unfazed by the sudden transition. 

He gave the room a cursory glance, taking stock of what all he had on hand. There were no real weapons here, of course not, it was in escents a waiting room. There were a few chairs and low tables and a tall standing lamp or two against the walls. A few large potted plants sat in the corners and of course there was Rosie’s desk, covered in all of her own personal effects. It wasn’t much in the way of combat supplied but he had gladly killed bigger foes with less.

And then he moved. He was quick, which seemed to surprise nearly everyone in the room and was very much to his own advantage. He grabbed the nearest chair, it was cushioned but it had a metal frame and would surely hurt to be hit with. So he threw it as hard as he could at the first of the bigger men. They recoiled as they blocked the object, which gave him just enough time to reach for one of the tables nearby and tear off one of its legs with hardly any trouble at all.

The delivery man reoriented themself just in time for the first blow to crack across his face and he was in a daze as the table leg came back and hit him on the other side. He tried to back away from the assault but Jonny pushed forward.

“You don't touch him!” Jonny hissed before he swung again with another crack to his skull. “You don't touch any of them! You don't even look at them or I'll fucking kill the both of you!”

Breakon, or perhaps it was Hope, was sporting a bloody jaw by now and did not look happy in the slightest. Before Jonny could attempt to attack again he was being grabbed by the scruff of his neck by the other big man and then being chucked hard against the nearest wall.

Something cracked and popped and for just a moment he wasn't sure he could stand. But then he heard Martin gasp, he looked up to see their assistants staring at him, looking worried for him. Even Tim looked worried, no anger, just fear for his safety.

That was more than enough for Jonny, he refused to stay down while they needed him. He wobbled to his feet, bones audibly popping back into place as he did so, and bared his teeth at the pair. 

The delivery men chuckled at the sight of him like this before the one that had been bloodied spoke. “I gotta say, Archivist, I'm impressed. Don't remember you being this scrappy when we took you the first time.”

“Or resilient.” The second added.

He growled back and was about to attack again when suddenly Tim, bafflingly, had jumped onto one of the men and began stabbing something into his neck repeatedly. It took Jonny a moment to realize it was one of his own makeshift blades that Tim had confiscated from him earlier that day.

The sight of it had a grin creeping across his face and the gears of his heart spinning faster.

“Fuck,” he whispered low for only himself and his twin to hear. “Jon, how are all our assistants so hot?”

Jonny, no! Jon protested immediately. Now is not the time for that! And even if it was, I must remind you that he hates us! 

“I'm pretty sure he hates you, actually.” He corrected him.

Would you just concentrate? I'd rather no one else get hurt here!

“Yeah, yeah.” He agreed dully and grabbed the first thing his hands fell upon. 

He lifted one of the large potted plants with relative ease and turned back to the scene. In the time he had been distracted the second of the delivery men had grabbed Tim. He tore him off his companion and had his hand clenched around his throat. Tim was desperately clawing at his arm and looked like he was struggling to breath.

Jonny saw red and chucked the planter with all the force he had. It shattered against the big man’s heads and a spray of dirt and ceramic shards rained everywhere. The delivery man was so stunned that he stumbled, dropping Tim in the process and allowing him to scramble away. 

Jonny didn’t let the confusion of it all go to waste. He charged forward, scooping up a large shard of glass and a handful of dirt. Much like Tim did he jumped on the big man’s back and used the shard to go for his neck, though he stabbed with a vigor and hatred that no regular mortal could hope to match. At the same time he threw the dirt into the other man’s eyes, blinding him if only for a short while.

The second cursed aloud and attempted to get the dirt from his eyes, distracting him just long enough for Tim to see an opening. Grabbing one of the lamps in the room and swept his legs. He went to the floor and once down there Tim just kept swinging. 

The lamp was flimsy and broke rather quickly, that wasn’t a surprise at all. No, the surprise came when Martin grabbed a chair and started to try to help. At first trying to hit him as well but eventually he must have felt wrong about it because in the end he just tried to pin the man down instead. 

The sight was perhaps a bit silly but Jonny couldn’t help how his cheeks went a little pink watching the two fighting together. 

You really do have it bad, don’t you? Jon couldn’t help but taunt him. Just do me a favor and don’t get an erection from all this excitement, if you can help it. I’d like to keep some of my dignity.

“Y- I’m not- fuck you!” He stuttered indignantly. “When I get you out of my head I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Jon laughed. It was a hollow threat, they both knew that, and it only made his cheeks go a darker shade of pink as he was teased.

All the while Jonny just kept stabbing, perhaps just trying to get his frustration out any way he could, until the man could take no more and he fell. Coughing and choking and spasming, the first of the pair struggled just a bit longer but ultimately he stopped moving entirely. 

Is he dead? Jon asked pensively, all his lighthearted chiding gone in an instant.

“Looks pretty dead to me.” Jonny shrugged before giving him a few more stabs to the neck, if only for good measure. “Yep, definitely dead.”

God lord, I wasn’t sure if these two could actually die. He admitted and Jonny scoffed in return.

“Everything dies eventually, Sims. Some of us sooner than others but trust me, these fuckers might be hard to kill but that doesn’t make them unkillable.”

“Could you maybe stop talking to yourself and fucking help us?” Tim demanded. 

Only then did Jonny realize that the second delivery man had broken free being pinned. He shoved Martin away and he stumbled back. Then he turned and swung on Tim twice, once in the gut and then a second time in the face. He went down hard, hitting the back of his head against the ground and going out like a light.

Then the remaining delivery man looked to his own double. His face told a vivid tale of shock and loss and fury. And then he looked to Jonny. 

Perhaps he realized what a losing battle he was in. Perhaps he realized that Jonny could kill him just as he had his match. Perhaps he just wanted to take something from them just as he had taken from him. He couldn’t say exactly what was going through this entity’s head but he turned away from him and brought down one of his heavy boots directly onto Tim’s neck. Once and then twice before Jonny could act.

Tim gasped and choked all at once while Martin screamed and Jonny lunged and knocked the man back against Rosie’s desk. Rosie, who had been hiding behind her desk and only being able to watch up until that point, yelped and fled as quickly as she could. She darted into Elias’ office and slammed the door shut behind her. 

If Jonny had been in any state of mind to worry for her, he might have been glad that she was safe but instead he was just angry and kept attacking the delivery man in any way he could. Stabbing him until his shard of glass broke and then grabbing for a heavy brass paper weight on the desk, which he proceeded to use to bash against the man’s head. And then he just kept hitting him.

He didn’t know how long after he started hitting him that the larger man had finally died. He knew he stopped struggling rather quickly but he didn’t care. A blind rage took him over and there was nothing left behind but how much he wanted to hurt this man. 

Jonny was vaguely aware of talking behind and beside him and even in his own head at some point. He knew Jon was trying to talk to him and he could tell Martin was saying something and the Toy Soldier certainly kept piping up, with its distinct and melodious voice, but still he didn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop. Perhaps even couldn’t stop until all the hate was finally out.

His breath was ragged and his face was wet with blood and his own angry tears by the time he finally settled down. How much time had passed, he couldn’t say, but the delivery man’s face was now just a pile of gore and the jumper that had once been soft and had smelled of ink and tea and Martin was now a bloody mess. 

He sat back and looked at the paper weight. Suddenly there was a spark in his mind and he Knew an abundance about this little egg shaped bobble. Where it was made, how it was made, the fact Elias had given to Rosie as a gift, a way to thank her for her hard work and loyalty. Then he Knew that Elias had really only given it to her to make her nervous, because she was of course convinced that Elias had the entire office bugged and that this paper weight was just one more way to watch her. 

She was right, to some extent, just not about the paper weight itself, because Elias didn’t need hidden cameras to watch them. And in fact, he could feel him at that very moment, watching and fascinated by the sight of his Archivist. Something in his stomach churned at the knowledge that he was watching them still, reveling in how they were changing, and it made bile threaten to rise in his throat. 

And then he heard shouting in his ear and he swallowed that bile down as best he could. 

Jonny, god dammit, are you listening to me?! Jon demanded, he sounded truly worried and like he’d been trying to get his attention for some time now. Jonny, please, I need you to get up. Tim needs us!

His breath hitched and he got himself up on wobbly legs. His eyes fixed onto Tim. He was still on the ground and worse was that the Toy Soldier was over top of him, with its knife in its hands as it carefully cut a hole into his throat. To the side Martin sat and just watched, he looked terrified and had clearly been crying as he watched this all unfold.

“What. The fuck. Are you doing?” Jonny hissed at the Toy Soldier and briefly considered beating it was Rosie’s paper weight as well.

It didn’t look up, continuing with cutting into Tim’s neck. “Well You Weren’t Responding and Mr. Blackwood Was Getting Quite Worried. So He Asked For My Help Fixing Your Other Assistant. His Windpipe Has Been Quite Badly Damaged But Not To Worry, I Studied All About The Human Body When I Joined The Circus. I Can Take It Apart And Put It Back Together In All Kinds Of New And Interesting Ways Now!”

“No!” Martin snapped at it. “Nothing new and interesting! You said you could fix him how he’s supposed to be so just do that!”

“If You Say So, Chum.” It spoke in a delighted tone and refocused on its patient.

It looked almost like the Toy Soldier was trying to perform a tracheotomy but it was odd and wrong in many ways. Jonny could only assume it was still touched by the nature of whatever it was that commanded that Circus and was using that to its advantage. It pulled and stretched the skin, before sticking its fingers in and seemed to readjust things here and there. It hummed thoughtfully before opening his mouth and peering inside and then going back to adjusting something in his throat. Finally it was finished and it fished around in one of its pockets, pulling out a spool of string and stitching him up quickly.

When it was all finished it pulled back and looked rather proud of its handy work. “There, Patched Up, Just Like You Asked.”

Martin gave a heavy sigh of relief but Jonny did not. He looked at the other man long and hard. 

Tim was pale and still. There was no breath, no warmth, no indication of life at all. Jonny didn’t need to be told, he didn’t need to Know, he had seen plenty of dead people and Tim was now one of them.

Jon seemed to know it too. Tim… J- god no, this can’t… oh god. He went silent then, refusing to say any more. 

His eyes burned and he sniffled at the realization. “I- thank you for trying TS.” His words shook as he spoke. “I really mean it, thank you.”

“What?” Martin spoke as if he didn’t believe it. Immediately he was kneeling beside him, touching Tim’s face and looking for any sign of life at all. When he found none he glared up at the Toy Soldier. “You said you could save him!”

“I Most Certainly Did Not.” It huffed almost childishly. “I Said I Could Fix Him And I Have. He Was Already Well Dead By The Time You Asked For My Help.”

“Why would you do all of that if you knew he was dead?!” Martin demanded.

“You Told Me To Fix Him, So I Did.” It spoke matter-of-Factly. “Though I Did Find It Quite Strange That You Wanted Me To Operate On a Corpse.”

Martin gawked at it for a moment longer before he looked down at Tim and pulled his body into his embrace. He was shaking and sobbing now and Jonny wasn’t fairing much better. He managed only a few steps forward before he collapsed beside them both. He took one of Tim’s hands in his own and struggled not to sob at the realization that their friend was now dead.

The Toy Soldier looked confused, looking at Jonny sitting there like it didn’t understand for a moment. Slowly though it seemed to connect the dots. “Oh, Jonny, Did You Actually Like This One? I Thought You Didn’t Have Time For Silly Mortals anymore.”

He drooped at the question but didn’t bother to deny it. “Yes, TS, I liked him. I like all of them. I didn’t want them hurt but I guess I fucked that up.”

In spite its painted on face, it somehow managed to look rather thoughtful before it nodded along and in a swift motion stepped forward and scooped Tim up, surprising them both as it stole him from their hold. “Well Then, There’s Only One Solution! We Should Get Back To The Aurora!” 

With that it was marching out away from them and towards the exit. 

Martin watched it go in horror before he looked to Jonny. “Jon, what just happened? Where’s it taking him?”

“I’m sorry Martin.” He tried to be delicate but he couldn’t bring himself to look at him. “He’s gone and it’s my fault. I didn’t want this to happen but… the Toy Soldier is right, we need to get back to the ship. We might… I can’t believe I’m even fucking considering this but… We could save him, maybe?”

What? Jon gasped and at the same time Martin did as well. I know you all are immortal but can you really bring someone back from the dead?

He sighed and nodded. “Some of us died before we were Mechnised. And if TS is so keen to take him with us back to the ship, I suspect it thinks I want to keep him.”

“Keep him?” Martin asked. He looked a bit confused but it barely beat out the sorrow he was feeling.

I have to agree, Jon chimed in, what exactly does keeping him entail.

Jonny rubbed at one of his rapidly healing bruises and shook his head. “Let’s save this chat for another time, maybe? I’m guessing I’m in for quite a long drive and if we’re gonna save Tim, I’d like it to be as soon as possible.

He stood and with gentle hands he helped Martin stand as well. His stupid brass heart whirred a little faster as their hands touched and he chewed the inside of his cheek in a desperate attempt to ignore it. When they were both up, he followed the Toy Soldier out and after a few seconds Martin was rushing out after him. 

It was broad daylight when they reached the car park but neither Jonny nor the Toy Soldier really seemed to care as they walked out covered in blood and carrying a dead body for all the world to see. 

Sitting in a parking space, inconspicuous in nature, was a beat up old delivery truck. White and with the words Breakon & Hope painted on the side. With little care at all the Toy Soldier jostled Tim's limp body around, throwing him over its shoulder like a sack of potatoes as it fought with the back doors of the truck. 

Immediately Jonny cursed and rushed forward. “Don't hold him like that!” He snarled and tore his body away from it. 

Again the Toy Soldier looked surprised. “Apologies Old Chap.” It spoke, sounding a bit concerned though clearly more for Jonny than Tim. “None To Worry. We'll Have This Fellow Right As Rain In No Time At All.” 

Finally it opened the backdoors for him and gestured inside. I was cramped, filled with packages and letters, and in the center of it all was an old wooden coffin wrapped in an old chain. 

“Right Then, We'll Just Put Your New Companions Back Here And Be On Our Way, Shall We?” 

“My new companions? ” He cocked a brow at it before he turned his head and realized that Martin had followed him to the truck. He was still looking at Tim, still looking devastated by losing him. Did the Toy Soldier think he planned to bring him with them too? Absolutely not! He’d already lost one of them, he didn’t trust anyone who might be on the Aurora to not do them harm!

“Martin,” he started gently but he stopped as soon as the other man’s expression became stony in response.

“Don’t you Martin me!” He snapped at him. “You aren’t taking Tim goodness only knows where and leaving me behind, not after everything I’ve seen today! You aren’t going without me, so you might as well get that thought out of your head right this minute.”

Jonny sputtered for a second but was cut off by Jon sighing in his mind. We do owe him a bit more of an explanation and if you really can bring Tim back, it’ll be better to have a face there of someone he actually likes.

He just huffed back. He couldn’t argue with Jon’s logic. 

“Fine,” he practically pouted and began to climb into the back of the truck. He layed Tim’s body out on the coffin, morbid but appropriate he supposed, before looking to Martin who was still just standing there. “Well, are you getting in or not?”

He looked reluctant then. “In the back… with his body?”

“There’s hardly anywhere else to put him.” He shrugged. “And I’m covered in blood again. So I really shouldn’t be in the front. You’re welcome to sit with Toy if you really want but I assumed you had more questions for me.”

“Uh…” he looked to the Toy Soldier and grimaced, before looking back to Jonny. “Yeah, okay, I’ll get in with you.”

With a bit of struggle Martin tried to climb up into the truck. Jonny couldn’t help the dumb smile that spread across his face as the other man hoasted himself up. He was just so different than anyone else he’d ever been involved with. That should have been a problem but it really wasn’t. It was… charming even.

Regardless, he stepped forward and again helped him up. His dumb heart spun a little faster all over again and did so until he finally let his hand go. 

Martin sat on a low wooden crate and Jonny, not able to help himself, sat as close to him as he could get without actively trying to share the crate with him. He ended up on a cardboard box that immediately ripped and sunk under his weight. Whatever was inside definitely broke under his ass in the process.

Hope that wasn’t expensive. Jon lamented while Jonny gave a small snort of laughter in response.

Even Martin managed a small smile at the sight of him but it didn’t last, too distracted by the fact that they were sitting so close to their dead friend’s body that they could literally reach out and touch it if they wanted.

As though to knock them both out of their thoughts, the doors to the back closed and they heard them being latched from the outside. 

“Now Just You Sit Tight, Friends.” The Toy Soldier said in a singsong kind of way. “We’ll Be At The Aurora In Just A Few Short Hours.”

And then the truck was moving and there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Martin was still for most of it, though it was clear he was trying very hard not to look at Tim’s body. Finally it seemed to be too much for him because he began to remove his jumper and then stood. 

Pensively he looked over Tim’s face, laying a hand on his cheek and brushing a few stray strands of his dark hair behind his ear. He didn’t hold back the sob that escaped him, that simply wasn’t the kind of person he was. After a long few seconds he laid his jumper over his face like it was a burial shroud or as close as they could manage to one. 

Eventually he sat back down beside Jonny and gave a ragged sigh. “So I’m guessing you're the pirate then?” He finally said while eyeing him.

“Oh… you could tell?” He asked with a nervous little laugh. “Did you want me to bring Jon back out? I’m guessing you’d be more comfortable with him than me.”

“You don’t exactly act like Jon.” He explained and then shook his head. “No, it sounds like you’re the one who knows all about this stuff and you promised me an explanation.”

Jon made a disappointed little “hmph” sound at the realization that he would rather talk to Jonny than him but he said nothing.

Jonny sighed and stood up. There was a part of him that wanted to tease Jon about being the one Martin wanted but there was another part of him that was much too embarrassed by the thought of Martin thinking the pair were fighting over him or anything to that effect.

As he stood, whatever it was he had crushed before gave an indignant popping noise in response to his harsh treatment but he had no care for how the thing might have felt for him. No, all his focus was on Martin. 

“Right then. Where do I even start?”

Perhaps he’d like to hear one of your songs? Jon suggested, most definitely not pouting. What was the one you suggested before? The Lucky Sevens?

“Nah, Lucky Sevens is a duet.” He dismissed the thought but grinned at the idea of one day singing for Martin. “Maybe another time.”

“Look, just… I don’t know. How about I ask you questions about the things I’ve seen and you explain them to me?” Martin offered.

That’s not an unreasonable idea.

“Yeah, not a bad thought.” He sat across from him then, crushing yet another box with a pleased smile across his face. “Alright. Ask your questions.”

Chapter Text

Jonny didn't totally know what to expect from Martin. The other man had always been meek and eager to please. To be honest, those were some of the things Jon hadn't liked about him originally. It always made it seem like he was hiding something or that he had some kind of motivation behind everything he did. It just seemed impossible that he might be so keen to do something nice just because it was a nice thing to do.

But he had gotten used to that Martin, who was soft and kind and eager, had even found himself fond of him. And in spite himself, Jonny felt much the same way. It was nice to have someone look at him like he hung the moon and stars. It was nice to have someone worried if he had eaten or slept. It was just nice to have Martin there in general.

The problem was that Martin wasn't looking at Jonny like that. There was very little of the fondness he normally had for Jon; only sad, distant eyes and a sullen frown on his lovely freckles face.

Perhaps it was because he was struggling with Tim's death but there was a part of Jonny that couldn't help but worry that Martin hated him for not being Jon, or for being the true owner of their shared body.

After a long minute of him sitting there thinking, Martin finally spoke. 

“So,” he sounded surprisingly confident and a bit stern. Jonny hated himself for just how excited it made him. “First question, who are you? I know Jon kept calling you Jonny but that's not much to go off of.”

“Never properly introduced myself, did I? Right then,” He hopped up from the box he had rather internationally been crushing. With his hands on his hips he introduced himself. “The name’s Jonny d’Ville! Humble captain of the starship Aurora and lead singer of the Mechanisms!” He boasted the words proudly, just as he would any time the Mechanisms would put on a show.

Almost as if on cue, a brief knock came from the wall leading to where the driver’s seat would be. “First Mate.” The Toy Soldier chimed in, though it was slightly muffled.

Jon gave a small laugh at that. So this is a common occurrence then?

Jonny scoffed at them both. “Fuck off TS, just focus on getting us to the Aurora.”

“Of Course, My Good Man!” It responded cheerfully and said nothing more.

“I'm confused.” Martin said then, looking between the Jonny and the wall.

He huffed in return. “That's just something the crew does to piss me off. Just ignore it.”

“No, I mean, I know Jon said you were a band of pirates, but I thought he meant it like a gang or a group or something like that.” He tried to explain. “I didn't think you were actually a proper band. What do space pirates even sing about? Do you have, I don't know, space sea shanties?”

“We Do, Actually!” The Toy Soldier's muffled voice answered before Jonny could, sounding excited by the question. “Oh, Once We've Patched Up Your Little Friend, We Should Put On A Show For Them! Wouldn't That Be Grand?”

Jonny was about to scold it again for butting into the conversation but he stopped himself short when he saw just a bit of a blush across Martin's face. He couldn't tell if it was the idea of them putting on a show for him or perhaps just the thought of Jon singing, but something about what it said had clearly caught his interest.

And Jonny was happy to work with that. “Of course, we have all sorts of songs. Stories from far off star systems, the rise and fall of a few wars, a few of our own tales sprinkled in here and there, and of course love stories from across the galaxies.”

Love stories? Jon spoke up. With the way you've talked about love, I wouldn't think love ballads would interest you in the slightest.

He gave an exaggerated gasp at that, which made Martin jump just a bit, clearly not expecting that. But he carried on in a chiding tone. “Really Jon, a good love story can be powerful. Love oftentimes transcends all logic and reason. It can send a man to war or into madness or directly to his own undoing. Even a few of the Mechanisms have their own love stories to share. 

“The real problem is that not all love stories are interesting, you see.” He shrugged then. “Not every love story can be like the tragedy of Cinder and Rose Red. Most are unfortunately just boring.”

“Right,” Martin said, now looking away from him, “I think we're getting off track. Let's get back to actually relevant topics. Like what you said in the institute, about keeping Tim. What exactly does that mean?”

“Oh,” he felt his face heat up a bit at that. “Well I… you gotta understand that I don't do this sort of thing very often, not for centuries in fact! I just-”

Jonny, relax, we're not judging you. Jon spoke softly then. He didn't fully understand what was upsetting him but it was clear that something about the topic was hard for him to discuss.

He gave a ragged sigh and then his eyes drifted over to Tim. His mind flashed with memories of the last time he had let himself get sentimental; of the normal, boring mortal that he had found himself growing fond of. And how he had handed him over to Dr. Carmilla, because he wanted so badly to save him. 

Tears stung his eyes and he shook at the memory. Jon really had ruined him. These things had always been regrets of his but they never made him this weepy mess. He was normally so good at burying all these emotions and bad memories behind violence and whiskey but now it was like a flood gate had been opened.

“Fuck!” He cursed loudly and sent his fist through the nearest box. It tumbled over and something metal inside clanged and snapped in the process. 

It was satisfying to watch it fall and he was half ready to turn around and swing at another box, to just start breaking shit until he stopped feeling things anymore. But when he turned to try to look for another, Martin was standing there, looking worried for him.

“Hey,” he spoke softly, in that gentle voice he used before in the Archives, the one that made him feel more like a timid animal and less like a violent sociopath. And then he placed a hand on his shoulder and Jonny worried he would melt into it with how it made his knees buckle.

What the hell was his problem?! Martin was nowhere near good looking enough to do this to him, dammit!

I beg to differ.

“Shut up, Jon!” He hissed, more to himself but it was clear Martin heard him.

“Look,” Martin started and very slowly guided him until the two were sitting side by side on the crate he had originally sat on. “It’s clear whatever happened to you was upsetting, if your not comfortable ta-”

“Comfortable?” Jonny scoffed. “I’ve been in countless wars. I’ve killed more people than you’ve likely ever met. I’ve been used and experimented on for centuries. I don’t get uncomfortable!”

Jonny! Jon scolded him. Whatever’s got you upset isn’t Martin’s fault.

He was about to bark something cold back at him, he wasn’t sure what but his mouth would likely find the words before his brain would. It would be mean and hurtful, that was what Jonny was good at, pushing boundaries and being as cruel as possible when people tried to get too close to him. He’d only ever let the other Mechanisms get past those barriers but somehow he had almost let Jon too far in. At that moment he was about ready to fix that.

And then Martin spoke again and stopped him entirely. “Well clearly you do get uncomfortable. At least a little.” He insisted, now sounding a bit annoyed. “I get it if it's sensitive. I’m not forcing you to tell me your darkest secrets. If something’s off limits, just say so and I’ll back off.”

Jonny took a deep breath and debated for just a moment what to say next. When he finally spoke, he wasn’t sure if he hated himself for it or not. 

“A long time ago, about 300 years in the future from now, don’t think too hard about it, it’ll just confuse the conversation, I went to war.” He started to explain and watched Martin’s face as he slowly absorbed what he was saying. “I met someone. Back then he was just a squishy little moral and I never thought I might grow to like him. But he surprised me, he fought well and at night, to unwind he would sing of the horrors of the war. His own little way of dealing with the hell he had seen. I didn’t want to be but I couldn’t help but be drawn to him. 

“And then Bertie, his… best friend, died. And he spiraled.” He gave a heavy sigh at that. “He was always good with guns and bombs before but he went mad with it. A regular killing machine. We took on whole battalions together and he rejoiced in it. And I…” A smile was creeping across his face but he paused and looked at Martin then. 

“You have to swear not to repeat any of what I’m about to say, you understand me?” He insisted sternly. Martin nodded enthusiastically, looking eager to hear more. “That goes for too, Sims. And you, Toy Soldier. Not a word to anyone!”

“Of Course My Good Man! Sworn To Secrecy!” It answered back cheerfully.

I suppose I have no choice but to agree. Jon spoke with a playful lament in his voice.

With that he sighed and leaned in closer to Martin, speaking softly in hopes that the Toy Soldier would hear as little of it as possible. “I suppose I sorta… fell in love with him. Just a bit, anywa-”

The pair were jostled then as the truck swerved and an audible gasp came from the driver’s seat. “I Knew It!”

“Sworn to secrecy, Soldier!” He snapped again at it.

It gave a giddy squeal of delight and an “Of Course!” and said nothing more.

Jonny huffed at that. He didn’t trust how excited it was one bit.

“So what happened to him?” Martin pried. 

After a few seconds he spoke again. “He won the war, blew up the moon, and he got hurt in the process. Real bad. And I… couldn’t let him go. I wouldn’t. I had to beg Carmilla to do it and he wasn’t even grateful at first! Tim was just pissed off and I couldn’t even blame him! I felt so selfish and-”

“Tim?” Martin looked confused then and then looked at Tim, their Tim, laying dead before them. 

“Not- different Tim, obviously.” He clarified quickly. “We call him Gunpower Tim, Master at Arms on the Aurora. Finest gunner in this galaxy or any other for that master. But, again, if you tell a soul I said that, they’ll be hell to pay.”

He was smiling again, he did that a lot when he thought of his crew. It wasn’t until now, having Jon in his head, that he realized just how much he liked his crew. How very fond he had become of them over the years they had traveled together. 

“So are you two…” Martin stopped for a second and looked away, clearly embarrassed by the question. “It’s just that you and that Ashes person, you two seemed pretty close in the showers. I assumed you two were… well, you know?”

“What? Dating?” Jonny laughed then. “Not officially, at least at the moment. The crew has a-”

“You all date,” Martin cut him off, looking a little bashful as he did, “I think I remember you saying something about that. At the time it was all kinda nonsense. Me and Tim thought you two were having some kind of shared hallucination from whatever was keeping you from killing each other. So I wasn’t totally sure what all to take in.”

Oh… what all did they see? Jon wondered. 

“An excellent question, Jon,” he said and looked to Martin. “When exactly did you and Tim show up? You clearly saw us fighting but for how long?”

“For how long? I don’t really know.” He admitted with a shrug. “I wanted to intervene but Tim stopped me and pointed out how fast you both were healing. He was worried it was some kind of contagious murder magic. So we just watched, just to be sure you were both okay.”

Good. Jon insisted. Tim was smart to stay away. When we save him, remind me to thank him for keeping Martin at a distance.

“Yeah, you and me both.” He agreed. 

He glanced back at Martin and could see his face slowly growing pink the longer he looked at him. For a brief moment he wondered if he was just now becoming embarrassed about sitting so close to him or if he had a particularly touchy question.

He debated with himself if he should ask or just wait for him to get the nerve to say it but eventually Martin cleared his throat and spoke again. “Um, when you were in the showers… you and Ashes said something… it seems so silly to ask now, compared to everything else. But you mentioned an… office crush?”

“Oh! Yeah, that.” Jonny quickly looked away then, gripping at the sleeves of the jumper they wore and tried desperately to ignore the way the gears and spring of his heart came to life and doubled in speed. “That was just- I was just messing with Jon mostly, you know? He gets kinda… uh…”

Are you kidding? Jon demanded then. If you're going to lie about it, at least do it well! An omnisexual with who knows how many sexual partners in the past, yet you can't talk to one person? Honestly!

“You shut the fuck up!” He growled back. “I never saw you doing anything about your damn crush. It's hardly my fault these feelings are bleeding over to me. Once you're out of my head, I'm sure it'll go away, so shut it.”

I'll believe it when I see it. He scoffed back.

Jonny growled again and seriously considered making out with Martin then and there just to spite him. Though he had to stop himself from acting on such a thing. He did like Martin, he wanted to do all sorts of things with him, many of which would have Jon blushing like a school boy. But he couldn't just jump in the other man's lap and start kissing him, no matter how nice that sounded. At least he couldn't without Martin and Jon being okay with it.

After a bit of hesitation he let his eyes drift back over to Martin. He looked… sad? Jonny couldn't imagine why though. Now he knew his own crush was returned. He should be happy, shouldn’t he?

“Martin?” He spoke gently.

He didn't answer right away, only stared at Tim who still laid there cold and motionless. 

“I… I'm sorry. This must be really hard for the both of you.” He eventually said. “I get it, it’s really hard not to like him. Before everything happened with the worms and that Not-Sasha things and the whole… stalking thing you had going one-”

“He is sorry about that, by the way.” Jonny clarified, because he wasn’t sure if Jon ever had really said he was sorry.

Not my proudest moment, I’ll admit.

“Yeah, I know.” Martin nodded along. “And I think Tim knew too. I think he wanted to forgive you sometimes. It was just hard, especially after Sasha. And even before that, it always seemed like he didn’t know how you felt about him. Like he said he tried with you a few times when you were both still in Research but you never seemed interested. Sasha said you were just a little dense, that he should have spelled it out better for you but he didn’t want to be pushy, so he backed off. I guess it’s just good to know now.”

That was a long quiet between them while Jon and Jonny tried to process what he had just told them. They understood to some degree that they were talking about Tim but they found themselves halted and backtracking because they weren’t entirely sure where any of that had come from. It was true that it was rather hard not to like Tim at least a little, the man had quite the pretty face and Jonny certainly couldn’t forget the way he used that knife before. But why were they talking about Tim at that moment? This was about them and Martin, wasn’t it?

Eventually he decided it was best to ask, rather than let the statement linger between them. “W- I’m confused. What are we talking about, exactly?”

Now Martin was giving him an odd look. “Well, if you can really bring him back, I just think you should tell him. How you feel, I mean. You know? You shouldn’t go forever keeping it to yourself.”

Martin looked away again, clearly embarrassed from saying this, meanwhile the pair slowly connected the dots of what he was saying.

Does he… he seriously thought we were talking about Tim in the showers? Jon sounded baffled and Jonny couldn’t blame him. I know I’ve been oblivious but is it really so hard for him to believe that I like him? I wasn’t that terrible to him, was I?

“You were but we’re gonna move past that.” Jonny decided quietly, mostly because he didn’t want Martin to ask what he was talking about.

They needed to rectify this, asap.

“Martin, we should maybe talk about this.” He sighed. The other man looked worried with how blunt he was but nodded in return. “I know how it looks, I do like Tim, like a lot. I’d totally make out with if he was into it. I mean did you see that way he jumped on the fucking delievery man? The way he used that knife? That was hot as fuck! I-”

Jonny! Jon cut in. Is there a point to this?

“Obviously there’s a point, Sims, butt out!” He huffed. “... What were we talking about?”

“How hot Tim is?” Martin answered him. He smiled but it was clearly forced.

“Right- I mean no, that wasn’t the point I was making-”

Could have fooled me.

“ The point! Is that, yes, Tim is hot but he wasn’t who we were talking about.” Martin went stiff when he said this. 

It must have been obvious by that point what he was getting at. He hoped at least it was obvious, because Jonny wasn’t terribly good at being overly affectionate or honest about his feelings. After an uncomfortable silence, their eyes met and, oh, how Jonny’s heart ticked into overdrive then. Martin’s big, doe eyes were back and they were looking at them and Jonny was fairly sure he had forgotten how to breathe. 

Everything slowed down and for a moment nothing else mattered but the three of them and the space between them. The space that Jonny very much wanted to be less. 

So he leaned in, Martin didn’t back away, and the only sound Jon made was the smallest of a gasp. Their lips met and the world might as well have stopped existing. Jonny felt like his heart had stopped working out right and it only started again when Martin brought his arms around him, one behind his back and the other cupping the back of his head. 

They didn’t know how long the kiss lasted. Frankly Jonny was keen for it to last as long as it took to get to the Aurora. Longer even. 

But it seemed like reality was keen to fuck with them and somewhere in the midst of it all there came eerie moaning and scratching. Suddenly they were being shoved off of Martin’s lap, when they had even gotten there neither could say, and they were falling to the floor. They smacked their head on the coffin, which was currently in the middle of making its horrible, melodious moans. 

Fuck! I forgot it did that! Jon cursed. 

“Yeah, me too.” Jonny admitted. “Must be raining.”

“I’m sorry, it just startled me.” Martin told him, looking more than a little spooked by the coffin. 

He got closer then, turning Jonny’s head to get a look at where he had smacked it against the coffin. With a dopey little smile he leaned into the touch, not missing at all how he turned a darker shade of pink at the contact.

“It’s fine, I don’t blame ya.” Jonny gave a content hum. “Thing’s creepy as fuck and probably some kind’o evil.”

“How do we make it stop?” He asked warily. “I’d rather not listen to that the whole way to wherever weren’t going.”

“Unfortunately, it won’t stop until it stops raining.” Jonny huffed, already realizing that the coffin would likely be going on like this for hours possibly. “Luckily we don’t have the key. But I think maybe we should move Tim. Might antagonize it less, if nothing else.”

“Makes sense.” Martin agreed and stopped touching him as he moved away. 

Jonny mourned the loss of his touch but couldn’t help but be starry-eyed as Martin lifted Tim’s body with ease. It really was unreasonably how attractive he found him. He’d never given much thought to the idea of being carried as attractive but in that moment he wanted very badly for Martin to pick him up as well. 

This really was becoming a problem…

If Martin noticed, however, he didn’t say. He was more distracted with trying to find a place to put Tim’s body. After a bit of deliberating he decided that the only place that fit him was in fact the crate they had been sitting on. So he laid him out nice and gentle, before finding a place against the wall that was clean and sat there on the ground.

Martin didn’t invite him to join him like before and Jonny felt a bit silly doing it but he scooted over until he was beside him again. He didn’t object and in fact there was silence between the two, which the coffin was glad to fill with its horrible sounds. He very much would have liked to go back to the part where he was kissing Martin but from how stiff the other man was, the way he stared at the coffin, it was clear that the moment had passed and the mood was ruined. 

Instead he sighed and leaned back against the wall of the truck. Suddenly he felt very tired. They hadn’t slept in so long and near as he could tell, it would be a long drive. They might as well try to sleep, right?

“Hey Martin?” He spoke and Martin jumped just a little, perhaps lost in thought. “I know I said I’d answer your questions, and I will, but I think we should rest a bit. If you don’t mind.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” Martin insisted, sounding much like his old self, worried and attentive. If they were still in the Archive, he would have likely gone to make him a cup of tea and grabbed him a blanket. 

The thought made Jonny smile and he let his eyes close with a sigh. “If you need anything, bang on the wall and tell TS. Don’t ask. Tell. It obeys any order if you tell it right.”

Wha- that’s news to me! You didn’t think to tell me that? Jon demanded.

“You shoulda been paying better attention, Sims.” He grumbled, already feeling himself drifting off. 

Just as he felt sleep over taking him, he felt fingers carding through his hair. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good rest Jon… and Jonny.”

They both gave a pleased little hum in response and Jonny nuzzled into the touch until he was at last out like a light.

Chapter Text

It took a moment to totally understand what he was seeing but, as reality set in, Jon began to understand he was dreaming. It was the same dreadful kind of dream it always was, dreams about the statements he had been given over the years. Only now it was different.

In those old dreams, nightmares really, Jon had always been stuck in place, only able to watch, but something had changed, now he could move. He became keenly aware of this fact when he recoiled at the very first nightmare.

Tessa Winters leered at him as she typed the words IT HURTS over and over again. She desperately wanted it to stop, as she always did but there was never anything he could do for her. Jon had gotten so used to the dread of not being able to look away that he hadn't even tried, not until she brought the keyboard to her lips and slowly began to consume it. 

He wretched and tore his eyes away at last and gave a startled yelp as he ran into something. Himself. A perfect copy of himself stood there, also stunned in silence as he had watched the woman and also surprised when his copy collided with him.

The scene of Ms. Winters faded, suddenly less important than the pair meeting. It didn't take a genius to understand what they were looking at but more than that, they somehow Knew even stronger here than they did when they were awake.

As realization dawned on them Jon's double rushed forward and swept him up in a crushing hug. He gave a manic laugh as Jon struggled in his hold.

“Jonny!” He scolded the other man. “Let go, dammit!”

He didn't stop smiling but he did let him go. “Oh, come on, Jon! Are you seriously not excited right now? I didn't think I would get to look you in the eye until we got you a proper body!”

In spite himself, Jon couldn't help the smile that started to spread across his face. Because, yes, he was a bit excited by all of this. Him and Jonny in the same place but not the same body, that felt like a wonder. 

“I suppose.” He said with an exaggerated sigh. 

It wasn't lost on Jonny that the annoyance in his voice was almost entirely fake. That only made him grin wider at him. 

“Deny it all you like, I know you're happy to see me.” He insisted and gave him a slight nudge in the side with his elbow. 

For his part, Jon smacked his elbow away playfully and even let himself laugh a bit before he looked at the shifting landscape of their joined dreams. 

“I just wish it was under better circumstances.” He lamented. “This place is always so dreadful. I hate when I dream.”

“Yeah, it's why you always overwork yourself so much.” Jonny huffed. “Can't dream if you don't sleep.”

Jon didn't argue with him, because how could he? He was right. It was much easier to pour himself into his work than it was to face the horrors of his own personal nightmares. The nightmares he seemed to share with so many statement givers.

“It's hard not to feel bad for them. To be horrified by the scenes unfolding and having no power to do anything about it.” He admitted. “I don't want to relive people's worst moments every night and do nothing but watch.”

“Well we don't have to just watch anymore, now do we?” Jonny reminded him of the fact that they could in fact move now. 

Almost to emphasize the point he reached over and flicked Jon's ear. That earned him the prize of his twin jumping and smacking his hand away. Jonny of course returned the smack and before the pair knew it they were getting into a slap fight and entirely ignoring the nightmarish scenes that kept unfolding around them.

The fight didn't last terribly long but it only ended once Jonny felt a familiar presence. By then he had gotten Jon in a headlock and the other man was very stubbornly refusing to say “uncle.” It was when he felt the presence that he was compelled to let go.

Jon stumbled away and looked rather surprised that he had stopped. Not to say that he wanted it to continue but it had seemed like he was having fun.

And then his eyes focused on what Jonny’s attention had turned to. A carpet of ants, hundreds of thousands of them, and a man screaming. Jordan Kennedy. Normally he begged Jon for help, begged anyone for help, but tonight he only screamed and cursed and demanded “Fucking why?!” over and over again.

He thrashed and tried to escape and eventually an arm freed itself from the mound of ants. It always sank back below the writhing sea of insects eventually, while Jon could only watch. That's how it had always been.

But Jonny apparently wasn't having it. He charged towards the hand and grabbed hold. With a curse he pulled and for just a moment Jon could only watch, as he had always done.

It wasn't until Jonny looked at him with a pleading eyes and practically begged him, “Fucking help me, please!” that Jon snapped to his senses and he rushed forward, grabbing hold as well.

The pair pulled desperately and it was almost as if the two interfering with the dream made the ants dissipate. In their place was a tired, pale looking man, covered in hundreds of tiny red welts where he had been bitten over and over again. Jon knew him as the exterminator who had given him Jane Prentiss’ ashes over a year before. Or at least he was fairly sure that was who he was. Something about him was certainly different, though he couldn't say exactly what.

Then he looked up at them and Jon realized his eyes were wrong. It was as if his eyes were made of brass. No, not as if; they were made of brass, he Knew that for certain. But what he didn't know was how or why something like this could have happened to him.

“Tim,” Jonny gave a relieved sigh at the sight of him free from the ants and reach out, lightly tracing his jaw. Under his touch, the welts on his body seemed to rapidly lessen and heal over.

The other man slowly began to rise with only a bit of trouble. Now standing a good head taller than the both of them, he smiled down at them, seeming to take their appearance in and chuckled at the blood covered jumper they were both still wearing.

“You know what? First half of this dream fuckin’ sucked.” He gave a laugh. “But ending it with two Jonny's doesn't sound too bad at all. Kinda nice after the day I've had, actually.”

Suddenly his hands were snaking around both of their waists and pulling them close to his chest. Jon immediately turned beat red and gave a rather embarrassing squeak in response to the touch. That only got the man's attention, seeming excited by a version of Jonny that might be in any way bashful.

It all happened much too fast. He leaned in and Jon desperately tried to shrink away but before either knew what was happening, Jonny was snarling and punched the man directly in the throat. 

In an instant he let them both go and made distance between them. His hand went to his throat and had a coughing fit before rasped out an annoyed, “What the fuck, Jonny?”

“He's not me and this isn't a dream, dumbass. Not a normal dream, anyways. Or did you miss the part where the ants were actually hurting you?” Jonny snapped at him.

“I thought it was just a dream thing, god dammit. Like sometimes dreams seem real, even if they aren’t!” He huffed back and then looked between the two. “And whaddya mean he's not you? He fucking looks like you!”

“This is Jon, the mind you fuckers helped Raph implant in my head. You mutanus bastard.” He growled at him before looking back at Jon. “Jon, this is Gunpowder Tim. You recall what I told you about him, I assume.”

Jon cleared his throat and was obviously trying not to make eye contact with the man who had just tried to kiss him. “Yes, the man you… uh… blew up the moon with?”

Tim scoffed then. “ I blew up the moon all on my own, thank you very much! He was just a head at the time.”

“I'm sorry, a head?”

“Hey, I practically bit off the Moon Kaiser's nose, while being just a head! That counts for something!” 

“The Moon Kaiser?!”  

“Oh please, I managed to fire the Luna Canon without the firing codes while you were doing that. Let's not act like you biting someone is more impressive than that. It’s certainly not anything special. You do that just for fun sometimes.”

“Never heard you complain about me biting before.”

“Good Lord, please tell me this isn't turning into another sex thing!” Jon practically begged. “I absolutely do not need to know more about what you and your crew get up to.”

They stopped arguing then and Tim's brass eyes focused on him. “Is this really the personality Raph put in your head? I can't imagine a version of you who's so… boring.”

Jon was unfazed by the comment, he was used to being called things like boring, along with a number of other childish names, but Jonny growled again and put himself between the two of them. 

“Didn't really ask your opinion on him, now did I? I like him, so back off.” Tim looked surprised but put his hands up as though to say he surrendered. “And for the record, don't go getting handsy with him again. He's not interested.”

Tim gave an awkward laugh to that. “Aw come on, I thought it was a dream. Don't go making it sound like I'm a creep. Besides, you can at least let him have a say if he's interested or not.”

“Trust me, he's not.’ Jonny told him flatly.

“Flattered as I am,” Jon added, still a bit red and unwilling to look at him, “I don't do… that sort of thing , especially not with someone I've just met.”

“Oh… shit, she really made a personality that was as different from you as possible, huh?” Tim didn't look upset or displeased by the information at all. He more looked impressed, looking him up and down like he was some new piece of technology to marvel over. “I guess I can see why she did it. Probably would have been funny to watch it all happen, if the bitch hadn't put one in me too.”

“Speaking of,” Jon spoke, happy to change the subject, “where's Jordan Kennedy?”

There was a beat of quiet between them before Tim seemed to realize that he was asking him. 

“Who?” He asked and looked to Jonny for help.

“Jordan Kennedy,” Jonny parroted back and got an annoyed look from Tim for his troubles. “The mind Raph put in your head?” 

“Oh, right, him,” Tim nodded along, seeming to understand now. “Yeah, he's gone.”

Jon's face dropped immediately and all he could say in return was a shocked, “What?” 

“That's how the experiment was supposed to work.” He shrugged back at him. “I assumed Jonny would have been honest with you about that. Sorry if you didn't know but the second minds were supposed to erase themselves when we woke back up. I'm kinda surprised you're even still here if Jonny's awake.”

“Yes, I knew that was the intent but… I suppose I just hoped he might be okay.” Jon admitted, looking a bit horrified then. “There's really nothing? Not even any memories?”

“Look Jonny 2.0, I woke up last night in a stranger's bed, after what was effectively a ten year coma.” He huffed and crossed his arms. “So no, I don't have any memories. Everything I know about the fucker is what I could gleam from his flat and his wallet before I got my ass out of there.”

Jon couldn't hide his disappointment but Jonny just sighed and nodded.

“I mean, we knew that was the intended way the experiment was meant to go. No use crying over it.” He insisted. “It could be worse, right?”

“Oh, sure, could be way worse.” Tim scoffed then, which seemed to surprise Jonny just a bit. “That Jordan Kennedy guy coulda been married, maybe even had a dog and a kid and everything.”

Jon's eyes went wide at the suggestion and against his will his mind was flooded with Knowing. Jordan had no kids, of that he was relieved, but he had been married and they had been happy all things considered. He also Knew Mrs. Kennedy had woken to find no sign of her husband and she was presently worried and trying to find him. Meanwhile Gunpowder Tim had gone out and got himself in an illegal firearm, a stolen van, and a few bottles of whiskey, before getting blackout drunk while building several bombs in the back of said stolen van.

In response the only thing Jon could do was go slack jawed as he stared at him. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he had planned or why he would be building literal bombs in the middle of downtown London but it was hard not to be concerned.

At the very same time Jonny seemed to Know all the same things Jon did. He hummed, almost thoughtfully before making a decision. 

“Last we saw them, Ashes was at the Magnus Institute.” He told Tim, much to Jon's audible frustration. “They might be being held captive by their double’s werewolf girlfriend or they might have gotten away. Hard to say. But you should make your way there.”

Jon sputtered at that. “Wha- Jonny, he has bombs in his vehicle! He shouldn't be anywhere near the Institute!”

“How the fuck do you know about tha-”

“We have magic mind powers now.” Jonny answered back honestly, making it sound as if it wasn't strange at all. “Sometimes we can just Know things.”

“What?!” Tim demanded. “You got magic powers and Ashes got a werewolf girlfriend, while I got to be a fucking exterminator! How is that fair?”

“Toy Soldier's also been around. It's been a cult leader for a few years now.” Jonny let him know, clearly trying to egg him on.

Tim huffed in frustration. “You've gotta be fucking with me! Am I the only one who had some boring ass life?”

“Well, it was hardly boring.” Jon started, which immediately got Tim glaring at him. “That is to say, Mr. Kennedy had a number of supernatural experiences himself. Mostly with insects and rot but it was still supernatural in nature.”

“Gross.” Was the only thing he gave in reply. It was more than clear that he wasn’t impressed with the life he had lived before waking up.

“Well lucky for you, you don’t have to worry about it anymore.” Jonny told him and gave him a playful pat on the shoulder. “Just see if you can find Ashes for us. Their implanted personality didn’t go away either, so you may have to fight them also.”

Jon gave an audible groan to that. “Is it really a good idea to send him to the Institute? It’s effectively the temple of the Eye and we don’t know exactly what that entails.” 

Tim gave him an odd look. “The Eye?”

“Eh, if it goes sideways, Tim and Ashes will just burn the place down.” Jonny shrugged rather indifferently.

“You’re really not gonna explain what the fuck the Eye is, are you?”

“Them burning the building down is quite literally what I’m afraid of.” Jon told him, as though it should have been obvious.

“Oh, don’t act like you actually like the damn place.” He scoffed back.

“Fuck you guys, stop talking like I’m not here.” Tim insisted and earned a laugh from Jonny in turn. “How about we just meet up somewhere when we wake up and we’ll make a plan to get Ashes back then?”

“Can’t, we’re hopefully most of the way to the Aurora at this point.” He explained and ignored the annoyed look Tim gave him. “Look, me and Jon sharing a body isn’t good for us. Our brains are melding together and it’s changing us both. So we need to be separated as soon as possible.”

That seemed to change Tim’s perspective. He looked worried and almost agreeable suddenly. “What about Ashes? Are they melding too? Are they losing themself?”

“No,” Jon answered first this time. “Ashes and Basira don’t have the same problem we do. The Eye, the entity that gave us our powers, we were tricked into effectively joining its cult and as a result it kept myself and Basira from being erased. But it… chose me, I suppose you might say, and to some extent it perhaps chose Jonny too? It seems to want us for something and for that matter it wants us together. As a result our minds are suffering for it.”

Tim seemed to understand, though he didn’t look happy about it. “Alright, so the plan is to find Ashes, kill a werewolf-“

“No! Don’t kill Daisy!” Jon snapped immediately.

Jonny laughed a bit at that. “Really? She did try to slit your throat, if you recall. And it’s not like she’s gonna give Ashes up quietly.”

“I… alright, fine, but at least try to get them back peacefully first.” He relented. “Basira will never forgive me if something happens to Daisy.”

Tim gave an annoyed sigh. “So, find Ashes, maybe kill werewolf,” he ignored the way Jon grunted at him and carried on, “and get back to the Aurora. Anything I’m missing?”

“Yeah, maybe call your wife.” Jonny teased. “She’s been looking for you everywhere and she’s real worried.”

“Fuck off,” he hissed back. It was clear that Jonny had been joking but Tim's face immediately soured at the suggestion. “I'm not gonna pretend to be that guy and go home to his wife. That's just fucking creepy. So if you don’t have anything else,” he paused and looked around, “how do I leave this… whatever this is?”

Jonny thought for a moment and at the very same time both he and Jon Knew the answer to said question. In unison and without much thought at all, they both reached out and touched Tim. He looked confused for a moment but they willed him away and just like that he was gone.

They Knew without a doubt that he had woken up in his stolen van, confused at first, but immediately he pulled out a phone and looked up the Magnus Institute. The moment he knew the place was real, he was climbing into the driver’s seat and setting off to find Ashes.

“One less thing to worry about.” Jonny said, which made Jon huff back. “What? We needed to get Ashes away from Daisy eventually.” 

“Every time one of our crew has shown themselves at the Institute, there’s been a fight and some kind of bloodshed has followed.” Jon reminded him.

“And most of those encounters have involved us, or did you forget that part?”

“I said what I said.” Jon rolled his eyes and looked away from him. “We’re putting people in danger by sending him there alone.”

“Well we can’t exactly turn around, now can we?” Jonny demanded. “We’re practically there at this point and we need to be separated and save Tim. I know you’re worried for the other people who work there but, I’m sorry, I don’t give a shit about them. Not like I do our assistants. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think you care that much either. So you can call it being selfish but let’s save the people we actually care about.”

Jon didn’t have a response to that. Perhaps because he agreed with him, like it or not. Still he didn’t feel good about it, he hated it in fact. He didn’t want to be cold and detached and only able to care for those who he had grown attached to. But at that point he wasn’t sure if that was his own nature or Jonny’s. Perhaps it was both of them, perhaps it wasn’t even new and Jon had always been this way. 

He didn’t want to think about it but it was hard not to. Jonny seemed to know what he was thinking but they both knew he wasn’t the most skilled at comforting people. Still he placed a hand on his back and attempted to give him a kind smile. 

In spite Jon’s better judgment, it did help a bit. 

He sighed and looked around the horrible dreamscape they were in. “You said we were almost to the ship. Are you assuming that that or-”

“I just Knew it.” Jonny shrugged and Jon nodded in understanding.

“You suppose we could force ourselves awake too?” He suggested. “We must’ve been asleep for a while now and I don’t want to leave Martin alone with that coffin and Tim’s body any longer than we have to.”

“Worth a shot to try.” Jonny agreed with the thought. “Rather be making out with Martin right now than watching some sad bitch eat a computer or an angry bitch get eaten by ants.”

Jon cracked an almost smug smile at that comment. “Pretty sure that angry bitch is the man you professed your love for just earlier today.” 

Jonny growled at that. “Watch it Sims, unless you’re looking to get your ass beat.”

“What, you’re allowed to make fun of my love life but I’m not allowed to make fun of yours?” He laughed in spite the other man’s clear frustration. “I don’t know much about having siblings but I’m fairly certain that comes with the territory. You should get used to it.”

There was quiet between them for a just second before Jonny was lunging for him but this time Jon expected it and even laughed as he was all but tackled to the ground. There was no real fight, the impact seemed to be enough to startle them out of their combined dream.

When Jon's eyes opened he was still letting out a giddy laugh and struggling to contain himself. 

“Jon?” A concerned voice called out to him and he felt himself light up, because there was Martin.

It took Jon a moment to collect himself but when he did he realized they were no longer in the back of the truck but outside, in a wooded area as the rain fell down on them. But more importantly, he was being held close to the other man's chest. Martin was at that moment carrying them, holding them safe and firmly against himself.

Fuck. Yes! Jonny practically cheered and Jon found himself smiling a bit wider as he looked up at Martin. Hold this man and never let him go!

Jon was tempted to do just that but he was interrupting before he could do anything of the sort.

“Oh, Jolly Good, You're Awake!” The Toy Soldier called out, sounding as delighted as ever. “We've Arrived At Our Destination!”

He looked over to see the Toy Soldier. It stood close by, holding Tim in its arms, about as carefully as it had the last time. It gentured to something making Jon crane his head to see and he gasped at the sight. 

Jon couldn’t say exactly where they were, some forest or another, several hours from London. Which made sense, because where else did one hide a massive spaceship? And was it ever massive. He was in awe of the thing, its strange design that he could hardly describe. It was almost patchwork in its nature, mostly brass with bits and pieces added on to make for an oblong shape with many odd curves.

“It’s remarkable.” Jon finally decided.

“Yeah,” Martin agreed and held him just a little bit tighter as he began to walk again.

Careful, you’ll make her blush. Jonny chuckled.

His head was swimming, slowly realizing they were getting closer and closer to the thing. A hatch was already open, thank goodness because the rain was getting quite heavy at that point. With careful strides, trying to avoid slipping on the wet grass and earth, Martin made his way following the Toy Soldier onto the ship. 

When at last they were on board, the hatch closed behind them and Jon couldn’t help the unmistakable feeling, like he was finally home. Jonny felt it too and gave a pleased hum as his double scanned everything on the ship with curious eyes.

“We’re on a spaceship.” Martin said with true awe in his voice. “What… where to first, Jon? Or Jonny? It’s still sometimes hard to tell.”

“Jon, for the moment.” He let him know before looking down a long corridor. 

Where to first was a fine question. One he already knew the answer to. One he found himself compelled to pursue immediately. He squirmed in Martin’s arms, much to the other man’s surprise, and tumbled out of his hold. Somehow he managed land on his feet and found himself laser focused in a single direction.

“Raphaella’s lab.” He answered at once and began to move. 

First just walking, then a bit more brisk, and eventually he was sprinting through the halls of the Aurora. Someone was calling out to him, but he wasn’t listening. All his focus, all their focus, was on finding Raphaella. Jonny helped, giving directions at any moment of uncertainty, until it was as if the pair were one and the same and Jon found that he knew the way, like it was second nature to navigate the Aurora. 

At last they were in front of the lab. They had long since lost their companions in their mad dash but that was fine. The Toy Soldier would direct Martin and they would arrive there eventually. In that moment, however, their only thought was dealing with Raphaelle. Anything else they could focus on later.

The door was easy enough to open, not even locked. Jon pushed his way in and slammed the door behind him before looking inside and was met with a pitch black room. 

Odd.

“Ship, ” Jon spoke, again like it was second nature. “ Lights on.”

The Aurora provided, though in an instant he so deeply wished she hadn’t. 

They were everywhere. Every surface in the lab. They coating the walls and the floor, over every tool and countertop, every piece of furniture, even skittering across the lights. Everywhere in sight.

Spiders. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of spiders and their webs covering everything in this one room.

Suddenly the confidence and the unity that they had felt before was shattered and Jon found himself dizzy and breathing heavy. He felt like the little boy he never was, reading from a book that hadn’t been. Watching as a horrible thing with terribly, spindly arms slowly opened a door and wretched out for him. 

Only that last part wasn’t so fake. Because emerging from one of the cabinets in the room was a black mass with many arms and eyes and wearing a red hat. 

And in that moment Jon felt ready to faint.

Chapter Text

Jon couldn't breathe. The sheer terror he felt in that moment wouldn't allow him to take in air. All he could do was stare wide eyed at the thing of his very worst nightmares.

The bulbus, black form of Mr. Spider; an entity that he had almost convinced himself must have been as fictitious as his entire childhood, it was right there in front of him. And what a horrible thing it was. It moved unnaturally as it slowly skittered its way across the room towards him. Its mandibles twitched hungerly and dripped with a secretion Jon desperately didn't want knowledge of. 

But the Eye was quick to provide anyway. 

A venom meant to paralyze but not kill, so that it could store him and feast on him as it needed. By then it would bind him in its web and would surely realize he isn't able to die. It could keep him forever, feeding itself and the many smaller spiders that kept it company. Forever trapped by his absolute worst nightmare.

The very thought made him sick, he might rather be dead than live with such a fate. But there he was, trapped and afraid and alone.

Jon! Jon, you need to move! A voice screamed in his mind and it was only then that he remembered Jonny was there with him. How could he have forgotten about Jonny? Jon, I'm really trying here buddy, but I can't take control back. So I'm gonna need you to get your shit together!

He nodded slowly, sluggishly, and attempted to step back and away from the horrible mass making its way towards them. But their feet couldn't move. Their shoes were stuck to the floor, the spider's web not only thick and sticky on the tile but the much smaller spiders had been quickly weaving their own webs and were halfway to their knees at that point.

Jon gave a ragged sob at the realization before looking at the thing he knew as Mr. Spider. 

“Why?” His voice came out meek and terrified tears began to stream down his face. “Why do you… how can you be real when I'm… I don't understand. I don't get to be a real person but you… I just don't understand.”

It didn't answer, Jon hadn't truly expected it to answer, but it did keep coming closer. Long, spindly arms reached for him, holding him firmly in place as the mandibles sunk into one of his shoulders. His fear was so great that he couldn't even fight it, simply resigned himself to what was to come.

Jonny screamed something but he couldn’t respond, could barely hear it over his own terror.

His body went rigid and the many spiders in the room were going to work, swarming over his body and covering him in their web. He heard himself scream but it didn't serve any use. There was nothing he could do now.

And then all at once, everything was hot. Burning in fact. The whole room was a blaze, though he couldn't say where the fire had come from. But it ate through the webs and cooked the little spiders and was consuming Jon just the same as everything else.

Mr. Spider had let him go, fleeing back to the safety of the cabinet it had emerged from. Inside Jon could see what looked like a totally different world from his own. Mr. Spider's parlor, so to speak. 

A place he hadn't truly seen, in a book that couldn't exist, as the child he never was.

It was confusing and strange and almost merciful when the fire fully consumed him. Jon didn't quite pass out from the fire, he was in too much pain for that, but with the venom still coursing through him, he crumbled and collapsed as the webs burned away. 

He hadn’t expected the fire to put out so quickly, let alone that someone would be hoisting him up off the ground. And yet the burning stopped surprisingly quick and hands were on his in very little time after that. A pitiable groan escaped him as the person holding him rushed him out of the room.

“Aurora, seal the room, please.” Someone with an odd accent requested, perhaps Russian but it wasn’t quite right, and they got a small string of chirps and beeps in response. The owner of the voice gave a fond sort of sigh. “Don’t apologize, love. I know those damn spiders have been tampering with your wiring for years now.”

Everything was confusing and disorienting. Jon didn’t know who was talking or even who was carrying him and, truth be told, he didn’t really want to open his eyes to see who it was. He was tired and hurt and afraid and he just wanted it to stop.

“Oh my god, Jon! What happened?” Someone was yelling now. The voice was familiar but his mind was foggy and desperately wanted to block it all out. 

“Nothing To Worry About, My Good Man.” A cheerful voice insisted. He realized it was the person carrying him just in time for him to be laid out on a soft surface. 

He gave a pained hiss at the feeling of his burnt flesh against what he could only assume was a bed or a cot. Everything felt like too much; the burning feeling of his own skin, the sensation of contact against it, the voices around him, even the lights beating down on him felt overwhelming. It was all too much and he desperately tried to curl in on himself, to escape in any way he could. But he still couldn’t move and it felt like torture to even try.

One of the voices gave hmph into the open air. “I suppose this is your Jon , at the moment? Jonny’s been burned alive plenty of times and he never acted like this.”

“The Archivist Does Not Like Spiders.” One of the other voices added helpfully. “I Did Tell You That The Web Has Been Watching Him For Quite Some Time.”

“So this could be more psychological then?” The vaguely Russian voice sighed again. “Alright, perhaps we should give him space, let him heal. In the meantime, you brought a corpse with you?”

“I'm sorry, can we backtrack? What exactly is the Web?” The worried voice demanded.

“You Don't Know?” They asked, sounding a bit baffled. “But You're Part Of The Archive. I Thought The Followers Of The Eye Would Know Everything About The Fears.”

“You were part of its cult?”

“Not willingly!” They huffed back. “We were told literally nothing before we were trapped in these positions. Jon least of all.”

“Underhanded but not surprising, given what I've been told about the Eye. But we should perhaps focus on your friend for now?”

There was more talking but it was farther away and it gave Jon time to just breathe. Everything had been so much. Too much. But he was slowly coming back to himself. He could feel his skin healing, could feel it slowly knitting itself back together and could even feel Mr. Spider’s venom slowly making its way out of his body. Gradually he felt his motor functions returned to him, his limbs tingled and ached as he moved ever so slightly but eventually he Knew the venom was gone thanks to the nature of Jonny’s healing.

“J- jonny?” He spoke the word softly, once his throat would allow him.

Hey, he got a soft response, sounding like he was trying to be comforting. You okay? You don't have to get up just yet, just relax.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” He started and felt himself shaking. “I tried but- god, Jonny, I’ve spent my whole life afraid of that thing and just when I thought it couldn’t be real… fuck! I felt so pathetic, so small. I just-”

Jon, I’m not mad at you. Jonny insisted at once. You quite literally came with prepackaged trauma, which my bitch of a crew mate apparently kept her in lab like a fucking pet! So don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.

There was quiet between them for a long few seconds, filled only with his soft sniffles. He didn't want to be like this. Not in front of these people and not in front of Jonny. But it seemed like he was constantly falling apart, ever since Jonny woke up.

Jonny tutted at him. Hey, just breathe. I'm not judging you and I'll kick anyone's ass who tries.

Again they went quiet and Jon started to move more. He brought his hand up and rubbed face, trying to get rid of the feeling of soot and ash covering him. Along the way he combed his fingers through his hair and froze. 

Gone, almost completely gone. His long, messy hair, which he hadn't cut since his days I'm uni, was now incredibly short. The ends were rough and brittle, which he supposed was to be expected after being burned but it still made his heart sink in a way. His hair might have been difficult and messy but he had liked it, it was one of the only parts of himself he ever really liked.

It'll grow back. Jonny reminded him softly. Besides, you'll be getting a new body here soon enough. We can make your hair as long as you like then.

Yes, that was right, they planned to move him out of Jonny's body anyway. He supposed it was fine. There was nothing to mourn, they just needed to get through this and could worry about the little things later.

Gradually he caught himself listening to the voices of the three in the room with him. They were discussing something, though he struggled to connect the dots for exactly what it was. Slowly he resigned himself to sitting up and looking towards them. 

Anything to get himself out of his own head.

The three of them were standing around another cot, all looking over Tim’s pale, lifeless body. Two of them Jon recognized, of course he did, as Martin and the Toy Soldier. But the third person was a mystery to him. A woman with unusually pale skin and brunette hair that faded into pale green at the ends. She was adjusting her glasses and looking Tim over like he annoyed her more than anything else. 

“Nastya!” The word escaped their lips with a ring of excitement. It barely registered to either of them that Jonny had taken the reins again before he jumped off the cot and rushed over to her. His joy at seeing her surprised even himself, but that didn’t stop him from scooping her up in a bear hug.

“Jonny! What the hell are you doing?” She demanded and struggled as he quite literally lifted her off the ground. As the only Mech that was shorter than Jonny, it pleased him to no end to be able to lift her with such ease.

“I missed you!” He crowed back honestly and laughed at the absurdity of it all. “Fuck! I think I missed all of you bastards!”

Nastya looked surprised but a smile crept across her face and she gingerly returned the hug. “I missed you too, Jonny… But if you don’t put me down, I will tase you.”

He paused briefly and considered his options. He didn’t doubt for a second that Nastya had a taser on her somewhere, or that she would use it. And it was perhaps better not to be electrocuted directly after being burned. At least for Jon’s sake. So with an exaggerated sigh, he gave her one more overly enthusiastic squeeze before putting her back down.

You two seem close. Jon said in a small voice, still sounding a bit distressed but also clearly pleased not being the one in control at the moment. I didn’t realize you actually liked any of your crew, with the way you talked about them.

“Watch it, Sims.” He warned him but there was no bite to it. Jon had been through more than enough in just the last few minutes, if he was up for a bit of light teasing then he wasn’t going to get upset about it.

“Is Jon okay?” Martin spoke up, sounding more than a little worried. “Are- are you okay? I know you heal really fast, but- god, when I saw you all burned up like that -”

“Easy, Martin.” Jonny insisted and made his way beside him. “I’m fine and Jon… he will be fine. He just… it’s like TS said, he doesn’t like spiders. Especially not that big fucker that bit us. But it’s fine, all healed up.”

As though to emphasize this, he slapped his hand over where he had been punctured by Mr. Spider but flinched just a bit as he felt a small spark of pain in response. He pulled down what was left of their now mostly burnt jumper and looked at where he had been bitten. The wound was healed over but to his surprise it had left behind scars that still looked raw, like they weren’t quite done healing.

That’s not how your healing works. Jon said, just a bit of wonder and curiosity in his tone.

“No, it’s not.” Jonny agreed and frowned at the sight. 

We still have a number of scars from before you woke up. Jon pointed out. Pockmarks from the worms, the cut from Michael, the burn from Jude Perry, and the other cut on our throat from Daisy. None of those ever went away.

Jonny nodded along. “And now Mr. Spider gets added to the list. Guess damage from these things don't count or heal as normal. Wonder if that means they could kill up permanently.”

They did heal eventually. Perhaps there's just something special about injuries from these kinds of monsters that can scar us where normal damage can't?

“I'm sorry, what?” Martin demanded. “I thought you said you were immortal.”

Nastya laughed at that. “We are immortal but nothing lasts forever. We’re kept alive by our mechanisms but those are machines and even machines stop one day.”

“ But! ” Jonny cut in upon seeing the look of worry on Martin’s face. “You don’t need to be concerned about that. Because none of us are dying any time soon. Plenty of juice left in this brass heart, so don’t you worry about that.”

“Oh, right,” Martin nodded but he didn’t look quite convinced as he stared at the state of him. He brought a gentle hand up and brushed over his cheek, Jonny felt like he could have drifted away from just the feeling. “It’s just… hard to keep seeing you hurt. Every time it seems like it’s something worse and worse.”

“Getting hurt is one of Jonny’s hobbies.” Nastya spoke before he could even think to. “He enjoys it almost as much as he enjoys hurting other people. But perhaps whatever… this is can wait? We should focus on your dead friend here, before he starts properly rotting, yes?”

With more than a little reluctance, Jonny pulled himself away from Martin's soft touch and turned his attention back to the cot. “Right, Tim, we should start.” 

“Another Tim?” Nastya chuckled and looked down at him. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had a type.”

“His Recklessness Did Cause His Death, Just Like Our Own Tim.” The Toy Soldier agreed with her. “Though Mr. Blackwood Has Been Rather Reserved In Comparison, So I Suppose Recklessness Can’t Be All Jonny's Attracted To.”

Jonny gave an almost indignant sound at that, not helped by the fact that both Nastya and Jon were laughing at him. “Sh- shut the fuck up, Soldier.” 

I disagree, it should keep talking. 

“Oh, like you aren’t just as into him as I am, Sims.” He hissed back at him and regretted it almost immediately, as Nastya began to laugh even harder and Martin’s cheeks turned crimson.

“I… can we please focus on Tim? Please!” He all but demanded and gestured to the dead man. “Like you said, before he starts rotting.”

Nastya calmed her laughter and looked at the dead man. She looked like she was thinking about it and then gave Jonny an unsure look, the humor was all gone now. “We could, all three of us know how to do it but… Jonny, are you sure? You understand better than most what this’ll mean. You remember what happened with Gunpowder. I was half convinced he would never forgive you.”

“I… fuck, I know.” He admitted and felt vile because deep down he knew it didn’t change how he felt. He still wanted to save him, in spite knowing that he would hate him for this. “God dammit, I know this is a mess and maybe I shouldn’t be making this decision for him but… I don’t know, Nas, I like him and I don’t want to lose him. You don’t have to help, I know how to do it. Just let me use your workshop to get it done and-”

Nastya shook her head and shushed him. “I wouldn’t make you do this alone. If this is what you want, I’ll help. But you and I both know he’s going to be angry with you and I’m going to need you and that second mind of yours to be ready for that.”

He’s always angry with us anyway. Jon sighed.  

“We can live with him being angry, so long as he’s alive to do it.” Jonny agreed. 

“Alright, I suppose the first step is to find a proper design for his mechanism.” She decided and grabbed a tablet off a nearby table. “Luckily Dr. Camilla made plenty of theoretical blueprints for just about any occasion.”

“Wait, mechanism?” Martin was wide eyed at that and gawked in Jonny’s direction. “I know you said you could bring him back but you didn’t say you were going to make him immortal.”

Right, he hadn’t actually said what all this would entail, had he. It wasn't as though he was keeping it a secret but he had thought it would be kind of obvious where this was going. He supposed he couldn’t be surprised that Martin might be upset but he had to understand that this was the only way. Jonny wouldn’t force this onto someone if he could have saved him in literally any other way!

Jonny gave him sorry eyes and tried to find the most delicate words he could. “Martin, this is-”

“Can it be reversed, after you do it?” Martin cut him off, clearly thinking hard about this. “Bring him back and then just remove it?”

“No,” Nastya answered before Jonny could. “Our mechanisms keep us going after they've been implanted. And their self-repairing. Once it's part of him, it won't let itself be separated from him. Not for very long, anyway.”

Jonny sighed and nodded along with her. “Listen, Martin, if there was any other way-”

“Does it hurt?” He asked then. “I don't just mean at first. Is there going to be some sort of permanent pain to it?” 

Jonny was quiet at the question, because he honestly didn't know. His heart didn't hurt but he had also had it so long that he couldn't really remember what life was like without it. Was he in pain? He wasn't totally sure.

Again, Nastya spoke when Jonny failed to. “He'll know it's there, he'll be very aware of it, at least at first. But pain isn't what I'd call it. It's different for all of us, all of our mechanisms are different. I'm always cold as a result of mine but it’s not really bothersome anymore. You'd have to ask the others if you want answers about how they feel about it.”

Jonny? Does your heart hurt you or affect you in some way? Jon asked. I've not noticed anything like that but perhaps you know better? 

“No, no pain.” He admitted. “But… I can always feel the gears turning and I'm always aware when they change pace. It's just always in the back of my mind.”

Martin seemed to take that in before looking at Tim again. “Does it have to be outside of him? Like your heart? He just… it isn't a vanity thing, but if he wakes up and he looks different or he has a piece of himself missing, he isn't going to be able to stand it.”

His brother and the way Circus was, stealing and replacing body parts. Jon realized all at once. Jonny, I don't know if he'd forgive us for this.

“Ashes’ mechanism is on the inside, Nastya’s too.” Jonny answered first this time, pointedly ignoring Jon’s worries. “Their lungs and Nas’ blood. We can do something similar for Tim.”

There was hesitation but after a long few seconds Martin sighed, as though in defeat. 

“Save him.” He told him, though he sounded conflicted even as he spoke and wouldn't meet his eyes. “So long as he’s okay, that’s all that matters. We’ll talk about the rest, really talk about it, once he’s able to be part of the conversation.”

Jonny slowly nodded and once again looked back at Tim’s body. 

With his own heavy sigh he asked the dreaded question. “So what are we replacing?”

Immediately he hated the thought and he could feel just as much how little Jon liked it as well. They liked Tim just as he was, he was handsome and smooth talking and a chunk of him being made of brass would only serve to mar his natural beauty and confidence, even if it would be strictly on the inside. Not to say that the crew of the Aurora looked bad because of their mechanisms but he had gotten so used to Tim as he was, he didn’t want him to be different.

But what choice did they have?

“He’s not really missing anything, so it’s dealer’s choice, I suppose. His throat was damaged, correct?” Nastya confirmed with them and looked over their tablet again. “It makes sense we start there. If we're sticking to the inside, then we have blueprints for vocal cords or we could take a bit from Ashes design. Restructure it some and focus strictly on the windpipes. Might have to put him on ice for quite a while if we do that, though, just to be sure we get the redesign right.”

Jonny grimaced at the thought of waiting. “How long of a wait are we talking?” 

“A few days, perhaps a week tops?” She shrugged. “Shouldn’t be too long.”

I don’t know if we have a week in us. Jon said. We still need to be separated and I can’t imagine either of these things will be quick.

“Yeah, fuck waiting a week.” Jonny agreed. “Go with the vocal cords. Building is the easy part, especially with you, Nas. And TS is suddenly very good at human anatomy, so the surgery should be easy enough.”

“Oh, Jolly Good!” The Toy Soldier sounded absolutely delighted by the fact that it was invited to help. 

“Good, surgery was going to be a bit tricky otherwise, considering we don't have Brian or Raphaella here to help.” Nastya said. 

Raphaella! Jon suddenly snapped in realization. She's not here? I thought we came here to get her to fix us!

“Fuck, wait, where is Raph?” Jonny growled. “I gotta bone to pick with that bitch!”

“Not here.” Nastya said firmly. “One thing at a time. We can deal with your friend now or you can go looking for Raphaella but you can't do both at the moment.”

With a little huff he just said “Tim” and left it at that, which seemed to please Nastya.

“Alright then. Jonny, you'll help me start working on the piece. Toy Soldier, put his body on ice for now, we should try to keep it as fresh as possible, and then prepare a space for surgery. It shouldn't take very long to get him back up and running. Probably by the end of the day or maybe tomorrow morning. Depends how thorough you plan to be.”

Thorough is better. Jon insisted. Thorough means we're taking our time and doing it right.

“Thorough it is.” Jonny decided for them Nastya nodded along with him. 

“And your… friend here?” She continued, looking Martin over. “I don't suppose you have any medical or engineering training?”

“Uh… no, I'm an archival assistant.” He admitted, looking rather embarrassed. “And not a very good one, if I'm being honest.”

“What? You do a great job!” Jonny insisted. “Not your fault the institute is a fucking mess.” 

Martin looked bashful at the comment and Nastya flashed him a far too knowing smile. Fuck, he was never gonna hear the end of this. 

“Right, well unless you'd like to help organize Ivy's archive, which I don't recommend if you value your life, you probably aren't going to be much help.” She concluded. “Perhaps just sit somewhere and keep yourself out of the way?

She doesn't need to be so rude about it. Jon huffed but didn't argue with her reasoning.

Jonny looked over to Martin and thought about it. He really wouldn't be much help with any of this but he didn't want the poor man to sit in the corner and just wait the whole time. Surely they could find something for him to do, a way for him to help in his own Martiny kind of way.

“The kitchen safe?” He asked and got a confused look from Nastya. “Like are there spiders all over the place that we need to worry about?”

“Ah, no, mostly in the vents and in Raphaella’s lab, and sometimes I find them in Aurora’s wiring.” She answered but sounded annoyed. “I keep killing them but they keep repopulating almost as fast. But they seem to realize that if they avoid my space, I won't come looking for them.”

“They're in the ship’s wiring?” He frowned at the thought of that. “You think they're trying to take control?”

“I don't know,” she shrugged, “but it's a daily battle to keep them from doing whatever it is they're trying to do to her.”

I suppose that's to be added onto the list of many things we have to deal with? Jon sighed in annoyance. For the record, I refuse to go near any more spiders if I can help it.

“Understandable.” Jonny agreed. “But if the kitchen is safe, Martin makes some pretty good tea, so maybe… I mean you don't have to but-”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Martin seemed surprised but willing. “You all will be working for a while, I can make you all something while you do that.”

“That Sounds Delightful.” The Toy Soldier chimes in. “I Wouldn't Mind A Spot Of Earl Grey!”

Does… does it actually need to eat or-

“No,” he groaned under his breath. “It just likes to pretend. Don't question it.”

“Right, that's fine.” Nastya said, though she was looking at Jonny oddly again. “Aurora, love, help… Martin find the kitchen. And make sure nothing happens to him along the way.”

The ship chirped back helpfully and the door leading out of the room opened on its own.

“Follow the lights, she'll guide you.” She told him and then turned away and began rummaging through drawers and pulling out tools.

With a bit of awkwardness Martin left the room and made off down the hall.

Jonny couldn't help but be relieved to see him go, especially when he looked back to Nastya and saw the way she was grinning at him.

“So, Martin is… different.” She chuckles, especially as she watches him visibly blush in response. 

“Don't know what you're talking about.” He lied, because he absolutely knew what she was talking about. 

The way she looked at him didn't fade and he quickly began to dig through draws, trying to find what they would need for Tim's mechanism. Though in reality, he was desperately trying to distract himself from the way she stared.

“You know, I've been having the Toy Soldier watch out for you since I left.” She kept talking almost coyly. She also continued to work but it was uncomfortably clear she had more to say. “When It mentioned your double joined a cult, I knew it would be hard to get you back. But I never guessed your love life would flourish as a result. The Eye encourages mingling among its followers, does it?”

“What?” The words came out of Jonny's mouth but it had an unnatural rumble to it, coming deep from their chest in a way only Jon had managed before. “How do you know about the Eye? What do you know about the Eye?”

Nastya looked surprised suddenly, more so when words began to tumble out of her mouth. “Supposedly the Eye is some godlike entity that feeds on the fear of being watched and judged and having your secrets be revealed. Like all the fears, it has its favorites and your double is one of them. You should in theory be leading the Eye’s cult and-”

“But I'm not!” Jon snapped at her. He froze for just a moment, again not expecting control to come back to him so easily. Eventually he looked back to Nastya. “I'm not the leader of anything. I had no idea what I was signing up for when I became the Archivist, none of us knew we were joining a cult. I just don't understand, how did you find all this out? I was literally in the Archive for two years and still have very little idea what purpose it all served.”

“Jon I presume?” She eyed him just long enough for him to nod before continuing. “Some of us noticed earlier than others that something was wrong with Raph. Not long after we got into this system it was like something changed in her. Locked herself in her lab designing… well, you. So when she pitched the idea to suppress Jonny's mind, some of us were wary.”

Not wary enough to fucking stop her, apparently! Jonny huffed.

“So you just decide to let her do it and see what would happen?” Jon asked, his tone perhaps a bit more accusatory than he meant it to be.

“So we looked for answers or got out while we could.” Nastya admitted with a sorry sort of smile. “Ivy somehow knew about some library, just knew it was there, so she left for it immediately. Had to kill some fucked up mummies along the way but she's been studying there and sending me what she could find on the fears every since.”

Right, Ashes mentioned she went looking for a library somewhere in Egypt. Jonny recalled.

“You of course know about the Toy Soldier looking out for you.” She continued. “It spied on you and the other cults and sent me back what information it could.”

“It Was Such Fun.”  The Toy Soldier practically sang. “I Haven't Worked In Moving Information Since I Was A Nymph In The City.”

Jon couldn't help but crane his head as he looked at the wooden figure. “You were… a nymph?”

For the love of god, don't ask. Jonny practically begged.

“Yes, right, not important at the moment.” He decided and looked away from it, focusing on the parts Jonny had pulled out instead. He had no clue what to do with them but it was better than learning about whatever the Toy Soldier was surely eager to tell him. “What about the orders?”

“Brian had to take one for the team, so to speak. He wouldn't keep his mouth shut about not trusting Raphaella. So when she suggested we take him out of commission for a little while, I just hid and let them do as they pleased.” As she talked her hands were busy, piecing together one delicate little piece after another. And as she did Jon Knew what she needed and began to hand things off to her as they went. She made no comment on it but seemed pleased with his assistance.

“Ashes, Gunpowder, and Marius were clueless and it was safer to let them stay that way.” She carried on. “Lyf realized something was wrong and decided to act fast. They knew Marius had some domestic life fantasies he was wanting to play out with them. So they allowed themself to be wooed and they took off together.”

Gross but very clever. Jonny feigned retching in disgust and Jon simply shook his head and chuckled.

“That just left Ashes and Tim to be caught by Raph.” There was remorse on her face then. “I had to let her take them. It was the only way to get her to leave the ship long enough to take off.”

“Where did you go?” It was Jonny this time that spoke. No force needed to climb to the surface, just a question he needed answered and a friend who was clearly in distress. 

She shook her head and kept working. “I didn't really go anywhere… Well, I supposed that's not totally true. I had Aurora leave the system, just to prove a theory, and I was right. So I came back to get you all, kicking and screaming if I had to.”

“And what exactly is this theory you proved correct?” Jonny dared to ask.

“The fear entities don't exist outside of this system. Or at least their influence doesn't.” She answered simply. “The spiders on the ship even stopped their odd behavior the moment we were out and they were easy to kill at that point. But the ones I missed were right back to it the moment we came back into the system. Which tells me, if we leave the system, whatever is affecting Raph should lose its hold on her. You too.”

“Oh,” was all he could say for a moment as realization dawned on him. “What about Jon?”

What? Jon asked at the same moment Nastya looked at him. There was no confusion or uncertainty in her gaze now, she understood exactly what he was asking even if he barely knew himself.

“As he is right now? He'd likely stop functioning the moment we left the system.” 

Jonny felt his heart slow down and his stomach drop and he could feel Jon's growing panic at the realization as well. 

“And if we were separated?” He asked and, damn it all, he practically sounded like he was begging at that point. “Would he survive then?”

“Is that what you want?” She sounded almost disinterested when she asked, which only serves to upset him more.

“Yes, dammit!” He snarled and threw down what he was working on. “I want him removed and safe, that's why I came here!”

“He's effectively an AI, so once he's removed, it stands to reason he could be installed elsewhere, but...” Nastya paused for a moment. “Well, I wouldn't think you would care so much for some artificial mind forcefully implanted into your head.”

“He's not just an artificial mind! He's my fucking tw-” the words died in his throat before he could finish the sentence. It hadn't occurred to him until that very moment just how much he truly thought of Jon like a real brother. 

But he did. As far as he was concerned, they were as good as blood and he had to save him.

Quiet settled between them as they went back to work, all of them too aware of what he failed to say. Instead they just worked, going over the blueprints and occasionally Jonny would hand off tools and parts without Nastya saying a word. Even the Toy Soldier seemed able to read the room and kept silent as it prepped its medical supplies.

It wasn't until the door to the workshop opened that the silence was finally broken. Martin came in, awkwardly holding a tray of mugs with one of his hands and in the other he had a phone pressed to his ear.

“Thank you, Aurora… no, I’m talking to the ship… I’m being serious, the ship is real… Melanie, you don’t have to believe me but I’m not going to stay on the phone just to listen to you call me crazy.” He gave an annoyed sigh as he carefully sat down the tea he had prepared. “Look, I’ll tell Jon what you told me but- well yes, I know you don’t give a damn about him but he should still know… well if you’re just going to be rude, then I’m hanging up. I hope you feel better, you can call me if you hear from Basira, but not to yell at me over something that isn’t even my fault.”

Before another word could be spoken to him, he had already hung up his phone and huffed before looking to Jonny. “So the Archives somehow caught fire and apparently something exploded in the carpark. That, on top of multiple injuries, dead bodied, and the Archivist being spotted running around covered in blood, has made some people assume you’re a terrorist and responsible for all of it.”

“Technically I am a terrorist but realistically, I’m only responsible for about half of that.” He couldn’t help but crack a smile at Martin’s annoyed expression.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “You realize you can’t go back to London now, right? Your face is already everywhere!” 

“Oh please,” Nastya laughed, “trust me when I say this; Jonny knows how to avoid the police. You should see our wall of wanted posters. He covers half of them all on his own.”

“I do try.” He was practically preening as he remembered his many run-ins with the law.

Was anyone hurt?

“Huh?”

In the fire and the explosion. Was anyone hurt?

“Oh…” Jonny sounded almost absent, like the question hadn’t even occurred to him. “Uh, Martin, was anyone hurt?” 

“Hard to tell.” Martin admitted as he scrolled through something on his phone. “There’s note of a few dead bodies in the building, but those might have been the delivery men and the security guards, an unidentified victim who had to be carried out by emergency services, which might be Rosie, and apparently there’s CCTV footage of something that’s not been released to the public just yet, but I guess some unknown people were taken hostage?”

“You and Tim?” Jonny wondered aloud. 

Or Basira and Daisy. Jon suggested.

Suddenly Martin looked panicked. “Well I damn well hope they assume I’m a hostage, otherwise they’ll assume I’m an accomplice!”

In an instant Jon felt control return to him and he immediately dropped what he was going and made his way over to the other man. His hands came up and lightly traced his face, leaving behind little smudges of grease as he hushed him. “Martin, it’s okay, I won’t let you get arrested. If it comes down to it, you can throw me completely under the bus.”

“But I can’t do that. I l-”

“I assure you, you can. I won’t blame you for a second, I promise.” To emphasize the statement, he pulled the other man down and stood as much on his toes as he could manage before placing a chaste kiss upon his lips.

There was a laugh somewhere behind him, which he opted to ignore. Especially when Martin wrapped his arms around him and deepened the kiss. Jonny was practically purring in the back of their mind and the pair were happy to stay like that, at least until he was hit in the back with something hard.

“Happy as I am for you to find a semi-functional relationship, I do still expect you to hell rebuild your friend here.” Nastya cut in, much to their annoyance. “You’ll have plenty of time to make out later, when you aren’t in my workshop.”

With a slightly annoyed sigh he planted one more brief kiss on Martin’s cheek and pulled away. In return he earned a lovely pink blush and mug full of warm tea being pushed into his hands by the other man.

“Alright, let’s focus on fixing Tim, shall we?” He said.

And then back to making out.

“There will almost certainly be other priorities before that but yes, Jonny, back making out when we have the time.”

There was a snort of laughter from Nastya, an embarrassed sort of squeak from Martin, and an absolutely indignant growl from Jonny all at once.

Sims, what the fuck?! 

But Jon could only laugh as he went back to work.

Chapter Text

As it turns out, building a whole new body part was in fact quite time consuming, a whole lot of work, and filled with several snags along the way. They were already two hours in when the first big snag stopped them prematurely. 

By then Martin had gotten comfortable and simply watched and listened. He observed the Toy Soldier come and go as it brought in all kinds of medical supplies. He listened to Jonny and Nastya thoughtlessly hum and harmonize one unknown song or another. And he especially took note of Jonny and Jon's hands. Working with those small tools and gears and wires, the way they made little cuts that healed rapidly.

But watching had his mind wandering. He had noticed in the past that Jon's hands were ever so slightly callust. They must have been from whatever life Jonny had led before becoming immortal but what was that life like? He said he had gone to war, was he a soldier before being mechanized? Was the original act of mechanizing him some sort of Captain America-esk experiment? Trying to make a supersoldier but ending up with whatever Jonny was instead?

Martin wasn't totally sure but he found himself blushing as he envisioned him dressed in army greens and wielding a large gun. And the blush only got deeper as he realized he was thinking of Jon at the exact same time. 

He almost excused himself to go make more tea. Anything to get out of his own head, when the Toy Soldier had approached Jonny and Nastya and decided to be frustratingly helpful. 

The mechanism was perhaps a third of the way done when the Toy Soldier had finished setting up its operating table and supplies before it came to assist the pair. Because it lived to be helpful and follow orders. But it looked quizzically at what they were working on.

“You're Using Brass?” It asked after a few seconds of staring.

Nastya, Jonny, and even Martin couldn't help but give it a confused look.

“Yes?” Jonny answered, as though it should be obvious.

“Oh…” it said then, clearly seeming to disagree with the choice.

“ Oh , what?” Nastya looked at it oddly and then back at the small device she was still holding. Most of their mechanisms were brass, why shouldn't this one be as well?

“I Do Not Believe Mr. Stoker Will Enjoy That.” It explained as though it should have been obvious. “Brass Has A Terrible Taste To It. So You Should Perhaps Not Put Brass In His Throat.”

“Oh, yeah, that would make sense.” Martin frowned at the revelation.

“What?!” Jonny practically hissed and glared at the Toy Soldier. “How the fuck would you know anything about tastes?”

“I Told You, I've Been Studying Human Anatomy.” It reminded him and sounded rather proud. “Brass Stains And Has A Bitter, Metallic Taste. That Would Surely Be A Problem For Him In The Future.”

“Well that's fucking fantastic!” Jonny snapped at it, throwing away the tool he had on hand in frustration. “You didn't think to mention that two hours ago when we started building?” 

The Toy Soldier was calm in the face of his anger. “I Was Told To Set Up The Medical Supplies.” It said as though the answer was obvious.

Jonny stared at it for a long moment, soaking in what it had just been said to him before huffing in frustration. “Fuckin’ alright! Then what exactly do you suggest, since you’re suddenly so knowledgeable? Plastic? We don't typically do plastic, but-”

“Gold Would Be The Best Choice.” It said matter-of-factly. “At A Certain Purity I Has No Taste Or Scent. Around 23 Karats, I Believe. That's One Of The Reasons It Makes For Good Dental Fillings.”

“Why do I feel like you're making that up?” Jonny huffed at it, almost childish in his annoyance at that point.

“No, I think I've actually heard of that before.” Martin spoke up and hoped he was being helpful. “Something like people using solid gold spoons when they taste test foods, or something like that?”

It's also a very flexible metal. Jon added as their Knowing ability supplied. So it likely would function best for this kind of design anyway.

“You've gotta be fucking kidding.” Jonny practically hissed. “So we just wasted two hours on this.”

“Or we can keep using the brass and he can live with it.” Nastya suggested, sounding rather non-committal about the whole situation. “He's your friend. You decide if you really want to start over.”

Jonny gave an annoyed sigh but tossed what he was working on aside. “Yes. I would like to give him as few reasons to be pissed with us as possible. And if he's gonna be immortal, he might as well not spend eternity with a terrible aftertaste.”

“Okay, but where are you going to get that much gold of that high of purity?” Martin piped up, sounding worried as he looked the three over. “Unless you're planning to rob a jewelry store, I'm not sure how we're gonna be able to do this.”

“Oh, No Need For Any Larceny, My Good Man. Though That Does Sound Like A Smashing Good Time.” The Toy Soldier insisted. “Ashes Had Plenty Of Gold. They Won't Mind Sharing, I'm Sure.”

“Really?” Martin looked dubious at that. “You're sure they won't mind?”

“No, they will,” Jonny huffed in annoyance, “but I can pay them back later.”

“If we must,” Nastya shrugged and placed what she had been working on in a drawer before digging through another. “Perhaps we should take a small break anyway. I need to inspect the vents, make sure our little stowaways aren't growing too large in number, especially after we cleared out Raphaella’s lab. I suspect they may try to retaliate as a result. 

“In the meantime; TS can go get the gold and start melting it down, since it was your idea. Jonny, for the love gods, clean yourself up and get out of those burnt clothes. And Martin… I don't really know what to do with you. Make some more tea?”

“He’s capable of doing other things.” Jonny told her with just a bit of a growl in his tone.

“I’m sure you’d know.” She gave a breathy laugh as she pulled a blowtorch and flyswatter out of the drawer she was rifling through. She closed it with her hip and was immediately making her way to an oversized vent on one of the walls. It opened for her entirely on its own and she hoisted herself up and scuttled inside with little fanfare at all, as though that was an entirely normal thing to do, and the vent then closed again entirely on its own.

“Right-o, My Friends, I’ll Go Fetch The Gold!” The Toy Soldier spoke cheerfully and saluted before taking off out of the workshop.

What fascinating friends you keep. Jon said, struggling not to laugh at it all.

“I, uh, I can make more tea, if you like?” Martin offered. “Or maybe something to eat? You have all been working for a while. And knowing Jon, you probably haven’t really eaten in… well, ages I’m guessing.”

“Not since the last time the mannequins force fed us.” Jonny recalled with a frown. A bit of bile rose in their throat as they thought back to the Circus and their whole body shuddered in response. 

Please don’t remind me of that. Jon insisted and Jonny couldn’t argue or even feel the need to tease him on the matter. They both had hated what happened to them and it was best to think about it as little as possible.

“Well if that’s the case, I’m going to raid your kitchen and you two are going to eat something nice.” Martin announced rather firmly. He was to his feet and started towards the door but paused and looked at them, suddenly unsure. “I mean… if you want, of course. I’m not trying to force you to eat or anything. I just mean-”

They came up beside him and took his hand, rubbing small circles into his palm and gave him a fond smile.

“That would be lovely, Martin.” Jon told him with an almost dreamy sigh. “I don’t know what we ever did to deserve you wanting so badly to take care of us, but thank you.”

Martin’s face turned a bright pink as he smiled and gave a bashful little nod. “Jon, Jonny, you two are so hard on yourselves and sometimes I don’t even know if you know it. I just… I want to take care of you because I care about you and because you do deserve to be taken care of.”

Jon stilled hearing that. In his entire life, he wasn’t sure anyone had ever said anything like that to him. Admittedly, that life was much shorter than he once thought it was but still. No one had ever been so good to him and he felt the brass heart he shared with Jonny whir a little faster.

Fuck, how did we bag this man? Jonny wondered to Jon and then gave a thoughtful hum. You think we could convince him to come clean up with us?

“No, we’re not doing that.” Jon admonished him immediately, looking away from Martin in hopes that he would understand that he was talking to Jonny and not him. 

Oh come on. It doesn’t have to be a sex thi-

But Jon wasn’t entertaining that for even a minute. “When it’s entirely your body again, you’re welcome to invite him back to your room as often as you like. But for now, absolutely not.”

There was a sharp gasp in response to that and when he looked back at Martin he was wide eyed and a deep shade of red.

He floundered for a moment before he finally let the other man’s hand go. He said something, some awkward non-sentience that might have been an attempt to excuse himself, before he bolted out of the door and went in a random direction.

His face was terribly flushed but a smile crept its way to his lips. 

It was so strange. Just the day before Martin had been convinced that Jon hated him and now he was holding his hands and kissing him and looking at him like he might even want a real relationship together. It felt like a dream but he had pinched himself about a dozen times and was fairly sure it was all real at that point. 

Regardless, he needed something to do, otherwise he would spiral thinking about Jon suggesting Jonny wanted to invite him to his room. Because, goodness, wouldn't that be something? He got the distinct feeling that Jon wouldn't be okay with that though. If Melanie’s taunting was anything to go off of, Jon very well might not be interested in that kind of intimacy at all.

Which was perfectly fine, of course it was! Sex wasn't what he wanted when he looked at them. He just couldn't help but like them. Who really knew why? Tim and Sasha had both certainly racked their brains over his attraction to him. They had just assumed it was him clinging to something after Prentiss had terrorized him for two weeks but it was much more than that. 

Martin was an adult and he knew what he liked. It was hardly his fault that what he liked was his often grumpy, beanpole of a boss! Even after everything, the pockmarks and the scars and the burn and even Jonny with his metal heart, he was still into him. Into both of them even.

As he walked down the corridors of the Aurora he briefly wondered what his mother would think if she knew that he was fawning over two different men. Or the fact that both of them seemed receptive to him as well. But she didn't give much of a damn about him since he was a child, so perhaps she would have no opinion at all about him and his possibly future partners.

That truth hurt his heart more than he cared to think about and he was glad when he finally made it back to the kitchen.

It was an almost normal kitchen. An oven, a fridge, a sink, cabinets and cupboards, and a rather long dining table with many chairs. Though it was a bit odd in the fact that most of the wall right on the other side of the table was a large bay window. At that moment it was looking out into the forest and had a beautiful view of the canopy. But that just made him wonder, what would it look like out in space? He could understand why they would put the little nook there, it must have been amazing to watch the stars go by as they ate. 

Then a new thought popped into his head, a rather silly one, to be honest. Would he even get to see the stars like that? 

The obvious answer was no. Jonny might have been interested in him in the moment but he knew it wouldn't last, like every relationship seemed to go for him. It was novelty for him, especially compared to the partners Jonny already had. A war hero who blew up the moon, how unapologetic fierce Ashes was, the closeness whatever relationship he seemed to share with Nastya, and all the rest that he didn't know anything about yet.

He was hardly a prize in comparison to any of them. Which made it all the more disheartening when his mind began to run through fantasie of being stolen away by this space pirate. It was silly, bad romance novel kinds of fantasies, but it still had him blushing deeply as he dug out pot and pans.

As Martin scrambled around the kitchen, trying desperately not to think about his doomed love life, he was met with a road bump. The kitchen's supplies were mostly barren. There was a lot of alcohol spread throughout multiple different cabinets, there were fresh, if a bit unknown vegetables, some of which were just confusing to look at, and there were just a few dry ingredients but very little else. They must have been low on supplies, because he refused to believe this crew was strictly vegetarian.

He supposed he could make vegetable soup. That would take some time but he was just in the way in the workshop anyways. Better to make himself useful. Besides, melting down the gold, shaping the new parts, building the mechanism, that would all take hours, even before Tim's surgery. He had plenty of time.

“Uh… Aurora, I don't suppose you could help me identify any of these?” He asked hopefully. 

The ship chimed in affirmation and a monitor against the far wall turned on all on its own. Text popped up and began to describe each fruit and vegetable he asked about and eventually the pair had the ingredients for what would hopefully be a passably good soup. 

So he got to work in his own way.

It was hard to say how long he had spent there. Nastya and the Toy Soldier and the Jons were likely back to work by that point. But the soup was cooking and Martin was in the middle of cleaning up when his phone rang.

He half expected it to be Melanie again, ready to bite his head off over some new perceived slight that he hadn't even done. Regardless, he answered the phone without bothering to look and put it on speaker so he could continue to work.

“Hello Martin,” the voice on the other end spoke and he immediately froze up.

“Elias?” Was all he could say, because he certainly hadn't expected to hear from him.

“I'm trying to get a hold of my Archive staff,” Elias told him in a tone that was much too smug. “There was evidently some kind of terror attack on the institute after I was taken away by emergency services. But no one is answering their phones. Well, besides Melanie, but she was… rather indignant in response to being called.”

“Tim's dead.” Martin said suddenly, flatly and a bit cold even. “Did you already know that? Are you just calling to gloat?”

“Really now, Martin,” Elias scoffed, “I don't want any of my staff to be dead. You shou-”

He snapped at the other man, far too angry to control himself. “You killed Gertrude but you expect me to believe you don't want any of us dead? You killed Leitner and framed Jon for it, you expect me to believe that you’re just worried about your staff. You trapped us, made us join what’s effectively a cult, and you expect any of us would ever trust you?

“And don’t even get me started on all the things you’ve kept from Jon! Him turning into whatever he’s becoming, the powers he’s apparently getting, having a whole second mind in his head! I bet you even knew he was kidn-”

“Second mind?” Elias cut in, ignoring almost everything he had just said and focused on the one thing he didn’t understand. “What- oh, how interesting. Is that what it was? Some trick of the Spiral, I suspect. No wonder I couldn’t see it and could barely hear it. Nothing to worry about though, I’m sure. I’m sure it will purge itself in time.”

That gave Martin pause. Was he saying that he didn’t know about Jonny? That seemed almost too good to be true at that point. The less Elias knew about the whole affair the better. But another part of him very much wanted to put Elias on edge for once. 

“I don’t know about your nothing to worry about mentality, if I’m being honest.” Martin told him as he absently stirred his pot of soup. Almost done, lovely. “Jon and that second mind seem to think they’re merging together. That’s why he attacked you and Melanie and Basira. The second mind is violent and I think it’s taking over.”

There was a somber pitch to his voice. Partly because he wanted Elias to believe him but also because he really was worried for Jon and Jonny. Both were so wonderful in very different and he didn’t want to lose either. He wanted to hold hands and share soft kisses with Jon some more and, he’d admit it, he very much wanted Jonny to invite him back to his room and receive his much more aggressive attention.

Was it selfish to want both at the same time? Perhaps that was a better question for when they actually had two different bodies to use against him.

There was a long pause between them, followed by a frustrated huff on Elias’ end. “Where are you now?”

“Shouldn’t you already know that, Mr. I See Everything?”

“Martin! Tell me where you are!” He demanded but there was no compulsion to tell and no feeling like something was digging in his mind. Perhaps he couldn’t affect him from so far away or maybe he simply could affect him from within the Aurora. 

That, he decided, was a good thing. 

“Elias, I got forced into the back of a windowless van and was driven hours away from London. Do you really think I know where I am right now?” He explained with an exasperated sigh. “I’m currently making soup in the hopes I can stay useful to them. This isn’t exactly what you’d call an ideal situation.”

There was a frustrated curse from the other end of the line. “Fine, do you at least know what happened to Basira and Daisy?”

“Something happened to Basira and Daisy?” He feigned concern. “I know Jon and Basira got into a physical altercation but what happened to Daisy?”

“Dammit,” he hissed on the other end but didn’t properly answer his question.

Suddenly Aurora chirped at him and a few messages flashed on her monitor in succession. 

SOUP IS READY

…

JONNY IS COMING

…

HE IS CONCERNED

That was probably Martin’s cue to end their phone call. “Elias, I’m sorry but I’ve gotta go. I think Jon is coming and I really have to finish cleaning up.”

“Wait, Mar-” 

But he hung up his phone before he could say any more. And was it ever satisfying to hang up on his horrible, genuinely evil boss.

Almost as if on cue, there were rapid footsteps coming from down the hall and Jonny burst into the room. Martin turned to smile and greet them but his breath was taken away by the sight of them.

This was… quite a look. A brown vest, long sleeved white undershirt, and black slacks were all things that Jon might have worn normally but it was the accessories that really made the outfit. The first thing Martin really noticed was his eyes, he was wearing eyeliner, thick and black and intentionally streaked to look like lightning bolts. It made his piercing brown eyes all the more intense. As his own eye drifted down he took the rest of him in. His brass heart was now clearly visible, with his shirt open just enough to show it and a bit of his bare chest off. Yet another thing that was making it rather hard for Martin to catch his breath. He wore heavy looking black leather boots and a bandolier of bullets across his chest. And why on earth was that so excited for Martin? But that all paled once Martin realized how many belts the man had on. One around his waist like normal, another going the opposite way of the bandolier across his chest, one on his arm, two on one of his legs. For all he knew, there were more and he just couldn’t see them.

It should have been a terribly silly sight, especially on Jon. So why then was Martin uncontrollably attracted to the sight of him?

He was in a daze, just soaking in how very ridiculously handsome he found this man, when they rushed him. Their hands were holding his face and looking him over, concern in their eyes.

“Are you okay?” They asked almost desperately.

“I’m fine?” Martin answered, a bit confused. “I was making soup, but it should be done now, if you-”

“Aurora asked who Elias was, said you were talking with him.” They cut him off. “He didn’t do anything to you? Say anything? If he got into your head I’ll fucking kill ‘im”

“Jonny,” he spoke softly and very gently placed a hand over one of his that was still against his cheek. “I’m okay. He called and was trying to get information but I don’t think he could get to me. I don’t know if he could even see me. Maybe because of the distance or Aurora or, hell, maybe because of whatever the spiders have going on, but he can’t see us here.”

Jonny gave a heavy sigh of relief and rested his head against his chest. “Good, that’s… so long as you’re okay.”

Martin smiled and gave a small kiss to their palm. For just that moment he truly could believe that Jonny might want to steal him away and keep him. What a strangely nice thought that was.

“How about we eat?” Martin suggested. “That’ll make you feel better and I’m sure the others will appreciate it too.”

Jonny nodded wordlessly and helped him bring food back to the workshop. 

When they got there, Martin had to hold in a laugh as he saw the other two Mechanisms. Nastya’s coat was lightly singed and there were stray cobwebs clinging to her hair and clothes in various places. Meanwhile the Toy Soldier’s outfit had somehow also been lightly burned in a few places and it was dotted with small specks of gold all over its arms and torso. 

It was hard to say how far along they had gotten but Martin awkwardly held up the bowls he had brought. “I made soup?”

Much to his surprise, even Nastya looked pleased and gladly took one of the bowls.

Martin was mostly quiet as they ate. Partly because he didn’t know what to say but mostly because the other three knew each other in a way he didn’t. Instead he took them in. Jonny ate quickly and messily, aggressive in everything he did, apparently. Nastya on the other hand ate slowly and almost refined in the way she did it, like she was raised to know a certain level of etiquette. And the Toy Soldier… well, it pretended to eat and made quite a mess of itself in the process. 

Jonny gave an annoyed grunt at the sight of it like that, even as his own face was smudged with soup. “You better clean yourself up before you operate on Tim.”

“Naturally, My Good Man.” It told him in a delighted tone.

When the meal was over, Martin insisted on taking care of the dishes so they could get back to work. By then Jon was back and had planted a soft kiss on his cheek and thanked him for the meal before returning to work. 

“Normally I’m Told To Do The Dishes… And Even The Cooking Sometimes.” The Toy Soldier pointed almost curiously. “You Are A Rare Treat, Mr. Blackwood.”

It too went back to work and that just left Nastya staring at him.

“Uh, everything okay?” He gave an uncomfortable laugh. It would be just his luck that the one space pirate that seemed closest to Jonny also seemed to hate him.

But Nastya glanced between him and Jon and smiled. “Allow me to help you.” Before taking some of the bowls and began to make her way out of the room beside him.

“That was quite good, for someone who couldn’t possibly know what food he was working with. I half expected something bland or simply terrible.” She complimented him, which felt a bit surprising for him.

“Oh, well Aurora helped me.” He explained a bit sheepishly. “She explained how they’d taste and if they go well together. It just worked backwards from there.”

“You cook often?”

He shrugged. “I guess? I did most of the cooking growing up, because my mom couldn’t. So I suppose I just got used to throwing whatever in a pot and making it work.”

She gave a thoughtful hum before she finally said what she really wanted to. “Jonny doesn’t often get attached to people, almost never enough to want to keep them. Your Tim is the first in quite literally thousands of years. And you… this life isn’t for everyone, living this long changes a person and it shouldn’t be our place to decide if we want to bring someone back unless we know they want it. That was how Dr. Camilla operated but that shouldn’t be who we are.”

“But you’re helping him bring Tim back.” Martin pointed out. 

“I can deny Jonny many things, especially if it’s funny to watch how upset he gets,” she said with just the hint of a laugh in her tone. “But if he truly is so desperate to bring this man back, I know I couldn’t stop him. The only right choice is to make it as painless as possible for everyone involved. That just leaves the question of where you stand in all of this.”

“Me? What about me?”

“Jonny doesn’t love anyone but the Mechanisms, even if he tried to deny it.” She told him plainly. “But I know him and he loves you. He’s not even trying to fight it like he did all of us at first.”

Martin sputtered a bit but tried very hard to keep his voice low. “That’s- he doesn’t- nobody loves-”

“I assure you, he does,” her tone was almost a growl, like she was truly angry that he would doubt her. “The question is, when he finally realizes it, is that going to be okay? Will you want this… gift?”

“Are you- what? Asking if I want to be immortal?” He almost laughed at the question, because who would want to spend forever with him of all people? But Nastya gave him a hard stare and realized she must be serious, even if she was delusional. “You don’t have to worry about something like that. He’s not going to want to keep me or anything like that. I’m just… I don’t know but there’s no way-”

“Jonny doesn’t do flings with mortals!” She hissed at him and he quickly recoiled at her anger. “It’s a very simple question. When it finally happens, whether it be from you being hurt or dying or the fear of age catching up to you, do you want this?”

“I don’t know!?” He snapped back at her. “I just- I’m still adjusting to the fact that Jon even likes me back. He only kissed me for the first time last night! We’re not even officially anything yet, so how I’m I supposed to know the answer to that question?”

He didn’t really think about it before he snatched the bowls out of her hands and began to march off. “Please just go back to your work.”

Nastya was surprised but allowed him to go and eventually made her way back to her workshop. Martin was certainly something. How he had managed to charm their first mate was anyone’s guess but she supposed she should just be impressed.

Jon looked at her oddly as she made her way back to her workbench and began to fiddle with the new gold pieces.

“That was fast.” Jon said. “I thought I heard you say you were going to help Martin.”

“I got bored.” She sold him, nonchalant in her tone. “Your boyfriend is boring.”

“He’s not boring!” Jon insisted at once but there was a smile on his face, like he knew Nastya was teasing him. “And he’s not- we aren’t anything official yet. Not really.”

Nastya scoffed as though she were disgusted with them. “You three are all over each other but you aren’t actually dating? Jonny, you’re absolutely useless!”

“Fuck off!” Jonny laughed as he resurfaced. “Jon was pining for him for over a year before I even woke up! It’s his fault if anybody’s.”

I was not pining!

“You were absolutely pining!”

Nastya smiled and sighed and refocused on her work as she listened to Jonny argue with himself.

Martin didn’t come back for quite some time, but the Aurora had helpfully let them know that he had become tired, as he hadn’t slept in a while, and was taking a much needed rest. By the time he was back, the mechanism was finally finished and the surgery was just beginning.

It was surprising how small the thing was, given how long they had worked on it. There were certainly more intricate details inside the thing that Martin wouldn’t even know how to fathom but it still looked like a rather large, rather thick, oblong coin, with strange sliding flaps in the middle.

It occurred to him then that he didn’t actually know what vocal cords looked like. How very strange indeed.

Very gently Jonny took his hands and guided him to sit beside him. “This won’t be quick.” He told him simply and offered him a glass of whiskey as they waited.

Perhaps it was the jitters but he accepted and sipped as he watched the Toy Soldier. For the second time in much too short of a time frame, the Toy Soldier had its hands inside of Tim’s throat. It was careful, more so now than it was back in the institute, but it still felt wrong.

Eventually, finally, it was done. The Toy Soldier finished with the inside and began to stitch the skin of his throat back up. 

“How much of a scar do you think that’ll leave?” Martin asked Jonny quietly.

“Hard to say.” Jonny admitted. “Some of our surgery scars never went away.”

As thought to prove his point he opened his shirt a bit more and showed where his heart met his skin. A number of scars came off of it, jagged and pale against their skin. For just a moment he considered touching one, wanted very badly to explore all kinds of things about Jonny and Jon’s body. But he thought better of it.

“It’s Done!” The Toy Soldier announced then. It saluted with its bloody hand and looked far too proud.

“It is?” Martin gasped and was immediately to his feet. “What happens now?”

“Now we wait for the mechanism to do its job.” Nastya explained between long sips of vodka. “It repairs the damage to the body, restarts the circulatory system, and eventually wakes the brain back up.”

“How long will that take?”

“It varies.” Jonny told him. “Brian took close to a week to fully adjust, but he’s almost entirely made of brass at this point. Tim took the least amount of time but he also wasn’t actually dead and it was only his eyes that were replaced. Unfortunately, we just need to wait and-”

A gasp came from the operating table. That was fast. And then horrified, pained screaming followed his waking. It didn’t sound like Tim’s voice, which chilled Martin immediately. That wouldn’t be good for Tim. It was high pitched and angry and afraid. It echoed off throughout the room like a horrible song and was made all the worse by the way his body writhed on the table.

Tim must have felt his new body part because his hand came to his throat and began to claw at it, like he was trying to tear it out of his body.

“Soldier, restrain him!” Jonny ordered and ran over, grabbing one of his arms and the Toy Soldier did the same with the other. 

Even unable to use his arms he still kicked and thrashed and screamed nonwords. Through terrified, angry tears he glared at Jonny with a kind of hatred that he was painfully familiar with.

It was only when Martin finally approached that Tim began to settle. He was gentle, speaking softly to him, promising that it would be okay. And slowly Tim began to still, giving high pitched, little sobs that sounded more like a harmonica than anything else. 

Martin gave Jonny a worried look, one he wore as well. They had all known that Tim would take this hard but… fuck, this was a mess.

Chapter Text

Jon had seen Tim angry and afraid before, the former director at him many times, but the look he was wearing now felt entirely new somehow. 

Even in the face of parasitic worms, he hadn't shook like this. He certainly hadn't seen him cry like this. But there he was, sobbing so hard it seemed like he could barely breathe and so desperately clinging to Martin, like he was the only thing that could keep him from falling apart.

And maybe he was at that point.

His new, synthetic voice made it all the worse. Every time he tried to calm himself, to say something, he would hear his own voice and it would start again. Jon could hardly blame him but it still hurts his heart to watch unfold.

By some mercy the Mechanisms present were patient with the whole affair. The Toy Soldier had stayed quiet and began to clean up its operating station without any prompting and Nastya was busying herself with something on her workbench. And Jonny, he was silent, just as Jon was. Neither could say anything, they just watched, unable to even blink as they took in the horror of what had happened here.

“It's gonna be okay.” Martin whispered softly, saying it for who knew how many times at that point. And yet it did seem to ease Tim, ever so slightly each time.

Gently rubbing his back and carding fingers through his hair, Tim slowly settled. His breathing slowly and his shaking was gradually coming to an end. It wasn't all at once and Jon doubted he would want to properly speak to him but they could wait for him, as long as he needed.

But then the silence was broken as Nastya gave an annoyed sound. “This fucking thing again! Where do you keep coming from?”

Jon turned to her, ready to ask her to please not do whatever she was doing here but then he froze. In her hand was something he was all too familiar with. A black tape recorder with a clear as day label on its side.

PROPERTY OF THE MAGNUS INSTITUTE 

“Where did you get that?” He asked, a blend of worry and awe at the sight of the thing.

She huffed at the question. “The damn things show up all the time. No idea where they come from but I started breaking them after I realized they were recording me. Never seems to keep them away for very long though.”

That's fuckin’ weird. Jonny said and Jon had to agree. 

He thought back to the waxworks building. Nikola, or rather the Toy Soldier, had found a tape recorder there too. It had implied that he had brought it or that Elias had somehow sent it to listen in. At the time he had assumed it was taunting him, not that the recorders were simply appearing all on their own.

Jonny seemed to share the same thought process he was having. Some new trick of the Eye, you think? It wants stories so bad it actively goes out looking for them?

“I don't… perhaps?” Jon shrugged. “We are its Archivist. This could be a way to keep tabs on us or-”

The thought was cut off by a shrill yelp and the distinct sound of something wooden hitting metal. Jon swiftly turned to see the Toy Soldier on the ground and Tim scrambling to get himself off the cot, in spite Martin trying to calm him.

“You stay the fuck away from me!” He shrieked at it, his voice high and almost musical in nature. “Stay right fucking there!”

“Can Do, My Friend!” The Toy Soldier said and proceeded to simply lay there.

“Tim, relax,” Martin told him, though it was clear he wasn't having it. “It was just checking on your stitches. It's not gonna hurt you.”

“That thing was threatening Rosie!” He harshly reminded him. “It brought those cockney freaks who… fuck, what happened to me?!”

“You died.” The words came out of Jon's mouth rather reluctantly but still he said it. “Breekon or Hope, whichever, they crushed your windpipe and you died.”

“Died? Then how-”

“We Mechanized You, My Fine Fellow!” The Toy Soldier chimed in, still on the floor and not showing any signs of standing.

“Mecha- what the fuck are you talking about?!” He snapped at it but turned his attention back to Jon before it could answer. “What the fuck does it mean? What did you do to me?”

Jon felt terribly small under his glare and struggled to respond at first. “I- w-we… we brought you back. We made you… fuck, Tim, I'm so sorry.”

Tim gave a ragged breath and practically hissed through his teeth. “Made me what? What did you make me?!”

“Immortal.” Nastya cut in. She looked annoyed and rather unimpressed with Tim. “Jonny for some reason cared about you so much that he shared with you our rotten gift. I tried to convince him not to, but he seems to think you're worth it. Can't imagine why.”

“Nastya!” Jon growled her name like a warning. “This is hard enough as it is. He does-” 

She scoffed at him then. “We spent 14 hours rebuilding him and all he's done is cry and yell at you.”

“Am I supposed to be grateful you did this to me?!” Tim demanded. He was up now, shrugging away from Martin and entirely focused on Nastya. “Fucking listen to me! How am I supposed to live my life like this?” 

“Your vocal cords are perfectly tunable.” She told him, as though it should have been obvious. “Once you get used to it, you’ll be able to change the pitch all on your own, as easy as flexing a muscle.”

“I don’t want some shitty magic auto tune!” Tim snapped at her, his voice going so high for a moment that it was almost painful to listen to.

“Well, lucky for you it isn’t magic, it’s highly advanced technically.” The statement was intentionally obtuse and got an angry pitchy sound from Tim in return.

“Oh… Was I Not Supposed To Use Any Magic?” The Toy Soldier suddenly piped up. It was rubbing its chin as though it was realizing something. Which looked rather silly given that it was still laying on the ground.

“Soldier… what are you talking about?” Jon asked warily. “You- you just installed the mechanism, right?”

It smiled brightly and almost proudly at the question. “Well I Did Install Mr. Stoker’s New Mechanism But You All Seemed So Worried About Him And I Can Still Use The Power The Stranger Granted Me. So I Used That To Shape And Mend His Skin More Easily. I Thought It Would Make Him Wake Up Faster And I Believe It Did Just That.”

Soldier, what the fuck…

Everyone froze, just gawking at it. Very slowly Tim turned to look at the wooden figure. He was shaking anew as his hands moved to his throat, tracing over where his new piece sat in his throat. He could feel it, could feel the way it opened and closed as he made sounds. It didn’t hurt but he felt it, couldn’t stop feeling it. 

It didn’t hurt but he wanted it gone.

“Get it out.” He demanded.

Martin looked alarmed but slowly shook his head. “Tim-“

“Get this fucking thing out of me, before I rip it out myself!” He shrieked at them. “I’d rather be dead than have that- that fucking thing’s magic in me!”

“It doesn’t work like that.” Jon tried to explain. “Now that it’s a part of you, it won’t let you die and you can’t be separated. Not permanently, anyway.”

Tim was pale, looking like he was going to fall apart at any moment. He shook his head and gave a bitter laugh in return. “How could you do this to me? I knew you were a monster but… I didn’t think you could be this- this fucking sick.”

It didn’t surprise Jon to hear him say it but he felt their clockwork heart stutter at the statement and he couldn’t stand to look at him any longer. 

“Tim, they wanted to save you.” Martin tried to explain as Jon fell silent.

“I didn’t ask them to fu-“

“I told them to do it,” he cut him off. His voice warbled as he fought back tears. “You were dead and they were able to bring you back and I… I couldn’t lose another friend! I knew you would hate this and I’m sorry but I’m just so happy you aren’t dead right now. So if you’re going to be angry with anyone, it should be me.”

Tim’s hand was still at his throat, pressing on and giving a pitiful sound as he felt how very wrong it was under his skin. “Martin, I can’t- I can’t live with a piece of the fucking Circus inside of me! I can’t do it. I- please, there has to be something, anything. I can’t.”

He was crying again and looked like he was about to crumble to the floor. Before he could, Martin was there to catch him. He held him close, just as before and let him cry against him anew. 

“We can’t undo a mechanism. Not even just to kill you. It'll keep you alive until it finally stops being able to self repair itself but even we don't know how long that'll take.” Nastya looked somber as she explained this. “But, if you really can't stand having the Stranger be a part of you, then you're in luck.”

That gave Tim pause and he very slowly pulled himself away from Martin to look at her again. He said nothing but waited for her to continue.

“The fear entities are stuck inside this system.” She carried on. “So, once Aurora gets us out of the system, any effect the fears had on us will be gone. That includes you… if you want to come, of course.”

Tim gave another bitter laugh, high pitched and terrible as it was. “That's your solution? Leaving everything I know and love and traveling to a new world with your shitty crew? And then what, exactly”

“That would be up to you.” It was Jonny who answered, his voice more meek than he'd ever heard it before. It sounded wrong to his own ears and the frown on Nastya's face told him the wrongness could be felt by her too. “You don't have to stay with us if you don't want to. Hell, you don't even have to come with us, if you really want to stay. But there's plenty of room and as the captain-” 

“First mate!” Nastya, the Toy Soldier, and even Jon, the absolute traitor, all corrected at once.

Jonny scowled but to his pleasant surprise the display earned him a high pitched little chuckle from Tim. Or what might have been a chuckle. It really did sound like a harmonica when he got particularly breathy. 

Tim laughing again might have even made the insult worth it.

“Right,” Tim almost smiled then. “Do I even have a choice?”

“Of course you have a choice.” Nastya answered before Jonny could. “But from personal experience, governments get quite curious when they notice a person isn't able to die. So…”

“Yeah, I get it.” He huffed and his face scrunched up at the sound. “Just- god dammit, I can't keep doing this. How do I fix my damn voice already?”

Nastya gave a thoughtful sound in response before she found her tablet again and began looking over the details of the design.

“Hmm, do you have any vocal training? It would certainly help if you did.”

“Not unless you count drunken karaoke at shitty dive bars vocal training.”

“I do not.” She sighed and shook her head. “That's fine, we'll start with the basics.”

She dug around in her pockets before giving an annoyed sound. “How do I keep losing everything? I swear the spiders take them at this point. Whatever. Jonny, do you have a pitch pipe?”

“I got one in my room somewhere? I can go look for it.” Jonny offered.

I'd rather not go back into that cluttered mess. Jon griped. 

“Fuck off!” He scoffed back and swiftly looked away when the rest gave him odd looks. His words were quiet as he kept going, hoping they would understand it was Jon he was talking to and not any of them. “Don't act like you're some paragon of cleanliness. I've seen your damn flat.”

The state of my flat is not comparable to that room! Jon insisted. I still can't believe you actually wanted to take Martin in there. I'm embarrassed for you, in fact. 

“I told you already, I got drugged and experimented on in the middle of packing to go planet hopping!” He growled back. “I was gonna clean up after I was done.”

So all those guns and knives and grenades, those were all going to come with you?

“As a matter o’ fact, they were.”

And all the dirty clothes scattered everywhere, were those for the trip too then?

“I… sh- shut the fuck up. You don't like to do laundry either.” He pouted in a small voice.

“Did you need help looking for it?” Martin spoke up, snapping the pair out of their little argument. “I don't mind. I wasn't exactly helpful during the whole building process or the surgery, so-”

“What?” Jonny demanded, suddenly forgetting all about his disagreement with Jon. “Martin, you made us food, entirely unprompted. How was that not helpful?” 

The other man went a little pink at the statement. He looked like he still wanted to disagree, perhaps even say something to the effect of ”it was the least I could do,” but he was cut off before he could say anything of the sort.

“You realize you don't have to be helpful, right?” It was Nastya who asked this. “Don't busy yourself for the sake of it. Half the crew doesn't even bother to be useful normally. Marius is a medical doctor on a ship full of immortals. You think he worries about making himself useful?”

“He Did At First!” The Toy Soldier spoke up. “But Then Brian Spoke To Him And He Became Much More Comfortable.”

Brian… we still have to dig him up at some point.

“See, even TS gets it.” Jonny nodded along, only slightly ignoring Jon. He gave Martin a smile and a very gentle touch on his arm. “Just relax, stay with Tim and I'll go look for it.”

Martin was blushing even darker now. Between Jonny's kindness and him still partly holding Tim, it all felt a bit overwhelming. And goodness, Jonny was half tempted to plant a kiss on him, just to see how red he could get him.

But then the Toy Soldier, as helpful as ever, spoke up. “This Seems Like An Awful Lot Of Fuss. Couldn't We Just Use One Of Mine?”

Yet again everyone in the room was looking at it. The Toy Soldier was still prone on the ground, having not moved since Tim had demanded it stay. But still it flashed them its painted-on smile and waited for them to answer.

“Toy Soldier… do you have a pitch pipe?” Jonny asked slowly, frustration clear as day in his voice.

“No,” it answered back in the cheery way it always did, “I Have Three!” 

As though to emphasize this fact, it held its hand straight up in the air, displaying three different models of pitch pipes.

“Do You Have A Preference?”

I think I want to set this thing on fire again. Jon spoke in an exasperated tone and Jonny nodded along with him. The feeling was very much mutual.

With a deep sigh Nastya commanded it. “Toy Soldier, get up and let me see them.” 

It snapped its feet all at once, causing Tim to recoil. Martin held him a little firmer and Jonny moved between Tim and the Toy Soldier. It wouldn't attack for no reason, he knew that, but Tim didn't. It was better to give him what little comfort he could for the time being.

Nastya ignored the way they huddled around Tim and instead looked over the pipes that were offered to her. Eventually she took one, round and made of black metal.

“This will do.” She told it.  “Perhaps you should find something else to do, elsewhere. Mr. Stoker appears to be a bit nervous around you.”

“He Does,” it agreed in a rather curious tone. “I Can't Imagine Why, Though. I Wasn't Even Brought To Life By The Power Of The Stranger, Like The Other Members Of The Circus.”

“Then what the fuck were you doing with them?” Tim demanded. He tried to push away from Martin but this time he held him tight. 

“Tim, you don't need to argue with it.” Martin tried to ease him but he wasn't having it. 

“No!” He snapped at him. “If this thing wasn't actually a member of the Circus, then why was it there? Why did it take Jon and literally torture him? Why did it bring the delivery men to the institute? Why would this freak do any of this?!”

“Watch it,” Jonny gave a low growl then, one that surprised most of the room. “It might be a freak and you've got the right to be pissed at the Circus but that's a member of my crew.”

Before anyone else could react, the Toy Soldier gave a delighted gasp. “I Am?! Did You Hear That Nastya? He Finally Called Me Part Of The Crew!”

“Shut the fuck up!” He barked back at it. “Go find something else to do while we deal with Tim's voice.” 

The Toy Soldier said nothing but saluted before it practically skipped its way out the door. 

You're definitely going to regret that later. Jon warned him. 

“Kinda already do.” He admitted quietly.

Jonny could feel the eyes on them. The way Tim's glare bore into him. The way Martin seemed torn between the two men. And Nastya was… well, she was confused. It wasn't very often that Jonny came to the Toy Soldier's defense.

He gave a tired sigh. This had been quite a long day. “I'm gonna…  Nas, can you work with him? Help him figure out how to tune his vocal cords?” 

“I suppose,” she said but gave him an unsure look. “Why? Were you not planning to assist?”

Jonny gave an exasperated little sound and shrugged. “I just get the feeling Tim would rather I-”

“Oh, would you get over yourself,” Tim suddenly huffed. “You wanna go so badly, then go. Don't use me as your excuse to run off.”

He could only gawk back for a moment, because surely he wasn't being serious? “Tim, I don't want to go but you're clearly upset with me.” 

“I've been upset with you for months, don't act like that's new or that you suddenly give a shit.” He scoffed back. 

Jonny threw his hands up and shouted back at him. “We care about you so goddamn much but you are just determined to believe that we hate you or that we don’t trust you! You're the first friend Jon made when he started working at the institute and that matters so much to him!”

“Apparently not enough to keep him from believing that I was out to kill him!” Tim shot back.

“Yeah, I know, we were fucked in the head! You think I don't know that?!” By then Jonny was shaking, his face was wet with angry tears and his clockwork heart was spinning faster and faster the longer he spoke. “We were scared and paranoid, we knew something was wrong but we just didn’t know what it was.”

“Jonny, that’s enough.” Nastya tried to comfort him, placing her hands on his shoulders. 

But Jonny wasn’t done. “And you know what? We were fucking right! There was something wrong, there was something out of place! And I-I- fuck, I would give anything, fucking anything for that something to not have been Sasha.”

Suddenly Tim pushed Martin away rather harshly, much to his surprise, and stormed up to him. “Don’t you dare talk about her!”

“We cared about her too, dammit! We still do! If it was her in your situation, I’d have saved her too!” He felt desperate as he explained himself. 

I think you should listen to Nastya. Jon was trying to calm him now. You’re upset and I don’t blame you but you can’t take it out on Tim.

“I’m not fucking taking it out on him!” He snapped back. “I’m just… I’m sorry! And I know that’s not enough, I know you don’t forgive me and you don’t have to forgive me but I really am sorry. If I knew how, I would save her. I'd bring her back if I thought it was possible, if I had even just a piece of her, I swear I would do it but-”

Tim gave a painful sounding scoff at the suggestion. Because he couldn’t dare to be so hopeful. “Just a piece? Is that even possible? Surely even your fucked up magic science must have some limits.”

“All that’s left of Brian was his heart.” Jonny said in a small, shaky voice. “So, I don’t know, maybe if there was something left she could be rebuilt.”

There was a moment where Tim seemed to really consider this and seemed so much sadder at the realization that he had nothing to offer. He didn’t have anything of the original Sasha, and why would he? The only thing that might have anything like that was the NotThem, which had replaced her. But that was gone too, trapped in a Leitner that Jon and Jonny didn’t know the location of.

Do you suppose the Leitner would still be in the institute? Jon asked, though he didn’t sound terribly hopeful.

“We haven’t seen the book since we were able to go back to the office.” Jonny sighed at the question. “So I doubt it. Elias probably took it if anything. But even if we could get the book from him, it’s not like we could control the NotThem.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Martin spoke up. “What book?”

“It was a Leitner that… well, Leitner used to trap the thing that replaced Sasha.” He explained as he wiped away his tears. Suddenly he felt rather silly for having cried at all. “Jon figured it would be the only way to get a piece of her but… I doubt it’s possible.”

Tim had a hard look on his face, like he was considering something. Eventually he spoke. “Are we actually immortal? Like we really can’t die at all?”

“Like Nas said, we don’t stop until our mechanisms finally do.” 

“Then what exactly is stopping us from barging into that smug prick’s office and beating the shit out of him until he gives us the damn book?” A smile crept across Tim’s face as he asked this question, because suddenly he was very excited.

For his part, Jonny couldn’t fight back his own grin as he thought about the idea. They could just show up and beat his ass, couldn’t they? Who could stop them? Not even Daisy would be a match against them if enough of the Mechanisms stood up against her. 

“What’s stopping us is that no one’s even allowed in the building at the moment.” Martin piped up, suddenly reminding Jonny and Jon that there was an active investigation happening in the institute. Tim however was confused and looked between the two of them for an explanation. Martin looked annoyed but explained further. “There was a fire in the Archives and an explosion in the carpark and several dead bodies and people think we were kidnapped. I’m guessing Ashes got creative when they were running from Daisy.”

“I mean, the explosion was obviously Tim’s doing but the fire was definitely Ashes.” Jonny agreed and immediately got Tim and Martin’s attention then. “... I didn’t tell you Gunpowder Tim was awake, did I?”

“No, Jonny, you didn’t!” Nastya suddenly hissed. “You didn’t think that would be important to tell me? I could have made contact with him hours ago and got him back to the ship by now.”

We spent over 10 hours building Tim’s mechanism, how did neither of us think to tell Nastya Gunpowder was awake?

“Alright, I get it, I fucked up, but in my defense, we were attacked by what is quite literally the physical embodiment of Jon’s childhood trauma. Gunpowder kinda got lost in the mix.”

Nastya gave an annoyed sigh before shoving the pitch pipe into Jonny’s hands. “Right, well I’m going to make contact and start rounding up who I can. And then I’ll be taking a nice long rest, do not need me before I come find you. In the meantime, you get to do vocal training.”

And with that she was matching out the door and away from all of them.

“Isn’t she charming?” Tim gave a dry laugh once she was gone. “So is she, like, your sister or something?”

He gave a snorting laugh at that. “Is that a joke? We don’t look anything alike!”

Tim shrugged. “That doesn’t mean anything, you could still be related. One of you could be adopted.”

Who would ever choose to keep you if they didn’t have to?

“Fuck, Sims,” Jonny let out a genuine laugh then, “harsh but fair.

“For your information, though, no. No blood shared there. Not even from the same planet.” He told him as he fiddled with the pipe. “A long time ago, I was a nobody from a backwater little planet called New Texas but Nastya, she’s a whole other story. Comes from the plant Cyberia. So technologically advanced that the majority of their citizens were machines and AI, rather than flesh and blood. She was their princess, if you can believe it.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Tim laughed just a bit, clearly sounding skeptical at that.

“I might.” Martin admitted. “She did seem more refined than… well, you and the Soldier. No offense.”

Why would a princess travel with a band of pirates, anyways?

“An excellent question, Sims!” Jonny answered, almost like he was putting on one of his shows. “How about while we work on fixing Tim’s voice, I can tell you the story.”

Jon sighed but there was no true contempt behind it. You and your stories.

Chapter Text

Jonny had been singing for a long, long time. He started way back, when he was still on New Texas, long before he was mechanized. Before he’d even held his first weapon.

He didn't know exactly when he had started but he could recall sitting with his mother, humming and singing hymns. At first, when he was particularly small, he would just sit at her feet and make up little songs while she sewed but as he got older and she taught him her craft, they would harmonize. Together they would sing songs of the hot red sun, of whiskey and gamblers, of pretty women far off on the horizon, of fine dressed men who turn out to be silver tongued devils, and so many others. It had instilled in him a love for all things musical and for telling tall tales.

The only thing that Jonny could never get the hang of when it came to music, was the act of teaching it to others. His mother may have been an imposing woman, with the way she managed to handle his father, but she had been a saint with the patience she showed when she taught him to sing. She taught each note, how to project, even how to properly sit and stand to make his voice sound the best it could, she had walked him through it with a gentleness that she never would have shown anyone else. 

But Jonny was never so patient, a fact that had never been so clear to him until he found himself trying to teach Tim. He couldn’t really blame the other man for not knowing what he was doing, most people didn’t have the vocal training that he and the other Mechanisms had been given, but he could blame him for how difficult he was being. And was he ever being difficult?

Tim didn’t like Jonny telling him what to do, didn’t like him correcting his posture, certainly didn’t like when he tried to examine his throat and his mechanism. Though Jonny should have asked before touching, he supposed. Instead Tim kept complaining about how stupid it was to try to match the pitch pipe’s tone. It didn’t matter that his vocal chords made him a natural at it, once he actually cooperated with him, he still complained and acted embarrassed over the whole affair.

Jonny was about ready to ring the other man’s neck when Martin spoke up and made a suggestion.

“What if we did it together?” He offered. “That would make it less weird, right?”

Tim had made a grumpy little sound but finally said, “yeah, I guess.”

Finally Tim was taking orders well enough and it was genuinely impressive his vocal range. He started at an unnaturally high soprano but the more he practiced, the lower he was able to pitch his voice. Jonny suspected his original vocal range made him a tenor, so they would have to focus around that range to properly refind his voice. If such a thing was even possible.

Along the way, Martin did join in as well, though he certainly couldn’t hit the original high notes like Tim could. But Jonny was left pleasantly surprised by how high he could get his voice to go without it becoming pitchy. He could easily hit high alto notes and Jonny briefly wondered if the other man had some vocal training of his own that he hadn’t shared with them. He might have asked but Martin had looked rather embarrassed by the fact he could even go that high, as well as the fact that he couldn’t seem to go very low. So perhaps it was best not to pry.

It took a few hours but eventually Tim’s vocal registry had gotten so low that neither Martin nor Jonny were able to match him. By then he was even having fun with it, mimicking a fog horn and speaking in a ridiculously low voice that had Martin giggling and even Jon couldn’t help but laugh.

“So this is why you put on that voice when you do your statements? I get it now, it’s actually kinda fun.” Tim had laughed, his voice now a deep bass tone that seemed to rumble in his throat.

Jon was suddenly on the surface, sputtering indignantly at that. “Wha- I most certainly do not put on a voice! That’s just what I sound like.”

You totally put on a voice! Jonny cackled.

“Shut up, Jonny.”

Tim gave a deep laugh. “Oh, bullshit, you don’t put on a voice! Mr. Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.”

The laughter stopped as soon as the words were out, because Tim hadn’t simply put on a mocking voice to sound a bit like Jon, his voice had matched the other man’s perfectly. The inflection, the cadence, the tone, if they weren’t looking directly at Tim, they all might have believed it to be a perfect recording of Jon’s voice. 

His hands immediately moved to his throat, feeling his new voice box and frowning at Jon. “You didn’t say it could do that.” He wasn’t having fun anymore, that was clear almost immediately.

“I-I didn’t know.” Jon insisted. “I suppose in theory it makes sense, you seem to be able to change your voice at your leisure and you’re able to make sounds no human person should be able to. It stands to reason that you could mimic a person’s voice.”

The design allows for it. Jonny agreed. But that should be something he needs to practice with. Not something he should just be able to do.

“Maybe it’s because of the Stranger?” Martin suggested and immediately all three of them were focused on him. 

“What?” Tim asked, still sounding far too much like Jon for anyone’s comfort. 

“I just mean, you know? Maybe it’s the result of the Stranger’s magic or something.” He tried to explain. “It can mimic a whole person, so it makes sense that it could let you do the same with someone’s voice.”

That’s not a bad thought.

“Yes,” Jon nodded along. “The technology should already allow you to learn how to do these things, so perhaps the nature of the Stranger’s magic is simply helping you along.”

Tim frowned at this and thought for a moment. “So will I… lose the ability when we get the fuck off this planet?”

“System. We have to leave the entire star system, not just the planet.” Jon corrected, which only caused his expression to sour further. “But in theory you might have to relearn how to do it? Though by then, it might very well be much the same as training wheels? There to aid you while you recover and learn how to use your voice but by the time the Stranger is fully gone, you might not even realize it’s missing.”

Even if he does lose the ability, he should be able to relearn it. So no big loss, really. Jonny added.

Tim got a huff in response, which still sounded far too much like Jon’s own voice for his liking.

“So does this mean he could just copy his own voice this way?” Martin suggested. 

Suddenly Tim looked thoughtful, like it had never occurred to him to try to copy his own voice. “I-” his face scrunched up. That wasn’t right. “I-” he started again and gave a frustrated huff, because that pitch was wrong too.

“Maybe if we got a recording of your voice?” Jon offered. “There’s plenty in the Archive… provided the fire didn’t destroy them, of course. But it’s worth a try.”

“Or your phone?” Martin added. “Do you have any recording of yourself on your phone?”

Tim gave an audible gasp, the pitch much too high, before his hands dug into his pockets and retrieved his phone. He frowned deeply and gave a little grumble at the sight. The screen was cracked all to hell and was glitching as he tried to turn it on. Almost certainly something that happened during the fight with Breekon and Hope.

“Oh,” Jon started.

But Jonny scoffed. Easy fix.

“Wha-”

“Easy fix.” He declared as he forced his way back into control. He practically snatched the phone out of Tim’s hand and got an annoyed growl in response. But he ignored him. “Ship, see how much of the data you can get off of this. We’re looking for audio and video files of Tim, specifically but save everything you can.”

The Aurora gave a beep and few chirps in return, before a port opened on one of the walls. Jonny placed the phone inside and the port closed and took the phone with it.

“Did you just feed my fucking phone to your ship?” Tim demanded.

“No?” He gave a small laugh. “Relax, the Aurora isn’t eating it, she’s just extracting the data. Besided, that phone was fucked. You weren’t gonna get anything out of it by going the human route.” 

“Still could’ve asked first.” Martin pointed out, looking embarrassed even to say it.

He’s not wrong.

“Yeah, right, sor-”

“It’s fine.” Tim cut him off. “So long as it can get the files off my phone, it doesn’t really matter.”

“She.” Martin spoke up again and got a confused look from Tim. “Uh, Aurora, the ship, is a she.” He explained. “We kinda talked a bit while they were building your mechanism. She’s really nice actually.”

“You… talked to the ship?” Tim had a blend of confusion and amusement on his face before looking to Jonny. “So is the- is she alive or an AI or something?”

“Yes and… kinda?” He shrugged, which got him an odd look from Tim. “Look, I spent centuries listening to the Doc’s crazy ramblings. Half the time I was just tuning her out for my own sanity.”

So you don’t know anything about your own ship?

“Of course I know things about her!” He huffed back. “Carmilla explained some things, they just didn’t always make sense. Like Aurora originally being born a moon. Can you make sense of that?”

“You mean on a moon, right?” Martin gave him an unsure look but Jonny just shook his head.

“Nope,” he said rather pointedly. “ Born a moon. You want a proper explanation, ask Nas, I’m sure she’d love to go over her girlfriend's anatomy with you.”

Girlfriend?! Jon sounded baffled.

“Yeah, they’re dating.” He groaned. “Trust me, it’s weird for everyone. We always know when their fucking cuz the lights start flickering.”

Wait, weren’t the lights flickering earlier, not long after Nastya left?

“Very observant, Sims, yes they were. Try not to think about it.”

Martin went red at that but Tim laughed. “You know what? I think I will ask her some time. Maybe ask how she goes about fucking a space ship, while I’m at it.”

“Ew.” Was all Jonny had to say in return.

You talk about sex all the time. Jon pointed out. But Nastya and Aurora having sex disgusts you? Where exactly is the line for you?

Mercifully, the Aurora chimed at them and a screen on one of the walls flashed a message.

FILES HAVE BEEN EXTRACTED

…

STOP TALKING ABOUT OUR SEX LIFE, JONNY

“Not my fault you two are so obvious about it.”

FUCK YOU

…

I CAN AND WILL TURN OFF THE GRAVITY FOR YOUR QUARTERS AGAIN 

Please stop arguing with the ship. Jon practically begged. 

“Fine,” he sighed rather dramatically, “let’s just go over the files.”

The screen popped up a number of files; old photos, chat logs, and videos, as well as a number of notifications of people messaging him and missed calls. At least two of those calls being from Elias. Far too many of the images displayed Tim in compromising positions and various states of undress, which had Martin turning bright red and looking away in embarrassment and had Jon sputtering in shock. Jonny didn’t react much to the sight, however. 

Tim of course looked good in them but Jonny had seen and even done a lot more… questionable things than anything he was seeing on his phone. What could he say? Not being able to die made for a very creative kind of sex life.

“Can you maybe put away the pics and videos where my dick’s out, Miss Spaceship?” Tim asked with just a bit of chuckle. “Pretty sure you’re gonna give Martin here a heart attack.”

The Aurora gave an almost playful beep in return and half the files closed all at once.

“Good lord,” Jonny laughed, sounding almost in awe, “how many people were sexting?”

“Hey, I had to seduce a lot of people for the institute.” He huffed and crossed his arms almost indignantly. “And that’s on top of having my own personal life, thank you very much.”

“Right, how could I forget, Mr. Dating-Two-Cops-At-Once.” Jonny nodded along. “Pity we met through Jon, I bet we woulda gone on one hell of a bender together.”

Rude.

Tim looked surprised and gave a high pitched little cough. “Yeah, sure… can we just find a video of me talking?”

The Aurora supplied, pushing several videos to the top of the pile. He found himself frowning at the sight of them. More than a few were of him and Sasha, the fake Sasha. They would have all been taken before NotSasha took her place, he knew that much. But there it was, perverting all his old, wonderful memories of her. The two laying in bed together while she bashfully hid her face from the camera, the two in a bar together for Sasha’s birthday from way back in their research days, a video of Sasha laughing as she tested out the first fire extinguisher on a few worms in the breakroom. None of the videos felt right, they felt almost voyeuristic in nature, because that wasn’t the real Sasha. Even though she was the only Sasha he could recall. 

But then there was the one video that made his heart sink even lower than all the rest. Not of Sasha or NotSasha, one from long before the institute. It was of him and Danny. He could remember it far too vividly; they had been drinking and Danny had taken his phone as a joke, recording the two of them and holding it up high so that Tim couldn’t reach it. Because of course Tim’s little brother had to be unreasonably tall compared to him, even though he was a perfectly reasonable height himself! Tim practically had to climb his brother to get his phone back, resulting in them both toppling over and onto the ground before they erupted into laughter. 

He hadn’t been mad about it at the time, could never be mad at Danny, not for a moment. It had been a happy memory, one he was once glad to revisit. Until the Circus took his brother away and made even just the thought of him too painful for words. 

So for the first time in a long, long while, he rewatched that video. He barely took in his own voice as he did so, his focus almost entirely on Danny instead. He didn’t really notice when tears began to stream down his face, nor did he take in Martin moving beside him. The feeling of the other man taking his hand was what finally brought him back to himself. 

“Sorry, I just... got distracted.” His voice shook as he lied rather poorly. “I might have to… I don’t know if-”

“Tim, it’s alright.” Jon spoke as gently as he could. “You don’t have to push yourself if it’s too much.”

“It’s just- fuck, you already know, don’t you?” He sniffled and rubbed away some of his tears. “You listened to the tape I’m guessing? I figured you would, always so damn nosy.”

“No, I-”

Just say yes. Jonny admonished him immediately. He’s gonna react way worse if he finds out we just Knew it.

“You say that like our Knowing ability will never come up again.” Jon scoffed back. “He’s plenty bright enough to figure it out once he learns about it, so it’s better we tell him rather than let him connect the dots.”

“What… what are you talking about?” Tim asked slowly.

“Jonny and I… the Eye gave us power, abilities. We didn’t ask for them but it gave them to us anyway.” He tried to explain. “You know about us being able to force information out of people, you were there for that part, but we've come to the realization that we can simply… Know things.”

Tim had a mortified look on his face and Jon couldn’t help but turn his gaze to the floor. 

I told you! Jonny growled at him. I fucking told you he’d be upset! We coulda kept that shit to ourselves and it woulda been fine!

He could only give a shaky little nod. “I… I’m sorry. I should’ve kept that to myself.”

“The hell you should’ve!” Tim snapped at him, much to both of their surprise. “I don’t need you lying to me to spare my damn feelings! And that goes for your doppelganger too. I’d rather know what the fuck you can do then have you pretend like everything’s fine.”

“I- I didn’t m-” he started but he had to stop. “Tim, that- that was your voice.”

They all paused then and a smile managed to spread across Tim’s face, because it had been his voice. 

“Fuck. Yes!” He practically sang.

In an instant he was enveloped by Martin’s arms and was pulled into a big bear hug, which Tim gladly accepted. Jon smiled and watched fondly, but didn’t join them. He suspected that Tim would rather not be so close to him if it could be helped. 

Jonny, on the other hand, was pouting. Are you seriously gonna watch our man hug someone else and not get in there? Something’s wrong with you.

He gave a chuckle in return. “You want a hug so badly, you’re welcome to take over and ask for one. Besides, I thought you knew how to share.”

J-Jon! Jonny hissed back. What did we talk about?! Don’t say stuff like that in front of Martin! Or members of the crew, while we’re at it!

That only had Jon laughing harder, which had the other two men now entirely focused on them. Martin had gone terribly pink at what he could hear from Jon and Tim simply looked confused.

“Oh, did Jonny want a hug?” Martin asked in a shy sort of way. “B-because I don’t mind. If you don’t, of course.”

“What,” Tim began to demand as he pulled away from Martin to gawk at Jon, “exactly is going on? Why does the Space Pirate want a hug from Martin.”

“Well… well I-” Jon started but found his own face going red. It had all been rather funny, when it had been him teasing Jonny but it was entirely different now that Tim was throwing it back at him.

Fuckin’ serves you right! 

For his part, Tim was looking back and forth between them and Martin. His face morphed from confusion to realization to absolute delight. 

“No fucking way!” Tim practically cackled then and gave Martin a playful slap on his shoulder. “You seriously made a move after you found out he had a slip personality? Wait, scratch that, after you found out he was the split personality?”

Jon and Jonny both made an indignant sound in return, though it went away as soon as Tim gave them that delighted look.

“Or was it one of you?” He continued to snicker at them. “Can’t imagine it was Jon, so Jonny I’m guess? God, please tell me it didn’t take me telling you that Martin was into you for you to realize it?”

“You did what?” Martin looked mortified at that. “Tim, I told you that in confidence!”

“For your information, no, I did already know.” Jon insisted but the look the two of them flashed his way made him regret saying it immediately. “... J-jonny told me after he woke up.”

That only had Tim laughing harder. “Are you serious?! Me and Sash always used to joke about it but you seriously didn’t know?”

“Well why in the world would anyone be interested in me anyway?!” He snapped back, suddenly rather frustrated. That quickly silenced Tim all at once. “I’m bossy and standoffish, I have terrible social skills, I can’t stand any kind of sexual intimacy. Of course I didn’t know Martin liked me back, I still can’t imagine why he’d want me in the first place!”

Jon-

“Don’t Jon me, I’m right and you know it.” He huffed back at him.

“You most certainly are not!” Was practically barked back at him. Martin had let Tim go and looked rather stern. “I already told you, I like you and I care about you and you don’t get to decide how I feel. And you know what? Everyone thinks that only started when the whole worm thing began but I’ve fancied you since basically day one. 

Bullshit, Jonny insisted. You barely spoke to him his first day in the Archive. Even I needed a few hours for you to grow on me.

“I… I can’t imagine what I would have done to win you over so fast.” Jon admitted. “Didn’t I threaten to fire you on your first day?”

“Well, yeah.” He was turning red again but he kept his stern expression. “I just- uh…”

“He likes being bossed around.” Tim chimed in helpfully, immediately earning a gasp of shock from Martin. “You really shoulda come out drinking with us back in the day. Mart-o here is an open book once you get a few drinks in him.”

Holy shit, Jonny gave a little gasp of his own, I can’t wait to have my body back.

“Both of you need to behave yourselves!” Jon insisted because his face was positively on fire at that point.

“Wh-what did I do?” Martin looked almost offended at that.

“Nothing Martin, you’ve been perfectly lovely.” Jon told him. “But Jonny is being… overly enthusiastic.”

You could say horny, you know?

“I most certainly could not!” 

Tim was laughing again. “God, I’m dying to know whatever the hell he’s saying to you to get you that red.”

“That’s none of your business and there are much more important things to worry about.” Jon said before looking around the room until he found the tablet Nastya had used before. “We still need to start working on separating ourselves and the process of building me a new body.”

That’s a very good point. Jonny agreed a bit reluctantly. Especially since we still don’t totally know how Raph implanted your consciousness. There must be a chip somewhere in my head but we’re probably gonna need Nas to scan us to learn more.

“Right,” Martin sounded concerned then. “Do you still feel like your… blending together?”

Jon sighed at the question. “It’s hard to say? Jonny and I are switching much easier than before and our personalities have certainly been changed in comparison to how we used to be. When we first got onto the Aurora, I’ll be honest, Jonny and I were in perfect sync. And then… and then Mr. Spider happened and it honestly might have saved us from completely blurring together on the spot.”

Tim cursed more to himself than to the open room and Martin’s frown deepened, before he moved forward and wrapped his arms around him. 

Oh. That was nice. 

Why had Jon been so difficult about his feelings when Martin gave such fantastic hugs? He didn’t know but he returned the hug and buried his face in the other man’s chest. 

Suddenly the Aurora gave a confused beep and a new message popped up.

INCOMING CALL “BITCH COP #1”

…

SHALL I SENT IT TO VOICEMAIL?

Jon and Martin looked Tim's way then.

“Bitch Cop #1?” He looked a bit confused. “Oh, right, totally forgot I named Basira that in my phone.”

“Tim!” Martin admonished him.

“What?! She threatened to arrest us!”

“Regardless,” Jon cut in, “this is a good thing. Aurora, please answer the call and put it on speaker phone.”

Jonny gave a groan. Don’t say please. She’ll start expecting it.

Suddenly the speakers in the room came to life and the room was filled with a loud rustling sound and heavy breathing. Almost like the person on the other end was running or at least moving quickly.

“Uh… Tim?” Basira spoke pensively from the other end of the line.

“Depends, who am I talking to?” Tim demanded.

“I… look, I know what it looks like and that you assume that I’m that alien thing but I’m not!” She insisted. “Whatever it is, it’s trying to take over but I’m not gonna let that happen!”

“So what’re you calling me for?” He asked. “We weren’t exactly close.”

“Are you kidding? I’m trying to call everyone!” She tried to explain, even sounding a bit afraid. “Melanie’s still in the hospital, Elias is being a creep, and Daisy…” She went silent and gave a ragged breath. “Please, I need to know if you’re with Jon.”

Tim looked to Jon and he could only sigh.

“I’m here Basira,” he told her. “What happened to Daisy?”

“Oh thank god!” She almost sounded like she might cry. “Jon, listen to me, this is gonna sound crazy! But there was this man with… metal eyes.”

“That would be Gunpowder Tim.” Jonny emerged to the surface once more and sounded much too proud of himself as he explained. “Master at arm on the Aurora. Though I suspect Ashes has already told you as much.”

“Guess I'm talking to Jonny now?” There was venom in her voice then. “Yeah, they told exactly who he was. They told me a lotta things about you freaks. Only half of which I really believe.”

“Yeah?” Jonny laughed. “So let me guess, your werewolf tried to kill him and then she got fucked up when he wouldn’t stay down?”

“That’s about right, basically.” She admitted with a ragged breath. “He managed to knock her out and tried to take us both but I wouldn’t let him. I set him on fire but that didn’t last very long, he mostly just laughed at me.” She paused and gave a pained little sound. “I wasn’t strong enough to get Daisy very far. Eventually I just had to run but… he’s been calling me. He says he just wants Ashes back and that he’s holding Daisy until I turn myself over. That’s he’ll kill her if I don’t comply. Jon, I don’t know what to do.”

“Well the first thing you gotta do is understand that Gunpowder is being serious. He will kill her.” He started and ignored the worried response he received from everyone else listening in. “That only reason he hasn’t yet is because we specifically told him not to… well, Jon told him not to. I couldn’t really give a shit about your bitch girlfriend.”

Jonny!

“What?! She threatened Martin and tried to kill you!”

“I’m not turning myself over to you freaks so you can kill me!” She snapped back at them. “Just make him give Daisy back!”

“Look, Basira,” Jonny tried to be gentle with her, though even he knew it likely didn’t sound like it. “One way or the other, we’re gonna get Ashes back. They’re part of our crew and every Mechanism would and have gladly killed for them. You can either willingly be brought back to our ship so that you two can safely be separated or you can run from us, risk your girlfriend being killed, and ultimately get dragged back to the ship kicking and screaming.”

“It sounds like either way I’m fucked!” She hissed back at him. “For all I know, Daisy might already be dead. So why would I ever cooperate with you?”

“Trust me, surrender is your best option.” He warned her. “And it’s not the kind of offer we extend very often. Just give yourself up and I swear, I’ll personally see to it that you get a new body built.” 

“You really think I believe that shit?!” She scoffed. “Nah, I don’t trust you for a second. You’re Gunpowder wants me, he’s gonna have to take me.”

Jonny sighed and shook his head. “Ya know what? Good luck. Make it a fun chase and Tim might not even kill Daisy.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment before she huffed a single “fuck you” and the line went dead.

You could have tried to reason with her.

“There wasn’t any reasoning with her, Sims.” Jonny insisted. “She’s convinced we’re trying to trick and kill her. Doesn’t matter that I’m actually willing to build her a new body. So I’m gonna let Gunpowder deal with it and hope for the best.”

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m with Jonny on this one.” Tim added. “She’s definitely not thinking things through and that’s gonna get Daisy killed. Either way, I’d rather focus on other things. Like that book you mentioned that holds that NotSasha thing?”

“Right, the Lietner-”

“Well hold on a minute!” Martin cut in then. “We still need to worry about separating these two before we do that.”

“Oh… right, yeah,” Jonny looked like he might have actually forgotten for a moment. “We should start working on that as soon as Nas gets back to us.”

As though on cue, the ship chimed at them.

NASTYA IS ALREADY COMING

…

SHE IS UPSET

Oh lord, what now?

It was perhaps a good thing that Nastya and Aurora were dating, because any other member of the crew would have slammed the door open with the fury she was feeling in that moment.

“You two. Are merging together. And not one of you thought to tell me this?!” She demanded as she stormed into the room. “Your personalities are noticeably affected and you didn’t think to bring that up? You could literally lose yourselves and you said nothing?!”

Jonny at the very least had the manners to look sorry. “In my defense-”

“There is no defense!” She snarled. “This is inexcusable! I spent no less than 14 hours helping you repair this friend of yours because I didn’t think Jon being removed was urgent. But now? Who knows how much damage was done to your mind simply because we did nothing?”

“So start now.” Martin insisted. “We don’t need to argue about this. We just need to get it done.”

Nastya gave a hmph at that but seemed to agree. “Fine. But we’re talking about your total lack of self-preservation skills later, Jonny. For now, however, you’re in luck. Because most of the crew should be back soon.”

Jonny smiled upon hearing that, felt his brass heart speed up with excitement, but he also felt something akin to creeping dread at the thought of the rest of the crew coming home. Though he couldn’t imagine why.

According to Nastya, Ivy said she would arrive within the hour. Though how she would manage that, Jonny couldn't imagine. Even if she had some kind of advanced transport, she was still coming from Egypt. 

But Ivy was more clever than really anyone, so perhaps she knew something he didn't.

In the meantime, Jonny and Nastya had begun looking over designs for Jon's new body. Jon gave input where he could but it was one thing to Know what tools were needed and another thing entirely to participate in the design of such a technologically advanced machine. It didn't help that they couldn't be sure exactly what they were building yet, given they didn't know exactly what kind of device made up Jon's consciousness but they could at least start with the basics. 

While they did that Tim and Martin were making plans of their own, discussing where they thought the Leitner might be held. They didn't know if it was in Elias' office or his home, but they were both more than eager to break into either of it meant getting Sasha back. Coupled with that was Tim's almost insistence that they should simply burn the place to the ground once they had Sasha back.

Martin was clearly less sure of this idea but he did seem keen on the idea of lighting up a few statements. And really, who could blame him?

Even the Aurora was busying herself. She informed them she was firebombing Raphaella’s lab again, as the spiders had very quickly re-established themselves in there. Hopefully they would be scared off long enough that they could use or at least grab some of her equipment. Though a proper scan of Jonny's brain would be required to actually find Jon's place of origin. 

At some point Ivy had finally arrived. There was no great fanfare, save for the Aurora helpfully chiming at them to let them know that she was there. 

DO NOT BE ALARMED

It had tacked on at the end and Jonny had chuckled at the comment. Ivy wasn't exactly the type to try to spook them by jumping out at them and she was hardly the most intimidating of the Mechs. Truth be told, she was rather petite, compared to many of the other members of the crew. Still taller than Jonny, of course, but just barely. But it was her wits that made her a real danger. She always seemed to know something that no one else noticed.

So he didn't think much of it when he finally heard the door open to the workshop, still too wrapped up in the design they were working on. It wasn't until he heard Martin gasp and Tim mutter a shocked “Jesus Christ,” that look towards the door.

There was no denying it was Ivy, though he desperately wished it wasn't. In many ways she was very much still the same. Same red hair, still shaved on the sides so that the ports to her mechanism could easily be accessed. Her big ears and long mousy tail weren't cloaked like they might have been when she was off the Aurora. She was perhaps thinner and certainly was paler, but those features were easily ignored for other, more predominant ones.

Thing that truly stood out more than anything else was the eyes. Not her normal eyes; large, doe like, and entirely black. No, Jonny was used to those. It was the rest that gave him pause. Dozens of them, looking much too human in spite of their placement, peeking out from the fur on her arms and dotting her face. Not to mention there were almost certainly more that he couldn't see in that moment.

These were new and he did not like them.

Jonny couldn't hold back his own gasp at the sight of her. “Ivy… fuck, what happened to you?” 

“The Eye.” She said with a shrug, as though it should have been obvious. Thankfully she continued, rather than forcing him to ask for more clarification. “I knew about it the moment we entered this system. It was like it was inviting me in, directly to its library, and I'm sure you know I can hardly resist an invitation like that.”

Should we be worried about this? Jon asked a bit pensively.

“Don't be silly, Archivist, I may have been touched by the Eye but I still very much stand with the Mechanisms.” She answered back in an almost bored tone.

Jonny gawked at her for a moment, struggling to take in what she had just said. “I'm sorry, did you just respond to Jon? Can you fucking hear him?”

“Oh, yes, mind reading is one of the many gifts the Eye gives its servants.” She explained further. “As the Archivist, there's a 96% chance that you will also gain the ability once you become more dependent on its power.”

“Yeah, not fuckin’ happening.” Jonny growled back sharply. “As soon as Jon gets his own body and we get everyone onboard, we're leaving this shit system.”

She nodded along, as though she found his logic rather agreeable. “Not a terrible plan, though I might suggest we go now and simply remove the Archivist from the equation entirely. No offense but there's a 70% chance that him ceasing to exist would stop the Watcher's Crown in its tracks.”

“Stop fuckin’ calling him that.” He snapped at her. “His name is Jon.”

Ivy frowned then. “I didn't mean to offend. It's simply his title. If anything, I meant it respectfully.”

I'll be honest, I am a little offended. Both at the title and you suggesting I need to die. Jon admitted in a baffled tone. Though I think I may be more confused than anything else. What are you talking about?

“I second that question.” Jonny huffed immediately. “What the fuck is this Watcher's Crown, exactly?”

Ivy was quiet for a moment as she took in the question. Her tail and whiskers flicked and she looked almost frustrated. “You don't know?” Jonny only scowled back, which seemed to upset her even more. “But you're the Archivist. Completing the Eye’s ritual is your purpose . How are you the Archivist but you don't know this?”

“Probably because we were all tricked into joining its fucking cult.” Tim spoke up with a hmph. “Not like Jon chose to be the Archivist. Whatever the fuck that even means.”

Half of Ivy's eyes turned towards Tim, while the rest stayed focused on Jonny. Immediately he backed away from her. He did not like any of this.

“Tricked?” She practically hissed. “A world full of voyeurs, academic minds, and those who absolutely crave knowledge, and you were tricked into being the linchpin meant to set off the Watcher's ritual?” She was scowling now and glaring in every direction. “I've been plotting against the Eye for over a decade, like a professional, and some damn fool just handed over this kind of tremendous power and position as a trick!”

You've still not explained what any of this means. Jon pointed out, though she didn't look at all pleased by his comment.

“You should already know.” She gave a frustrated sigh and rubbed at her temples. “I packed up and started on my way back to the Aurora the moment I Knew Jonny was awake because I thought I would get to pick at a brilliant mind, one that might even compare to my own, before we had to destroy it but this Archivist is just… rather disappointing.”

“Well there's no need to be rude.” Martin huff at her. Her eyes all snapped to him curiously but he didn't falter. “Just because he was tricked doesn't mean he's not brilliant. Jon's very clever and hard working and him not choosing to be part of a cult is hardly a bad thing. And while we're at it, no one's destroying Jon, so get that out of your head right this second!”

Ivy cocked her head curiously and and her whiskers twitched away as she processed his comment. A small hum of fascination began to come from her, not from her throat but from her head, as her mechanism seemed to whir a bit faster. Suddenly the many eyes on her body lost focus and smile replaced her anger expression.

She looked almost playful when she looked back to her crew mates. “Nastya, you failed to mention the off limit mortal Jonny brought aboard was a new boyfriend.”

Jonny gave an embarrassed growl in return, even as Nastya fought back laughter. “Would people stop saying we’re dating? Nothing’s official yet!”

“Y-yeah, what he said.” Martin agreed and tried very hard not to make eye contact with Ivy’s many eyes. Instead he looked to Tim but was met with his own mocking smirk.

There really was no winning for these two. 

“Unfortunately these two are useless.” Nastya sighed and shook her head. “I’ve not given any of the rest of the crew details either. I’m hoping they’ll shame him enough that he'll actually make a proper move.”

Ivy nodded along with her, as though everything she had just said was perfectly reasonable and even sagely in nature. Which only served to piss Jonny off more. 

“You know what?!” He huffed and glared at the two women. “Ivy… I’m glad you’re back and okay but I gotta focus on the whole making Jon a body thing. So unless you’re gonna be helpful, fuck off.”

“Right, you mentioned a new body, didn’t you?” She gave a thoughtful hum and seemed fascinated by the idea. “Not a terrible thought, though it may be a bit tricky to do. He’s not exactly your typical AI. I’d say there’s only about a 35% chance of a transplant of this nature working.”

“Wait, what?” Jon was suddenly on the surface, looking at her with confused, worried eyes. “But I thought I was just an artificial consciousness. Surely whatever bit of technology I’m imprinted on can be removed. Can’t it?”

Of course it can. Jonny insisted. We just have to find it and-

“You shouldn’t say things with such confidence when you don’t actually know the truth, Jonny.” Ivy admonished him. “Jon wasn’t made using just any old scientific method. The Web spun the knowledge of how to do it directly into Raphaella’s mind and then helped her implant it into you.”

“The Web?” Tim spoke up. “What exactly is that?”

Ivy was gawking again and her eyes, all of them, were wide with what might have been shock or perhaps annoyance. “You all don’t even know about the 14 fears, do you?”

“Nastya mentioned something about fear entities.” Jon offered, sounding a bit embarrassed. “Though we never really went over them. And Tim was… well he was dead at the time that it was brought up.”

“Well you’re in luck,” she declared, sounding much too pleased with herself. “I’ve done absolutely nothing but study the 14 fears for the last 10 years and I can tell you anything you’d like to know.”

“Great,” Tim said with forced enthusiasm, “so what exactly is the Web?”

“The Web is the fear of being controlled, trapped, manipulated, or being forced to act against one’s own will. As you might have guessed, spiders also fall under its purview.” She explained all too eagerly. “So those who serve the Web are themselves master manipulators or those who enjoy control over others. Though in many ways they are themselves also puppets to the fear.”

“So Mr. Spider…” Jon took a ragged breath as he recalled being bitten and enveloped by thousands and thousands of little spiders. 

Suddenly he was breathing heavy and he was shaking at the thought of it. It didn’t make any sense. Why would the Web force Raphaella to create him? What purpose would that serve? And if such a thing were true and he really was made simply for the Web’s purpose, then was there any technology at all keeping him in place or was it some strange, impossible magic? Would their separation simply destroy him in the process? Ivy didn’t seem to have much confidence that he was viable outside of Jonny’s mind. What could this entity possibly get out of Jon’s existence?

Jon felt like he was sinking as the thoughts swarmed him. Jonny tried to talk to him, he knew he was trying, but Jon couldn’t make out the words. Someone else was speaking too but it was all so far away, to the point that nothing felt real. He felt like dread was going to swallow him whole and he didn’t know how to make it stop.

And then there was a pair of strong arms wrapped around him. He was being held close to someone’s soft chest, as gentle hands rubbed his back and pet through his hair. They held him through his shaking and his tears and his labored breathing. They spoke to him with a voice that was soft and soothing and very slowly he felt himself calming and coming back to himself.

When he finally settled down, he immediately felt like he had to apologize. He couldn't keep breaking down like this. It made him feel foolish and it simply wasted everyone’s time. 

Christ alive, Jon! Give yourself a fuckin’ break. Jonny scolded him. You’re allowed to be upset about this shit. I’m fucking upset about this! You don’t see me beating myself up over it.

He gave a pitiful little sniffle in return and began to pull away. The arms uncoiled and let him go and he moved. He was just about ready to apologize to Martin and thank him but he had to stop himself. Because it wasn’t Martin who he was pulling away from, but Tim.

There was a look of genuine concern on his face, the kind he might have worn back when they were still friends. 

Jon tried to thank him, tried to open his mouth and say anything at all, but the words died in his throat before he could say a thing. 

Luckily, the Aurora cut in before he could make an ass of himself any further.

MARIUS AND LYFRASSIR HAVE ARRIVED

…

NEITHER SEEM HAPPY

“That’s not terribly surprising.” Nastya admitted. “I did interrupt their marital bliss.”

“Somehow, I highly doubt that’s what has Lyf upset.” Ivy said, though much of her focus was still on Jon. 

“Either way,” she shrugged, “Aurora, love, direct them here, if you would. Lyf’s been touched by a god as well, perhaps they might have some input on what to do about removing effects of the fear entities.”

The Aurora chirped back rather lovingly, before doing what was asked of her.

“Touched by a god?” Jon managed to ask in a rough tone.

Oh, just you wait. Jonny insisted. You and your questions, you’re gonna love this.

Chapter Text

Basira was afraid and she wasn't ashamed to admit that. Anyone with any good sense would also be afraid of what was happening to her. She had a voice in her head, the person she cared about most was taken captive, she was actively being hunted by a man who apparently had no qualms with setting off massive explosives all across London, and the one person she hoped could help her had his own voice in his head who was more inclined to mock her than anything else.

Contacting Jon had been her last hope for a sane resolution to all of this. But no dice there it would seem. Which meant she would have to find a way to deal with this Gunpowder Tim and save Daisy through means she was much less favorable towards.

If Daisy was even still alive. And given the mess this man was making of London, she truly couldn't be sure.

Over the span of less than 24 hours eight different explosions had gone off, all of which Ashes assured her were the handy work of her hunter. 

The entire city was on high alert and people were afraid to leave their homes. And why wouldn't they be? A bombing in the Magnus Institute's car park, at least three government buildings, the London Eye was currently blown to pieces and scattered all throughout the Thames. Even the royal family got a scare, though the media refused to clarify the details. 

But the part that upset Basira most was finding out about the bomb that had gone off in her own flat. The whole building had gone down. She had neighbors, none of them were her friends but there were whole families in that building, and she couldn’t even say how many had been injured or even killed.

For her part, she had made the wise choice not to go home after she escaped the man, laying low in a seedy motel. The kind of place that didn't ask for ID or credit cards if she paid a little extra. The kind of place she used to go when she was looking for criminals, and now she was hiding out like she was one of those criminals. 

Of course, she didn’t trust the place for very long and planned to be gone by the time morning came. It had just been long enough to shower, change, and, however reluctantly, sleep for the night.

And what a terrible, fitful night it had been. 

Just a few days before, she had seen who she thought was herself in her dreams. An angry version of herself, bound and gagged by an innumerous amount of fine threads. They glared back at her hatefully, gritting their teeth and cutting their gums on the threats that held them. Basira couldn’t do anything for this double of hers, the threat was bound tight, yet they were also sticky and too elastic for her to do anything but get herself wrapped in the thread as well. 

It wasn’t until the night after Ashes woke up that she understood what her dreams had meant. Ashes was freed from their bonds and the first thing they did when they saw her was attack. It was unexpected and unprovoked and when morning came, it was Ashes in control, while Basira could only watch. 

So this time when Basira closed her eyes for the night, she wasn’t surprised when she dreamed of Ashes attacking her. It was impossible to say how long it had gone on for but it must have been hours of nothing but punching and kicking and biting and screaming. They hated each other with a passion and they screamed all manners of threats as they fought. But as it went on the only thing she knew for certain was that she couldn’t lose to them, or they would be the one to wake up the next morning instead of her.

Her alarm had been her saving grace. It went off mere seconds after she had pinned Ashes down and that was evidently enough to declare her the victor. Her eyes opened and she found herself shaking, openly sobbing, and positively drenched in sweat.

Ashes had called her a bitch and continued to make threats as she washes off the evidence of their battle. It wasn’t until she was fully dressed that she had checked her phone and saw the carnage that Gunpowder had done all for her sake.

There was notification after notification on her phone. Both from people she knew, as well as her news apps declared a state of emergence, warning of a possible massive terrorist cell attacking all of London, and of a curfew that had been put into place effective immediately.

It made her stomach sink to read all of this. And yet Ashes purred in delight.

“Why would he even do this?!” She had demanded, horrified as she read more details on the latest bombing. The institute and her flat were one thing but why all the rest of it?

Ashes laughed at the question. Tim and I have a very… special way of flirting.

Basira could only give a disgusted sound in return. These people had to be mad. And her talk with Jonny did very little to disprove that point. 

And now… now she was at the end of her rope. She had no choice but to contact the one person she really did not want to ask for help. But this was a matter of the mind and there really was only one particular bastard that she knew of who would likely have an answer to her ever growing problem.

“Hello Detective, finally decided to speak with me?” Elias had answered her in far too smug of a tone. For just a moment she considered hanging up on him right then and there.

But she needed this fucker.

“Someone is trying to kill me or capture me, whatever.” She began. “And I have some… thing in my head. I thought you put it there but everything I’ve learned so far has proven that not to be true.”

I’m a person, you bitch. Ashes hissed at her, though she tried very hard to ignore them. And you’re in my body.

“Something in your head?” Elias sounded fascinated by this. “That’s very interesting. Martin said something very similar about Jon, in fact… yes, I believe we should meet. As soon as possible.”

And that was how Basira ended up at the door of Elias’ fancy townhouse in downtown London. It was a lovely enough building, four stories tall, made of white stone, and even had a balcony where she suspected he took his tea, likely while he watched people pass and used his mind powers to creep on them. She frowned deeply at the thought of it.

Fancy prick. Ashes had huffed when they saw the place. And for once she couldn’t argue.

Still she bit her tongue when Elias welcomed her inside. His typical, condescending smile was on full display even after being stabbed the day before. Though she wouldn’t have been able to guess he’d been injured at all if she didn't already know it for a fact, not with the way he carried himself. 

“Thank you for seeing me.” She told him, however reluctantly. “I would have assumed you’d want to rest after being attacked like you were.”

“Think nothing of it, Detective. I was already planning on entertaining today, anyway.” He insisted as he guided her into a sitting room. 

There she was met with an unexpected sight. A pair of older men sat at a round table, the table decorated like they were there for high tea, with finger sandwiches and sweets and an antique looking tea pot that very well might have been made from real silver for all she knew. The men were almost boring in comparison; one was willowy and shorter, his hair grey and windswept, and on his face was an almost youthful smile, like the man was looking to make mischief. The second man was tall and broad, his hair and large beard were stark white, and he wore a frown even as the smaller man was speaking rather enthusiastically about one thing or another.

“Gentlemen, this is the young lady I told you would be joining us today.” Elias introduced her as they walked in. “This is Detective Basira Hussain, one of the archival assistants. Detective, these are a few of the institute’s top donors, Simon Fairchild and Peter Lukas.”

Basira found herself frowning, especially as Elias guided her to sit in one of the large wicker chairs around the table. She ignored the title he still insisted on using for her, mostly because these men were her real concern. She’d read stories about both of them, both had ties to multiple statements and both were exceedingly dangerous. It was with great reluctance that she allowed herself to sit, barely noticing when Elias poured her a cup of tea until he placed it in front of her.

“Do help yourself to the spread.” He insisted as he took a seat of his own.

There was a long few seconds where she did absolutely nothing at all. Just sat there and waited for the shoe to drop. But other than a brief greeting from the two men before they carried on with what could loosely be called a conversation, with Fairchild speaking on and on while Lukas quietly listened, it was clear that she would have to make the first move.

“Elias,” she gave an annoyed sigh, “I was under the impression that I was coming here because you wanted to know more about my… problem.”

I hope that’s what we’re here for, Ashes spoke up in an almost disgusted tone, I’m not into grabby old men.

Basira had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping at them. That was absolutely the last thing she wanted to think about while awkwardly sitting with these men.

“Of course, Detective.” Elias nodded along, yet still sounded somehow dismissive. “I’ve actually asked my colleagues here for just this reason. You see, it seems I've lost control of my Archivist, something to do with him hearing voices, much the same as you are.”

The fuck do these guys think they're gonna do about me or Jonny. Ashes scoffed.

“So you can help me then?” She asked, sounding unsure as she looked between the three of them.

“Of course, my dear!” Fairchild spoke up first, sounding far too gleeful about the prospect. “But let's not rush into anything. Eat, drink, and do try not to look so worried. I'm sure we can get whatever that nasty thing is out of your head in no time.”

Yeah? Ashes laughed. You think that'll be before or after Tim finds you?

“I don't have time for tea and scones.” She snapped back at them as she stood. “I'm constantly fighting for control against a dangerous entity, that's literally in my head, not to mention I'm being hunted by a man who's holding Daisy captive.” Her gaze turned to Elias then. “You need to do something about this now!”

“A bit dramatic, don't you think.” Lukas gave a dry laugh before eating one of the small sandwiches in a single bite.

Her frown deepened then. These men weren't listening to her, clearly didn't realize the very real danger that she, and by extension all of them, were in.

“The man hunting me is the person who's been setting off bombs all across London!” She hissed back at him.

That apparently got their attention. All three of them froze, their eyes darting between her and each other. Slowly they set their drinks and their food down until finally she had their undivided attention.

“You're certainly of this?” Elias asked after a moment. “That this person, whoever they are, they're the one causing these explosions?”

“I'm positive.” Basira assured him. “I quite literally saw him set off the bomb at the institute. The next one to be set off was in my flat. All the rest I think are just him trying to force me out of hiding.”

Or trying to rile me up enough to get control back from you. Ashes suggested.

“And here I was thinking the Lightless Flame was just trying again, taking a different approach this time.” Lukas said rather thoughtfully.

“Perhaps he’s with them?” Fairchild suggested. “And they just want Ms. Hussain for some reason? Do you know if this man has any connection to the Lightless Flame, miss?”

“No idea,” she shrugged, “but my voice knows him and doesn't think this is unusual for him. Jon's voice knows him too.”

“If he’s with the Lightless Flame, we have nothing to worry about.” Lukas insisted, sounding almost indifferent. “They’ll make a mess and start a few fires but they won’t cause us too much trouble, I’m sure. Not if they aren’t trying for another ritual.”

“Perhaps but that’s only if he’s with the Lightless Flame.” Elias told them rather insistently. “But I don’t believe he is. They won’t risk making such an outright attack on the institute, not sense Gertrude, and certainly not given that I’ve gotten both of your backing. It would be suicide and a war they couldn’t win. Especially given that the Circus is now gone.”

“Could be retaliation?” Fairchild chimed in. “Just one of them getting revenge for what your Archivist did to the Circus? That seems only fair.”

What the fuck are these old bastards even talking about? Ashes practically whispered to Basira, like they thought the three might hear them.

“No idea.” She admitted rather quietly. She hadn’t expected that alone would get the three’s attention but all eyes were suddenly on her.

“No idea about what?” Lukas asked curiously.

“I… I just… I don’t know if this has anything to do with the Lightless Flame you’re talking about.” She offered. “Ashes, the voice, doesn’t seem to know anything about it either and none of this really matches up with the nonsense they've told me so far.”

“Then perhaps we need to forget the Lightless Flame for now and focus on that instead. So, Detective, what exactly have they told you so far?” Elias pressed then. There was a pull to his voice, one Basira had become aware of, though she hadn’t yet been on the receiving end of it until that moment.

Without wanting to, the words spilled out. “Supposedly they're a band of immortal space pirates, they travel the stars on a sentient spaceship called the Aurora, and one of their crew mates experimented on a few of them and implanted false minds into them. It was apparently supposed to be a joke and we were supposed to be erased after a while. But apparently the Eye, rather unexpectedly, is keeping that from happening to Jon and I.”

What the fuck was that? Ashes demanded. That wasn't willing, he forced that out of you. How did he do that?

The three men all looked dubious, though the prospect of a spaceship seemed to delight Fairchild almost immediately.

“Space travel.” He spoke rather dreamily. “I must hear more! Elias, I insist you ask her for more details.”

“Yes, yes, in due time. After we know about the important details, you can ask anything you like about the stars.” Elias assured him. “First, however, Martin said something rather concerning. Perhaps you could spread some light on this for us? He seems to think that Jon and the voice in his head are merging together. Do you know anything about that?”

“Yes,” she answered back through gritted teeth. “Their minds and personalities are blended together. I assumed that's why Jon was so okay with throwing a knife at you, or why he beat the shit out of Melanie, or why he and I basically tried to kill each other. We really can't die, by the way, he slit my throat more than once but it healed good as new almost immediately. Not even a scar left behind. And Jon's the same way.”

Elias’ eyes almost seemed to light up as Basira explained their immortality. It didn't surprise her that such a curse might fascinate him, but whether it be that he wished to study it or have it for himself she was less sure of.

“How does it work?” He asked then, his tone almost too eager and she didn't even need to ask to know what he meant.

At the same time, the other two men reacted in their own ways. Lukas scoffed, almost sounding annoyed with Elias' interest, while Fairchild laughed in an almost teasing kind of way. She didn't totally understand what was going on with these three but she didn't like it.

“I don't really know how their immortality works.” She shrugged. “But Jon had this me-”

Don't tell them anything! Ashes snapped at her so harshly that she actually jumped in surprise. We don't have to like each other but it's in both our best interests that you listen to me. I know that look. That's the look of someone who thinks they can steal immortality. I've seen it a hundred times before and it always ends badly for the thief and ends annoying for us.

They were almost certainly right, Elias was likely more than just curious about these details. But at the same time, what did she care if Elias learned about their immortality or if he even did manage to steal it? That hardly affected her in the long run.

“Detective?” Elias questioned her, his tone goading in nature. 

“Right, sorry, they were,” she tapped at one of her temples to better explain herself, “they were talking. They… they don't like me talking to you or explaining all of this immortality stuff to you.”

“A bit selfish.” Fairchild huffed almost childishly. “Is it something that's in limited supply? Something that has to be given or earned?”

“Or stolen?” Lukas suggested, though he still seemed less interested than the other two.

“Like I said, I don't know all the details and they're not exactly supplying more information.” She told them. “Though it can't be that limited if their whole crew has it.”

Elias looked thoughtful for a moment. “Knowing how large this crew of theirs is would be beneficial. It might even help us understand this form of immortality they hold. Or at the very least how to fight them.”

Don't you fucking answer any questions about my crew! Ashes hissed. I mean it, you say a word about any of them and I'll personally put a bullet in your dog's head!

That had her frozen yet again, less in surprise and more in fear. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Ashes meant what they were saying. She also wasn't foolish enough to believe that she could continue to hold them at bay if she upset them too much.

She took a deep breath and shook her head. “No questions about the crew. It's only gonna put Daisy in more danger.”

“Really now, Detective, I can hardly help you if you won't give me details.”

“I don't even have most of the details!” She snapped back at him. “I know what little Ashes has said to me and what little I could understand from just watching them talk with Jon. That's it. You want to know more details, you're gonna have to get in touch with him. Try calling Tim, they're apparently together at the moment.”

“Tim is dead.” Elias spoke slowly and then frowned when Basira looked at him with visible confusion and fear. “Martin said as much just last night.”

What? That couldn’t be right. 

“Then he lied to you.” She told him flatly. “I just spoke to him, maybe two hours ago at the most.”

Ah shit, he fucking didn't! And another Tim for that matter? Ashes groaned. I think we need to call Jonny back. At least he was kinda hot but I’m still gonna ream his ass for this one! 

“What?” She asked before she could stop herself. The question was quiet but she was sure they could all hear her.

If what this creep is saying is true, and your Tim was actually dead last night, then Jonny must’ve brought him back. Which is really fucking-

“Brought him back?!” She demanded out loud, no longer giving a damn if the rest of them could hear her or how insane she must have looked talking to herself. “What, that's just something you can do?!”

Not in front of these guys. Ashes insisted. You really want to talk about it, fine. Get us out of here and I'll tell you all about being mechanized. 

“Detective, I believe you should sit back down.” Elias spoke again, pulling her out of her thoughts.

As though to emphasize his suggestion, a large hand landed on her shoulder. Somehow, without her noticing, Lukas had found his way beside her. He pushed her to sit and, though it had very little force behind it, she suddenly felt exhausted and practically collapsed back into the chair.

Elias had turned his seat to face her, his focus entirely on her now, and her own chair was turned for her so that they would be face to face. 

Basira, get us out of here. Ashes told her but she didn't know if that was possible anymore.

“Just relax, my dear,” Fairchild insisted in far too jovial a tone. “This shouldn't hurt a bit. And even if it does, you're immortal now. So you'll be fine.” 

He laughed at his own joke, which only made her stomach sink even further. This was bad, why had she thought coming to Elias would be a good idea? Why had she thought he would ever help her?

“Ignore him,” Elias told her, as though he thought it might ease her raising fear, “I just need to see what you have going on in your head.”

Then he reached out, almost touching her face, but she drew back immediately. 

The look he gave her in response was almost condescending as he sighed and shook his head. “Really now, this would be much easier if you would just cooperate. But if you're going to be difficult, I suppose I have no choice. Simon, if you would?”

Fairchild gave a delighted little laugh and suddenly it was as if Basira was falling from a great height. The winds were whipping all around her, it made her eyes tear up, and stole the air from her lungs. She didn't truly really need to breathe any longer, a fact she grew to understand during the fight with Jon, so it was only her words that were stolen away. Yet still it filled her with a type of dread she struggled to fight off. It was terrible and impossible, made all the stranger by the fact that she was still stationary in her seat, looking directly at Elias.

Once again he reached out but this time she couldn't pull away. His hand came to her temple and he pressed against it hard. It was painful and sharp, like the worst kind of migraine.

And then it was as though they were somewhere else. Somehow he had forced them both into her head, into the same shapeless void that she had fought Ashes in twice over now. Not far away from them was her own double, looking baffled by the whole scene.

“What the fuck did you just do?” They demanded. “Did you know he could do that and you still met up with this asshole?”

Basira glared back at them. She knew this had been a bad idea but she would hardly tolerate being judged by them. “You've threatened to kill Daisy basically since you learned about her! And no one seems to want to help me. So forgive me if I was getting desperate.”

For the briefest of a moment she expected another fight. She balled her fists and waited for Ashes to attack first but she noticed the way their eyes drifted, looking somewhere behind her. 

Turning to look, she saw Elias at what could best be called the edge of her mind. His fingers ran up the walls and pulled at what looked to be a nearly invisible thread. It seemed to shimmer and made the entire border of her mind ripple in response. 

And at the same time her head pounded and she gave an audible gasp of pain.

“Stop!” She told him. “Fucking stop, it hurts!”

After a moment longer he let go and watched as the threads of her very being moved on their own and mended themselves back into place.

“Fascinating.” He spoke with true excitement in his voice. “I had no idea the Web was so… capable. But this is truly remarkable, it's as though they've woven a tapestry but that tapestry is your entire self.”

“The Web?” Basira looked to Ashes, hoping they might understand but they only shrugged in response.

He didn't respond, simply continued to inspect the threads. Not pulling like before but still running his hands over them. Basira cringed in response. She could feel it, like he was groping at the inside of her mind. It felt wrong and violating and the clear sight of her discomfort seemed to piss Ashes off in an instant.

“Look, not that this isn't great, but how ‘bout you stop touching her and get the fuck out of my head.” They growled at him.

Elias gave a thoughtful hum in response before he moved away from the threads and looked to Ashes instead. 

“We haven't been properly introduced, my name is Elias Bouchard.” He began as he moved closer to the pair of them. “And you are?”

“You wanna know who I am?” They scoffed but felt the words being pulled from them, even as they tried to resist. “Ashes O’Reilly, quartermaster of the Aurora, vocals, electric bass, fire and smoke, any kinda gambling you can think of, sometimes a king, occasionally a god, once even a president. That's the gist of me. Now, like I said, get the fuck out of my head.”

His look of fascination didn't waver, yet he still didn't look quite satisfied. “No, I think there's more to you than that.” He pressed and suddenly they could feel him forcing his way through their own memories.

Flashes came all at once. The first time they ever lit something on fire just to watch it burn, meeting Smooth Mickey when they were still just a child, lighting up Rosie's with Jonny, sitting on their dark throne as Hades with Tim sitting comfortably in their lap, the last time they had played strip poker with the whole crew and they ended up walking away with quite literally all of their crew mates clothing. It was painful having it all forced to the surface and all three could see and practically feel the memories play out, as though they were all Ashes and were all reliving each moment. 

Then one more memory forced its way to the surface. Ashes helping to polish a pair of brass wings late into the night. Dragging their mouth along a pale neck and down a freckled back as they went. Warm hands creeping over shaking thighs and a soft belly. Until at last someone whispered “take me to bed?”

It was hard to say why that one had surfaced rather than any other memory but it pissed them off something fierce. It was one thing to look through their memories but it was another thing entirely to look at something so intimate. Consent was everything to them, to the Mechanisms in general, and they most certainly didn't give this bastard permission to see any one of their lovers in such a compromising position. Especially not though their own body and eyes.

Their rage was enough to force him out twice over.

Suddenly they were back in Elias' sitting room again but Ashes was the one in the driver's seat this time. The man looked surprised and dazed to be forced out. He then looked even more surprised when they kicked him square in the chest and sent his chair toppling over. 

The feeling of falling had stopped by that point, perhaps because Fairchild had gone back to his one-sided conversation with Lukas, which made it much easier to jump over Elias and out the nearest doorway, leading into his kitchen. 

Elias cursed out loud, shouting the other two men's names in frustration and only receiving laughs in response. Neither seemed inclined to follow them but they still moved as fast as they could.

The kitchen was a lovely blend of old fashioned architecture and modern design which Ashes absolutely did not give a single shit about, save for a large, ornamented bay window. The borders were stained glass, golden yellow flowers and a deep green eye in the very center. It was a lovely display, until Ashes threw the heavy black tape recorder they found on one of the counters tops directly through it and leaped out. 

They didn't know how long they ran. Multiple calls came to their phone but they were ignored. Even Basira was quiet for a time. But eventually they felt like their legs might give out and they had to stop. They hid themself down an alleyway and lit up a cigarette. 

“Fuck, this is all too much.” They gave an exhausted sigh and took a long puff. “What were you thinking, going to that guy? He radiates Uncle-Bad-Touch vibes but you walked us directly into his house.”

Look, I'm not proud of going to him, okay? Basira admitted after a few more seconds of silence between them. But what was I supposed to do?

“Just surrender, obviously.” Ashes suggested. “Jonny’s even offered to make you your own body. You should be grateful, because he doesn't have to do that for you. We really could just remove you and be done with it. These were our bodies first.”

You think I really believe he plans to give me a new body? Basira scoffed. After all the threats you've made, after one of you has been terrorizing all of London? How could I ever trust you?  

It was hard to argue with that, they knew that the Mechs weren't exactly the most trustworthy kinds of people. But the fact of the matter was that she wasn't the one in control anymore.

They fished around in their pocket until they found their phone and called Daisy’s number. Hopefully Tim still has Daisy and hadn't decided to use her phone to build one of the many bombs he’d been making. 

The phone rang twice before it was answered but it wasn't Tim's voice that spoke first. 

“Hello, Ashes.” A woman on the other end of the line answered. “Good to see Ms. Hussain’s bad decisions didn't result in any permanent damage.”

Ashes frowned at this. They didn't know this voice but they clearly knew them. “Who is this? Where's Tim?” 

“Oh, he's here, Daisy too,” the woman explained, “but your Tim’s been making a bit of a mess, so we've had to… apprehend him for the time being. But they're safe, and they'll remain safe if you cooperate.”

“Who. Are. You.” They were growling now, low threatening.

“Of course, how rude of me.” She chuckles back. “My name's Annabelle Cane. But more important than any of that, you have a decision to make. You can either do as you're told, or I can see to it that Gunpowder Tim here gets a new personality so twisted that nothing will be able to bring him back.”

That made them freeze. A new personality, like what Raph did to them? Was that possible? It took technology far beyond this planet’s capability to create a whole consciousness like Basira or Jon. For her to be making such threats…

“You have Raphaella too.” Not a question but an outright accusation as they stood tall and crushed their cigarette in their fury.

“Oh yes, Ms. la Cognizi is here.” She admitted, sounding almost proud of this fact. “I offered her a place to put her own lab and she's been set up in my basement ever since. You should come see her, she's been working on quite the surprise for both you and the Archivists.”

Ashes gave a disgusted sound in response. “Why would I ever walk into such an obvious trap?”

“Because I have your lovely Persephone,” she began, her tone making it more than clear that she knew far more about their history than they would have liked, “and I can make him believe he's whoever I want him to be, if you don't do as I say.” 

“Fine, I'll come.” They growled back. “But if I find out you fucked with him head, I'm burning this whole city down and your ass will be going up with it.”

“I would expect nothing less from the infamous Ashes O’Reilly.” Annabelle assured them. “Feel free to bring the Archivists, by the way. I insist on it, in fact. This is as much for them as it is for you, after all.”

With that the line went dead, followed quickly after by an address being sent to them from Daisy's number.

105 Hill Top Road

Ashes frowned at the address and cursed a single “fuck” before they pulled out another cigarette and began to consider their options.

There was a long stretch of quiet between the two before finally Basira spoke. So… why did she call Tim Persephone?

They couldn't help the small laugh that escaped them then. “Gods, where would I even begin explaining that? I'd have to tell you about the whole City, I think.”

Not like I'm going anywhere.

And it was true, she wasn't going anywhere Ashes wasn't. So why not?

“Alright, first you’ve got to know a little about the planet we’re talking of. See, on this planet there was a city, grim old city-”

Chapter Text

It took some time for Marius and Lyf to make it to Nastya’s workshop. The members of the crew that were currently present didn’t seem terribly interested in the fact that the other two were slowly making their way towards them, instead their focus was on explaining the 14 fear entities that Ivy had mentioned before, if only to get them all on the same page. Fortunately Ivy and Nastya were well informed and when summoned the Toy Soldier was more than eager to share what it knew as well.

The explanation of each fear was strange and unsettlingly eye opening. The number of impossible stories they could now reasonably place was alarming. Likewise, the understanding that the Lietners were in essence fragments of those entities became clear to each of them. 

We spent so long trying to organize the Archives not knowing there were actual categories we could have divided them into. Jon sounded positively devastated as this realization dawned on him.

While the explanation went on, Ivy began to pull things from a hefty bag she’d brought with her. They were mostly a few old, odd books and scrolls, which admittedly peeked Jon’s curiosity and he likely would have asked questions about them and asked to look them over if Jonny hadn’t taken control back. 

It was the medical supplies that were really concerning though. No one had any time to ask what they were all for before she began to operate on herself. Starting with her legs, she carefully used clamps to pry each of the numerous eyes open one at a time, before extracting them. Quickly thereafter she used a hot piece of metal to cauterize the entire eye socket each time. When at last the cauterization was done, she pulled the piece of metal out and returned it to its heat. Then, rapidly, the divot of the eye socket healed over and the flesh returned to how it should have been, perhaps a bit raised compared to before but still as though the eye had never even been there.

She was barely fazed by this, never faltered as she continued her explanation, but the sight of it left the entire Archive team feeling nauseous. 

“The Corruption is a fascinating fear actually.” She spoke as though she was eager to share findings but entirely unbothered as she severed another eye from her calf. “Because it’s not just filth and sickness. Insects play a large part in it the fear, but that can sometimes be oddly inviting. The nature of the swarm can be almost comforting to some people, that’s how many of its servants are brought into the fold. One story I came across even had a man filled to the brim with beetles. It's honestly a bit odd, such loneliness that a person is willing to be a nest for skittering horrors, you would think they would be better suited for the One Alone. But apparently not. Or perhaps it’s more appropriate to assume that there’s more overlap between the fears than most of their servants are willing to believe.”

Good lord. Jon gave a sickened groan as they watched her plunge the hot piece of metal into her leg yet again. Her lack of reaction was almost more horrifying than the act itself.

“Hey Iv,” Jonny started, no longer able to continue to watch her mutilate herself. Though by then she was nearly finished with the first leg. “You know once we leave those will likely go away on their own, right?”

“Most likely,” she agreed but continued on, still showing very little distress at all from what she was doing. “But until we leave this system, there's a 64% chance I’ll be trapped by the whims of the Eye. That percentile goes down if I remove its influence, however.”

Tim gave a pitchy groan at the sound of her burning skin and refused to even look at her while she operated. “Look, I get you need to get the evil out, I even respect it to some extent, but I’m barely adjusting to the fact that there are multiple evil gods of fear. So could you maybe find some other way that doesn’t involve carving out pieces of yourself? At least while we’re around?”

“We’re kind of on a time crunch if we want you all to be well versed with the fears before you all go looking for the NotThem. Besides, we can't all get out of being part of the Eye’s cult the easy way.” She shrugged but didn’t stop working on herself. “Immortals don’t have the luxury of our deaths breaking supernatural contracts.”

“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?” He demanded, only now allowing himself to look at her. But even as he asked, understanding was already dawning on him. “Are you… are you saying that me dying freed me from the institute? Like I never have to go back?”

“Correct.” She barely seemed to notice the look of delight that both Tim and Martin shared, though as Jon gave a relieved sigh she did give him a curious look. “Admittedly, it would have been much easier if your Archivist were able to die. Then the whole Archive staff would no longer be bound by the Eye. Nothing to be done for the rest of the institute but the Archivist’s immediate subordinates would be freed.”

That drew Jonny’s attention then. “Ivy… you realize that sometimes you can just lead with the big information like that. It doesn’t always gotta be a show.”

“How very unlike you, Jonny.” She smirked at him and only got a huff in return. “Regardless, just separating you two will likely be enough to kill the current Archivist and free the rest of your staff. Truly the only concern is if Jon will actually be able to survive the transfer. The Eye very well might be all that’s keeping him going.”

“You said there was a chance, though.” Martin pointed out hopefully. “If you know so much, surely you know how to make it work, right?”

“In theory,” she admitted, “but that theory largely involves finding Raphaella and getting her to assist. Otherwise the 35% I suggested drops significantly.”

“Wonderful news, as always.” Nastya sighs. “I don’t suppose either of you could just Know where she is, could you?”

“I unfortunately haven’t been able to See her at all with the Watcher’s gifts. Somehow she can hide from it.” Ivy told her as Jonny simply shook his head.

“Naturally. And she’s made no attempt to contact me or picked up any of my calls either. So I don't even know if she's got her communicator anymore.” She huffed and began to consider what they should do next.

“I suspect it’s the Webs doing. Manipulating her and hiding her from my Sight.” Ivy suggested. “It’s similarly difficult to see the Aurora thanks to all the Web’s servants making a mess of her.”

That was around when the argument began to be heard. Somewhere far down Aurora’s halls, a pair of voices were bickering.

“Looks like the love birds are coming.” Jonny laughed just a bit. 

So those are Marius and Lyf? Jon asked. Not exactly the marital bliss Nastya implied we were pulling them away from. 

Almost to emphasize the point, one of the voices whines rather pitifully. “Love, I said I was sorry.” 

“You've been saying that for 10 years now!” The second snapped back.

“And yet you're still so upset!” The first moped rather dramatically. “I've missed your beautiful face too, you know? Please, forgive me!”

The Aurora opened the door on its own and suddenly someone marched in with a second close on their heels.

The first gave a throaty growl and turned their nose up at the man, as though refusing to even look at him. “You might get my forgiveness when I can see my wings and tail again, von Raum.” 

It was only then that the pair seemed to take in the room, as well as the two newcomers and their crew mates, who all looked to be fighting back laughter at the very sight of them.

Jon hadn't been sure what to expect when they said two more of the crew were officially on board the Aurora. The sight of Ivy, her mouse-like features and many eyes, had prepared him for something strange and unsightly. But these two were not that. They were certainly a sight, but not the alien beings he had envisioned.

The first was androgynous; thin, rail thin in fact, and tall, very tall, with long platinum blond hair. It was pulled back into intricate braids, with beads and charms made of gold and silver woven into each one. Their skin was dark but had pale patches that dotted them here and there, yet they were odd, like those patches were shifting ever so slightly whenever one's eyes looked away from them.

Their appearance was undeniably striking, more still there was something strange and unnatural to it. Jon simply Knew it was fake without even questioning it.

By contrast the man who followed after them was almost generic. Rather average in many ways, a perfectly average height, though still taller than most of the other Mechs currently present save for his partner and the Toy Soldier. His build was thin as well but Jon Knew it was different. Whereas the slim figure of the first felt like it was a genetic predisposition, this thin body was more the result of a lack of resources from a young age, which now left a lasting effect on his body. Beyond that his short, brunette hair, neatly trimmed beard, and warm olive skin all added to the appearance of the perfectly average man he appeared to be.

And yet, the longer Jon stared at him, the more certain he was that this man’s appearance was just as wrong, just as fake, as the partner he was trailing behind.

“Welcome Back!” The Toy Soldier told them excitedly. “Jonny Made New Friends And He’s Finally Said I’m Part Of The Crew!”

The pair stopped in their tracks, bickering now completely distracted by the Soldier’s comment. Both of them turned to look at Jonny, like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Though which part they believed less was hard to say.

“Shut up, TS.” Jonny told it, though there wasn’t much bite to it, before turning his attention back toward the other two and immediately changing the subject. “So, how was married life? Enjoying the planet so much you’ve decided to keep the disguises up, I see.”

“You’re one to talk!” The shorter of the pair laughed but was cut off by his partner growling.

The taller was suddenly fuming again at the comment. “Somebody convinced von Raum to make us wedding bands for cloaking devices. And also told him some completely real Earth traditions, I’m sure, that rings should be designed to be unremoveable once a pair is married. So to keep up appearances, someone made it so we couldn’t remove our cloaking devices without cutting off our damn fingers, tearing off all the skin of our fingers, or destroying the rings entirely! And also didn't even think to bring any spare parts for that matter, in case something happened!”

To emphasize the point, they held up their hand, displaying a ring that was jagged and serrated on one end. “You know how many people thought I was in an abusive relationship when they saw this ring and heard von Raum mention he made them himself?”

He gave a pitiful whine in return. “We had to move several times because of it. It was rather unfortunate.”

“Yeah, that tracks.” Tim nodded along when he saw the ring. “That thing looks like it’s got teeth. I’d assume you two were into some weird shit if I saw that too.”

“Well it’s obvious in hindsight now but I’ve never been to Earth before, it sounded like a perfectly believable tradition!” He insisted. “We’ve seen much stranger marriage traditions on other planets. On my home planet mates were allowed to cannibalize their unfaithful lovers! This seemed much more acceptable than that!”

Martin gave a frightful little sound and glanced over to Jonny, who looked entirely unfazed by the comment. It was hardly anything he hadn't heard before.

“The issue wasn’t the tradition, von Raum! Even I believed it at first, but you should’ve designed the rings with a failsafe in the first place so we could take them off in private!” They snapped back before they turned their attention back to the rest of the crew. “Where’s Gunpowder? I’m gonna break his damn legs for tricking Marius into this!”

Seems a bit extreme. Jon chuckled to Jonny, though he wasn’t totally surprised by how aggressive the crew was at that point.

They huffed then and looked directly at Jonny. “I’ve literally not been able to properly preen or even see my feathers in 10 years, Jonny. Do you know how hard it is to groom a 20ft wingspan when you literally cannot see the wings? I get to decide what’s too extreme.” 

Oh… can they hear me too? Jon asked slowly. You did say they were touched by a god. Does that-

“How are you… Jonny, you’re not talking but… you are?” They looked confused and stepped back just a bit.

“Yeah, uh, so you two remember Raph’s little experiment?” He started with an uncomfortable laugh. The two slowly nodded along with him. “Well, it didn’t go quite as she planned and I now have a new… twin? I guess we’re calling each other? In my head. At least until we can make him a new body. His name's Jon. Though you all sent him off, so I'm guessing you already know that.”

“Wait, I thought the second mind was designed to erase itself after a few years.” The brunette piped up, looking… excited to say the very least. “And you say you’re going to make it a body? So you believe it’s viable to survive on its own? Fascinating! I must study both of your minds once the transfer is complete!”

“Piss off, Marius.” He growled back immediately. “I’m not going to any of your bullshit therapy meetings!”

“Pretty sure you both would benefit from a bit of therapy, actually.” Tim chimed in with a mocking smile.

Jonny turned to look back at the man, almost like he couldn't believe he would insult them that way. Though he supposed he deserved it at least a bit. 

Still he made an unhappy little sound in response. “One, you're not being helpful-”

“Definitely wasn't trying to be.”

“Not to be rude, but I think we’d all benefit from a bit of therapy at this point, if I’m being honest.” Martin added.

Jonny gave a positively devastated gasp in return to such a betrayal coming from Martin.

I’m not going to lie, I might agree with the two. We have been through some troubling events. Jon said. I’ve been maimed several times, Multiple things have tried to murder me, I was framed for murder, and I was kidnapped no less than twice at this point. And that was all before you woke up. I think-

“Two!” He cut him off and spoke with emphasis, gesturing to the other man. “He's not even a real doctor!”

“No longer true!” Marius declared rather triumphantly and puffed up his chest in excitement. “I received my doctorate just last year! You are officially speaking to Dr. Marius von Raum, licensed psychiatrist! Thank you very much.”

“Well, shit, we are never hearing the end of this.” Nastya quietly groaned to herself. 

“You most certainly are not!” He agreed, still beaming proudly. 

“Still not a baron, though.” Ivy interjected but didn’t bother to look up from her work, still removing eyes from herself. “Not for lack of attempting, you all will be unsurprised to learn.”

Marius frowned in her general direction, which only deepened as he watched her cauterize the eye socket she was working on. “By the gods, what are you doing that for?!”

“Got infected by an evil eye god.” She answered back, almost indifferent in her tone. “Trying to remove the marks it’s left on me.”

“And she won’t fucking stop, in spite all of us wanting her to.” Tim gagged and pinched the bridge of his nose, especially as he heard the sizzling sound of her skin again.

“I Don’t Mind!” The Toy Soldier chimed in.

“Yeah, you fucking wouldn’t.” He huffed back and refused to even look at it.

“I’m sorry, evil eye god?” Marius gave a high pitched hiss from deep in his chest, before putting himself between her and his partner. “I thought we agreed not to mess with any more gods after what happened to Lyf.”

“Marius, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” They insisted, their tone softening at the sight of his worry. “I highly doubt the control of the mad, cosmic god of all of space and time could be challenged or even affected by a god whose influence can be removed via a scalpel and a hot piece of metal.”

I’m sorry, excuse me? Jon demanded. 

At the same time Martin was gawking at their comment. “I’m torn between wanting to understand what that means and hoping I never find out the answer.” He admitted.

They gave a tired sound in return. “Please, not right now. I’m more interested in getting these rings off for now than anything else.” They then jabbed Marius in the side rather pointedly. “So either you get your tools out or I swear I’m going to deglove my finger to get this damn thing off.”

“I’ll do it.” Nastya insisted as she was already digging out tools from a drawer. “No offense but I don’t want any more of your eldritch horror blood out in the open, especially not inside my girlfriend. It’s always unpredictable when you bleed and Aurora is under enough stress as it is.”

They nodded along understandingly and allowed her to sit them down on a cot so she could begin to work on the delicate device.

Tim tried to hold in his laugh at Nastya’s comment but it bubbled up and he let out a small, high pitched chuckle. She flashed him a look and he grinned back. “Sorry, but I still gotta know how you make it work with a spaceship.”

She shrugged and gave a grin of her own. “Aurora has many moving parts. Some of which I may have added at her request.”

“Fucking ew!” Jonny sounded absolutely revolted at that. “I do not want to know any of this!”

He turned away and looked for the first place he could find to hide from this conversation. He was met with Martin's awkward expression and broad chest. It took less than a second to decide to bury his face in his soft jumper before letting out a long groan.

Martin gave a little squeak of surprise in return but didn't try to push him away.

You are such a child! Jon laughed. What, is it because the Aurora is a ship or specifically because it’s Nastya?

“The Aurora is literally our home, Jon!” Jonny grumbled back, refusing to pull away from Martin just yet. “How would you feel if you found out someone you knew was constantly fucking you house? Like, literally fucking it! And then they talked about it, without any shame at all?”

Okay, I suppose I get it, but they’re also sentient. So they're more than just your home.

“Whose side are you on?” He demanded in a tone that was most certainly not a pout. “First you don’t like the sex jokes and now you’re adding to them at my expense. Make up your mind, Sims!”

“As entertaining as it is to listen to you argue with yourself, I think introductions are in order, given that there are a few new faces?” Marius suggested, looking over Tim and Martin. “As I said before, I am Dr. Marius von Raum and this is my lovely partner, Inspect-”

“I haven’t been an inspector in well over 400 years.” They admonished him, though they only slightly seemed to be paying him any mind as they were focused more on Nastya fiddling with their ring.

“Right, of course Love,” Marius corrected himself before gesturing to them with far too much flare. “My lovely partner, Lyfrassir Edda.”

“Most of them call me Lyf, you probably will too after a while.” They insisted.

Suddenly, finally, their ring popped in two and Lyf trilled in delight as they felt the thing come off. Less than a second later the false image dropped and their true appearance was revealed. 

Martin and Tim couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of them, which got Jonny to turn and look as well, if only for Jon's sake. The massive wings and the long tail that would have dragged along the floor even at their full height would have been more than enough to shock them but it was so much more than that. Their already tall figure was even taller, 7ft at least and easily towering over everyone in the room now and would almost touch the ceiling should they stand. Their skin was a deep shade of blue and their hair was shock white, though still braided and decorated just the same. Even more strange was the patches on their skin that had once been pale, now instead they looked like the void of space, speckled with iridescent starlight. And the colors didn’t just rest on their skin but drifted all along their body and through their hair and across their dark wings and even seemed to reflect in their eyes.

All of Marius' attention was drawn to Lyf at that point and he was practically purring like an engine at the sight of his partner’s true form. They were beside them in an instant, butting his head affectionately against their shoulder, and looking like he might try to crawl into their lap if given the chance.

Jonny gave a disgusted sound and tore his eyes away again, nuzzling back against Martin's inviting chest. “If you two are gonna be all lovely like that, can you at least do it somewhere I don't have to see or hear it.”

Lfy gave a little hmph in return and ran their fingers through Marius' hair, almost as if to annoy Jonny more than he always was. “You can be such a brat, Jonny.”

“And a hypocrite.” Nastya added and immediately took Marius’ hand next, not giving him quite the same courtesy she had given Lyf, though he seemed content enough to simply lean against their partner rather than actually sit anywhere. “You see the way he is with Martin. Not nearly as close as you two, but for Jonny? It's almost scandalous.”

An indignant sputter escaped Jonny's mouth and he immediately tore himself away to glare at her. “Would you stop saying things like that to all of the crew?! I thought you called them here to actually help us, not just to fuck with me!”

“I'm capable of doing both.” She assured him with a smile, much to his frustration.

“Hold on,” Marius cut them all off, suddenly sounding rather serious, “which one is Martin exactly? I have my suspensions but I need to know for sure.”

“Oh, uh, hi.” Martin spoke up and gave a small wave in return. His face was beet red from everything they were saying and the closeness he had been sharing with Jonny. He tugged awkwardly at his sleeves and looked as though he was trying to disappear into his jumper, with minimal success. “I'm Martin… uh, Martin Blackwood, it's nice to meet you. And, I'm not… I mean, to be clear, we aren’t exactly… we haven’t even really talked about…”

He ended up unable to finish the thought, mostly because Marius’ stare was so intense and wide eyed that he began to draw a complete blank. It only stopped once Lyf decided to have mercy on the poor man and actively turned their partner’s face away.

“Love, you’re making him nervous.” They scolded him playfully. 

Before he could respond his ring finally came off and his form shifted as well. His brunette hair became far more like a mane and his human ear became much longer and pointed. With the exception of his right arm, which became a blend of red and gold colored metals, all his visible skin became a brown fur that was much lighter than his dark mane. The tail that now sprouted from his trousers however was long, fluffy, and very much matched his mane in color. Even his face shifted, his eyes becoming much bigger, his irises now much larger and becoming a bright copper color with slitted pupils. Upon seeing his own fur again he grinned with glee and revealed sharp teeth and very pronounced canines.

“There’s that handsome face.” Lyf cooed and caressed his soft cheek and Marius gave another content pur in return. This was quickly followed by them smacking him with one of their wings directly upside his head. “Now help me deal with this mess. I can’t possibly fly until this is cleaned up.”

“Of course, my love.” Marius gave an apologetic little sound in return, moving to sit on the cot with them and began to help preen through their feathers.

Martin and Tim were not nearly as awestruck by the sight of him but Jon gave an audible gasp. Jonny! You failed to mention that one of your crew was basically a cat! 

There was delight in his voice, an almost childlike excitement that immediately made Jonny cringe. He hadn't forgotten about Jon's unapologetic love for cats but it hadn't occurred to him that Marius might elicit the same kind of response as the Admiral. On one hand, he supposed he should just be glad his twin wasn't too put off by the sight of his crew mates. On the other hand, he was suddenly worried that Jon might do something stupid, like try to pet the man… though knowing Marius, he might encourage such affection if it was within reason. 

At least the two hopefully wouldn’t have the same kind of misunderstanding that Ashes and Tim had with Jon. Because while Marius was a terrible romantic, he wasn’t overly sexual himself. While he would gladly accommodate his partners if they wanted it, it was never his personal focus. As he put it, he just loved love and liked to pamper his partners. So perhaps he and Jon would get on just fine.

Maybe, but in the moment he just didn’t want Jon to do anything foolish, like coo over his crewmate the same way Jonny might do with an octokitten. 

“Shut the fuck up, Sims.” He told him, though his tone was almost resigned to the fact that he and Jon were going to have to talk about how to appropriately interact with his crew.

Lyf glanced up from working on their feathers, giving him a knowing smile which reminded them both that their internal conversation was no longer private. 

“Well, I for one am glad you're not bothered by all of this, Jon.” They told him, sounding rather genuine. “I know it was hard for me to adapt to the crew. When I first met them I'd never seen anyone who looked anything like Marius or Ivy, let alone the rest of the crew. Hel, the first time I heard Jonny's rattle I nearly thought he was going to kill me.”

“To be fair, I was considering it.” Jonny admitted with a shrug.

“I'm sorry, rattle?” Tim demanded before looking them over, desperately trying to find this nonhuman feature Lyf had referenced. 

I second that question, actually. Jon agreed. What are they talking about?! 

“Our rattle? On our tail?” He said like it should have been obvious before looking behind himself and pausing. “Where the fuck is my tail?!”

“Jonny, are you being serious? You still have a cloak on.” Nastya sounded worried, like she really wasn’t sure if the man was making a joke or not. “I assumed you had just left it on to keep your assistants comfortable. Did you really not notice you didn't look like yourself?”

“No I just… I think I forgot I was even supposed to have a tail until Lyf mentioned it.” He admitted, for once sounding a bit nervous. “Fuck, what else am I forgetting?”

“That is an excellent and concerning question.” Ivy chimed in, frowning deeply at the thought of Jonny missing memories without even realizing it and now putting her tools down to focus on him.

“Would it help to be able to see yourself properly?” Martin asked, sounding rather worried for him. “Maybe it'll be harder to forget if you aren't cloaked?”

It's worth a shot and I'd very much like to know what I actually look like. Jon agreed before his tone turned a bit sheepish. Though… I do confess, I'm worried what Martin and Tim might think. 

Jonny nodded along and found himself debating whether it was worth it. Would his real face be too revolting for the two of them? Would Martin be able to look at him the same way after he saw him as he was? He didn't know what he would do with himself if-

Suddenly they felt a tug that went all the way up his spin. Ivy had fully stopped her self-mutilation and was now behind him. In her hands she held seemingly nothing but then she began to fiddled with whatever it was, making it more than clear that the nothing was actually a part of him. Instinctively that piece of him pulled away from her but she didn't let go and in fact gave another harsh tug to keep him in place. Again instinct took over and the thing suddenly whipped her hard in the chest in response. 

She tumbled and fell on her back but she quickly got back up, seeming entirely unfazed. 

“Ivy, the fuck are you doing?” He huffed at her.

“You’re too much in your own head about this and I can See your tail, so I'm trying to remove the cloaking device.” She shrugged and grabbed at his tail again.

Perhaps we can do that later? Jon offered hopefully. I don't know if either of us are ready for… well, either of them really, to see whatever it is we really are.

Ivy gave them a dull look and Lyf frowned at that as well.

If they can't handle your real face then they don't actually want you. The words were Ivy's, loud, certain, and forced into their mind. Not that it matters. I can see their thoughts too and they very much are excited to see what you really are. One of them is even resisting the urge to touch your tail as we speak.

“Oh, that…” Jonny began but struggled with what to say next. “I didn't know you could do that but stay the fuck out of my head. That felt… violating, if I'm being honest.”

“Apologies, now are you going to hold still so I can remove this thing?”

“Probably not.” He admitted. “You know my tail tend to do whatever it wa- ah, what the fuck Ivy?!”

The action had been so swift that no one even knew what had happened before it was already done. Ivy pulled and swung a short, sharp  blade, cutting through the end of their tail with little hesitation at all. She immediately stepped away as the limb lashed out at her again, now holding a black metal cylinder with a bloody chunk of meat attached to it.

Upon seeing this, Jonny was half ready to attack her, suddenly remembering the very venomous fangs in his mouth. How had he forgotten about that? He used to bite so many people just for the fun of it but he somehow had forgotten he literally had his own poison to go with it.

But before he could put his newly remembered fangs to use, he was stopped by a large pair of arms surrounding him. He was being pulled back into his favorite big, broad chest and was being held protectively.

“Oh my god, are you okay?!” Martin sounded shocked as he looked at the bloody stump at the end of his scaled tail.

“What the hell's wrong with you?!” Tim demanded, having put himself between Ivy and Jonny. 

“I feel like you two keep forgetting they’re immortal. It can be reattached easily and even if it’s not, it'll grow back.” She assured him, but that only served to upset him more. 

“I don't give a shit if he is immortal or that it'll grow back, you don't just cut off a piece of someone! That's fucked up!” 

A memory flashed in Tim’s mind; Danny being skinned alive on a stage, flayed before his very eyes. Jon and Jonny and Ivy too all Knew it in the very same moment and their mechanical heart stuttered for a moment at the realization that he might feel for them even a fraction of the horror he felt for Danny in that moment.

Almost indignantly about a dozen remaining eyes all rolled at once as she turned away from him and focused on the cylinder instead. 

“One of you should take a look at this, you might be able to open it and reattach what's inside.” Ivy suggested as she sat it down on a table and went back to her own work. 

Nastya immediately picked it up, bringing it over to Marius so they could both look it over.

Tim was still fuming at Ivy and looked really to start yelling again but one of Martin's arms wrapped around him as well and pulled him close also. He allowed it and focused on Jonny instead.

There was a long pause between them, while Tim and Martin just took in their appearance. Jonny looked very similar but there were undeniably differences. The eyes were the first thing noticed, his irises were bigger and dark yellow, with thin slitted pupils and barely any whites at all to their eyes. His ears were next, bigger and more pointed and covered in what could best be described as fur. Fur didn't cover all of him like it did Marius but there was greying sandy brown hair that was much more pronounced in places along his arms and legs and chest, though they couldn't see most of it. His teeth were visibly bigger and sharper too, a fact Jonny still couldn’t believe he had forgotten. And then there was his tail, scaled and patterned not unlike a diamondback, with different shades of light and dark browns, that ran all the way up his back and stopped only at the base of his neck. 

It was all meant to help him blend into and survive his desert home world. But here it must have stuck out terribly.

The two were hard to read as they looked him over and there was a part of him that very much wanted to run. His brass heart spun faster and faster and he could feel Jon's own fear mounting as well. 

The tension only broke when Martin rested his hand against Jonny's cheek very softly. Absently it drifted up and he brushed over one of his large ears, massaging it very softly with his thumb. And, oh, Jonny melted into the touch and leaned entirely into his welcoming hand.

Tim allowed himself to smile at the display but couldn't hold his tongue. “Okay, I gotta asked, what the fuck are you?”

For his part, Jonny was lost in Martin's loving touch and didn't hear the question at all. 

Luckily Nastya joined them, holding the now freed end of his tail. Sure enough, it did have a rather large rattle on the end, its color a dark brown at the very base that fades the closer it got to the tip, until it was almost a pale yellow. It didn't actually take much to reattach, she only held the tip to the end of his still bleeding stump for about half a minute and the meat was already mending back together.

As she stood she chuckled at the sight of him, still calm and unmoving against Martin’s hand. “He's a New Texan. An offshoot of the human race from roughly a hundred thousand years in Earth's future. Came from a desert planet, New Texas as you might have guessed. The settlers found ways of quickly adapting to the new climate, resulting in a variety of different physical traits not unlike many native Earth animals.”

“How does a human adapt into this, exactly?”

“Bioengineering,” she shrugged like it was a simple answer, “at first anyway, and then it was a natural progression.” 

“Well that’s… certainly an option, I guess?” Tim began but looked a bit concerned at Jonny. “So is this… normal for him? Going all quiet like this, I mean?”

“Normal is debatable, it's certainly not normal for him to allow anyone to trance him like this, but it's not impossible.” Nastya explained and smiled as both men gave her a confused look. “It's something that his race is known for but it’s not exactly something his people would allow to be done by just anyone. It’s a form of comfort only shared with those they trust most. Mother and child or lovers or the type of companions you would trust with your very life.”

That froze Martin's hand in an instant, not missing for a moment the way she smirked at him. A flash of the night before came to mind, her implying that Jonny truly wanted him, that he might want to keep him, if Martin allowed it. He still thought something like that was ridiculous, still couldn't imagine a world where he would be Jonny's or Jon's or really anyone's choice to keep. 

But then he looked at their face, the serene look they wore just from his touch. It felt like an impossible dream, to be trusted so much by someone he also wanted so badly.

He took his hand away, more out of uncertainty than embarrassment and very slowly the pair came back to themselves. His eyes blinked sluggishly a few times as they slowly came back into focus and he stumbled just a bit on his feet.

Tim was beside him in an instant, keeping him steady and helping him sit. “Easy there, don't pass out on us.” He tried to tease him but considering how dead on his feet the man was, he half expected they just might faint.

What just happened? Jon asked groggily. All he was certain of was that for a few wonderful moments his mind had been clear and everything had felt so… comfortable.

Jonny didn't have the words to reply, his head just as blissfully foggy. It had been so long since he had let anyone do something like that to him. A hundred years at least but in that moment he couldn’t imagine why. It was so nice and left him feeling like he was floating. Why did he ever refuse such a soft touch?

And then he was rapidly reminded.

“Oh, please tell me we’re planning on keeping these ones.” Marius practically sang as busied his hands with Lyf’s wings. “Not even Ashes can keep him so docile for so long. He might not even kill anyone for a while between star systems.”

Jonny gave a growl from deep in his chest and for the first time in a long, long time his rattle could be heard, a clear sign of genuine anger on his part. He didn’t like being made fun of, which was why he often refused to be soft and vulnerable with most of his crew. On some level he knew Marius was just teasing and that he didn’t mean any harm but coming down from a trance was not a good time to try and piss him off, a fact Marius should have known.

Easy Jonny, just breathe. Jon advised him. Picking a fight over this won’t get us anywhere. Remember, we still have bigger things to focus on, like my body and getting Sasha back.

He gave a long sigh and just nodded. Jon was right and, if he was being totally honest, he didn’t actually want to fight with Marius or any of them. He’d missed them all terribly and wished he knew how to express that without it feeling like weakness. 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m not interested in starting any fights right now, anyways.” He gave a tired groan back.

“You’re not?” Marius sounded genuinely surprised. “Are you feeling unwell? I can look you over if-”

“Fuck off, Marius, I’m not gonna be your pacient.” He growled the words but there was no bite to them. A fact that was surely noticeable to all of the other Mechanisms.

You don’t need to be so defensive, he just seems to be worried for you. Jon told him. That said, I think I’m starting to see where your “Marius is the worst” sentiment is coming from. It’s not that he’s overly lovey, you simply can’t stand when people worry for you. 

Jonny had to bite his tongue to resist telling Jon how very unselfaware he was if he truly thought that about Jonny. Because Jon had been paranoid and convinced that Martin and Tim of all people were out to kill them once upon a time, when in reality both men were just worried for him and one of them clearly fancied him and was desperate for his attention. There was plenty of time to make fun of his past later though, when the rest of the Mechs weren’t around to hear them argue.

Lyf laughed a bit then, reminding them yet again that they were no longer alone with their thoughts. “Were you gossiping about us Jonny? Or just comparing our love life to… whatever it is you have going now?”

Jonny began to go red at that and huffed. “Could you fucker please stop? This literally only started last night!”

“Last night? And you already let him trance you?” Marius faked a gasp. “We dated for a decade before you would even let me try, and then you backed out because you thought it was moving too fast! Nastya was right, this is scandalous!” He only got a growl back in return, but that didn't stop him for even a moment. “I'm so happy for you, really! He seemed delightful.”

“Yeah, he really is, now fuck off about it!” Jonny hissed at him, his rattle going off for just a moment. 

Tim suppressed a laugh as he watched both Jonny and Martin light up deep shades of red and decided that he should perhaps spare them any more embarrassment. “Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect so many of your crew to have tails. I don't wanna be rude but can I ask what exactly you guys are? I'm pretty sure Jonny said Nastya was a Cyberian,” she gave a curt nod in return, “and now we know he's a New Texan, never really asked about the Soldier and I don't know if I even wanna know-”

“I'm A Clockwork Figure!” The Toy Soldier answered the specifically unasked question.

 Still, that did gain Tim's curiosity. “That's all? So how are you alive?”

“I'm Not Sure I Technically Am.” It admitted, though it didn't sound bothered by the idea of its non-life. “Sometimes It's Just Fun To Pretend!”

“That's… a little sad, in a way.” Martin said, feeling a bit of pity at the thought of it only pretending to be a person.

“Is It?” The Toy Soldier cocked its head like it hadn't ever considered the idea of its nature being anything but fun. It shook its head and assured him then. “No, I'm Having A Jolly Good Time As A Mechanism. Much Better Than What I Used To Be.”

“Don't ask.” Jonny insisted to both of them before they could even consider doing so. “It'll tell you all about its past if you ask but it doesn't actually like to talk about it. So, ya know, don't.”

They both nodded in understanding before Tim focused on Ivy, who was setting up to get back into her self-mutilation. “What about you? I know the eyes are new, but what about the rest of ya?”

“I'm an Archivist.” Ivy answered back simply.

I'm fairly certain that's an occupation, actually. Jon pointed out.

“I was born in a library.” She explained in a flat tone. “Nearly the entire planet's purpose was to archive and keep safe the knowledge of the universe. All manner of races lived on the planet and in the library but race was irrelevant. If you tended to the books, you were an Archivist. Simple as that.”

Pity Elias didn't find her before us. Jon gave a slight laugh. She would have been much better at our job, I suspect.

“No, I don't fear the End, like a mortal would.” She shook her head. “That would have made it difficult for it to leave its mark on me.”

“Right, not that I don't love the cryptic bullshit but I don't actually wanna learn more about your fucked up fear gods right now.” Tim cut her off before looking to the remaining crew members. “How about you two? If you don't mind me asking.”

Marius lit up at the question. “Oh, yes, of course. You see, Mr…”

“Tim Stoker.” He offered and got a curious look in return.

“Another Tim…” he paused but not for very long. “Well you see, the name of my race doesn’t translate very well.” What followed was a deep, somewhat echoing growl that came from the back of his throat and then ended with a rolling R on the tip of his tongue. “Most races from other planets aren’t really able to mimic mine’s language but it’s perfectly fine. Lyf, on the other hand is an Asgardian-”

“Only partly Asgardian,” they corrected, “mostly Midgardian, with just a bit of Jötunn mixed in. The blood is old but it tends to manifest strongly even several generations down the line. Hence my blue skin and height.”

Tim and Martin cocked their heads in a blend of confusion and fascination at everything they had just said.

I'm sorry, Jon spoke up, when you say Asgardian and Midgardian and Jötunn… are we thinking about the same thing? I know fair amount about Norse mythology but-

“Only kind of the same thing.” Jonny answered all of their confusion. “The Bifrost Incident was something so massive and powerful that it made ripples across all of time and space, partly thanks to the god that infected Lyf, resulting in twisted versions of its tale being told on many different planets. Technically speaking, it hasn't even happened yet by Earth's calendar and won't for at least another thousand years.”

Do I even want to know what this Bifrost Incident is?

With a tired sigh, Lyf ran a hand through their hair and shook their head. “It’s a terribly long story and I don’t know if I have it in me to even hear them tell the whole tale today.” They started to explain. “The short answer is that I come from a very far away star system that no longer exists. A mad god awoke and consumed everything in its path. In the process of fleeing said mad god, I became… I suppose an acolyte is the word you can use for it but it’s more accurate to call me an unwilling vessel.”

“Relatable.” Tim mumbled and stroked at his neck.

“Ah,” Lyf started, looking between them all, “I was… wondering why a pair of mortals had such a strange… I suppose you’re acolytes of the gods of this word?”

“Nope!” He snapped back, rather insistent. “I most certainly am not a fucking acolyte or avatar or fucking whatever of anything. This is a hostage situation at best!”

“Relax Tim, I’m sure they didn’t mean anything by it.” Martin tried to calm him.

Lyf stared them down for a long few seconds, their wings drooping sadly at their realization. “So I take it this is an unwilling affair you all have found yourself in as well? Not unlike the one I share with my godly master?”

“Yep,” Jonny huffed, “we all got the Bifrost Treatment. Even me and Jon and Ivy over there.”

“Don’t call it that.” They admonished him, though they sounded more tired than upset.

“It’s not a terrible name for it though, we all understand its meaning that way. So it does fit rather appropriately.” Ivy chimed in, back to her surgery with the Toy Soldier now by her side to assist.

“I’ve Also Been Marked By A God!” It informed the room excitedly. “I Even Killed The Original Cult Leader And Took Her Place When I Found Out Jonny Had Become The New Archivist. It Was Very Easy, Because They Changed Skins And Voices So Often.”

“I don’t know what that means and I don’t know if I want to.” Lyf admitted, looking away from it as it began to extract an eye from Ivy’s tail.

Please don’t ask. Jon practically begged. I don’t think I can handle thinking about it right now.

For his part, Marius grimaced at Ivy as she worked on herself. “Gods, I wish you would do that literally anywhere else.” Marius told her as she began to extract another eye.

“Can't.” She said simply. “We're supposed to be scheming together. Also there are servants of the Web all throughout the ship. Another fear god, don’t ask, you should have been here sooner if you wanted the full explanation. Regardless, no one should be alone on the ship for very long until we get that sorted.”

“Martin was alone on the ship for several hours while we made Tim's vocal chords and nothing happened to him.” Nastya pointed out. Though it was much less her arguing and more like she was piecing together something strange.

“I just went to a room Aurora said would be safe.” Martin shrugged. “I didn't really think about the spiders at the time. Though now I am…”

“Hold on a second,” Marius insisted. “What do you mean you were making Tim's vocal chords?”

Tim tapped at his throat and then shrugged. “New hardware, thanks to Jonny here. Well, Jonny, Nastya, and the Soldier.” 

To emphasize his point he perfectly mimicked the impossible alien word that Marius had spoken before. From the echo to the rolling R, it was shockingly perfect.

“I Did The Surgery!” The Toy Soldier added helpfully.

“Oh?” He began, looking like he was trying to piece together what had just been said. Then his eyes drifted to Jonny. “What, exactly, does he mean by new hardware?”

There was a beat of quiet between them. Jonny simply crossed his arms and looked away from him, a feeling of shame sinking in the longer he stared. It didn't take Marius very long at all to connect the dots and he gasped, this time in genuine horror.

“Jonny!” He spoke the word like an actual scolding and Jonny visibly shrunk in response. “I know I was joking about keeping them but what happened to not getting attached to mortals? I thought I'd never hear the end of it when you learned about Lyf! You can't ju-”

Nastya shut him up with a high pitched hiss. “Enough! When we all forgot about you three in a high security prison and you came home with your mortal, we didn't tell you you couldn't keep them.”

“To be fair, I wasn't technically a mortal anymore at that point and they didn’t mechanize me to make that happen.” Lyf offered but quickly went quiet when she glared at them.

“So after what you all allowed to happen to Jonny, I don't really care if he brings a dozen new mortals home with him.” She carried on. “You should all just be glad I didn't shoot any of you on sight after going along with all of that.”

Marius practically wilted at the scolding, his ears drooping and his tail tucked between his legs. At once Lyf wrapped one of their wings around him and pulled him close but didn’t argue with her on the matter. They knew to some extent she was right, her rage was justified and none of them should have been surprised that Jonny had acquired a few new attachments in the 10 years they had left him to live a mortal life.

“I, uh…” Jonny spoke up, looking a bit bashful suddenly. “To be clear, I’m not planning on bringing a dozen people home. I care about maybe six natives to this planet, tops. Seven if we’re counting the cat Jon shares with his ex.”

Well of course we’re counting the Admiral! Jon sounded almost offended by the idea that Jonny might even consider not counting the beloved feline.

He didn’t argue, because how could he, and instead simply carried on. “As it stands, three of those natives are in this room right now.”

Three? Jon paused. Who’s the third?

“Jon… are you being serious?” He didn’t get a response, which only made him frown. “You, obviously, ya dumbass. Who else would be the third?”

Oh… I… thank you, I suppose.

“We need to find Raphaella.” Ivy announced. By that point she had begun to operate on one of her arms, while the Toy Soldier was working on her back. It was almost impressive how far along they had gotten in such a short amount of time, or it would have been if not for how horrifying it was to see the bin filled with bloody eyes, which Jon and Jonny could very much tell were still aware and able to see. Though they suspected it wasn’t Ivy who was looking through them anymore. “As much as I enjoy him becoming more civilized, we have no idea how much lasting damage Jon is having on Jonny. He’s already noticeably different than he was and I’d like it if he didn’t deteriorate any further.”

“Wait, what?” Marius demanded.

“Their minds are merging together because of the evil Eye god.” She answered before anyone else could, her tone only a bit urgent but also somehow calm.

“We have a laundry list of things we need to do.” Jonny spoke up and at last found his footing. “Raph is of course top of the list. But we also need to get whatever is left of the body of a good friend of ours, but to do that we need to get a book from our boss. It’s complicated, don’t ask. Ashes’ second mind is also still active, and last we heard she was basically keeping their body hostage. Luckily Gunpowder is hunting her down but who knows how long that’ll take.”

“Stop!” Marius insisted. “When did Ashes’ get their own second mind?!”

“Marius, why did you think Lyf rushed you off the ship so quickly?” Nastya asked seriously. “They knew Raphaelle was planning to suppress more than just Jonny and they wanted to protect you.”

“But… wha… why didn’t you tell me?” He looked shocked and immediately turned to Lyf. 

A blush crept across their face, which shimmer bright like an aurora in the night’s sky, fluctuating in color and intensity the longer he looked at them. “I meant to, eventually. It’s just- well, you were enjoying yourself and then you started putting yourself through school and I knew you’d drop everything if you thought something was really wrong with the crew. And you’re always trying to do things for me and the whole crew, and I just didn’t want to worry you. Eventually I’d waited so long that I hoped it would figure itself out.”

Marius was purring again and leaned even more into them. “You spoil me, Love.”

Jonny groaned again. “I will vomit on both of you, if you keep that up.”

You are ridiculous! Jon laughed again.

“We Should Also Dig Up Brian At Some Point.” The Toy Soldier chimed in, for once making a good point. “Especially Given The Nature Of The Buried, I Do Not Believe It Would Be Wise To Continue To Leave Him There.”

Right Brian, we keep forgetting about him. Jon Sighed.

“He’s on the list. Not exactly keen to go all the way to Bournemouth just to dig him up, but he’s on the list.” Jonny assured him but got an annoyed sound in return. “Okay, fine, we’ll make the multi-hour detail needed to dig him up before we go back to London. Will that make you happy?”

I’m sure it’ll make Brian happy.

“Oh, please, Brian spent a hundred years in the center of a sun. He’ll get over being buried for a decade.” 

“Was there an evil sun god possibly tormenting him for those hundred years?” Tim asked seriously.

…

“... Okay, someone get me a shovel, let’s go dig up Brian.” He sighed almost dramatically. “Ship, take us to Bournemouth. I’m not getting back into the back of that shitty delivery van again.

The Aurora chirped affirmatively in response.

I’m starting to think you didn’t actually like this Brian, with the way you’re avoiding this.

“Fuck you,” Jonny gave a dry laugh, “I just don’t like that he got buried trying to protect me, cus know that fucker’s gonna expect me to thank him.”

Have you considered that maybe you should thank him?

Before Jonny could reply, the Aurora let out a new chirp and few beeps before displaying a new message on screen

INCOMING CALL FROM “BITCHARD”

…

WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ANSWER?

Bitchard, really? Jon tried to sound disappointing but found himself laughing instead. Tim, you are a terrible child sometimes.

Jonny smirked at the sight of it but when he looked, he saw Tim glaring at the message.

“What the fuck does that creep want now?” He huffed with disgust in his voice.

“Who exactly is this creep and why are they calling my girlfriend?” Nastya looked unhappy at the message as well.

“Jonny fed her my phone cus it broke, so she has my contacts now, I guess. Including our shit, fucking boss.” Tim explained. “Martin, I thought you told him I was dead.”

“I did.” Martin assured him. “Maybe he just didn’t believe me?”

HE IS NOT HANGING UP

…

SHALL I REJECT THE CALL?

“No.” Tim decided. “I wanna know what this fuck has to say.”

Jonny gave another groan and shook his head. “Nope, I’m tagging out for this one. You’re up, Sims.”

Wait a m oment!” Jon tried to insist but he was forced to surface yet again. “Jonny, you could at least-”

“Jon? Is that you?” A familiar voice spoke and Jon felt their heart speed up in dread. “Where have you been? I can’t get a hold of half my staff and I’ve gotten very mixed messages about Tim’s well being.”

“Fuck you!” Tim hissed back, his new voice box making him just a bit shrill and distorted. “Don’t act like you give a shit about me!”

“Oh, good,” he ignored Tim’s rude comment and spoke with forced relief, “I was worried that Basira had lied to me.” 

Basira? He spoke to Basira?

“When did you speak with Basira?” Jon demanded, the rattle on their tail suddenly shaking violently. “Where is she? If you did something to her-”

“Did something to her?” Elias scoffed. “She assaulted me in my own home and broke a very expensive window and an antique chair, before running off through a back alley. Why is everyone so convinced that I want to do my staff harm?”

“You killed Gertrude Robinson!” Jon snapped at him.

“Wait, what?” Ivy for once sounded surprised and upset upon hearing that, throwing away her scalpel entirely.

“And Jurgen Leitner!” Martin added, sounding equally mad. “And then you framed Jon for it!”

“What?” Ivy demanded again. “Both of them?!”

“And you knew about that fucking NotThem thing taking Sasha and you kept it from us for a whole year!” Tim jumped in as well.

“I… I thought…” Ivy spoke very quietly and looked almost like she was grieving for a moment. She closed as many of her eyes as she was able, like she was trying to block something out. All the while her whiskers twitched furiously and her ears were pinned back, making it clear that she was truly upset.

“You know what, I don’t actually know who you are, but you've somehow managed to upset one of the most emotionally repressed people I know.” Marius chimed in, going to Ivy as he did so. “So you sound like a real dick, to me. Do you have a therapist? Because I’m open for business and it sounds like you might need one.”

For once I welcome him psychoanalyzing someone. Fuck knows this asshole needs it.

An annoyed sigh came from the other end of the line. “So glad to hear you three have managed to stick together during these dangerous times but perhaps this call would benefit from some privacy, away from strangers.”

He would like that, huh? Jonny scoffed. Probably thinks he can have a power trip over the three of us and we’ll just buckle. Bet he gets off on it. Creepy fucker.

Lyf gave a disgusted sound at that but their focus was also on Ivy at that point.

“You killed Gertrude Robinson and Jurgen Leitner.” Ivy said very slowly, seemingly trying to process each word individually. Then it sounded as though the gears in her brain were suddenly spinning faster and a few angry sparks started to fly from the ports on her head. “You killed Gertrude Robinson! I’m going to fucking kill you!”

“Ivy, what’s going on with you?” Nastya asked very carefully, checking her ports for any serious damage and looking at Marius, who was also visibly shaken by her odd behavior. “This is- well, it’s just unusual for you.”

“He-” she was breathing deeply, struggling to put something together it would seem, “I knew she was dead but I thought… I promised-”

“Not that it isn’t delightful to be insulted and threatened by a bunch of strangers but I can’t say I approve of the company you three are keeping.” Elias spoke in a dull, condescending tone. “I think you three need to return to the institute as soon as possible. There’s something very troubling happening with Basira and we should be focused on getting her the help she needs. So, if there are any more insults or accusations of past misdeeds, let’s just get them out of the way now, shall we? That way we can get on with what’s important?”

“Well You Did Steal All Those People’s Bodies!” The Toy Soldier offered, as though it were helping. Everyone’s eyes locked on to it when it said this, none completely sure what it was talking about.

“I… beg your pardon?” Elias spoke slowly. “Who exactly are you?”

“I’m The Toy Soldier, Though I’m Sure You Know Me As Nikola Orsinov.” It explained giddily. “I Learned All About You After I Killed The Original Nikola And Took Her Places. She Kept Journals, You See. And She Wrote About All The Leaders Of The Cults, Including You A Few Times. Especially The Different Bodies You-”

“Stop talking!” A static hiss came with his voice and sent a shiver up Jon’s spine. 

And that was more than enough for him. “Aurora, end this call and block any further contact from this number.”

“Jon-” his voice hissed again but it was quickly cut off as the call ended.

The room went silent until finally Lyf spoke. “So, I feel like Marius and I missed a few things?”

Evil boss who works for the evil Eye god. Jonny answered easily enough.

“Yeah, basically, evil boss that tricked us into joining an evil cult.” Jon agreed.

Tim ignored them in favor of focusing on the Toy Soldier instead. “What did you mean by different bodies?”

It looked as surprised as a wooden soldier could look. “You Mean You Don’t Know?”

They all frowned at that. There were many things the Archive team didn't know about Elias and the Eye but until that moment, it hadn't occurred to them just how little they truly knew.

Chapter Text

There were a number of things Tim expected he might wake up to when he drifted off the night before. The werewolf somehow freeing herself, yet again, was at the top of his list, followed shortly thereafter by Ashes tracking him down, and somewhere near the bottom of that list was being found by authorities. It didn’t really matter if they did, of course, because nothing would be able to kill or even hold him terribly long. He was immortal, after all, and the crew would look for him once he didn’t make contact on his own.

And yet this shit planet still managed to find new means of surprising him. 

He had another fitful sleep, full of countless ants, crawling over his skin and biting every piece of flesh their tiny mouths could latch onto. It was awful and the only hope he had was that maybe Jonny and his double would show up and save him again. Maybe this time he would at least get to give Jonny a kiss as thanks, or maybe just hold him for a moment. Because he wouldn’t lie, he missed holding him sometimes, even when he was being a rat bastard.

But Jonny never came to wake him. Instead it was the werewolf bitch screaming and shouting that forced him out of his horrible nightmare.

“Get up! Are you listening to me, you metal eyed bastard? Get! Up!” She snarled in a way that was not quite human but more than that, she was clearly afraid of something.

Slowly he stirred to a world that… itched. Everything was so itchy. He opened his brass eyes and regretted it immediately. 

Spiders. So, so, so many spiders. Thousands of them, more than would ever be in one place at a time naturally. The whole van was filled with them, swarming everywhere, covering him and his captive head to toe. 

Their webbing was everywhere too, almost completely binding them to the point that neither of them could move. They both squirmed and struggled but it proved fruitless, managing to only get themselves stuck further.

It was only when they were completely encased that they both heard a chuckle. “Gunpowder Tim,” a woman spoke almost condescendingly. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you, and I believe every last bit of it after the mess you’ve made of London. But I have to say, I’m a little disappointed. You killed the Moon Kaiser with his own cannon, took on countless soldiers, and was the lady of the underworld. Yet I still managed to catch you so easily. It's a bit unsatisfying, really.”

Tim growled and attempted to give as colorful of a response as he could manage but he found himself gagged with a mouthful of web and no means of answering her back. He couldn’t even glare in her general direction because he couldn’t even see at that moment.

Daisy made a sound too, not unlike the one Tim made and he suspected she was just as bound as he was. Misery loves company, he supposed, though he would have much rather one of them could have fought this unknown threat. 

“Oh, don’t seem so worried.” The woman chided and the sound of the van door closing and the engine starting followed. “I’m taking you to see an old friend. She’s told me all about your little adventures through all of time and space. Very impressive indeed. She even had a present for you, but unfortunately the mind she crafted for you perished too soon. I'm sure you'll still be able to appreciate the time and effort it took to make them though.”

The momentum of the vehicle could be felt, they were driving somewhere, though Tim’s mind was currently distracted by the implications of what this woman was saying. 

Raphaella. This woman knew Raphaella and she was taking him to her. 

There was a part of him that very much wanted to keep fighting but he didn't know where Raph was, using this woman was his only choice to find his crew mate. And once he found her… well, he would decide what he did with both of them when the time came.

So for once he waited and let himself sit quietly. 

Daisy, on the other hand, was not so patient. She gave muffled snarls and kicked and thrashed but she was bound tight, perhaps even tighter than Tim was. He couldn't blame her fury at being taken captive by yet another person, goodness knew that he didn't care for how quickly his own freedom had been taken back from him. But her persistence was swiftly becoming annoying and he half wished he had just shot her when this all began. At least then he'd have some quiet.

It took some time to get to wherever they were going, the drive was long and filled with Daisy’s occasional fussing but eventually they came to a stop and the back door to the van was opened. Tim felt multiple hands on him, peeling him off the floor and hoisting him over an uncomfortable, misshapen shoulder. Daisy was brought too, it would seem, because the continued sounds of her struggling didn't drift farther away as they moved.

“You're awfully quiet, Gunpowder. I had thought you would be full of fight.” The unknown woman noted. “I hope we didn't bind you so tight that you stopped breathing on us. I'm sure Ms. la Cognizi wouldn't like for one of her friends to show up dead. Though I suppose you wouldn't stay that way for very long.”

He didn't respond, her tone was arrogant and he opted not to humor her. Especially once they were brought through the threshold of this place.

Wherever it was that they were being carried into, it left Tim with an awful feeling. It was a kind of feeling he hadn’t felt since the crew had narrowly escaped Yggdrasil and the mad, waking god that had begun to consume it. He could still remember the colors and the eyes and the many tendrils, all of which the Aurora had just barely managed to outrun. They had been so beautiful but had left them all with such a feeling of dread that the crew was left with genuine night terrors for decades thereafter.

The wrongness of this place was like that to a smaller extent and even if Tim couldn’t see it, he could still feel it. It only got worse the farther in they were carried, until at last there was the sound of a door creaking open and they steadily descended down a flight of stairs. And oh, was it ever worse as they went farther down. Even Daisy could feel it, it would seem, because she stopped struggling and instead shuddered alongside Tim.

Everything about this place was wrong and it didn’t become less so when they finally made it to the bottom.

A chemical smell and the sounds of different things bubbling and brewing were the next things to assault their senses. And this almost managed to make Tim smile, because this at least he was familiar with. This was Raphaella in her most truest form, mad science in some fucked up basement. 

Gods, even though she did this to him, he still missed her terribly.

There was a gasp of delight that perked Tim up at once, because he had missed the sound of her voice too, it would seem.

“You brought them!” Raphaella sounded giddy and suddenly things were being shuffled around. “Here, put them here! I want to see them!” 

Suddenly the pair were being moved and dropped rather unceremoniously. Tim landed on his back, onto a hard metal slab. A number of straps came over his body, pinning him further to the table before a pair of small, extremely precise scissors began to cut away at the web covering his face. When at last he was free, he was met with quite a surprise. 

There was Raphaella, smiling down at him, but she wasn’t quite right. Somehow she had gained six new, smaller eyes, under her original pair of eyes. When she grinned, she flashed him a long pair of fangs, longer than they normally should have been. And then two sets of hands found their way, cradling his face rather gently. Which, of course, those weren’t actually new but the long, black nails those hands now sported certainly were. 

In spite her new look, Tim still gave a relieved sigh at the sight of her. “Raph.” And the lights on her wings seemed to glow even brighter from hearing how pleased he was to see her. 

“Tim.” She cooed back and planted a very careful kiss on his cheek, seemingly a bit cautious about her fangs. She’d never been so careful before about them. Perhaps how long they had gotten was still new to her?

He didn’t know but when she pulled back she looked just a bit disappointed. “I suppose this means the experiment is over. Too bad. I thought I’d have at least another year to work on them but I guess I should have worked faster.”

“Work on what?” Tim asked carefully but was quickly cut off by the werewolf screaming. Yet again he very much wished he had just killed her and been done with it. 

On another table not far from his own, Daisy was also strapped down with her webbing cut away. An unknown woman, Tim suspected the one who had taken them captive to begin with, was standing over top of her with a pair of scissors. 

“That’s… Annabelle, that’s not one of my crew.” Raphaella frowned at the sight of her. “You said he married right, did you really need to take his wife?”

Daisy made a disgusted sound and sneered at her. “I’m not his fucking wife, you freak! I’m his captive! Now let me go!”

“Ms. Turner is actually quite close to the second mind inside your Ashes, as well as a servant to the Hunt.” Annabelle explained as she stepped away from the table. “So naturally she became quite aggressive when she learned about the whole affair.”

“I see. Are we killing her then?” Raph asked curiously before her eyes seemed to light up with a thought. “Or… perhaps running a new experiment? I know the last few mortals didn’t survive but if she’s one of the-”

“You stay the hell away from me!” Daisy snarled back but was promptly ignored as Raph began to examine her.

“Perhaps,” Annabelle shrugged as her companion started taking notes about the other woman. “But you should know the original experiment isn’t quite finished.” Raphaella cocked her head at that and she carried on. “While Tim’s second mind has failed, Ashes and Jonny’s minds are still functional. Though Jonny’s not for very long. As a matter of fact, it seems like their minds are becoming one at a rather concerning speed. We need to work quickly, if you still want to save both minds.”

“Of course I do!” Raphaelle insisted and immediately seemed to forget about Daisy then. “But I thought you said they’d be safe. You said the Mother could keep control-”

“The Mother of Puppets is always in control, of that have no doubt.” She assured her rather sternly. “But the Eye has interfered and made things a bit difficult. Not that it matters, with Tim and Daisy here, we’ll be able to lure in both of your friends and you’ll be able to remove the second minds safely once they arrive. Provided you’re finished with their new vessels, yes?”

“New vessels?” Gunpowder pipe up. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Suddenly Raphaella was bouncing with glee at the question. “Oh, I’m so excited to show you, actually!” 

She darted over to the other side of the basement and pulled back a curtain. Daisy gave a gasp of horror at the sight and Tim… well, he’d certainly seen worse from her but it was still a bit fucked up. A dozen glass pods lined the walls and inside each was a body, four for each of the crew mates Raphaella had suppressed. Not all of them were perfect, one of Tim's doubles was clearly misshapen, his body too round and lumpy, like it was filled with tumors, another was the right shape but sported too many eyes, much like Raphaella did now. But the other two seemed to perfectly match him, one perhaps a bit more hairy than was right but overall they seemed perfect copies. With the exception of his brass eyes, of course.

How strange, he’d forgotten his original eyes had been brown.

The ones copying his crew mates were his real issue though. Some had the more alien features of his crew mates; Jonny’s tail and ears, the red and black scales that covered most of Ashes’ body and their various fins that seemed to dance in the bubbling water. But what came as a real surprise was that some of the bodies were clearly modified, designed to look as close to humans as possible. Gone were Ashes' beautiful scales and Jonny’s musical tail. Replaced and remade with smooth skin and human features. No rattle or gills, no fur or breathtaking colors.

It was strange and felt wrong to look at. He loved his crew mates, loved how they were supposed to be, and seeing their bodies twisted in this way, knowing it wasn’t just a trick of some cloaking device, it infuriated him.

“What do you think?” Rapaella asked eagerly before gesturing to one of the better bodies that was clearly meant to be a copy of Tim. “I used the data we had from the Rose Red’s cloning process. Admittedly I didn’t have enough DNA to make a whole army of you three, but I did have just enough to make these. Jonny and Ashes had to be modified, of course, but the final product is nearly perfect. They'll be able to blend in completely to this world.”

“I don’t understand, why would you do this?” Tim demanded seriously. “We might’ve enjoyed fighting in the war but we all know what King Cole did to Rose was fucked. How could you ever do that to us?”

“Wha- no! This isn’t the same thing!” She insisted and crossed all four of her arms indignantly. “I didn’t do it to make an army and I didn’t keep you comatose to bleed you dry. I just needed someone who could survive the process, so the minds could grow and become their own people. That way I could remove them and put them into one of these.”

“But why would you need to though?” Daisy spoke then, her tone now surprisingly even. “What did you get out of all of this? Other than torturing your friends, I mean?”

“It wasn’t torture, is was science!” She huffed and rolled her many eyes. “And if you must know, it came to me in a dream and I was compelled to make that dream a reality. But it wasn’t until we landed here that I realized how little I understood. There’s so much more to this word than I realized! A much bigger picture than bef-”

“Raph,” Tim cut her off but spoke carefully, “do you even realize how much you sound like Old Lady Odin right now?”

That finally made her hesitate. Her arms uncrossed, her wings folded defensively around her, and a frown formed on her face. She didn’t like the implications of that, Tim knew that for sure. In that moment they both thought of their duet in The Calling, their back and forth as Loki regained clarity and Odin drifted completely into madness. 

Perhaps he could still reason with her, he hoped so at least. 

But then Annabelle was beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder and stopping the conversation in its tracks. “Oh please, don’t be so dramatic, this is nothing like that. You aren’t awakening some mad god, this is just a bit of fun. Fun Gunpowder here was completely fine with, before he became one of the subjects, if my memory recalls.”

“Fuck you, lady!” Tim snapped at her. “Get your fucking hand off of her and let us-”

Before he could say anymore, he was being gagged by a creature he only now saw. Perhaps meant to be a spider, if a spider wore a little red cap and was massive and bulbous and horrendously misshapen. It left him uneasy just looking at the thing, with its long spindly arms, asymmetrical eyes, and fine hair that covered most of its body. It gagged him as tight as it could manage before doing the same to Daisy, though she at least managed to take a good bite out of the thing, if the sheik it gave was anything to go off of, before it finally got the gag in.

Then it skittered away out of both of their view.

“Now that that’s settled,” Annabelle gave a small laugh before looking back to Raphaella. “Don’t you worry about the two of them, you just focus on making sure the bodies are ready. In the meantime, I’m going to make contact with Ashes. They should be just about done with the mess their double has gotten them into. I’ll be sure to let them know to invite Jonny too, of course.”

Raphaella was still frowning but slowly nodded along. 

Annabelle didn't miss her unease and tutted at her. “Don't look so worried, yeah? You've never felt bad about an experiment before. Your friends will forgive you. They'll likely kill you a few times, but they'll forgive you in the end. They always do.”

It was true, Tim could- would forgive her for this. In a way, he already kinda did. Something about all of this, it didn’t feel like how Raphaella normally did things. Experimenting on the crew was normal for her but this was a different kind of violation that she had never done to them before. No, this felt like she wasn’t completely in control, like she was being manipulated in some way and he suspected this Annabelle was the cause of it all.

Annabelle took Daisy’s phone off of Tim before retreating back up the stairs and Raphaella seemed to reluctantly go back to work, occasionally stealing glances in Tim’s direction.

“I-it… it’s not personal.” She said after a short while of silence. “It was just supposed to be fun. A new discovery, making a whole new person in a whole new way! Something I never even considered until we got to this system. But… I got carried away, I should’ve tried a few mortals before I decided to use you all. I’m sorry and once the transplants are over, I’ll make it up to all of you. I promise.”

Tim gave a sigh. He knew she wasn’t lying to him but he also didn’t believe that her new handler, Annabelle, was going to just let her and the crew go when this was all said and done. 

Not knowing what else to do, he closed his eyes and tried to dream. Perhaps this time Jonny would be there again to pull him from the mound of ants and he could tell him all about what was happening with Raph?

Of course, Jonny was in no condition to be sleeping just yet, no matter how tired he might have been. Instead he was in that moment hearing the Toy Soldier utter quite possibly the most infuriating words possible.

“You Mean You Don’t Know?” 

Because, of course, there was evidently a great deal of things the Archive team didn’t know. But from its tone, it obviously thought they should have known this. For a cult serving a god of knowing and seeing, they all sure seemed to be kept in the dark about some pretty relevant details.

“Do me a favor and just assume that all the more major facts about the fears were kept from us.” Tim, Tim Stoker that is, had instructed it. He didn’t sound as angry or as frustrated as Jon and Jonny felt. No, his tone was shockingly patient with it. 

“Alright, I Can Do That.” It assured him in an excited tone. 

“Good, now what exactly do you know about Elias that we don’t?” 

“A Whole Awful Lot, I Suspect,” it began. “As I Said, Nikola Kept Journals To Remember The Important Things, As One Does When You Live For Such A Very Long Time. Sometimes She Wrote About The Other Cult Leaders, Especially The Ones That Found Their Own Forms Of Immortality, Like Your Elias.”

“Wait, Elias is immortal?” Jon cut in. “But that can’t be right. I looked him up, I found records of him while he was in college, I found his family history-”

“That Would Make Sense.” The Toy Soldier nodded along with him. “He Would Have A History, Since He Wasn’t Always Elias.”

God dammit TS! Jonny growled and their shared tail shook and rattled just a bit before Jon could get it under control. 

“Jonny, perhaps focusing your anger elsewhere would be more sensible for the time being?” Jon lightly scolded him.

Fuck that! Jonny huffed. This is some important shit! It shoulda told us this way sooner!

“Ignore the twin idiots for right now.” Tim insisted, also ignoring the upset little sound Jon gave in return. “If he wasn’t always Elias, then who is he really? And how exactly did he become Elias, for that matter?”

It gave a little awkward shrug. “Well I Can’t Rightly Say I Know How He Became Elias, That’s Not A Secret Nikola Ever Knew. But She Normally Just Called Him Magnus Whenever She Wrote About Him. But She Would Make A Note Of Whenever He Got A New Face. She Really Didn’t Like It, I Suppose She Thought It Was A Trick Stolen From The Stranger.”

“Magnus?” Martin parroted back. “Just Magnus? Like the institute?”

“Jonah Magnus.” The words came from Ivy, awe and frustration in her voice as she took in what the Toy Soldier had just said.

That- wait, what?! Jonny demanded.

“You can’t be serious.” Jon said but he also looked unsure. “Surely that’s not possible, surely-”

“Of course it’s possible!” Ivy snapped at him. “It makes almost too much sense. Prolonged life is a gift all the entities tend to give their most faithful servants. Of course the Institute’s founder would find the means to cheat death. And of course the bastard’s method involves stealing bodies.”

“Ivy, relax, I know you’re upset but you need to cool your head, your ports are literally smoking. Sit down for a bit, at least until they repair themselves.” Marius insisted, attempting to guide her to a chair.

“No!” She hissed and pulled away from him. “I need… I need to make contact with someone.”

In an instant she was taking one of her old books under her arm and was making her way towards the door. 

“Hold it!” Lyf ordered her and blocked her path, their tone suddenly holding a level of authority that until that point they hadn’t yet displayed. “You were the one who said it was dangerous to be on the ship alone, so you aren’t wandering off without someone with you.”

And you can’t just say you need to contact someone and then run off! Jonny added. Especially after you freaked out like you just did. Where are you even running to for that matter?

“My library,” she said rather insistently. “I need… please, I just want to be in my library.”

“Well you aren’t going alone!” Marius told her before firmly taking her hand. “Buddy system, no one goes off on their own. So either I’m accompanying you, or you’re staying put.”

“I thought you’d want to stay close to Lyf.” She huffed at that. 

“We’ve spent the last 10 years together.” Marius reminded her. “I’m more than glad to share my time with you as well.”

“Just make sure you return him to me when you’re done with him.” Lyf said in an almost teasing tone.

She huffed again but reluctantly conceded. “Fine, let’s go.”

With that, Lyf stepped aside and let the two leave the room. They watched them go for a long few moments before their attention turned back to Nastya. The two sharing an unsure look in that moment.

We’re seriously not gonna press her about that? Jonny demanded.

“Would trying to force her to answer you even do any good?” Jon asked seriously. “I just assume all you crew mates are as stubborn as you are.”

“I take offense to that.” Nastya informed him, though she didn’t really look angry with him. If anything she was looking at the door they left through with a bit of worry.

“Considering how long I had Ivy, Marius, and Raphaella in my custody, I’m inclined to agree with Jon here.” Lyf admitted. “Sometimes it feels like stubbornness comes free with the mechanism.”

“I suppose immortality comes with a few trade offs.” Nastya shrugged. “You’re just as difficult at times, Inspector, so you’re hardly one to talk.”

“I have perfectly reasonable things to be difficult about.” They told her in an almost playful time. “Considering the games you all tend to play during our star travels, I think I’ve been more than open minded.”

We have to convince your ass just to play strip poker with us! Jonny reminded them.

“Jonny, it doesn’t make much sense to play a game I already know the outcome too.” Lyf pointed out. “You all know for a fact that Ashes cheats at cards, why would anyone ever play with them? Let alone a game where they literally take a chunk of your wardrobe hostage afterwards?”

Nastya chuckled at that. “Oh Lyf, half the fun is earning it back.”

Jon felt his face heating up at the conversation. “Can we perhaps talk about something else?”

What? You’re fine with her implying she fucks the ship but not when she talks about fucking Ashes? Jonny snickered but then paused for a moment. … Actually, you know what? I’m with you on this one, I would like to hear as little about Nas’ sex life as possible.

“So it is because it’s Nastya?” 

I swear Sims, as soon as you get a body, we’re fighting!

“So, uh, how long until we get to your buried friend?” Martin got all of their attention then.

“Oh, right, Brian. Good question, actually.” Lyf said, as though they had forgotten. “The sooner we’re done digging them up, the sooner we can get back to London and deal with this Magnus guy that’s got Ivy so upset.”

The Aurora gave a few brief clicks and chirps in response before Nastya finally answered. “Safely? It’ll take little under two hours to get to the Bournemouth cemetery you all buried him in.”

“Safely, what does that mean?” Tim asked while giving her an unsure look. “Don’t get me wrong, that’s not too bad for time but do we really need to worry about going too fast? Like is something gonna break?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Nastya scoffed at the mere suggestion. “Aurora can come and go, in and out of your planet’s atmosphere with ease. And she could make it to Bournemouth in less than 30 minutes if we really wanted to go that fast. The problem is that your planet’s governments, while pathetic in comparison, are still competent enough to detect something going that fast.”

“And given that there’s been several explosions all across London in less than a single day,” Lyf informed them and looking almost unfazed by all their looks of surprise, “it would likely be in our best interests to not get the government’s attention. Might make it hard to get the rest of the crew back.”

“Slow and steady it is then.” Martin decided, though he looked displeased with the implications of multiple explosions. 

So what do we do with two hours? Jonny asked. We apparently don’t even have a starting point for making you a new body, we have no idea where the book is, and, if I’m being honest, I’m still beat from the 14 hours spent fixing Tim and then several more hours of vocal training. I’d fucking kill for a nap right now.

“You’d kill for a lot of things, Jonny.” Yet still Jon gave a tired groan in agreement. “A two hour nap then?”

Three hours would be better.

“Two hours, then we dig up Brian, then you can nap as long as you like.”

You’re the worst, you know that?

“What happened to not going off on your own?” Tim spoke up. “Buddy system, remember?”

“Well we don’t have to wander off.” Jon shrugged before gesturing to one of the cots in the room. “We’ll just sleep here. It’ll be fine.”

That’s gonna destroy our backs even worse. Jonny complained immediately. 

“Must you be difficult about everything?” Jon gave a playful huff back.

“Nope!” Tim decided. “You are gonna find a proper bed to rest on, since you have a body to dig up and all that, and you’re gonna take a buddy with you.”

“You want me to take a buddy with me to take a nap?” Jon scoffed at the suggestion. “I don’t need a babysitter to watch me sleep. Not to mention that no one would even want to-”

“I’ll Do It!” The Toy Soldier insisted. “I Like Watching People Sleep. Sometimes I Even Pretend To Sleep With Them.”

“No!” Tim snapped immediately. “You… are staying here with me. I’ve got more questions for you.” 

“Right-o, My Friend!” It said rather cheerfully.

“I’ll do it.” Martin offered then, his face immediately going pink even as he suggested it. “Since spiders don’t bother me as much, I’m sure I’ll be fine? That’s what Ivy said, right? That our fears affect how the entities manifest? So maybe the spiders will just leave us alone if I’m there?”

Jon’s face also began to heat up at the suggestion. “Wha- that’s not- you don’t-”

“Fantastic idea, Marto!” Tim insisted, giving him a clap on the back and before either really knew what was happening they were shoved out into the hall by multiple sets of hands and the door had sealed behind them.

Remind me to thank Tim for being our wingman. Jonny chuckled.

Jon most certainly would not, he decided but opted not to say as much.

“Aurora, could you direct us to a room free of spiders?” Martin asked.

“Somewhere that isn’t Jonny’s room, preferably?” Jon added rather insistently.

She eagerly responded, lighting up and guiding the pair to follow.

My room isn’t that bad! Jonny huffed.

“Your bed sheets were filled with literal gunpowder.” He pointed out as they made their way down the hall. 

Yeah, I was fucking Tim like an hour before I was taken. He admitted almost indifferently. He tends to leave a mess behind, especially if I find him right after he was leaving the armory.

“Dear lord, all the more reason to not want to sleep in that bed then.”

Drama queen.

“So…” Martin started, though he stopped and looked unsure of how to continue. “What, uh, what’s the plan then? Once you two are separated and can do whatever you want? I know Jonny said he planned to leave as soon as possible but… is there an actual plan?”

Damn straight! Jonny answered rather enthusiastically. I’m getting the hell off of this shit rock. Leaving this whole system in fact. This place is just all kinds a wrong.

“I must admit, I’d very much like to get away from this world myself.” Jon agreed. “A fear entity seems to have commissioned my very creation, for reasons I couldn’t even fathom. But regardless of why, I don’t believe it’s safe for me to stay here. There must be a purpose it wants me to fulfill and I refuse to be its pawn.”

Martin listened and nodded along slowly as he spoke, though he seemed to be trying hard not to show how he really felt in that moment. Jon didn’t understand why he would look that way at first, thought perhaps it was a look of fear that he was feeling, but then his Knowing told him exactly what he hadn’t understood.

They weren’t even gone yet but Martin was struggling to figure out how to say goodbye. He wanted them both so badly but he was convinced that the two would grow bored of him and leave him behind. He truly thought that Jon and Jonny would leave him, not because they were cruel but because he didn’t think he was good enough for them.

This revelation came all at once, hitting them both like a ton of bricks, just in time for a door to open for them. Martin was already making his way in but Jon found himself stunned for a moment. 

How could Martin ever think that they would leave him behind? Jon had so little in this world and Martin was so much of that little. If he truly wanted to stay, they would never force him to follow them but Jon couldn’t imagine going if Martin wasn’t there with him any more than he could imagine staying and watching Jonny go.

Slowly he followed him into the room and allowed the door to close behind him. It was clean and mostly bare, perhaps one of the many spare rooms the ship must keep. 

“This should do, right?” Martin asked then, gesturing to the bed. “I’ll keep watch while you two-”

“What about you?” Jon cut him off, his tone serious.

He gave a confused look in return before looking at the bed. It was more than big enough to fit the two but surely Jon didn't expect him to lay down with him. Did he? Martin wouldn't refuse him, couldn't imagine turning away any advance Jon or Jonny might make, but he must have been misunderstanding him because Jon simply wasn't like this.

“Oh, I'll be fine keeping watch. I already had a rest in the middle of you all-”

“No, not that,” he clarified, “when this is over, what are your plans?”

Martin's face fell at the question. He hadn't thought he would have to face this so soon, thought he would have more time with them before it was made clear where they stood with each other. But he wasn't the sort of person who would invite himself along without being asked. The rejection that was sure to follow weighed too great on his mind to ever consider it.

He couldn't answer the question, too lost in thought to form the words needed to respond. It almost felt silly, they weren't even really dating. What was he so upset for?

So wrapped up in his own head, he barely noticed the look Jon gave him or the way he moved closer. It wasn't until he was taking his hand and guiding him to sit beside him on the bed that he realized that they had gotten so close.

“J-Jon?” Martin started carefully, entirely unsure of what he was about to say.

“Martin, do you want to say?” Jon asked the question seriously.

Jonny growled at the very suggestion of leaving him behind but didn't argue. He knew just as well that they couldn't force this on the other man. 

For his part, Martin froze up and looked shocked at the forwardness of the question. He tried to look away but Jon's hand moved to cup his face before gently urging him to look at them. 

It was still strange, to some extent, the new eyes and ears, the fur and scales. It shouldn't have been as attractive to him as it was. But Martin very much liked looking at them. He wanted to keep looking at them for as long as they allowed, until they decided they were done with him.

“I don't… I don't expect anything, ” he started, a bit unsure how to continue, “I get that you have to go. You're right, whatever these fears want from you, it's too risky for you to stay. You don't have to worry about me, I'm sure the fears aren't nearly as interested in me. So I should be fine once I find a new job.”

Jon looked sad the more he spoke and he simply couldn't understand what he was saying that was so wrong that he would make that face. This was the reality of their situation, and Martin wasn’t so foolish as to believe his wild fantasies of being stolen away and taken through the stars by a pair of alien lovers would ever come true. Even if that might be what he really wanted. 

So consumed by that thought, he found himself spooked when he heard their rattle going off directly beside him. Both of their hands were on either side of his face now looking at him with an intensity he wasn’t totally sure what to do with.

Before he could say anything more, Jon spoke again. “Perhaps I need to be more clear? Martin, if I asked you, would you come with me? Come with us?”

And for the briefest of moments Martin felt like he was short circuiting. He couldn’t imagine why anyone would ever-

“I Know what you’re feeling right now.” Jon cut the thought off in its tracks. “It’s not quite mind reading, I don’t think so, but I Know you’re worried. You think we don’t want you but… Martin, I’ve wanted so few people in my short life and Jonny, you should hear the way Jonny talks about you when no one else can hear him. We want you very much.”

Jonny purred in agreement, which gave Jon just enough encouragement to move closer to the other man and bring their lips together for a soft but certain kiss. There was the briefest moment of uncertainty as their lips joined, but as the words sunk in, Martin leaned into the kiss and let his arms wrap around the other man.

It was hard to say how long they stayed like that, the three all enjoying sharing this closeness but by the time they got their senses back, they were laying on their sides on the bed. 

Jon gave a content sigh and buried his face in Martin’s jumper. They really should try to take that nap while they still could.

Martin was still holding him, still thinking far too much for his own good. Jon and Jonny wanted him, wanted to keep him. His heart pounded at the very idea of such a thought. He’d never been anyone’s choice before, sometimes even doubted his own mother loved him, but suddenly he was the object of desire for two different people. 

He might as well take the chance. “Jon, Jonny… when this is over, would you like to do something together? Something less terrifying, I mean? Like a movie or… I don’t know, just something?”

Fuck. Yes. Jonny answered gleefully and Jon couldn’t help but agree.

“I think we both would be very open to that idea.” Jon said as he nuzzled closer to him. There was another brief pause between them before Jon realized he was also building up the courage to ask for something. “Martin, would you… could I perhaps make an odd request?”

“Uh, sure?”

He felt his face turning red even before he began to speak. “What you did before, th-the trancing thing. Would you… do that again?”

Jonny gave a gasp, though it didn’t feel quite like mockery. That’s… very forward of you Jon, but I’m not opposed.

Martin was going red as the request as well but nodded rather enthusiastically. “Yes, of course, if you’re both okay with it.”

Jon gave a small nod and with that Martin brought his hand to one of his soft ears and began to massage it gently. He purred in response and melted even further into him. Their tail lazily found its way, wrapping just a bit around one of Martin’s legs like it though he might try to leave them. And just like that, they let themselves drift off to sleep.